Thank a Shopper

I recently saw a sticker on the door of a trailer that we’ve all seen a hundred times. It stated in bold letters,

DON’T LIKE THIS

TRUCK?

STOP BUYING

STUFF!

(not the actual word)

PROBLEM

SOLVED!

I’ve seen this sticker a few times before, and I understand the sentiment. It seems like most of the motoring public has little to no respect for what professional drivers do or deal with on a daily basis. We get flipped off, cursed at, and given the one-finger salute for things that are not our fault. If people would just stop buying stuff, we wouldn’t be in their way, right?

Things are different lately though. People are holding up signs thanking us, bringing snacks and water to truck stops, waving to us from overpasses, and many other random acts of appreciation. It seems we are getting the respect we have been wishing to receive for so long. It feels good.

What If They Stopped Though?

Think about that for a second. What would happen if people stopped buying stuff? At first, it seems like a good thing. There would be less four-wheelers, less rude gestures, and less noise. There would also be less of something else that we really need.

Freight.

We kind of need people buying stuff to keep the supply chain moving, and to keep us moving. Our livelihoods depend on people buying stuff. If people don’t buy it, we can’t haul it.  Heavy traffic and rude drivers are actually a good thing, in an aggravatingly frustrating way. They are working, shopping, going on vacation, etc, and we are hauling the stuff to replenish what they have purchased. We need them as much as they need us.

Let’s Be Thankful

While it’s easy to be frustrated when we hear or see people complaining about us, remember where that frustration may be coming from. Most people don’t understand what it takes to operate a big rig, much less how they operate. All they see is a big vehicle in their way. Maybe they are late for work or headed to the hospital.  We just don’t know, much like they don’t know we have an appointment to deliver freight, that we barely make it on time.

So as odd as it feels, let’s be thankful people are out there spending money and creating a need for the goods we haul, even when they complain about us or give us rude gestures as they fly by. I know my family does their share of spending, probably enough to keep quite a few of us running.

Maybe someone should make a sticker about that.