First an explination of why this blog is important

OK, my profile tells you that I am a truck driver, and a biker. But it does not explain why I am writing here. The American trucker is under payed, under appreciated, and under estimated. All of these things are the fault of the American Trucker.

People do not realize that without trucks and troops this nation would be lost.* People really do believe that the things they buy come from the Grocery store, or the Hardware store. They never think about the fact that it got there on a truck. Trucks are smelly, oily, road blocks. In general trucks are a nuisance. Something that is in the way. People do not realize that without trucks they would be like stray dogs. That is to say without trucks people would be naked, hungry and homeless. Unfortunately the American Trucker also does not realize this. If they did they would do something about being under payed, under appreciated, and under estimated. I once saw a T-Shirt in California. It was on a truck driver. It read "Never Underestimate the American Homo Sexual! They Vote and they are Organized!". I laughed when I read it, but then I thought it was very very correct.

This blog is titled "What color is the paint on the wall" It is a question, but it is an answer too. The problem with the American Trucker is that they are not organized, and although they vote, no one knows it. There is an old joke about truckers that is the basis for the title of this blog. It goes something like this:
"If you put five drivers in a room painted white and gave them thirty minutes to
discuss and decide what color the paint on the wall is the results would be simple. When you came back they would all be bloody, their clothes would be torn off them, and any furniture in the room would be destroyed. The drivers would not know what happened, they would deny what happened happened, and they would all five tell you the wall was painted a different color."

Funny but true. Truckers cannot decide to organize because they are too independent. I have a friend that says we are ignorant. Not stupid just ignorant. Drivers do not realize that if they would organize and get together they could change they way they are treated, and payed, and thought of.

In the 70's truckers in this country were revered by almost everyone. They were the knights of the American Highway. They were payed well and pretty much everyone knew that without trucks America would stop.
Something changed. What it was I do not know for sure. I think it was the drivers themselves that changed. The economy got bad, and people needed work. I went into the Air Force because I could not find any other kind of work. Truckers took lower pay, and put up with just about anything to feed their families and pay the bills.

I have discussed this with many many drivers. They all agree we should do something, but they do not know what to do. I think the first step is to talk about what needs to be done. So I am starting this blog. I may open a web site, but that will come later.
There are some good Organizations that truckers should join. OOIDA (Owner Operators and Independent Drivers Association is one. Road Dogs is another (Road Dogs are just friends that listen to channel 147 and 61 on Sirius/XM radio, but they talk to each other too. That is good. Getting ideas talked about is a good start.

The next post will list some of the things that I think we as drivers should do and things that we should work to change. We can make this a better profession if we change things, and we must simply change them slowly.

Dave Talley

*This saying is something Krazy Karl says a lot in the month of May, and something he has painted on the back or his pickup truck.