Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/709236
VOICES 10 | Overdrive | August 2016 A bit of a public service announcement hummed around the Internet this summer, though its prima- ry audience was intended to be candidates for presi- dent of the United States. It came from Jeff Clark, "still rocking the boat," he noted in a message to Over- drive. He included a link to a video originally posted on the blog he writes at Freightliner's Team Run Smart website. In the video, Clark argues something he's argued in the past. He once introduced someone he thought should be considered for the next ad- ministrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Ad- ministration himself when that appointment was still an open question. Clark's always had a good sense of humor, and not to detract from his own candidacy for that position, he gets more serious with the recent message. In it, he urges the next president of the United States to seriously consider someone with profes- sional driving experience to head FMCSA; state and municipal governments to put "a driver in the room" when designing a new roundabout; and others to stop ignoring drivers' expertise. His central message: Average tenure for a truck driver in the industry shows a "shorter career than the average NFL player, three-and-a-half years," he says, as drivers churn in and out of an industry in which a "driver shortage" is trumpeted continually. Think outside of the box and reward companies that keep their drivers by treating them like the professionals they are, he adds. And while all the technology in the world can be great, "the most important safety feature in any truck is the profession- al driver." Amen to that. Rain and shine Since Overdrive asked this time last year which of the many presidential can- didates its readers would most like to take on a ride-along journey to show the realities of the road fi rsthand, Donald Trump's then-high profi le among truckers (he garnered 45 percent of the vote) has only risen higher. With all challengers to the presumptive nominees of the Republican and Democratic parties having bowed out of the race, Overdrive asked readers in July which candidate was most likely to get their vote come November. Three out of four are supporting the Republican. That 75 percent compares with the 66 percent of readers supporting the Republi- cans' 2012 candidate, Mitt Romney, around this time four years ago. Election 2016 still 'Trumped' for truckers Who's got your vote for president? OverdriveOnline.com poll Donald Trump (R) 75% Hillary Clinton (D) 12% Gary Johnson (Libertarian) 4% Jill Stein (Green) 1% Other 3% Undecided 5% HOT BUTTONS ELECTION 2016 ELECTION 2016 'Most important safety feature in any truck' Operator Jeff Clark donned inside-the-Beltway garb this summer for a video message delivered to the next president of the United States. It emphasized the importance of rewarding carriers that combat driver turnover by treating haulers like the professionals they are. Search Clark's name at OverdriveOnline.com to see the video in full.