Truck Drivers vs Car Drivers

Are truck drivers getting treated a little unfairly

Are truck drivers getting treated a little unfairly, do they always get picked on by the general public as an accident waiting to happen, or are they highly professional hard working underrated people.

“I’d be a truck driver if only they didn’t have any cars on the road”, the fame, the glory, the freedom of the road … that’s where it’s at.

And that’s partially right about trucking. But if you’re talking about the big rig truck drivers on the highway, (high milers)  well, they do see a lot of beautiful country, but if you’re talking about driving a local dump truck, you don’t see a lot of country, but you see a lot of dusty old gravel pits.

At one point in time, it was a selected trade amongst people that just didn’t want to punch a time clock, or have a timekeeper over your shoulders, cooped up inside a factory, “with a not for me attitude”.

How did trucking become so popular?

Years ago, it was decided that the national rail service was probably, not reliable or certainly if for no other reason, too slow in getting the product to the homes, stores etc. Maybe the rail system just wasn’t showing enough profit, who knows the reason, but one thing is for certain, the decision was made to cut the system back. So, one day our fearless leaders decided to do away with the rail service and the next day, they were already pulling up the Rail Road tracks. At that point there was no turning back or changing anyone’s minds, the tracks are gone.

But how do we still move our products around? There was trucking before, but the trucking industry must have changed dramatically overnight.

You have to admit, with these hated truck drivers on our highways, they do bring your products to market virtually overnight as predicted, and not the way I remember the slow-moving rail service to be.

The item you bought on E-BAY today gets delivered the next. “How do you think that happens” Eh.  It’s hard to thank these same people that you bad mouthed and always thought they, were the cause of all road accidents on our highways, it’s just hard to think, they had something to do with your food being fresh and the toys you ordered being delivered the next day.

The fame and glory days of a truck driver, (if there ever was) are over.  It’s a hard, demanding, and majorly skilled job.  Yes, it looks easy. You look up at this driver as he’s driving a nice shiny new truck, he looks down at you and gives you that biggest contented smile.

God, that would be a fun job !!

But it’s not all glory.  Yes, the freedom of the road, and seeing the country, yes. But the traffic you have to contend with, the people that are running late for their morning commute, you know, the guy that just decided to cut you off, so maybe he can get to work a little faster but not realizing, he just started a chain reaction of a 10 car pile-up. …. Darn truck drivers.

“I hope he made it to work on time, because some of us didn’t”

Like I wrote in one of my other posts, there are hundreds, if not thousands of new cars on the road, daily and most with inconsiderate drivers in them. The average public car drivers “do not “make it easy for truck drivers.

These truck drivers’ schedules are more demanding today than they ever were. Heavy traffic or not, if the delivery time is 5 pm then the shipper/ receiver wants and expects it there by 5 pm.” I have a crew of people waiting to unload that product, accident or not, you have to be on time”.

Secret Hint to a truck driver…. If you happen to get a grouchy receiver (always carry a bottle of Hooch with you for those late delivery times) That always helps ease the tension.

So you still think truck driving is fun?

Now, this is not always the case when you’re late. Purchasers do depend on their product to be on time and your company depends on you to be on time, but in all fairness, most people in the industry do understand unforeseen circumstances. Today, most trucks are equipped with GPS, so their employers, not necessarily keep track of the trucker, but their investment. So they know if you’re stuck in traffic or where-ever you are.

AND there… goes your freedom of the road! …  Big brother is watching!!

The “fame and glory” Well,  most people don’t realize it, but these highway drivers, dump truck driver, small delivery truck drivers, all have to have a special drivers license and extra drivers training. They have to be half accountants to make sure their daily paperwork is in order, AND, IF NOT, they’re in deep du-du. Fined, or worse case scenario your vehicle and content seized, Yes seized!


Truck drivers, big and small, by law have to do a complete mechanical inspection of their equipment, that’s before moving a wheel, before starting out on his days’ deliveries. By law, their equipment has to be safe on the road, daily and some of the conscientious drivers give it 110 %. They  look their truck and equipment over after each stop-over (Lunch, supper, etc.) The older more experienced drivers have to take regular medical exams, just to keep them and everybody else safe.


All truck manufacturers do the best they can by improving the safety and comfort of the driver, but they are still a lumpy, rough riding, heavy piece of equipment, which by the way, takes a lot of skill to operate.  So for the comfort of the drivers, the manufacturers invest major dollars on developing seating for these trucks and it’s not uncommon to pay thousands of dollars on a driver’s seat. And why not? Those highway dudes spend a big portion of their life in their truck. The funny part is, most of these drivers have bad backs to show for their life on our bumpy roads.

