Archive for category Woman Truckers

Women in Trucking Roll Down the Social Media Highway

Posted by Allen Smith in Jobs and Careers, Truck Driving Jobs, Woman Truckers, Womens World, otr trucking, trucking, trucking blogs, trucking life on January 28th, 2010

There have been a few industries which have always reigned on the side of secrecy. The inside look into these few sectors have always remained to those within the industry itself, leaving “outsiders” to wonder as to what these certain kind of lifestyles are really like. Long haul trucking is one of those industries. Recent TV shows like Ice Road Truckers have fed many viewers curiosity into another aspect of the trucking industry.

Nearly everyday on my work schedule, I will have someone walk up to me and ask a question about the “big truck” I’m driving. Many of the general public still remain enthralled by the life of a trucker and wonder “what is it really like?” In an industry that is dominated by male drivers, add a women driver to the equation and they become even more inquisitive.

In recent years, the secrecy that lies within the trucking realm has become more open and transparent, largely due to another realm known as the social media highway. With the help of forums, blogs, podcasts and online news sources, more of the general public and those curious about the lifestyle of trucking, have learned more about the industry and what makes the men and women of trucking . . . truckers! Normally, they appear to know only a few aspects of the industry which they always are ready to inform me about . . . “80,000 pounds is all you can carry, right?” Another question I am asked often is, “What’s your handle?” Other than these two questions, I can see the general public is still very naive about the world of professional truck drivers . . . although they are learning.

With the help of the information highway, more women are finding much needed resources in learning the in’s and out’s of an industry, long ruled by their male counterparts. The information can be extremely informative, giving the good, bad and ugly of the industry . . . aspects that can exist in any industry. It’s a good thing, especially for those women interested in a trucking career, to hear what it’s really like to be a female in a male dominated industry . . . and the women in trucking continue to share their stories while rolling down the social media highway.

DoItHerSelfer is one of those women. A former construction contractor and business owner for 34 years, doitherselfer was accustomed to working within male dominated industries. With the fall of the construction business, due to the economy, she had no hesitation in jumping right into another industry ruled by men . . . trucking. She gives her thoughts, opinions and a further look into the world of trucking from a women’s view and is readily available to answer questions that other women may have in their decision making to move over to long haul trucking as a career.

She can also be found on Twitter.

Women in trucking continue to stand up and speak out using the best means of communication available since the dawn of time . . . the social media highway and Do-It-Herselfer is no exception .

: do it herselfer, highway, long haul trucking, professional truck drivers, social media, trucking blogs, women in trucking

do it herselfer, highway, long haul trucking, professional truck drivers, social media, trucking blogs, women in trucking

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Trucking Industry Covers Up Female Driver Trainees Harassment

Posted by Allen Smith in Safety, Woman Truckers, otr trucking, trucking, trucking companies on January 10th, 2010

Stop Harassment Against Female Driver Trainees Are female truck driver student trainees really being harassed by some male CDL trainers? Are the stories of verbal and sexual assault true or are they just stories? Why would trucking organizations and companies want to cover up such acts of violence against women? In the world of over the road trucking, is violence against women driver trainees really taking place and are the trucking industry leaders doing all they can to cover it up?

For years, this giant industry has moved along in total control of how drivers lives would turn out. The company could either make you or break you. With billions of dollars at stake, a large majority of OTR drivers are still just a pawn in the companies game of playing with people’s hope. Hope that they can have a rewarding career and provide for themselves and their families . . . many of these trucking companies use this hope to pull in new CDL students and drivers, caring not at all that their lives, most often, will be ruined even more . . . all for the sake of the almighty dollar. Here is a recent email I received:

Mr. Smith,

I received your trucking information about a year ago and I wanted to follow up with you. All I can say is that everything you said was true. The tactics used by my company was so blatantly obvious that even a child would have been able to detect it. Everything was going fine for the first 4-5 months, but then everything changed. I realize we are in a recession, but it became very clear to me that they were working hard to “starve me out.” At the same time they were telling me that freight was slow, they were hiring new student drivers every week. I wish I would have taken your advise a year ago, it would have saved me a lot of heartache.

