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TRUCKER'S STORIES * UK - The Faces in the Windshields
Truckers are much more than pieces of equipment
London,UK -TruckstopUK, by Sandy Long -3 June 2010: -- The dehumanizing of truck drivers is really nothing new, but has escalated recently to a higher degree. In the past, it was thought that truck drivers were a dime a dozen, that a monkey could be taught to drive a truck and that truck drivers were little more than ‘meat in the seat’... Corporate bean counters and scientific researchers, who earn big money thru grants, have used faulty science and misreading of statistics to set models of what an effective truck driver should be, not accepting that truckers are human beings first and foremost. This has led to regulations being considered that make truckers appear as little more than robots in the seat these days... Joe is 69 years old, has driven for 48 years and has over 6 million accident free miles. He retired a few years ago, but his wife died after a long fight with cancer that not only depleted their savings, but also cost Joe his house and property and left him in huge debt for medical costs. Joe had a heart attack himself when 55, has had knee replacement surgery and severe arthritis for years along with type 2 diabetes and a bad back. He had to return to trucking to pay off the medical bills and so he could afford to live and rebuild his savings. Joe has four conditions that if the new health regulations for drivers are passed will put him out of the driver’s seat... Christine is a married solo driver with several years of safe driving. She and her husband drive separate trucks. She works for a small company that does not offer insurance but allows her to cross paths often with her husband. She is heavy set and snores; symptoms of sleep apnea. She and her husband are struggling financially with the economy so bad and they have bills to pay. There is no way that she can afford to pay for expensive sleep studies and c-pap machines if the sleep apnea regulation passes... About her prospects Christine says, “They will pull my license, I will have no home, no income, no job. I can go and ride with my husband, but not be able to drive I guess, but it will end our dreams of getting out of debt and buying a home.”... Danny is 35, married and has five children all under 10 years of age. His wife is a stay at home mom. They live in an economically depressed state. Danny became a truck driver a few years ago and has a clean record. He became a trucker because he barely graduated high school, stutters badly and could find no other jobs other than menial ones such as dish washing or maintenance... Danny’s company laid him off when they instituted new BMI policies for their drivers; Danny is 6’2” and 350 pounds. Up until he lost his job, he had been being treated for a metabolic condition that caused his weight gain. With five children, he cannot afford cobra insurance payments or sleep testing on unemployment and is finding it hard to find another job driving truck at a company with adequate home time, benefits and insurance... “I just wanted to provide for my family the best way I could, so I became a trucker. I never dreamed this would happen, I am a good safe truck driver,” Danny said, “why can’t I find a driving job?”... The three people, whose stories have been told here, are representative of thousands of truck drivers throughout the country. Good safe drivers who are either already caught or will be caught in the catch 22 situation of unwarranted health regulations involving truckers. Will the regulations ever stop one has to wonder. Not until the powers that be consider the human factor and see the faces in the windshields as individuals, not robots in the seat... (Picture from truckstopuk.co.uk)
Labels: rules and regulations, truckers' stories
posted by Unknown @ 6:54 AM
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