Opinion: Valuing the Skills of Truck Drivers
B>By Mike Rose and Tom Nightingale
It’s no secret that trucking is having trouble attracting good drivers. During the third quarter of 2004, the industry experienced a 121% driver turnover rate, according to American Trucking Associations statistics. The quality of life for over-the-road truck drivers is improving, but unfortunately, perception of the skill and intelligence required to perform the work still lags significantly.
Society incorrectly classifies truck drivers as “neck down” workers incapable of achieving any type of occupational status because of a lack of mental capacity or formal schooling.
This damaging perception must be changed to improve truck driver recruitment efforts and, more important, society’s perception of the valuable and demanding skills necessary to do the job.
To attract and retain drivers, transportation companies are working to change the face of truck driving. Companies are working to provide better pay, improved training, more predictable schedules and overall work-life improvements in order to stay competitive and increase interest in driving as a career.
Steps such as increasing time at home, providing Internet access at company-owned truck stops, offering better facilities and providing superior training are designed to help reduce high driver turnover rates.
These efforts, however, only begin to address a long-term solution for the capacity crisis. By recognizing the cognitive abilities, education, agility and split-second decision-making skills drivers apply in their jobs every day, the industry stands to elevate society’s view of drivers and more successfully attract talented drivers who are committed to serving the customer.
On an average day in the United States, millions of truck drivers traverse the highways and back roads of our nation to serve communities with everything from paper towels to hazardous chemicals. As members of the motoring public, most of us get into our cars and share the roads with them without a second thought, hardly realizing the breadth of knowledge and skill necessary to operate trucks safely. Tractor-trailers can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, and they require great skill and training to drive.
Every day, drivers rely on innate and learned skills that have a direct effect on safety and service. Skeptics should consider what a good driver must do to deliver a single load.
Before even stepping into the cab of a tractor-trailer, drivers need to learn logging, safety procedures and mechanical operations. They also need to master numerous cab controls, engine operations and the nuances of double clutching — shifting into neutral before shifting into the next gear — when shifting through the truck’s gears. Coupling the tractor to the trailer, inspecting equipment, conducting brake tests and making turns are also vital skills.
Intuitively, drivers employ math and science skills derived from the fields of physics, geometry and kinetics — the mechanics of body movement — all while managing schedules and multiple forms of communication.
Drivers must also become adept at reading directions and deciphering maps at appropriate and safe times in order to fulfill customer commitments efficiently.
Drivers are not excused from the use of technology in their daily lives, either. They need computer skills in order to use satellite-based driver communications systems, participate in online training classes and find brokered loads. As the industry dictates, they must learn the technology necessary to provide better service to customers and stay safe on the roads.
From a governmental perspective, drivers must also learn, and adhere to, the Department of Transportation’s hours-of-service rules and safety requirements.
Overall, skills such as trip planning, attention to detail, excellent hand-eye coordination and the ability to quickly adapt to changing terrain and weather conditions is not for the weak-minded. In truck driving, there is no physical labor without intellect.
Working smart, troubleshooting and problem solving are everyday requirements drivers apply to their jobs, yet society persists in dividing labor into the work of the hand and the work of the mind. When society ignores the intelligence behind the work, it mistakes prejudice for fact.
By taking a closer look, we can understand the long-term implications such stereotyping has on staffing and on developing truck driving, which ultimately translates into the service that trucking provides to its customers. As an industry, we must recognize the fact that truck drivers’ intelligence is underappreciated and that truck driving should be one of the nation’s most valued careers.
Nightingale is vice president of corporate marketing at Schneider National, the nation’s largest truckload carrier. Rose, professor of education at UCLA, is author of “The Mind at Work: Valuing the Intelligence of the American Worker.”
This story appeared in the Feb. 7 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.
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