Truth About Trucking, LLC is not about pushing anyone away from trucking as a career, but to assist in showing how and what one will be expected to go through in order to make trucking work as a career. Surviving the first couple of years as an OTR driver is the key, which you must realize will be very difficult to do for many. Again, a great part of long haul trucking is designed for your failure.

Having been involved in trucking in some form or fashion since 1969, I am no newcomer to the industry. In past years, I have declined to work as a driver trainer and I have never operated around female student drivers. In fact, with 20 years of long haul trucking under my belt, I never even ran into that many women drivers. As reports of abuse and harassment by trainers against female students became known, I first responded by doubt. Thirty two years of driving a truck, locally and long haul, I had never witnessed any such acts against women drivers. Then came news about CRST and the suit brought against by hundreds of women, which by the way, was refiled on November 30th, 2009. Unlike many drivers and trucking industry organizations and leaders, I could not believe that all 230 women were simply lying. This was just one company . . . I wondered if there were other female driver trainees too afraid to come forward regarding these acts of violence which include both mental and physical abuse . . . then came TruckerDesiree.

Desiree Wood aka TruckerDesiree As I mentioned on the Dan Rather Reports, after Desiree began sharing her story on this blog, I began receiving emails and often phone calls, from women across the country asking for our help in making this issue more public. First came a few dozen, then as many as a few hundred. I would always ask each women why they never reported such incidents of violence, even rape by these male trainers . . . and the answer was always two-fold: (1) they were afraid of losing their jobs and (2) they did not think anyone would believe them anyway. Through our investigation, one aspect that always surprised me was the fact that industry “leaders” and organizations tried and are still trying, to keep this issue silent. This is an issue that not only deals with female harassment, but male harassment as well. Furthermore, let’s be fair . . . driver trainers have also been harassed by driver trainees. Bottom line . . . there is a big problem within the trucking industry and its driver training programs. Why then, is the industry fighting back so hard to prevent this issue from being heard further?

Why would large trucking organizations contact former drivers who are now unemployed and on welfare, and recruit them to write against TruckerDesiree and anyone who works toward making this issue known? Why would these organizations and trucking companies not want to change their driver training programs and instead, continue to turn their heads when women are reporting physical, mental abuse and even rape? Furthermore, why is there no law enforcement agency stepping forward to conduct their own investigation into this matter?

How big, really is this issue? Are you a female CDL student trainee who experienced such acts of violence by a male driver trainer? Post your experience at Real Women in Trucking. Trucking organizations have recruited drivers that were once on the side of Desiree . . . I know this as fact. Why are they wanting to cover up such illegal acts by some of these male driver trainers that they continue to hire? Why are there still those trucking companies and organizations condoning this behavior and working to discredit those women who are sharing their experiences?

We would like to hear your thoughts . . .

: cover up, crst, driver trainers, female driver, female drivers, harassment, otr drivers, real, sexual harassment, Trucker Desiree, trucking, trucking companies, trucking industry, trucking organizations, violence, women in trucking

cover up, crst, driver trainers, female driver, female drivers, harassment, otr drivers, real, sexual harassment, Trucker Desiree, trucking, trucking companies, trucking industry, trucking organizations, violence, women in trucking

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The Quest for The Truth About Trucking with Dan Rather Reports

Posted by Max4health in Politics, Truck Stops, Woman Truckers, otr trucking, trucking show on November 12th, 2009

by Donna Smith

Monday evening Nov 9, 2009, Dan Rather Reports videoed part 2 of an ongoing trucking industry investigation at Willies Place Truck Stop in Carl’s Corner, Tx. The objective of this broadcast was to follow up from the Show of October 20^th, “Queen of the Road” where Trucker Desiree and Tom Hansen discussed the poor practices going on in trucking, specifically the students in the CDL training mills and the new driver company training programs.

When the drivers first drove up and were entering Willies Place, some were confused, thinking that the show may create a poor image for drivers. After talking with many of them they soon realized that the intention of the show is to actually improve the image of the American driver by confronting the many scams that so many of them have faced throughout their career. The CDL school mills and new driver training programs are just 2 programs which are hurting the image of the drivers. This is because by churning out so many inexperienced drivers, not only are veterans being starved out of the business by newer lower paying drivers, but the lack of experience by these new drivers is not a true symbol of Dan Rather Reports Truck Talk the excellent driving skills which so many veterans possess. I personally talked at length with trainer Jimmy Watson of KLLM. Jimmy at first came to Willies Place concerned about the possibility that his reputation would be damaged by exposing poor training tactics of other companies. It wasn’t until I explained that by exposing and eliminating the poor training practices of other companies, that his company would not have to endure any kind of negative stigma which may result from them.

