We want your input on a radio show on truckers.

samgalerosen · May 4, 2011

Hi, I'm a producer for the NPR show On Point with Tom Ashbrook.

We're based in Boston and broadcast on over 200 stations across the country.

We're working on a show on truckers and trucking, and we'd love your input. Here's a link to our website where you can offer your questions, suggestions and any other ideas:

Truckers, We Need Your Help | On Point with Tom Ashbrook

Also, feel free to comment here on the forum too. Here are the big questions we're looking at:

1. What are the top issues for truckers these days? Cross-border trucking in and out of Mexico? Ice and snow removal? Gas prices? State of the roads, bridges and more? You tell us what’s weighing on you and your fellow truckers.

2. Truckers see a lot of the country, and we want to tap into what you know or think about the state of America from your vantage point. How do you see the economy going? How do you see regular folks doing? Are Americans across the land really as different as the headlines tell us? Are the red-state/blue-state divisions as bad as they say? Are we getting along? Are we getting ahead?

3. Do you know a trucker-guru, a philosopher of the road, a trucker you’ve come to know in your travels who you admire for his or her wisdom, smarts, gift of the gab who you think would make a good guest on the show?

4. What are the best truck stops in the country?

5. Any good trucking songs we could use?

BigBusBob · May 4, 2011

What I would like to know... is... You say you're a producer for NPR, does that mean you're going to broadcast this show on FM Stations?? That's fine by me if that's the case.

Satellite radio has enough stations and enough shows- they don't really need another trucking show on satellite radio.

Now, being an avid listener of FM radio, I'm not yet sold on paying for radio yet. I've used satellite radio before, but the whole deal of paying for radio doesn't have me sold yet. With that said, I struggle in the wee hours of the morning to find something even half way interesting to listen to- I constantly surf stations. There's a few talk shows I listen to and generally know where to find them in my travels as the stations fade out.

I'll comment more on this when I have a bit more time, however- Regulations and where they're taking the industry... how do the large fleets feel about them? Some of them have got to affecting those big trucking co.'s. I would like to think they have some say in the direction of some of these new laws and proposed laws that are starting to appear.

It would be nice to have a show that's ever changing on trucking and transportation subjects, something that covers everybody and invites everybody to call in. it'd be nice to hear something though beside politics in trucking- entertainment, trucking stories, tour bus challenges and limo stories and challenges, city trucker delivery stories and challenges, something that encompasses everything that surrounds transportation. Food haulers, bull haulers, tanker drivers, flat bed drivers, everything. The street sweepers, the repo men, the newspaper delivery drivers, the mail trucks, Every body!! The gas and diesel haulers. Invite even the truck stop staff members to call in and/or be guests on the show. Trucking co. exec's, the trucking co. terminal staff members- like forklift drivers, dock workers, terminal yard drivers and trailer jockey drivers... The people behind the scenes in trucking and transportation... You want politics, there's plenty of choices and places to find that info in trucking- go after Every Body ELSE!! Broaden the horizons and expand to a different area of radio- kind of like a Dirty Jobs show... except on the radio- at night would be nice- when the "dirty work" is being done!! During the day, drivers are on the CB, on the phone, looking for loads, dealing with docks, doing plenty of stuff- but at nite- drivers that are not parked- are often... Driving.

I get tired of commercials on FM too, but I understand that is what pays the bills for FM stations as well. All too often though, you get a 30 min. show in 1 or 2 hours time. A show that would be able to air from say 2 or 3 Am until about 5 Am or even 530 would be nice. There's not much on in that time frame, but there's plenty of drivers out there that could be calling in, and/or listening.

Just because the truck stops and ramps are full of trucks, does not mean there's not an audience out there that wants to hear something they can relate to. The notion that there's not an FM audience is bogus, AM is ok, but it often has static that makes it annoying after a while.

Where would this show idea be broadcast on? FM or AM or both? or Satellite Radio?
What times were you thinking about? Don't play music winding down the show- unless it's trucking related music- Willie or something truly trucking. Highway to Hell? Mix it up with country and rock. Make it exciting to keep us listening. And the commercials... make them transport related... pushing cell phone stuff- cell phone plans, CB radios's, clothing and boots, gloves, reflective gear, bags and clip boards, maybe tools... AND... Advertise some truck stop specials too!!! and Fuel prices would be nice.

That's it for now... more later.
Triple B.

Turtle · May 4, 2011

BigBusBob said:
What I would like to know... is... You say you're a producer for NPR, does that mean you're going to broadcast this show on FM Stations?? That's fine by me if that's the case.

Satellite radio has enough stations and enough shows- they don't really need another trucking show on satellite radio.

Uhm, it's not a trucking show, and it's already being broadcast on 120 NPR stations. The show is called "On Point with Tom Ashbrook", and it's been on the air for several years, airing live from 10AM to noon and then repeated during the day. Topic of discussion include everything from breaking news to ancient poetry, and one of their two hours shows in the near future will be about trucking and truckers and their issues, and what America looks like from behind the wheel in comparison to what America is being fed about themselves by the media. Guests typically include writers, politicians, journalists, artists, scientists and ordinary citizens from around the world who call in.

greg334 · May 5, 2011

Hope this helps you.

