Thursday, August 30, 2012

The American Trucker & The American Driver


My husband is a professional driver. In the almost two years we've been together I've gone out on the road with him 3 times. The department of transportation governs these guys TO DEATH! They are allowed to drive 11 hours and be off 10. They can only drive a total of 70 hours and then be off 34 to reset their 70. We rely on them to bring us numerous things. They haul everything from our fuel, frozen goods, to the clothes we wear. YET . . . those of us who drive around can go anywhere we want, drive as long as we want, and the DOT could care less, and it's not the professional driver who causes accidents by texting, eating, or not paying attention it's US the all American driver. Seems a little backward to me that the ones who have the safest record are policed, not the ones who cause the issue.

For example . . . he had a weekend haul last weekend. I went with him, he didn't have the hours to actually make it all the way to California from Idaho and back. We ended up stopping in Nevada mid-afternoon to take 10 hours off, so his clock would reset at midnight, he got up at 3 am and drove us into Idaho. We got in at 9:30 Tuesday morning. He then took off until 5 am this morning, Thursday, to reset his 70 hr clock. It's a crazy numbers game.

Remember . . . as a car you can zip in and out of traffic those big guys can't. So, when there is road construction get over, 2 or 3 minutes aren't going to get you there any faster. It takes them longer to get up to highway speed, especially if their loaded. Try and remember that the next time you see one of them on the road.

3 comments:

Covnitkepr1 said...

I used to drive a fuel tanker....so I feel your pain.

Oh, and thanks for the follow back.

Andi said...

Thanks! It's crazy to me.

You're welcome!

Odessa Coldiron said...

Well, truck drivers perform their duties with their life on the line. They do not only care for the load that they hauled, but also, for the people around them when they are on the road. Truck drivers pay attention to their surroundings, so that they can avoid or prevent unfortunate accidents from occurring. I can agree with you that a trucker is one of the safest drivers around, just like your husband.

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