“Make Trucking a skilled trade” instructor writes

“This article really hit home” John DeGroot writes

Letter to the Editor, Road Warrior News

I recently saw this article and it really hit home as I have been preaching these same points for years. It seems the quality of drivers have taken the word “Professional” out of the equation. I have driven professionally for over 30 years and have advocated it as a driver trainer, instructor, Safety Manager and driver. Bad behaviors need to be reported. 

We have drivers today running down our highways without the skills, knowledge or attitude to do the job safely. Passing in no truck lanes, construction zones, border crossings. I have never seen so much distracted driving as I’ve seen in the last 10 years. Trucking accidents are a daily occurrence now. Not only that but the rise of equipment rolling down our roads that are quite frankly rolling junk yard specials that would not pass any inspection anywhere. 

The only way to change this is to truly make Trucking a skilled trade, pay based on merit, experience and skill. Have new driver apprentice into the industry with smaller lighter commercial vehicles and work there way up the ladder. Not throw them into a 140k lbs truck and risk public safety. Experienced drivers like myself are retiring or getting out of the business as we feel the risk is just too great out hear on a daily basis. And the revenue for true professionals is truly a joke anymore. I am an owner operator and still take pride in what I do everyday, I just wish more drivers did. You simply cannot teach a driver everything they need to know in the hours allocated in a legitimate school let alone a fraudulent one. When I used to do road tests for one of Canada’s largest carriers most drivers that walked through the door could not even conduct a pretrial let alone prepared for the life of a trucker.

Signed,

John DeGroot

Instructor and Trainer