An image of a newspaper clipping from the 1950s, about the needs for truck driver pay increases, has recently started recirculating on social media. The piece was written by a trucker’s wife, who made several great points that still ring true to this day.
It reads:
Des Plaines, May 18 – In reply to the writer who compared a truck driver’s wages with those of white collar workers, factory has, plumbers, and carpenters, let us put a few things in perspective.
First of all, the truck driver isn’t allowed to make mistakes. If he makes a wrong calculation it can cost the lives of many persons on the street. He also is driving a vehicle carrying thousands of dollars of merchandise. He alone is responsible for its safe delivery, often over slippery or treacherous roads.
Have any plumbers or white collar workers tried to back a trailer into a postage-stamp-sized ramp? This isn’t learned overnight. Nor do many office workers have the “guts” to wrestle with the crazy drivers on the road, not to mention the 50-mile-per-hour winds that could topple a trailer and jackknife easily.
These men take their lives into their hands every day, as statistics show. Danger is in the street, not in an office or in driving a nail. I take off my hat to the truck drivers. They work hard for their money and deserve the raise.”
It just goes to show you that as much as things change over the years, some things, like a trucker’s importance to society and the risks they take when they get on the road everyday, will always stay the same.
