You can argue over a trucker shortage or surplus all day long. You can talk until you are blue in the face about why some enterprise carriers can’t figure out why driver turnover is so high.
Inherent industry characteristics aside, it most often comes down to quality of life.
There are a couple of things I hope we all can agree on.
One is that tomorrow is Veterans Day. I think I win that argument easily.
The other is that there is no shortage of military veterans that deserve our thanks and appreciation. Hidden in those numbers are those that served their country and now can’t serve their own family.
I pray I win that argument easily as well.
Our industry is full of veterans. USMilitary.com sets the number of veterans in the U.S. at 18 million. Further, the report sets the bar at one in four that are truck drivers. One in four!
The U.S. census bureau says the statistic is; 10% of truck drivers are also veterans.
To tell you the truth, I don’t care. There is an ass-load of them and they deserve our thanks and many need our help.
These are people who went and put their lives on the line for our country and then came back. Now they are serving our country again. First, they provided the very freedom that allows us to consume whatever we want. Then they came back and now deliver those goods.
I think we can take a moment and a couple of bucks and say thanks. Especially when people like the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association – OOIDA make it so easy with programs like Truckers for Troops.
Go here and donate or join OOIDA and 10% of your discounted membership fee goes to the cause.
Here’s a secret; you don’t have to be a driver or join OOIDA to support the cause.
Since 2007 OOIDA has been sending care packages to military personnel in combat zones. Thousands of care packages later, they have expanded to helping homeless and needy veteran families at home.
We work with them, we drive with them, we depend on them, and they fought for us.
Click the link and make it happen people.
Peace and love.