In this week’s follow up, “Truck Talk “, Dan Rather visited the big truck stop at Carl’s Corner, Texas, to hear from others within the trucking Industry. Truckers from across the country were encouraged to attend the live videoing of the follow up program so they could witness first hand the questions and discussions going on among Dan Rather and the stage panel: Todd Spencer ( executive VP of OOIDA), Michael Belzer ( Economics Prof of Wayne State), Miles Verhoef ( O/O), Derek Leathers (COO of Werner ENT), Tom Dean( Veteran Driver for Werner Ent) and Guest audience speaker Allen Smith of AskTheTrucker.com. Many Truckers were in the audience including Desiree Wood from the first Dan Rather Reports trucking Video, along with owner operators, company drivers, company trainers, and even a student who came to Allen for help regarding a wrongful statement on his DAC report which has ended his short lived trucking career of less than 1 year.

As you will see after viewing the Dan Rather Truck Talk video, the greatest part of this program has been the fact that it has brought truckers, blogs and organizations together, discussing the problems and issues within the trucking industry. As you are aware, Allen Smith has been an advocate for students and drivers and has been talking about the scams within trucking for quite a number of years now. TruckerDesiree and Allen, AskTheTrucker, for the last year have had a synergistic relationship, fighting for the rights of students, new drivers, the harassment women in trucking trainees, and even the veterans who are being starved out. Other issues only being addressed by Allen, are the DAC abuse and the Trucking Lease Scams,which hopefully will gain the attention of others as they are crucial topics which must be addressed.

Now, we have agreement with Todd Spencer of OOIDA, who personally told TruckerDesiree what a great job she did in the first video. Also notice in the video that Todd Spencer brings up how there never was a driver shortage, but the problem is the 125% turnover rate, something which Allen has been trying to explain to people for years and actually devoted a chapter to in his book, “The Truth About Trucking.” When I heard Todd say that, I wanted to jump out of my chair and personally hug him!! I did mention it to him later, although I didn’t hug him…

Donna Smith and Norita Taylor

I want to say that this meeting/forum at Willies Place has given me a hope that I have never felt before. I felt unity and comradeship, people standing around discussing problems together. I had a great talk with Norita Taylor, media spokesperson for the OOIDA, as we discussed things like the importance of Jason’s Law HR1256 and the CDL training problems. Norita told me also that her boss Todd Spencer said that Desiree’s depiction of CDL training was right on, and how great it was to be able to meet and speak amicably on all these important issues.

You see, we all need to have the same agenda, the same common goal….THE SUCCESS OF DRIVERS AND TO” RAISE THE STANDARDS OF THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY.”

Watch Both Dan Rather Reports Videos ( “Queen of the Road” and “Trucker Talk” on the right side column!

: allen smith, carl's corner, cdl training mills, company training, Dan Rather, ooida, truck drivers, TruckerDesiree, trucking, willie's place, women in trucking

allen smith, carl's corner, cdl training mills, company training, Dan Rather, ooida, truck drivers, TruckerDesiree, trucking, willie's place, women in trucking

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Do Hostile Training Environments Exist for Women in Trucking?

Posted by Max4health in Talk Radio Show, Truckers Health, Videos, Woman Truckers, trucking on October 26th, 2009

During the Great American Truck Show in Dallas this August, I had the honor to meet a woman, Beverly Peterson, who dedicates much of her life to defending people in the workplace who are and have suffered the effects of bullying. Some think this isn’t a serious epidemic going on and will say, ” just tell them off”, or “if you don’t like it quit”, or “report them to their superiors” ( What happens if even the superiors are covering up to protect the company?).

Ahhh….if it was only just that easy all the time. It’s easy to judge, until you or a loved one are in that position. Oh, how we will then seem to change our non empathetic and very apathetic tune when the circumstances hit home.

