The Professional Truck Driver Essay, Research Paper

The Professional Truck Driver

Throughout the years, the professional truck driver have been given an undeserved tainted reputation. When a driver of semi is involved in an accident involving a passenger vehicle, people automatically assume that the driver of the truck is at fault. However, many times this is not necessarily the case.

The Department of Transportation investigated 1000 fatal collisions involving a large truck and at least one passenger vehicle. Of these collisions, only 24 percent of the truck drivers were at fault. The report also states that most of these crashes are due to the drivers ignorance of the limited capabilities of these large trucks.

All truck drivers on the road today go through a vigorous training course before they are ever allowed to get their license. They have to take pre-employment drug and alcohol test and are also subjected to random testing. The government also has federal laws that control the amount of driving time that they are allowed during the day and week. Drivers are required to take frequent breaks and fill out a logbook documenting them.

As the wife of a professional truck driver, I have often witnessed the stupidity of other motorist. Many of them due not have any idea what is actually involved in driving a semi. A truck driver does not have the ability to stop and maneuver as easily as the driver of a four-wheeler. There are also blind spots that each motorist must consider when encountering a tractor-trailer.

The licensed motorist has only the rules of the road to obey. Their punishment for disobeying them is small compared to that of the professional driver. They are issued their license after they complete a test and drive around the block. Are the laws to lenient? Do we need to have a more extensive training program for the average motorist? If everyone had to abide by the same rules and regulations there would be fewer careless motorists on the road. It is through their carelessness that the truck driver has acquired this unjust reputation. Truckers are Professional Drivers and should be treated with the respect that they deserve.