Here we go again, it happened just the other night. I am trying to relax from a long day and on the television is a news show called 20/20. Normally the show is good but this one seemed a little too dramatic. The shows focus was on “Hell Highways” and some of the problems that have caused deaths on our roadways. The segment had three parts to it, one was about highway barriers and how a change in construction has changed the way they react when hit by a car. The second segment was about dangerous transport trucks and their drivers, and the third was about distracted driving incidents. Every time I see media on the transportation industry my ears perk up because I already know how we will look in the eyes of the public.

The segment about the truck Driver was of interest to me and as usual the flash was no more than fizzle. The preview made it sound like every Driver was driving around falling a sleep. The particular Driver in this segment had actually realized he was tired and called dispatch to let them know he was shutting it down to get some sleep. His dispatch however did not see it his way and threatened to cut his paycheque if he did not deliver the load. The Driver had taped this conversation however and it was played for all the world to see. It was later noted that the Driver quit that company and was working for someone better. The Driver did everything correctly from what appeared in the segment. Then they went on about the accident with Tracie Morgan and the Driver for Walmart. It turns out that the Driver had said he commuted 700 miles before beginning his run in the truck. Seven hundred miles will take you almost across the state of Texas, that’s one heck of a commute. That was the end of the segment, of course they flashed numbers like 100,000 people killed each year, but not necessarily from trucks. Those two incidents certainly didn’t help the image for our industry.

What about the thousands of men and women that do great things every day getting loads delivered on time? What about the thousands that have helped people at the side of the road, combat severe weather, help in humanitarian efforts, and work hard keeping North America moving each day? Those are the Drivers we should be talking about each day and certainly on television. Unfortunately heroes don’t make for good television like disaster does. I say we begin to yell a little louder, let people know that the majority are doing good work and are good people. Let’s teach the public about the professionals we are by keeping our equipment clean and our roads safe. Let’s change the perception from 20/20 to 80/20!

About the Author

Bruce Outridge has been in the transportation industry for over 30 years and is the author of the books; Driven to Drive and Running by the Mile. Challenger Transportation is an award winning carrier operating across North America. To learn more about Challenger and opportunities with the company visit their website at www.challenger.com