Some circumstances for a specific job sometimes don’t allow leaving, quitting, or escaping, and the victims become seriously abused, either mentally or even physically.

Here’s one example of Bullying within the Trucking Industry :

A woman truck driver trainee on a truck can be in a very vulnerable position with a trainer. Alone, away from home and desperately trying to learn and gather enough of the required miles by law (to be eligible to apply for another job as miles of experience is a requirement) The trainee can feel trapped, afraid, threatened,intimidated, fearful to tell anyone of the abuse that is going on…even to tell someone in their company for fear of losing their job, and worried they will never get another driving opportunity somewhere else! Who do they tell? What do they do? They’ve heard the stories about others who have reported the abuse/harassment to HR and have been fired for it! They just paid 6000 dollars at a CDL truck driving school, what should they do now? Is there somewhere to turn?

The trucking industry has had a series of allegations by drivers, many of them women, who have expressed and eventually reported that these types of abuses have taken place in their life.

Listen closely to these 2 very short videos, as Ellen Voie of Women in Trucking and Ronald Fletcher, a teacher at a community college in Texas, share with Beverly, their comments to questions asked to them regarding this controversial topic. ( Listen closely at the questions being asked)

Remember: Many women are afraid “to tell others in the company” so because of that, “there is no record” of a report.

Here is a Radio Show That Allen did back on June 17th of 2009- Bullying in the WorkPlace Part One-

The follow up show is here: Hostile Training and Work Environments within Trucking 6/23/2009

Shame on any of us who turn our backs on our fellow man just because it hasn’t happened to us!

We reap what we sow………..be careful who you judge.

: Ellen Voie, hostile work, ronald fletcher, truck driver trainee, tuck driver taining, women in trucking, women truck driver trainers, workplace bullying

Ellen Voie, hostile work, ronald fletcher, truck driver trainee, tuck driver taining, women in trucking, women truck driver trainers, workplace bullying

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Dan Rather Interviews TruckerDesiree-Queen of the Road

Posted by Max4health in Woman Truckers, truck driving schools, trucking, trucking show on October 20th, 2009

Dan2 by Donna Smith

Tuesday October 20th at 8PM EST

Here is the Video to Watch

Also Available on iTunes as a download: Listen from your computer

Join Dan Rather from Dan Rather Reports as he interviews our dear friend and fellow trucking advocate and activist TruckerDesiree. The theme of the show will be the inadequate CDL schools and the exploiting of new CDL drivers and trainees.

Almost 10 years ago my better half, Allen Smith ,wrote the book “The Truth About Trucking”, advising people on the correct paths to take and those avenues to avoid, specifically CDL school mills and trucking companies. The motive? To help folks achieve success within trucking and to prepare them for the lifestyle they would be facing.

Allen literally has received thousands of emails from people, but none so memorable as the one in September of 2008 from a new CDL driver who had just gone through the mill……CDL Mill if you will. The name of that Student? Desiree Wood, affectionately known today as TruckerDesiree.

Desiree had written Allen and I numerous times, asking questions about trucking ( as so many do). She had just been through some of the most difficult and stressful experiences during her CDL school training and her CDL company team driver training…and her descriptions were quite vivid and graphic! She would write us long detailed emails describing her encounters…some of them making me cringe. I finally asked her if she would like to share her experiences with our Blog readers and Newsletter subscribers. She said yes she would and thus “ A Day in the Life of a Lady Trucker” and TruckerDesiree was born, and the trucking industry would never be quite the same!

Well, it’s exactly one year today that TruckerDesiree made her debut in “AskTheTrucker” with the first post in her journal, ” A Day in the Life of a Lady Trucker”.

A lot has happened since then for Desiree; Talk Radio Shows, Trucking Magazine interviews, documentaries, spokesperson for the iPhone Trucker App, blogger, twitter queen, facebook diva, and most of all a very good friend and advocate for truckers … She’s made a lot of friends and many enemies (goes along with popularity) By far her interview with Dan Rather will be her biggest accomplishment to date, but we expect to see even more achievements in the future.

We’re so Proud of you Desiree!! You Give a new meaning to Women in Trucking

Allen & Desiree Oct 2009

@ Petro i75 in Florida

TruckerDesiree and Allen Smith

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Workplace Harassment and American Injustice

Posted by Allen Smith in Politics, Safety, Woman Truckers, otr trucking, trucking, trucking companies, trucking life on August 17th, 2009

“The most odious of all oppressions are those which mask as justice.”

