> On the profession thing... truck driving is not a
>profession, it's unskilled labor. Name the Professional
>bodies that determine whether you can be a driver or not.
>Before what review board did you present your thesis on
>driving? I've got 31 years in this business and I've yet to
>meet anybody with a Doctorate in truck driving.
>
> Should you drink and drive? No! However, please don't go
>dragging the "professional" line into this; it's not and it
>just confuses the issue. Drinking and driving have nothing
>to do with whether this is a profession or not.
>
> It's just a job when all's said and done, and an unskilled
>one at that.
Finney,
I just got around reading all the posts in this thread and reading your ‘profession’ comments – got to say your comment is why there is this attitude with the public’s impression of what a trucker is, a slobbly overweight stinky looking idiot that acts like a robot and is rude who just drives a truck at a low wage.
Profession – d**n straight it is, ever bit of it. It is not unskilled labor; it does not require a degree but who cares if it did. Driving a truck does require skill, the CDL is not something that everyone can get, skill is involved to pass the test.
The guy who taught me how to drive a truck back in the 70’s said something that sticks with me today; anyone can drive a truck, but the difference between the idiot and the professional truck driver is knowing what to do when something happens – your life and the lives of others around you depend on you knowing what to do.
I don’t care if you drove truck for 3 or 31 years, I hope you continue to drive safely for another 31 years but this is a profession - no doubt.
profession
Pronunciation: pr&-'fe-sh&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English professioun, from Old French profession, from Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin profession-, professio, from Latin, public declaration, from profitEri
1 : the act of taking the vows of a religious community
2 : an act of openly declaring or publicly claiming a belief, faith, or opinion : PROTESTATION
3 : an avowed religious faith
4 a : a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation b : a principal calling, vocation, or employment c : the whole body of persons engaged in a calling
oh yea, I know several people who have masters degrees and 2 with Doctorates - all drive truck. Yes the two doctorates are real, I worked with them in my last job and had a say in their hiring.