This post is not about some truck drivers but all truck drivers. It is a way of life for these people. It’s like once you’ve done it, you would never look for another type of job. You will never get trucking out of your blood. But having said all that, it takes a special someone at home and a family who understands that way of life. The life of a truck driver is not easy for him or family.

The sad part is, the public is the first to blame all truck drivers for accidents or a mechanical malfunction that happens on the road. In reality, the average truck driver will put on a few million miles in his career. He drives in and out of heavy traffic, fights the weather conditions, just so you can have your flowers fresh for the next day. And remember, there’s no phoning in sick when you’re on the road. In most cases, there is no pension plan, no internal RRSP contribution, you know, where the company matches your yearly donations. It is not a 9-5 job. In some cases, you might not be home for weeks. So you still want to be a truck driver.


Checking the equipment on all commercially licensed vehicles is a daily, mandatory adventure for drivers.

“Do you check your car over?”  

CAN WE SAY THE SAME, do we, THE PUBLIC, check our vehicles over daily? Do we have mandatory driver’s education? Do we have to go for medical exams and drivers exams regularly?  Do we have the same amount of driving skills and miles as these drivers, that, any one of these trucks drivers puts on?


This post is not about some, but all truck drivers in a general form. It is a way of life. They are a different breed of people that have a major role to play in our own lifestyle and economy and I think we should give these drivers a little more respect and leniency on our highways. Most drivers, when they retire will not have a big pension cheque coming in for a life of hard service. No, one million dollar bonus cheque at the end of the year for doing a good job/bad job and for a lot of these people, they will go through divorces caused by their choice of trade. A majority will suffer from major back ailments at retirement, but they are still the backbone of our economy and our fast-paced way of life and, most truckers, would never change a thing. Other than the attitude of car drivers.

Maybe, we should all cut these Road Warriors some slack for doing a hard day’s, demanding job.

So, you still want to be a truck driver?  The fame and glory days, … not sure.

Please check out my other related articles on road safety.

Is your car safe for the road

Working lights are the law


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Is your car Safe for the road?

Did you circle check your car for the work commute?

Is your car even safe to drive?

The Major corridor shut down for another 10 hours and they figure another 5 million dollars in lost revenue, the traffic is backed up for 20 miles. People are phoning in,” I’ll be late again.”  Lost time, money, gas from all those polluting, idling cars. Another major accident on the” Highway to Hell” in Ontario.

car pile up

Car pile-up on the highway

Then you hear the real bad news of fatalities. That’s the worst thing you want to here. All those people and their families! My heart goes out to these people. The anguish these folks are going through. Nobody gives it a second thought, but all accidents happen in the blink of an eye.

This article is sad on its own, but with all the measuring and calculating that the officers do, they have to answer the WHY question. Someone will get blamed, but whom?   Road conditions, human factor mechanical problems, that always plays into the equation.

The vehicle that started this set of catastrophic events, maybe, just couldn’t see through his windshield, (out of washer fluid), or wiper blades, ” I never saw this fellas’  brake lights.

Could it be that that simple?

In Canada, we have the best-maintained highways in the world, but we can’t control the weather conditions. But as a car owner, we can control the safety and roadworthy conditions of our vehicles and that’s where it all STARTS.

It would be impossible to prove, after the carnage of a 10 car pileup, that it was due to lights. Or, my wiper blades should have been changed.  ha … next time. They’re still good for another day.”

I have never heard that an accident was blamed on poor wiper blades, out of washer fluid. but its possible something so simple? How would you prove that “accident” was caused by ignorance, or something so stupid?

Could it be THAT SIMPLE

car lights burnt out

Unsafe cars with lights out

Poor tires, washer fluid, wiper blades, defroster not working, dirty glass, tail lights dirty and a list of other badly maintained sections of a vehicle, and it list goes on. …. All Preventable.

But you can’t fix stupid.  I had a friend that explained himself this way,”I’m naturally a lazy person” so his lights would be the last thing he would look at. Reason being,  …. “I’ll have to fix them If I knew they were out! “ … You can’t fix stupid.

The car manufacturers produce 165,000 new cars a day.  Only a fraction of these cars ends up at a boneyard. So it’s scary to see all these extra cars on the road daily with uncaring people in them for drivers.

Today I only spotted 5 cars with lights out, 1 transit bus, 1 small commuter bus with seniors in them, 1 big truck, and cars. It’s not hard to spot a vehicle with lights out unless you’re blind. Could all these poorly maintained cars/trucks have anything to do with all the major accidents? Can it all be blamed on stupid, lazy, ignorant people?  (Am I being too harsh on the words?)  MAYBE, But what a waste of human life over possible a set of wiper blades! Can’t see the car mirror

There was a Police Officer following me the other day when there was an epidemic of lights out.  He passed all these cars as I did and he did not turn around and check these cars out for infractions. He wasn’t going on a call, he had no reason to pull me over, and didn’t. For all that time that he followed me, he didn’t stop anybody.

