Communications Keep the Trucking Brotherhood Alive

Trucker Talk

Article thanks to Jim Sweeney and the RoadPro Family of Brands. Links provided:

Trucking is not for social butterflies. Except for team drivers, truckers are by themselves most of the day. A lot of their in-person interactions are quick and transactional in nature: pickups, deliveries, buying fuel or food. Their schedules don’t allow much time to socialize with each other in person.

Someone who can’t handle 13 hours in a cab with no communication outside of the CB, cell phone and dispatcher will have a hard time. Drivers who aren’t comfortable being by themselves tend not to last long in the job. But even drivers who prize their privacy feel the need to communicate with each other, even if it’s not face to face.

Decades ago, truckers had only the CB and casual conversations at truck stops. Now, cell phones and social media make it easy to reach out and talk at almost any time. The results are dozens of YouTube channels devoted to trucking, as well as online forums where truckers can ask questions, get advice and comment on the industry and everything else. Drivers also communicate in less formal ways, like a late-night call at 3 a.m. or a check of CB chatter to see who else is bored crossing Oklahoma on I-40.

Whatever the reason, it’s clear that being able to communicate with each other is important to drivers.

“We interact with other truckers because they are the only ones that understand. We, in a way, are lonely, needing attention of others and bored. We have a camaraderie that is a brotherhood,” said Maggie Riessen, a member of the RoadPro Pro Driver Council.

Drivers are the best source of information for each other on such things as traffic conditions, shortcuts, radar traps and safe places to park.

“I like to talk with other truckers for many reasons,” said Pro Driver Council member Joanne Fatta. “The number one reason is they are the only ones up at 3 a.m. We call each other to occupy time, discuss our day or just talk about life. I communicate on social media often when drivers are checking in at a location or having trouble on road, break down or have a long wait at a stop.”

There is also the sense among truckers that only other drivers can relate to their experiences. The gulf between them and non-truck drivers is too wide to bridge.

“I communicate with other truck drivers to gain knowledge,” said Council member Brita Nowak. “The fact is that only other truck drivers truly understand truck drivers. It is those ‘little things’ we whine about that other people would never even consider a problem. Through long nights, we can keep each other awake. Other times, we notify each other of problems on the road, closures, construction, ways to get around something, where the cheapest fuel is, where the bears are lurking etc. Company drivers ask me a lot about whether they should buy their own truck or not; they want some insight, advice.”

Council member Ryan Sexton said it’s a help to know that there are others out there living the same life and working the same job. “It's always nice to see and hear what places people come and go to. Gives you something to look forward to at the end of a long day,” he said.

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