Trucking Advocate and Activist Allen Smith of TruthAboutTrucking.com : Articles Current News and Information for CDL Truck Drivers and Truck Driving Students…"Raising the Standards of the Trucking Industry"
Donna hosted this evening’s Truth About Trucking “LIVE” talk show on Blog Talk Radio with special guest, TruckerDesiree, focusing on solutions for the problems in truckdriver training. Second guest, Tom Hanson did not make it, but the one and a half hour show brought in many listeners and finally addressed solving the problems within the trucking industry.
To date, Truth About Trucking “LIVE” has regular listeners in seven countries and brings in 100,000 plus listeners, once placed through out the world wide web.
If you missed the “live” show, you can catch it here:
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 20th,“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 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…
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!
Earlier this evening our BTR show, Truth About Trucking “LIVE” aired a 90 minute show discussing the Dan Rather interview with TruckerDesiree. Thanks to the callers and listeners and those in the chat room for tuning in . . . show has already been downloaded nearly 100 times within 1.25 hours.
I had some phone trouble during the last 5 minutes of the show and lost all connection, so was unable to “close” it out like I normally do, but the show focused on Desiree’s story and the real purpose of exposing these scams, lies and deceit within certain segments of the trucking industry.
Truth About Trucking has been working to expose these issues for nearly 5 years now, and with TruckerDesiree exposing a further hidden “secret” of the OTR industry . . . the industry is taking notice. Change for the better can happen.
I have nothing to gain from exposing these lies and scams of the over the road industry. They have been going on for years and the time has finally come that these issues are becoming known . . . CDL students and new drivers have the RIGHT TO KNOW . . . and for those trucking companies and CDL schools who participate in these scams and abuses . . . we will continue to expose them until they are changed and all drivers . . . students, new drivers and veteran drivers alike . . . receive the respect and honesty that they deserve.
In every industry there are those “bad apples” that continue to bring a black eye to those who do not deserve it. The over the road trucking industry is no exception. I have made it very clear through out the years, that there are thousands of excellent, professional truck drivers and driver trainers. I have made it known that there are many excellent trucking companies who treat their drivers with the respect that they deserve, as well as many fine and reputable CDL schools across the country. However, this is not the story that needs to be told.
For years, abuse against new CDL students and new drivers have been taking place . . . abuse against veteran, experienced drivers have been taking place. Newcomers to the industry are taken advantage of through violations of their employee rights . . . drivers are attacked by companies by way of the truck driver DAC report . . . drivers are retaliated against by some trucking companies by means of getting no miles or very poor loads . . . students and experienced drivers alike have been “starved out” by many companies in order to keep the “lower pay” driver revolving through their doors . . . and the owner operator lease purchase program continues to thrive, even though the program has an 87% failure rate, designed for failure through many of the trucking companies.
These are fact. Thousands upon thousands of drivers know this. Their reasons for protecting these abuses are known only to them. When those who come out and expose these scams of trucking, they can only expect to be attacked in return. Which industry leaders really want the truth of such injustices to come out? If these scams and abuses are never confronted, nothing will ever change and drivers will continue to be taken advantage of by those trucking companies who practice such injustices.
The Dan Rather Report with TruckerDesireehad nothing to do with the good, professional men and women of trucking. It had nothing to do with the excellent driver trainers who are out there, and nothing to do with those trucking companies who conduct themselves in a respectful and professional manner. It had everything to do with the “bad apples” of the industry…..so we can make things better for all.
When we were going through a rash of pedophile school teachers sexually assaulting under-age school students . . . you did not hear an uproar from the “good” teachers crying,“These stories make all of us good school teachers look BAD!” Those professional teachers did not rise up and whine, “Why are you doing these stories? Did you ever think about how it makes us “good” teachers look?” . . . and on and on. Did the professional and respectful teachers do any of this? Of course not. They understood that the story was not about them . . . they understood the news was about the “bad apples” within their profession, and I’m sure they were more than glad to rid their vocation of such . . . it would help their profession further.
The scams of OTR trucking is not an “I” or “me” story. It’s bringing out the story of hundreds, if not thousands, of abuses that have been and still are being perpetrated upon over the road truck drivers . . . students and veterans. For those who have close ties with trucking industry leaders, of course you are going to “attack” back … it is to be expected. It does not, however, change the fact that these abuses are taking place and have been taking place for years.
Thirty two years in the trucking industry. I’ve lived it . . . I’ve seen it . . . what sets people such as myself and TruckerDesiree apart from others, is that we are not afraid to expose the truth about various aspects of the trucking industry. Exposing the scams and abuses against CDL students, new drivers and even many veteran truckers can, hopefully, bring a positive change to this vital industry.
Have a story to tell? Dan Rather Reports direct email: viewer@hd.net
It is only a shame that so many see this as an “I” and “me” story and cannot get out of the shallow tunnel vision and see the real story . . . the “bad apples” that continue to bring down the honor and respect that so many of the trucking companies, CDL Schools, professional drivers and trainers have earned and so rightly deserve.
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
The trucking industry is changing or at least let’s say that it better change. Thousands of trucking companies went out of business in 2008 and many more are still struggling to hold on. New CDL drivers right out of school are discovering that there are few openings available for recent CDL graduates with little driving experience. Many drivers are finding themselves sitting more than making the wheels turn and of course, the age old problem of “cheap freight” is still going strong.
There are still those trucking companies out there that continue to treat drivers as nothing more than a number … just something that they can toss away when they are ready to move “old” drivers out and bring in lower pay earning truckers. At least the days of $4.67 per gallon diesel is gone, but for how long? All it will take is just one little ‘blip’ on the Middle East radar screen and we will be right back to the high cost of petroleum fuel.
