Truck drivers feed our nation as well as every other country in the world. It is true that trucking is the cornerstone of our daily routine. But, did you also know that over-the-road operators provide a natural indicator of overall economic health?
To begin with, drivers are dependent on load availability for income. They need to have timely pick-ups and deliveries of loads in order to maintain consistent paychecks week to week. Time off is a luxury that many drivers these days can’t afford. In fact, the conscientious trucker understands that slow freight movement is the deciding factor for family time or leisure activities. Scheduling every aspect of the truckers’ daily operations is key to maximizing a healthy and relaxed downtime.
Many truckers now communicate techniques for achieving quality work/life relationships. But, as the economy continues to slow, these quick fixes do not allow drivers privileges they used to enjoy. The general moral level is reduced along with the drastic decline in financial and personal sustenance. Drivers compete against each other to improve their rank within the load pool and this, in turn, creates high anxiety felt all the way to the dispatch and load coordination office. Because drivers spend so much of their time surrounded by strangers and alone in their environment, they become dependent on their employer to provide an outlet for frustrations. This anguish is reverberated throughout the transportation industry as a whole.
Help is on the way, it seems, with an introduction in the form of tax relief; but this is just another quick fix for the bigger picture. Without loads, America stops and so do other countries dependent on our robust growth. Our manufacturing base existing within the United States (non-outsource) is in desperate need of restructuring. Our roads are not the only infrastructure that should be maintained by government standards. Trade is necessary, but not at the expense of our national birthright, international rank, or global image. The permanent fix for this imbalance lands squarely on the shoulders of the leader of the free world. Our economy depends on the Administration to have the intelligence to “administer” these three important qualities.
One of the first ways to implement a plan of action to inject oxygen into this nations’ ability to compete with outside investors is to simply establish guidelines that reflect the importance of maintaining American-based job growth. Throwing money at just any manufacturing company based in the U.S. will not work. A substantial reward should be attainable to those companies that choose to keep close ties to this country. Oh, did I forget to mention that this compensation should be more than what the manufacturer would receive by outsourcing jobs or establishing relations with a major distributor that outsources? Incentives are in place, but they are woefully inadequate to stem the flow of capital out of this country. So, we need strategic measures in place that truly protect our national strength within the global environment.
If you don’t believe this is the solution, just ask any driver that can’t find a load to haul. If that does not convince you, then maybe you are not a real citizen of this country. If that is the case, then maybe you can understand that what this country does or does not do directly impacts the bottom line of many other countries as well.
The obvious conclusion is that the economic strength of American-based ingenuity feeds many. We are all in this together, because the United States is truly the melting pot of the world and we have always been concerned with maintaining life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You know, the American dream.
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Posted by truckerspotblog 
Posted by truckerspotblog 
