Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/85435
roadside attractions Hey, FMCSA: 'Stop coming after us!' AIR FORCE VET FINDS THIRD LIFE IN TRUCKING Owner-operators had some strong words for federal regulators at a March Mid- America Trucking Show listening session devoted to electronic onboard recorders and their potential use to harass drivers. Operators urged the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration panel to address the real problems, such as long detention time at docks and piecemeal pay by the mile. Regarding EOBRs and other federal initiatives, owner-operator Greg Petit (pictured) said, "Stop coming after us with all of this!" Scan the QR to pull up a video excerpt of owner-operator Greg Petit's testimony to FMCSA on EOBRs and harassment. For more from the listening session, visit youtube.com/overdrivemag. information technology analyst. Now in his fourth year with the carrier, Peig loves nothing more A Since becoming an instructor for Prime in 2010, Peig has helped 17 students pass their CDL test. than "to see the reaction of a student the first time we roll out," he says. The trainees include "some laid off, some just out of the military, some just trying to find themselves. I teach them to look at it as an adventure, to have faith and to be responsible." His instruction works. Peig hasn't had a student fail yet. Peig brings authenticity to his work, particularly with former military personnel. He traveled the world while in the Air Force, living in Asia and Europe. When considering the driving profession, he knew trucking could be similarly adventurous. It helped that Peig's son and wife had previously mentioned trucking as a lucrative career option. Peig found Prime at a veterans' job fair and signed on for the carrier's CDL program. He ran 50,000 miles as a trainee in 2009 before hauling alone as a company driver. After a year, Peig's trainer persuaded him to become an on-highway instructor himself. "The future of trucking is bright," he says. "We haul America. You can't outsource truckers, no matter how much you outsource the products we haul." — Elizabeth Manning mid-life career shift brought 52-year-old Hoffman Estates, Ill., native Edwin Peig to his current gig. The on-highway driver and trainer for Prime Inc. began investigating trucking after job cuts forced him out of work as an 8 OVERDRIVE MAY 2012