professional occupation or no?

finney · Dec 17, 2004

Howdy
I had someone write and say "as a professional..." (refering to the accurate keeping of log books)... and it got me wondering how y'all would respond to the question "Is truck driving a professional occupation?"

I've thought about this occasionally over the years (not having a whole lot else to do in a truck but think, as you all know), but I'd be very interested in hearing from y'all on this topic.

Again: Is truck driving a professional occupation?

Thanks ahead of time for your reponses.

Weave · Dec 17, 2004

Be a "professional" and ask your family to get you a dictionary for Christmas Finney, or go to www.websters.com

Professional: (Def #2)

Engaging in a given activity as a source of livelihood or as a career: a professional writer.

-Weave-
Merry Christmas

Preacher · Dec 17, 2004

Absolutely Finney. You are a business person first, a truck driver second. Not only do you have to have the physical stamina and technical abilities, but you must also have great business savy in the areas of marketing, public relations, accounting, and record keeping. Not to mention having to be a great negotiator with excellent interpersonal relations and organizational skills.

Weave · Dec 17, 2004

I seriously don't know who the "Preacher" is, but will say what he/she stated is very... close to what being a truck owner operator entails. Those are the core skills of a truck owner operator. Yet it's not just knowing them, it's being able to utilze them, and prove them over time. There is no no talking the talk without walking the walk.
-Weave-

redytrk · Dec 17, 2004

>Howdy
>I had someone write and say "as a professional..." (refering
>to the accurate keeping of log books)... and it got me
>wondering how y'all would respond to the question "Is truck
>driving a professional occupation?
The Government says truck drivers are "Unskilled Labors"
Thats why I cant spell Proffessionall

Preacher · Dec 17, 2004

OOPS! Forgot to mention that being a somewhat good mechanic doesn't hurt either.

Ps. Great point Weave. I also forgot that you almost have to be a lawyer too!

Doggie Daddy · Dec 17, 2004

why are all these professionals up this early in the morning?

DD.

Weave · Dec 17, 2004

What do you think there Finney?
What did you do as a past occupation?
Was everything you encountered in the past clean to the lines of the written law?
In trucking you have local laws, township laws, county laws, state laws, federal laws, laws that contradict laws, paperwork laws, sticker laws, tax laws, equipment laws, fuel laws, need me to go on?
-Weave-

Weave · Dec 17, 2004

I'm working on my logbook

-Weave-

Preacher · Dec 17, 2004

Tried to sleep but my wife was snoring like a chain saw.

Weave · Dec 17, 2004

I'm just glad I am off for weekend. Heading out for a few days next week, then back home for Christmas. Same plans for everyone else? I get like 6 hours of semi-real sleep a day out on the road. When home, I'm a zombie- awake with chores, but absent minded.
-Weave-

Preacher · Dec 17, 2004

We're getting ready to go out for the first time after the 1st of the year. I've been vascillating between expedited or hotshot (expediting with a flatbed trailer). Got a call last week from a hotshot company wanting to lease me on at $1.40 a mile with a $0.21 fuel surcharge, for a total of $1.61 a mile, and plenty of miles. I'm in the middle of negotiating with someone for a 40' gooseneck with minor suspension damage that I can pick-up for a song. I hope to have it by tommorow. I already have a completely paid for Ford F350 Powerstroke crew cab dually with a skirted flatbed on it. I was origionally thinking of selling it for a C unit expediter but the offer for hotshot was a winner.

terryandrene · Dec 17, 2004

Preacher: Congrats on your choice. Sounds like a no-brainer to me but it begs the question...is a hotshotter a professional:-]
Good luck with the venture

Glen Rice · Dec 17, 2004

A doctor operates on you and you die, he is still considered a professional person. Scott Petersons lawyer lost and he is a professional! You deliver your cargo on time and without incident..hmmmm. Yeah you qualify!

Preacher · Dec 17, 2004

Thanks Terry and Rene! It seemed like a no brainer to me. I will be running under CDL with a combination weight of 25,000lbs. I do like the idea of no truck or trailer payments, even though I will set aside about $1000 each month for newer equipment when mine wears out. Although expedided and hotshot are fairly similar when it comes to time sensitivity, I never hear from any hotshotters on this forum. I have found that much of the information on this board is useful to me as a hotshotter, so I'll still hang-out here on the EO board as long as nobody minds.

As far as hotshotters being professionals.....hmmmm.....let me think about that one and get back to ya.

Lawrence · Dec 17, 2004

Wooooow, wait a minute, oh Nellie!

I'm reading in my "2004 Official Guide To Trucking Terms and Almanac" and it clearly states on page 689 section 9a "that Hotshotters are amateurs."

What do you say about that?

Huh?

:7

Lawrence,
Expediters Online.com

Education is the best defense against the media.

The Lord's Prayer is 66 words, the Gettysburg Address is 286 words, there are 1,322 words in the Declaration of Independence, but government regulations on the sale of cabbage total 26,911 words.

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Preacher · Dec 17, 2004

Well Lawrence, I guess I can't argue with the 2004 Official Guide To Trucking Terms and Almanac, page 689, section 9a, which states: "that Hotshotters are amateurs." All I have to say about that is, at a $1.61 per mile, you can call me amature or anything else you want but just don't call me slow to the bank!

Lawrence · Dec 17, 2004

Preacher,

Everyone here at EO wishes you well - best of luck in your new venture.

Lawrence,
Expediters Online.com

Education is the best defense against the media.

The Lord's Prayer is 66 words, the Gettysburg Address is 286 words, there are 1,322 words in the Declaration of Independence, but government regulations on the sale of cabbage total 26,911 words.

-----------------------------------------
Thanks For Visiting EO!
[p]
http://www.expeditersonline.com/hotnews/sterling_eo_forum.jpg

Please Help Us Get The Word
Out About Expediters Online.com!
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ATeam · Dec 17, 2004

>I've thought about this occasionally over the years (not
>having a whole lot else to do in a truck but think, as you
>all know),

Time to think is part of the joy of trucking. Night driving for hours on end is an especially productive time to ponder thoughts, serious and amusing.

In response to your question, I'd say yes, a truck driver is a professional. In a court of law where the driver is in trial, you can bet one side or the other will make much out of the professional drivers's status. That would be to create a sense of what should or should not be expected of a professional. Once the "should" is established, the other arguments will follow.

You're required to have a CDL to be a trucker and you earn your living as such. The citizen that rents a U-haul twice a week to make a run for a small business he or she owns may be a professional business owner but most would not consider him or her a professional truck driver.

Professional status does not accrue to white-collar people alone. Plumbers, electricians, and even landscapers are all considered professional. Do you mow your lawn yourself or hire a pro?

So, considering the above, I'd say, yes. A truck driver is a professional.

That said, it does not follow that a professional truck driver always acts in a professional manner. Just ask the guy parked in the space next to mine, urninating on his truck as I write this. The bathroom is less than a 30 second walk away. Other truckers will use that space in the next hours or day. This professional's consideration of himself, his work, and his fellow drivers does not extend beyond his own urine stream.

Ponder this as you drive and think. That man is a trucker too. Is he a professional?