Targeted for Torment

                   Targeted for Torment


Jacqueline Gillan, Vice President of the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety of Washington. Targets truck drivers, so full of hate and anger towards us, because of the actions of one driver. I am sorry for her loss; the driver that killed her family member was driving illegal and got extremely fatigued, that does not mean we all do it. She talks about the new hours of service and how we will be able to drive 70 more hours per month, the rule cuts weekends, some of us work weekends, and then we are forced to get back behind the wheel after 34 hours off.

It is very obvious she does not know anything about truck drivers; you cannot force us to do anything.  She goes on to say we have the most dangerous job in America, judging by the number of fatality crashes, but what she does not tell you that 90% of those crashes are caused by the cars driving like idiots around us. Just the other day I was cut off by a pick up truck and then he slammed on his brakes, our gross total weight can total up to 80,000 lbs.  What am I supposed to do when that happens?  We cannot stop on a dime.  Cars who change lanes too close or tailgate or “draft” off of us are playing with their lives and the lives of their passengers, but nobody says anything to them, just us evil truck drivers.  As you can see not all of us are “dumb rednecks”, some of us are very intelligent people. 

She wants us to work 8 hours a day and no nights, I am sorry but truck driving is not a 9 to 5 job, if it were it would take longer to get anything you buy.  Take a look around your home or office, everything you see came off of a truck, most people do not stop to think “Without trucks America stops.” Think of the chaos you would see in the grocery stores if every truck in America shut down.  People getting in fists fights over the last loaf of bread or last jug of milk.

Here in the very near future truck drivers may be the last line of defense on the roads.  Trying to train us to handle anything from a deer in the road to Osama with an oozy.  She does not need to worry about as much about us as she does about the Mexican drivers who are about to be able to run free across the country and they do not have to obey any of our laws, if she wants to scrutinize someone she needs to get her facts straight, and talk to the internationals and the united States Government to keep the boarder crossers from taking our jobs.

If you give us a chance you will find that we are nice people who just might talk your ear off if you stay around long enough.  To Mrs. Gillan I am sorry for your loss; please do not burn us all at the stake for the actions of one driver.