Say What?
Question: What do companies need to know about drivers that they don’t?
Carl Shoemaker, 58, Rock Island, TN
Professional driving experience: 22 years
“If you can’t do it right, don’t start a trucking company. My philosophy is that first impressions are always the best. If you make a good first impression on your customers and everybody around you, they’ll use you again. If they use you again, you’re making money and the company is going to make money. If you’re making money for the company, the company can afford to give you a raise. Why don’t they know that?”
Ron “Snuffy” Smith, 52, Massillon, OH
Professional driving experience: 28 years
“There’s a lot they need to know. They can start by not treating us like robots. So many of them do that, you know. Our personal needs don’t matter as long as the load gets there on time. That attitude needs to change.”
Dianne “Granny” Smith, 51, Massillon, OH
Professional driving experience: 19 years
“Companies need to treat drivers with respect because we’re the ones out on the road picking up and delivering the freight. Most companies don’t respect drivers enough to let them take meal breaks. They want you to stop at some fast-food place, sit in the truck and keep driving while you go down the road and eat. That’s not right.”
Ron Stevens, 37, Philadelphia
Professional driving experience: 12 years
“I’m lucky. I work for a tight, family-based company. If I have a problem, I can knock on the owner’s door and he will listen to me. Management wants to know what they can do to solve the problem. It’s a team effort, with management and drivers working together as a team. If I win, they win. If I’m happy, they’re happy. That’s what companies need to know.”
Kenneth Harrison, 61, Tampa Bay, FL
Professional experience: 9 years
“If I’m driving for a company and I don’t have respect from that company—and they don’t honor or value my input—I don’t want to work for that company. A recruiter can promise me the moon, but if the company doesn’t treat me with respect, I’m going to find someone else.”
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