Many professional truck drivers can read the writing on the wall . . . but can the trucking companies? There are millions of Americans out of work and who are one step away from being homeless. The Government is spewing out trillions of dollars, more so than ever in history, and still . . . there are no jobs. Exactly what is being done to really bring America back where it once was and should be? Where are the factual ideas and innovations that will get this country moving? Millions of people are waiting . . . millions of Americans are hoping.
Yet, hope is not enough. It takes action. It takes partisanship, which sadly, we do not see from any of our “leaders.” No matter what the idea is, there are always those who prefer argument over logic. If we do not start looking for solutions toward the future, and then begin implementing those solutions, where will this country be taken to?
TruckerDesiree writes about The Truck Stop of the Future and sums it all up better than anyone I know. The Pickens Plan is an innovation for the future. Is the Government really serious about limiting our importing of foreign oil? Instead of shelling out billions of dollars for a Cash for Clunkers program, why are they not gearing up for this plan that is a viable and very doable solution? The Pickens Plan is actually a “stimulus” plan that will stimulate! Imagine that?
The Cash for Clunkers program was a success. Or was it? The first part of the plan was suppose to last through November, yet the first monies were gone within two weeks. The number of new autos sold in the two weeks were the same amount sold in an average year. Now, two billion dollars more is being considered to add to the plan, yet, the number of auto dealers associated with the program only averaged between 12-16 new sales each. I hardly consider this as a stimulus.
Instead of building an impossible debt for our children and their children, why are they not working toward a real, stimulating plan that can get America moving again and get the people of this country back to work?
What better a Mascot could the TRUCKER iPhone application have, than a trucking dog named “Karma”?
It’s a Cinderella type of story with TruckinDogKarma playing the poor little stepchild and TruckerDesiree starring as the Fairy Godmother.
Once upon a time there was a beautiful stray pup living at a truck terminal in “Somewhere USA,” One cloudy and gloomy day, Animal Control picked up the confused little lass, but as it happened, the smell of diesel brought the sparky little 35 pound cutie back to where she loved to be, with trucks and drivers.
It wasn”t long when along came the infamous TruckerDesiree. Desiree would talk and play with the little girl, until finally one day TruckerDesiree ( sneakily) asked her ( more like tricked her…:) ), “would you like to come and travel the countryside with me?” With a scared but happy little doggie “ruff ruff,” she jumped into the cab of the truck, ( well, it did take some conniving and perseverance fromTruckerDesiree). From that moment on It was TruckerDesiree and “Karma….affectionately known on twitter as @TruckinDogKarma amd @TruckerDesiree.
TruckerDesiree and Karma travel the countryside together. These 2 beauties are a match made in heaven and we are happy to have them, along with so many others, working for our cause to “Raise the Standards of the Trucking Industry.”
TruckinDogKarma is now the official Mascot for the iPhone” Trucker” Application. Karma and so many other 4 legged companions care for and just make life better for their driver friends, who travel thousands of miles in a somewhat lonely and solitary lifestyle.
What a perfect mascot, symbol and allegory Karma and her “Mama” are to trucking.
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.
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.
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:
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!
By now most of you know our dear friend TruckerDesiree. Although Desiree has only been driving for 16 months, her passion to help others within the industry does not go unrecognized as she makes numerous posts and “tweets” regarding trucking. She has been an inspiration to many, including myself, to stay focused and keep our eye on the ball for the benefit of truck drivers.
Today however, I would like to talk about another passion of Desiree’s, which so many others, including myself, have. That is the love and compassion for our four legged ( or feathered) friends.
Recently Desiree adopted a small German Shepherd from her trucking terminal. The dog was abandoned and just “hanging out” there. People would feed her, but the dog was very frightened and skittish, not allowing anyone to come too close.
Desiree managed to get a body harness to finally catch her and she’s been caring for “Karma” ( she named her) as she drives across the US. Des has invested over $500.00 so far on Karma and one of the tests that were performed by the vet came back positive for Heartworm.
As you know this is a fatal disease for dogs( as well as other animals) and without treatment, animals have no hope for recovery. The treatment is not only expensive, but requires time “alone” and rest for the treated animal to ensure the dead worms are not passed through the animals vital organs, but rather absorbed by the body.
We would like to ask you to help Desiree save this beautiful and loving animal from a painful and horrible premature death.
We are offering Allens Latest Book, “The Best Truck Driving Jobs- A State by State Guide” for anyone who will help Desiree save her Dog. I’m sure you can understand that on a new truckers salary it will be extremely difficult for her to manage the cost of the treatment, as she has already invested so much to save her new friend,
Please help her by sending your donation- $1.00, $2.00, or $5.00 . . .or whatever you can afford
Just click the button below and then insert the amount on the top right of the screen that you wish to donate……….then update cart.
Help “Karma” here:
No Donation is too small. Upon completing the donation you will receive an instant download for Allens Book,
“The Best Truck Driving Jobs- A State by State Guide” It will be an immediate download to your computer
: solutions, talk radio, truck driver training, TruckerDesiree, trucking industry, truth about trucking
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.
by Donna Smith
The trucking industry is changing or at least let’s say that it better change. Thousands of trucking companies went out of business in 2008 and many more are still struggling to hold on. New CDL drivers right out of school are discovering that there are few openings available for recent CDL graduates with little driving experience. Many drivers are finding themselves sitting more than making the wheels turn and of course, the age old problem of “cheap freight” is still going strong.
