Casey Russell
TCA SCHOLARSHIP
$2,725
JLE Industries
Dunbar, Pennsylvania
Before my mother was given the opportunity to work in the trucking industry, my family fell victim to the normal trend of stereotyping truck drivers. To many people, truck drivers are perceived as the ‘bullies’ of the road, they neglect spatial awareness, drive recklessly, and have no consideration for others. Working as a billing coordinator has put my mother in a position where she interacts with these drivers daily and gets to experience what kind of people they truly are. We as a family have now come to learn these assumptions are entirely false and give these truck drivers a ‘bad name.’
Truck drivers are everyday people (men, women, dads, moms, husbands, wives, etc.) They celebrate birthdays and anniversaries on the road and sometimes miss out on their children’s school and sporting events. One driver at my mother’s company started work and on his second
day of training his wife suddenly passed away; the company then personally drove him five hours home so he wouldn’t travel the trip alone. She was in awe how drivers lined up to give him their sincere condolences and they had just met him. The trucking industry is a family, one that bonds quickly and is there whenever and wherever you need them.
Truck drivers are truly the backbone of this country. As a family, we now clearly understand the job of these drivers and how everything we have in our home (food, clothes, ours cars and even our own house) was delivered by a truck driver. We appreciate the job they do and have learned to respect and appreciate them, on and off the road.