That statement was once made by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson. It’s a statement that I often recall when I hear or read about a so-called “victory” within our American judicial system. Granted, the system is not perfect, but it’s the best on the planet as far as “man” goes. Without a doubt it continues to rid America of criminals that prey on the weak and vulnerable. Like most things however, there are flaws. Criminals, most often seem to have more rights than the victims. Also, when it comes to our judicial system, many times nothing is more truer than the old saying, “It’s not what you know, but who you know.”

Those who have the courage to stand up and speak out about workplace harassment within the trucking industry and are not willing to sell themselves out to businesses or organizations, are making a difference within the industry. A difference that has some big players in the trucking game growing nervous. That is what the truth does . . . it can make a lot of people nervous. It can also strengthen a person’s courage to come forward and fight for what is right.

More and more, student, inexperienced and female drivers are coming to the front lines and exercising their rights as employees. Female drivers who have experienced harassment, abuse and even rape by male driver trainers, are going to court and fighting back. It’s about time. Some have won . . . and some have lost, but they fought back. This is the ultimate sign that things are changing and they will continue to change as long as there are those who will speak out against these secrets of the trucking industry and other industries as well. Not to be bought out . . . not to be frightened by threats . . . but to move forward with truth which holds the key in bringing about real change for the better, to an industry that has its share of corruption, lies and abuse.

There will be those workplace harassment cases that will be thrown out due to some trivial oversight, but not because the cases were not warrant. An attorney missed something . . . the statute of limitations were missed . . . or somebody “knew” somebody in high places. All to often, sadly enough, there will be those true victims that will run right into the brick wall of American injustice. The accused will claim “victory,” but I would like to know where exactly is the justice?

A friend in high places . . . Congress, Senate, Judge? American justice can be bought and paid for … it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

When victims lose the judicial battle, many times they still win. They won by not backing down and facing the demon head on and saying, “You cannot allow this treatment of drivers to continue, or we will fight back.” They may not win the case every time, but their courage and determination speaks volumes to many others and can lead them to follow in their footsteps and not back down when faced with violations of their employment rights. When a case is thrown out over some missed, minute detail, this is no victory for the accused. The facts of the case were never heard . . . the victims never had the opportunity to provide testimony . . . the defendant has no victory at all . . . just another example of judicial injustice.

Workplace harassment, whether it be in trucking or any other business . . . is not going away . . . but those of us who cannot be “bought out” by trucking companies, businesses and organizations . . . are not going away either.

Allen Smith

: abuse, female drivers, harassment, harassment case, inexperienced, injustice, judicial, justice, male driver trainers, rape, student, trucking, trucking industry, workplace

abuse, female drivers, harassment, harassment case, inexperienced, injustice, judicial, justice, male driver trainers, rape, student, trucking, trucking industry, workplace

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iPhone Application TRUCKER Makes Debut at the Las Vegas Truck Show

Posted by Allen Smith in Woman Truckers, iPhone Trucking Application, trucking on June 29th, 2009

The Great West Truck Show in Las Vegas was the Big Trucking event last week which displayed some of the most innovative and technological gadgets and equipment, not to mention some of the most eye catching and creative trucks around.

Bette Garber

Attending the show was trucking’s well known and respected Lady Trucker, affectionately know as TruckerDesiree. As most know, Desiree is a driver who is extremely active within the trucking community, sharing her thoughts, ideas, and concerns with her fellow drivers and CDL students. Desiree has joined us and so many others, as we all attempt to bring about positive change within the trucking industry.

This time though, Trucker Desiree was at the Big Truck Show in Las Vegas as an attendee, sharing the Apple iPhones first and only Application created by Allen Smith ( developer Infomedia, Inc) for the Professional Truck Driver….“TRUCKER.”

