Say What?

Question: Do new drivers receive adequate training?

Bob Burky, 42, Shelby, IA

Professional driving experience: 22 years

“There are a lot of driving schools in our area, and I think most of them do a pretty good job of teaching driving skills. The problem is, the young guys entering the schools have a girlfriend or wife at home, maybe kids, and they think they’re going to be home every three or four days. You’re going to be on the road for weeks at a time. These young guys don’t understand that, and the schools don’t prepare them for it.”

Ken Harrison, 62, Dunedin, FL

Professional driving experience: 10 years

“When I was going through the school, there were lots of guys like myself, guys who were being downsized out of their 9-to-5 jobs. These people still had that work ethic, though. The kids coming through driving school today think you owe them a job. They’re thinking, ‘I don’t have an education. At least I can be a truck driver.’ That attitude has to change.”

Herschell “Hershey Bar” Gordon, 47, Atwood, TN

Professional driving experience: 20 years

“You need to know how to read a map, plan a trip, load a truck and whether your truck is overweight. You have to know how to deal with shippers, brokers, receivers, other drivers, breakdowns, family problems. These are the things they need to teach these guys, but you can’t do that in three weeks.”

Bethany Vanatta, 29, Findlay, OH

Professional driving experience: 4 years

“First of all, it takes a strong person—mentally and physically—to drive a truck. Not everyone can do it, no matter what kind of training you receive. I was lucky. My dad trained me, he trained my bother, he trained my mom, and he did it the right way. It makes me sick when I see some of these drivers with half their truck hanging in the other lane, talking on their cellphones. Who trained these people?”