Say What?

Question: How has trucking changed since you first got into it?

Gail Glass, 58, Harrisburg, IL

Professional driving experience: 44 years

“I’ve been driving a truck since I was 14. I was driving before you were supposed to. Everything has changed since I first started driving. Trucks are a lot better, they run a lot faster, and everything is a lot more expensive. That about sums it up.”

Linda Beckman, 49, Phoenix, AZ

Professional driving experience: 9 years

“It’s gotten more cutthroat. Companies are competing so much for that sale that they are cutting the drive time short for the drivers to go from Point A to Point B just so they can win that contract. They don’t stop to think that the driver has to take a break to get fuel, to eat, to do anything. There’s just a lot more competition than there used to be.”

Blaine Turner, 65, Crittenton, KY

Professional driving experience: 30 years

“Everything was so different back when I started. It was very wild back then, the ‘Wild, Wild West.’ You could do just about anything you wanted to without worrying about all of these rules and regulations. It’s very much a business now. I think it’s changed for the better”

Kenneth Harrison, 61, Tampa Bay, FL

Professional driving experience: 9 years

“I think the caliber of driver has gone down. What you’re getting today are schools that are pumping drivers out in three weeks. These people then go to a company, they get training for four to eight weeks, and then they’re thrown to the wolves. They’re told, ‘You’re a truck driver now.’ No they’re not. I can say that because I was a driver trainer.”

Ralph Howard, 55, La Plata, MO

Professional driving experience: 30 years

“It’s been 30 years since I drove my first commercial truck, a butterfly Kenworth with a 4x4 in it. Most of trucks I’ve driven were cabovers, so going to conventionals has been nice. The two best things I’ve seen are the invention of electric windows and mirrors. Then there’s in-cab communications and electronic monitoring, so they can track the truck. That doesn’t bother me at all, because I’m not a hot-rodder. If the sign says 55, that’s what I drive.”