Every year at the Great American Truck Show in Dallas, TX, my friend and fellow Team Run Smart Pro Henry Albert gets to show the next generation of potential truckers the latest in today’s truck technology. Since he is an ambassador for Trucker Buddy International, he gets to work in conjunction with them to give tours of the trucks to the Boy Scouts of America’s troops that partake in the truck show every year. This year was a little different, as Henry was actually able to give tours of his truck in the booth this year, in which I was honored enough to have been included in helping with.
The ability to help share in not only an outside tour of the truck and trailer combination Henry pulls, but also to give these scouts a glimpse into the inside of the truck as well, brings a great sense of personal satisfaction. The influence that we have as professionals in the trucking industry to help this future generation understand the importance of truck transportation and its role in the world as a whole is a crucial part of changing the outside perspective on the image of our industry and its drivers as well. While helping Henry with the tour of the inside of the cab and sleeper, it was evident that their idea of what we do and how we live on the road was actively changing the moment they entered the cab. Many were intrigued with the amount of technology and the comfort of the cab and sleeper, but still remained in awe at the fact that as we roll these 75-foot combinations down the road that all we have to direct us are our windshield and mirror viewpoints.
The overall reception to actually having Henry’s everyday work truck in the Freightliner booth this year was exceptional to say the least. I think all of the attendees, with the Boy Scouts of America included, were impressed with the fact that what they were looking at was a real on-highway truck that hauls freight every day. There were a few of the tour participants that I even received comments from that could not believe a truck this nice could be on the road actually working every day. Having this kind of real-world relation to the next generation visiting the booth that day will hopefully echo in their minds every time they see a truck going down the road now. In the least, if they didn’t fall in love with big trucks like I did when I was young, they will now have a little more respect and understanding than most for what it is we do to move our country’s goods day in and day out. I was extremely pleased to have been able to be a small part of the Trucker Buddy International Boy Scouts of America tour at GATS this year and hope to get the change to do it again in the future!