10-4 Magazine / April 2025 49 hood tractor with tall tires and plenty of horsepower! If given the choice, I would choose not to use the logbook either, but since we have to record our duties, I elect to use paper logs. Until they change that too, then I’m going outlaw! I don’t have disc brakes or even use air conditioning, but I guess I might be preaching to the choir here (well, some of you). You may be asking yourself why any of this is relevant? Just a few short years ago, I would have been that senior executive decrying any change. I’m sure all of us have heard the old adage, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” That may be true in some cases, however, after Covid, everything has changed. Our economy tanked, the freight base dried up, and many owner operators have parked their trucks or sold them. Those that didn’t sell out may have been forced to suspend their authority and lease on with a major transportation company. Therefore, their classification has changed from CEO (Chief Executive Officer) to IC (Independent Contractor), and in doing so, they must follow the rules established by the company. Either way, times are changing. If by chance you are one of the older or more senior drivers, like me, you are going to have to expect not only new ideas, but these ideas being presented by much younger people. These “new kids on the block” will be the ones rewriting the rules. In general, what I’m implying is, “Old may be gold, but new may also be the thing to do.” This is for the no longer owner operator who still needs to earn a living. Sure, you can look outside of the industry or try something else, but how long do you think that is going to last? Starting at the bottom of the pecking order is not easy, and neither is replacing a driver’s paycheck. After all, there is still a considerable difference between entry level hourly workers and commercial truck drivers. How many of you remember the comedy schtick by The Blue Collar Comedy Tour “Here’s your sign”? Are you listening, drivers? I will be the first to admit we have too much government intervention in our industry, and not just in the driver’s compartment, but in all aspects of development and design. The more control we hand over to the machine in the name of safety, the less safe our roads become, but some of the problems could be from an uninformed or inexperienced workforce. Inexperience can be misleading. I will use myself as an example. I don’t use an electric logbook, not because I can’t or don’t know how to, but because I choose not to. I have never had to transition to it. I run my own company, and because of its age, my truck is still exempt from the regulations. If I were to lease to ABC Trucking, they most likely will require an electronic recording device as a condition for employment. Due to government regulations, almost all medium to large truck companies require their use. This might be looked at as an inconvenience to me, but not something that will greatly affect my ability to perform the task as driver. Now, if you take me out of my old familiar everyday driver (2000 Peterbilt conventional) and give me one of the brand-new high tech Rubbermaid rides with all the bells and whistles, now that’s altogether something different. I’m hearing from some of my friends and colleagues who have years of driving experience saying they don’t feel safe driving the most modern, up-to-date trucks, they have been given to operate. It’s not that they don’t know how to drive, but rather they aren’t sure how to react to the intervention of the machine. This really is becoming problematic with older drivers. To an engineer of these ultra advanced and, in some cases, self-driving trucks, this may look like science to the rescue. These vehicles may be safe in a controlled environment when everything works fine, but out on the open road, we still need that human experience. Part of that experience should now include some training in new techniques and
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