OOIDA on the Road – November 2022
Marty Ellis, who drives the Spirit of the American Trucker tour trailer across the country for, has often noted how drivers should let servers at restaurants and other truck stop employees know they are appreciated and be thankful they are there. A thank you and, when appropriate, a few dollars go a long way toward taking care of those who take care of the stuff and services a driver needs.
Many similar things make a truck driver thankful. Here are some that quickly sprang to mind for Ellis:
- Good weather.
- Good roads.
- Clean hot showers.
- Drivers that are paying attention and not playing on the phone.
- Kids that still want you to blow the air horn.
- A scales-closed sign.
- No line at the truck wash.
- A cashier with a smile on their face and a kind word.
- Other drivers who give you room.
- An easy, free parking spot after a long day.
- A good meal.
- A friendly shipper or receiver.
- A friendly state trooper or motor carrier officer.
- A dispatcher that cares.
- An honest broker.
- A good mechanic.
- The load home.
Professional drivers also appreciate what the Association does in the fight for the rights of all truckers, but that is on a whole different level of being thankful. Those are the things we must work together to address, and this issue of Land Line lists plenty of them. Make sure your colleagues in the industry sign up to get a free subscription.
OOIDA tries to express how thankful many of us are for the veterans who have served their country in military service and the many who have continued their service to their country as truck drivers. The Truckers for Troops campaign is a token of the Association’s appreciation. The program raises money to send care packages to military personnel serving in combat zones and to make a difference in the lives of homeless veterans.
If you start counting them, there are buckets of blessings for which we should be thankful. LL