Desiree shared with Attendees and Vendors the advantages of having an iPhone as she demonstrated the iPhone App TRUCKER benefits and capabilities. Desiree said that there were many at the GW Truck Show that had not known about the Trucker Application, but after she demonstrated it to them they were very impressed, especially since Version 1.1 still downloads for the modest cost of 99 cents. She said that many were most impressed with the vast Drivers Resource Page which continues to grow with the much needed info that drivers need on a daily basis. Many of those there who owned an iPhone downloaded Trucker and are now using it.

iPhone Trucker App

Reviews for Trucker can be read on iPhone Trucker News.

While attending the GW Show, TruckerDesiree was also filmed for a documentary which will be aired in the near future. We’ll discuss this in more detail in a later post. Here’s Desiree and the film crew taking a break:

Trucker Desiree and Film Crew Taking a Break

Another attendee at the GW Truck Show was Damian from SmartUnion. Damian is another strong advocate for drivers and is an avid user of the iPhone app Trucker. Damian and Desiree, along with so many others, were able to meet each other in person for the first time. We’re already looking forward to meeting everyone at the Dallas Truck Show in August. Hope to see you all there!

: iphone trucker, las vegas, The Great West Truck Show, truck drivers, trucker, TruckerDesiree, trucking

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Trucking Talk Show Exposes Hostility Within the Industry

Posted by Allen Smith in Safety, Talk Radio Show, Woman Truckers, trucking, trucking companies on June 18th, 2009

Trucking talk radio, Truth About Trucking “LIVE” aired their introductory commentary broadcast this evening by Allen Smith, concerning bullying and harassment within the trucking industry and the public workplace. Part 1 of a 2 Part series, Allen set the stage for their in-depth look into the hostility many truck driving students, male and female, are facing from some driver trainers and the trucking companies that employ them.

The next show, Hostile Training and Work Environments within Trucking, will be a 2 hour show as Truth About Trucking looks at the hostile work environment within the trucking industry. From the bullying to criminal assaults targeting students and drivers, this area of trucking continues to go unreported. With a wide range of special guests, the show will reveal and discuss the motives AND solutions to one of trucking’s dirty little secrets. Showtime: Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 at 7:30 PM EST.

: assaults, bullying, driver trainers, female drivers, harassment, hostility, industry, students, talk radio, trucking, trucking companies

assaults, bullying, driver trainers, female drivers, harassment, hostility, industry, students, talk radio, trucking, trucking companies

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Student Truck Drivers Often Face Hostility and Abuse

Posted by Allen Smith in Safety, Talk Radio Show, Woman Truckers, otr trucking, trucking, trucking companies on June 8th, 2009

Harassment, verbal and physical abuse, sexual assault and even rape is being reported within the trucking industry on student drivers by their driver trainers. Though most driver trainers are highly professional and respectful to their student trainees, there are those who are committing these acts of violent crime. The trucking companies who employ these known felons, (and all of us veteran drivers know who these companies are), simply look the other way and usually end up terminating the student, taking no action against the criminal trainer.

Unlawful harassment is a form of discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other federal authority. Any employee wishing to initiate an EEO complaint arising out of the alleged incident of harassment must contact an FCC EEO Counselor or other EEO official within 45 calendar days of the date of the incident. The employee should not wait until the trucking company’s internal harassment inquiry is completed to contact a counselor if waiting will allow the 45-day time limit to expire. Thus the reason many complaints fail to ever get resolved.

Furthermore, as a student or newcomer to trucking, needing a job and a paycheck . . . many reports go unreported because of fear of losing that job that is needed so badly. Therefore, these criminal driver trainers continue with their crimes as some of the trucking companies keep looking the other way. Many also, fear being ridiculed and made out to be the culprit instead of the victim . . . all thanks to savvy attorneys who will turn around and “attack” the victim of the crime.

Recently, more and more female drivers are banding together and filing lawsuits against these trucking companies who did nothing when the crimes were reported. There would have been many more, if they had not let the 45 day limit to pass, unknowingly. Let’s be clear . . . most trucking companies do not tolerate any type of employee harassment and will take the proper actions required. However, there are a handful of companies that allow this type of activity to continue and a few of them are now being taken to court. I hope the driver trainers who committed these crimes are brought to justice as well. I can only wish they spend many years in prison.

