Misinformation

These days it seems harder to learn the truth than finding news that you like. We have affirmation news. We have outright fake news. Then we have social media. Being properly informed is more challenging than ever. And Hey – while I won't lie to you – never confuse me with an actual journalist. I am a trucker who writes. While, I took one Journalism class in college. I AM NOT A JOURNALIST. UNFORTUNATELY – THAT STATEMENT MIGHT BE THE MOST HONEST THING THAT YOU WILL READ TODAY.

This industry is incredibly frustrating when it comes to being honestly informed. I was following a thread on inward facing cameras. I have one. It bothers me – a little. That is an honest statement. It doesn't bother me enough to quit a company that I have been with for over 10 years. Could it for some people “The straw that broke the camel's back” and cause them to leave a company? – yes. What bothered me were the misconceptions that people put forth as absolute truths.

The inward cameras don't peer into the sleepers. I don't believe that they are used to “spy” on you. Personally, I don't think that I am important enough for people to spy on for 11 hours a day. If a company wants to get rid of you in this industry – They will get rid of you. They don't need a camera for that. As a 58 year old professional driver, I am also pretty sure that they don't want to see me naked either.

It seems that if you oppose something or someone it is alright to spread misinformation, “shady” information or lie. At this point there are still people believe that an ELD will somehow pull a red line on an icy highway and send a truck careening down a highway killing thousands of people. That is a little far fetched. Will some drivers make poor decisions based on what an ELD is telling them? - yes. Does the ELD force them to make that bad decision? - no.

There is the advocacy journalism. Recently, I read an article in a magazine. I have tremendous respect for both the writer of the article and the subject of the article. The article was about the cost of ELDs. The subject of the article runs a good sized fleet of about 50 trucks. They stated that the cost that they were looking at was about $250,000. I wanted to raise my hand and offer to get the update done to keep them legal for half that – while pocketing a sizable profit for myself. WERE THEY LYING? ABSOLUTELY NOT! WERE THEY TELLING YOU WHAT THEY WANTED YOU TO HEAR? ABSOLUTELY! I still have the utmost respect for both people, but it is important to realize that they are advocating a position.

We owe it to ourselves to be properly informed. When you are running a business, it is crucial. It seems more challenging than ever to learn the truth. It is still absolutely necessary. Take the challenge and good luck.