1. What are the top issues for truckers these days?

Cross-border trucking in and out of Mexico?
Ice and snow removal?
Gas prices?
State of the roads, bridges and more?
You tell us what’s weighing on you and your fellow truckers.

The number one issue is getting rid of stupid people who make this their profession and make it hard for the rest of us to work.

Where our fuel tax money goes is the second issue. AND a third is roads.

2. Truckers see a lot of the country, and we want to tap into what you know or think about the state of America from your vantage point.

How do you see the economy going?

Slowly without the proper recovery. The administration and the previous on screwed the country by intervening in the economy to 'save jobs' but lost more jobs and in doing so made it hard on the rest of us. We won't really recover as people make it out as, but rather many feel that we will just return to a point where we were in the past far removed from our peak a few years back and that will become our recovery.

How do you see regular folks doing?

Scared and without opportunities.

Are Americans across the land really as different as the headlines tell us?

Yes, sure it is but it also depends on who's headlines you read. The BBC has a different take than some Canadian news outlet while there is differing opinions among US news outlets.

Are the red-state/blue-state divisions as bad as they say?

Nope, only in the minds of those who will always see red and blue. The thing that I do see is a trucker in NYC may have the same political outlook as the one from Atlanta and the one from LA.

Are we getting along?

Yep until the race baiter and those who keep fueling the flames open their mouths. Too much stupidity promoted by news outlets who feel they have to tell us how we are supposed to feel.

Are we getting ahead?

Slowly but we as a nation of individuals are moving ahead. We as a nation of government is moving backwards.

3. Do you know a trucker-guru, a philosopher of the road, a trucker you’ve come to know in your travels who you admire for his or her wisdom, smarts, gift of the gab who you think would make a good guest on the show?

Yep but they won't go on a radio show.

4. What are the best truck stops in the country?

It depends on the person. I like one type but abhor another while others love the one I can't stand.

5. Any good trucking songs we could use?

Any song is a good song but any Jerry Reed or Johnny Cash song comes to mind for some reason.

BigBusBob · May 5, 2011

That explains it, I rarely listen to radio during the day. Sorry. I do a lot of driving at night. Except when in the bus- then it's anytime, and there again when runnin' the busses I'm often too busy to deal with NPR cause of schedules. Shoot, during the day I'm lucky to be able to listen to any music.

I'm one of those "guy behind the scenes" type drivers- I like it that way.
The show must go on, the bride has to get there at a certain time.

NPR is great, I was thinkin they were wanting to do a show on the radio with a different twist. Politics on the radio is all over the place. Like finding Bin Laden, it's nice to have some good entertaining news on the radio once in a while. That's A reason- but not one of the top reasons, that I enjoy rollin' at night time. Radio is different at night time to me. CB traffic is different at night time as well. Drivers and people are different at night time.

That's my final 2 cents here I guess.
NPR wants a different daytime radio show- well, they got plenty of ideas from this thread.

Triple B.

Scuba · May 7, 2011

i wont give 1 min of my life to npr

MANIAC · May 7, 2011

700 WLW Midnght to 5 am XM 166, Steve Sommers and Bubba Bo America's Truckin' Network or Dale "The Truckin' Bozo" Sommers XM 171 4pm to 7pm!

cheri1122 · May 7, 2011

samgalerosen said:
Hi, I'm a producer for the NPR show On Point with Tom Ashbrook.

We're based in Boston and broadcast on over 200 stations across the country.

We're working on a show on truckers and trucking, and we'd love your input. Here's a link to our website where you can offer your questions, suggestions and any other ideas:

Truckers, We Need Your Help | On Point with Tom Ashbrook

Also, feel free to comment here on the forum too. Here are the big questions we're looking at:

1. What are the top issues for truckers these days? Cross-border trucking in and out of Mexico? Ice and snow removal? Gas prices? State of the roads, bridges and more? You tell us what’s weighing on you and your fellow truckers.
The biggest issue is misguided regulations pertaining to Hours of Service and the new [punitive] CSA scoring system. The HOS regs don't promote rest, and CSA doesn't promote safety - both just add more layers of unnecessary difficulty to the ones we already deal with.

2. Truckers see a lot of the country, and we want to tap into what you know or think about the state of America from your vantage point. How do you see the economy going?
Not well.
How do you see regular folks doing?
Worried about getting and/or keeping a decent job.
Are Americans across the land really as different as the headlines tell us?
They might not be, if the media weren't fanning the flames all the livelong day....
Are the red-state/blue-state divisions as bad as they say?
The conservatives and liberals can't seem to agree on anything, and that is very bad, IMO.
Are we getting along? Are we getting ahead?
Some are, some aren't - depends on who you ask.

3. Do you know a trucker-guru, a philosopher of the road, a trucker you’ve come to know in your travels who you admire for his or her wisdom, smarts, gift of the gab who you think would make a good guest on the show?
I know a couple of them, but have no idea whether they'd agree to even being wise, much less being a guest because of it, lol.

4. What are the best truck stops in the country?
My favorite is Pilot, because the coffee is worth getting up for.

5. Any good trucking songs we could use?