By: Dalene Davies-Smoot
By Day or By Night…
Truckers move America. We all know this and if we don’t just look on a public
Facebook page, where several times a day, we are reminded by the ardent supporters
of the industry. But when is the preferred time of day to move the goods by the
goods movers? I wondered which – daylight or nightlife – is when drivers (if given
a choice) are more likely to do what they love and love what they do.
In my findings through scientific research and available data – aka I asked my
driver friends – if their preference was daytime, there wasn’t a strong “gotta drive in
the day or get outta my way” response. It was more of a general statement of day.
Period.
However, for those that love the nightlife of the blacktop, their
reasons are firm, adamant and truly do reflect the “I drive at
night and so get outta my sight” attitude. A bit sassy, a bit
classy, and all professional even with the bit of satire in their
comments. “I can Nascar the corners.” “In the day Log Book’s
at bay; in the night Log Book’s locked tight.” “More chicken
coops are closed at night than during the day.” And by far the
most popular one and not surprising by any stretch of interstate
– “Less Traffic!”
For the non-nocturnal lovers, daylight means: “Able to see better, especially in
inclement weather.” “Usually can find a parking spot better whether it is in a rest
area or a truck stop.” “Better chance of navigating surroundings to avoid potential
hazards.” “I want to sleep when I know my family is sleeping.” “Fewer shower
lines, shorter fuel island lines.” “More alert and less chance of fatigue.” And then
there are those who love the day into night schedule: “I won’t drive all night so I’ll
start my day at noon and end at midnight.” This driver gets a bit of the best of both
worlds. And there is the Super Trucker attitude: “The load determines the drive;
gotta go no matter what my preference is. The sooner I get it there the sooner I get
another one. It’s that simple.”
No matter the preference, most truckers know that it’s time to shut it down when
they begin seeing the black dog, a hallucinatory sign of sleep deprivation needing
to be remedied by much-needed and deserved slumber. Seen as a warning of sorts,
seeing the black dog is regarded as the time to make safety a priority and call it a
night or day.
The transportation industry has received a bad name in several venues from
accidents involving 18-wheelers emphasized by the assumption that the truck
driver was at fault, to television documentaries likening truck drivers to serial
killers and the perceived compatibility between the two. Increasing freight loads
over the next 15 years (when some reports estimate the world will be inhabited
by eight billion humans) will require hiring a million new drivers in that same
time period to move and deliver the requirements of the world by that time. More
drivers then to replace the baby boomers who are retiring now and also to take
the place of those leaving the industry today because of the stressful conditions,
low pay, and little family time. What does this have to do with day or night
driving preferences? There may come a time when a preference means nothing.
Technology has replaced the old-school way of doing things and the very nature of
trucking has become a joke among many who don’t even rank it on the job-hunting
spectrum. And it’s not just increased loads in the next 15 years – traffic congestion
will undoubtedly increase making it nearly impossible to deliver during daytime
hours unless the highways and byways can keep up with the demands of wear and
tear from vehicles and not just those whose total empty weight is between 27,000-
35,000 lbs – 80,000 lbs loaded (legally).
In addition, there are almost two million trucks moving goods in the U.S. and one-
third of them are registered in California, Texas, and Florida. With those being
high states for retirees and snowbirds, traffic patterns will not lend themselves
to day time driving especially since these areas are already known as slow to go
areas. If you are one of the over four million drivers, you will need to adjust to the
increased demands of driver responsibility already perpetrated by four-wheelers
whose understanding of trucks is slim to none at best. The belief that a big truck
can stop on a dime is one of naivety and somewhat stupidity – the brutal reality is
that trucks need at least 40% more length of time to stop. Hardly stop on a dime
actuality.
No matter whether you’re a numbers person or a laid-back-just-do-my-job task
master, if you’re a truck driver you’ve more than likely been both at some point
in time either individually or simultaneously. You have to make it work to make
money – you have to be spinning tires and wheels to see a paycheck – and you
have to adjust to a changing world where you will always be needed too much and
appreciated too little.
In the words of Stephen King, Wolves of the Calla, “It was the possibility of
darkness that made the day seem so bright.” So whether you look forward to the
dawn for your day to begin and your night to end, or whether you look forward
to the dusk for your night to begin and your day to end, ready your path, do due
diligence to your career, and mind the black dog.