He was just too busy going someplace, I guess. Or maybe it’s just not their job anymore, but it is on a public highway. Eh!  These are not “ACCIDENTS! “ They are criminal acts.

Where do we start looking for the cause of these accidents, does it start with poorly maintained vehicles? ….

I think YES.

Truck drivers/ commercial vehicle have to do a circle check every 24 hours, (pre-trip inspection) they look for major or minor infractions. The minor they report to their superiors and the major they park the vehicle.

Cars and light trucks do not have a mandatory circle check but should have. But you are in Luck because I have made up a pre-inspection sheet for cars.

And it won’t take you long and it might save yours or somebody else’s life by doing so.

“Just my opinion”.

Truckers vs Car drivers




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WORKING Lights are Law in Canada


“One light up and one light down”   Lights out, signal NOT WORKING. Doesn’t anybody realize these conditions are a recipe for an accident waiting to happen?

As a retired truck mechanic,

A big part of my job was preventive maintenance. It was boring but never the less a very necessary and very important job, to keep all the cars, trucks and equipment safe for the road and safe for families and the general public.  But you don’t have to have a trained evil eye to spot unsafe vehicles with lights out. Coming towards you is this car with one headlight out; I go by this fella, another headlight out. In any given day I will pass 5 cars + with lights out and that’s always, not some days, every day. …

Then I spot “One light up and one light down” Lights out, signals out. Doesn’t anybody realize these conditions are a recipe for an accident waiting to happen?

Road safety “Ignored” at its finest.

Our days are shorter and that makes nights longer and darker.

I’m picking on the simplest and most ignored part of a vehicle, which if you haven’t guessed it by now, it’s …Lights. 

I have to give my head a shake because that’s what my specialty was looking for infractions and repair those conditions before a catastrophic event happens.

Am I the only one that sees that this is a major safety factor and thanks you for asking, the …. LAW.

Police Officers, Ministry of Transport have every right to pull over any car, commercially licensed vehicle, anything on wheels that’s on government highways with a light infraction. They have every right to force you to repair the problem in a timely manner, and by the way, the first thing they ask for is (UPDATED Drivers LICENCE OWNERSHIP, INSURANCE) all the paperwork on the wheels you’re driving.  That on its own should give some people an incentive to keep your lights working properly.

I have trained myself to spot and repair this condition before accidents occur, especially during poor visibility conditions. Winter night driving for most people is a real challenge and to add to the equation, poor lighting. You might say to yourself, you have a well-trained eye to spot these infractions, and of course, my answer would be …..

“I’m not blind”.

Did you know you can spot a headlight out on a vehicle a mile away, that would make a big difference if it’s night and it’s either the right or the left light out coming towards you… Think about a bad situation, motorcycle, car…hummm

When you spot a SCHOOL BUS and “One headlight up and One headlight down”, would you not be concerned about the maintenance of the rest of the vehicle, your kid’s safety?

I guess this is where the years of professional experience come in, as I always spot these conditions, it’s like second nature. These vehicles that show a great amount of rust, HOLES, lights out, and that’s from the comfort of my own car is concerning. But that’s just me getting carried away.

And let’s not forget our picked on (trucks) Transport Companies, School Buses, any and all commercial vehicle. They have to, by law, do a complete mechanical safety check (list) and record the results on paper before moving a wheel, any infractions, bad tires, lights, door falling off, have to be repaired before going on your way and that’s every day, they will be checked all over again the next day.

Can you say the same with your car?

Now through all fairness, lights can go out at any time but remember “One headlight up and One headlight down”, that does not happen overnight, that’s considered poor maintenance.

Here is the CHALLENGE, when on the road, out and about, count the motor vehicles with lights out, you will be surprised on how many there are on the road, and in case you’re wondering there shouldn’t have any lights out, but that’s only in a perfect world.

If you’re in an accident and you’re on the GIVING end, you say to the Officer I didn’t see his lights… you could very well have been right.

It’s all of our responsibility to maintain our own vehicles and make them safe for our families and the public and it’s the responsibility of Law Enforcement to make sure all the vehicles, are, Safe for the road and that’s for everybody concerned.

Lights play a MAJOR role in public highway safety,  Eh

Did I say …(It’s the #Law)

Please check out my ” 5 MIN. could save your life” 
