Truckers work 24/7. Most do not get much time off. Most people receive about 104 days off a year, this is just the regular two days off a week, not counting any of the paid holiday's most get, drivers don't get paid holidays. Last year my husband received a total of 15 days off all year long. Most of those days he slept, and got the truck ready for the next trips.
Many people are under the impression that truckers make BIG MONEY! I put a calculator to all his hours of service and what he actually brought home after taxes, it was less than minimum wage. They say if drivers were paid by the hour and paid what they are really worth, prices of goods would have to go up, because freight cost would sky rocket. The sacrifice these drivers make, and their families, is more than our military men and women make, because it is year after year, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. They live out on the road, under enormous stress.
Today, with some companies going electronic logging, it has cut down on fatigued drivers. The single drivers that is. The team drivers are some of the most fatigued drivers out on our roads, and single drivers that still us paper logs. They present a real danger to themselves and the public. Companies don't seem to care about this fact, you see it really is all about the bottom line, Money.
I myself have only been a driver with my husband a total of about six and a half years. We have only been driving together again the last three years. It is the hardest thing I have ever done, and it has taken a real toll on my health this last three years. Why do I do it you ask? Unfortunately, we feel at our age it is all we can do to survive. My husband left trucking once before, and took a job paying $9.00 a hr. He loved the company and his job, and his co-workers, alas the company went belly up, due to mismanagement and lots of in company theft. It hurt more than just us, many people lost their home and dreams.
At first just my husband went back to driving truck, but he really missed me, and did not want to see me only 15 days a year, so I left my home and job to be with him. It has been very hard! I hoped it would not be forever, but three years later here we are tonight in a snowstorm, wishing we had our home back up in our mountain and a $9.00 and hr. job. All we ever wanted was just enough to make a living, have a small home of our own, pay our way, and help anyone where we could.
You might want to say thank you to the next trucker you see. Without the truckers the lifestyle most of you have, well let's just say, it would not be what it is today. Without them, many would not have their jobs. Don't take for granted those precious days off from work you have to be with your family, especially at holiday times. Don't take for granted that hot shower you can take every night, don't take for granted being able to watch your children grow up, or being able to kiss your wife every night, or being able to take care of yourself comfortably when you are ill, like with the flu Don't take for granted having a home, any home. Out on the road, a driver suffers more than you will ever know. So PLEASE, THANK A TRUCKER TODAY. THEY DESERVE OUR RESPECT IN EVERY WAY.