Trucking talk radio, Truth About Trucking “LIVE” will be confronting this issue in its upcoming broadcast on Monday, June 15th, 2009 and Tuesday , June 23rd, 2009. Not only will we be discussing these crimes taking place within the trucking industry, but we will have several special guests appearing on the June 21st show to further discuss why these crimes take place, how they occur and most importantly, finding solutions to resolve them.

This behavior by some driver trainers and the trucking companies that keep them employed, is nothing new. The problem is that this “little secret” has been swept under the rug for many years. It simply has not or does not get reported. We are going to change that.

Mark your calendars for Monday, 6-15-09 for: Bullying in the Workplace – Part 1 for 7:30 PM EST and Hostile Training and Work Environments within Trucking for Tuesday, 6-23-09 for 7:30 PM EST.

It’s time to lift the rug and report these crimes being committed by these driver trainers and the trucking companies who allow them to continue.

Only on:

: bullying, crimes, driver trainers, female drivers, harassment, hostile training, student, student truck drivers, talk radio, truck drivers, trucking, trucking companies, trucking industry, truth about trucking, work environments

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Truckers Coming Together for Trucking Rights

Posted by Allen Smith in Woman Truckers, trucking, trucking blogs, trucking life on May 14th, 2009

Allen Smith The trucking industry has several organizations that represent our nations’ truck drivers. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for an organization to use the main theme, content, or source from another’s news story or blog post and not link back to, or at least mention the original post or author’s work and research.

We ask that all of you join together and keep in mind that our common goal is the benefit of our nations drivers. By communicating with one another, we need to respect and appreciate the hard work, integrity, and commitment we all have towards our common goal of helping truck drivers. As those of us continue our dedicated path in helping the trucking community and its drivers, we as bloggers, journalists, and website owners need to share this common-bond of information among our readers, strengthening our bond with one another, and encouraging each other to stand up for what’s right. Only then will we have the momentum, force, and power to create a true voice and brotherhood which will be required to battle the serious issues which are facing the trucking industry today.

We have seen a great deal of growth between truckers helping truckers, since we first launched the Truth About Trucking and the AskTheTrucker blog. With the success of our trucking talk radio show, Truth About Trucking “LIVE”, there have been more and more drivers and those involved in the trucking industry, coming forward, banding together, forming a new voice that is representing drivers across America and the globe. I just received an email from a new CDL graduate from Canada, inspired by our websites and information, wanting to know how he could do the same thing we are doing in order to help his fellow drivers in Canada.

This is not to say that we are responsible for this growth. They did it all themselves, putting in all the hard work and effort on their own, making their voices heard. Many already existed beforehand, however, as more drivers and trucking veterans launched out on their own, the power of the internet began to take hold. Now, we are experiencing a growing community among truckers and those who wish to bring changes to the industry and help their fellow drivers. There are the organizations that proclaim they are “for the driver,” but now individual truckers and industry veterans are also coming together to fight, for themselves, for trucking rights.

We wanted to list some of these individuals who are making a difference in trucking and are not afraid to share their information with others in the community:

A Smart Union - 15 Year OTR Vet fighting for the Rights of Citizens to have the equal rights of Corporations.

Trucker Desiree – One of America’s few women drivers that stands up and speaks out about the trucking industry and other issues.

The American Driver – Two brothers doing battle in the political arena so all drivers receive the respect that they deserve. Catch their radio show: Truck Stops Here – every Friday 6-8 PM CST.

The Truck Star – One of Trucking’s most Popular and Controversial Blogs! Hosted by Daniel Audet of TruckStar Radio.

United CDL – Supporting the backbone of America – Truckers – and belief in the phrase: Say NO to CHEAP freight!

Coalition to Lower Fuel Prices – Site devoted in seeking resolutions to lower fuel prices.

There are many others who I have not mentioned, quietly working to better the trucking industry for their fellow driver. Let us know who you are in this post along with a link to your website or blog.

As the social trucking community grows, more of us will step up and speak out about the rights, as well as the wrongs, within the largest network of employees in the country: the trucking industry. We will continue to promote and encourage one another, bringing about the change which is so badly needed within the industry. We will also continue to work together as a viable network and fight to bring about these changes that will not only help the industry, but also our fellow drivers. Together we will be a true brotherhood.

Allen Smith

: canada, cdl, community, drivers, industry, lower fuel prices, Truckers, trucking, trucking rights, women drivers