The 5 Things We Learned on the Road

We sent Ginger out on the road for a day with Ozark Motor Line’s professional truck driver, Daryl. For those of you who don’t know Ginger, she’s the kind of person who never meets a stranger. She radiates positive energy and loves a road trip! 

She was well matched with Daryl, who despite 20+ years on the road, still loves driving as much as the day he got his license. They bonded quickly over their love of the open road and headed out for their first stop. 

Below are Ginger’s top 5 Takeaways from her day on the road: 

1. Truck drivers are skilled professionals

Ginger’s top observation to our team was “I want people to see truck drivers as the professional experts that they are.” She explained that each type of cargo requires a different level of expertise and a different skill set. 

2. Safety is intentional and requires a constant focus

The same challenges that we face on the road, happen to drivers every single day. They are carrying thousands of pounds of cargo and people don’t realize the magnitude of safety. Daryl is a great example of a driver who appreciates the new technology in his Ozark truck. He said the sensors take time to get used to but they heighten his awareness and help ensure that he and the vehicles and people around him are safe. 

3. The truck is an office

Truck drivers work from their truck all day long and in order to make a small space work for them, many drivers like Daryl are exceptionally organized. “It was cool to see how he had everything laid out, similar to how I have my desk set up. That’s how I felt in his truck like I spent a day in his office with him” Ginger observed. 

4. Appreciation goes a long way

Ozark has gone out of its way to make sure Daryl and their other drivers feel appreciated. They reward safety achievements by adding diamonds to a driver’s ring each year. After 20 years of service, Daryl had his name placed on the side of a trailer. Ginger explained to us that those tangible rewards mean a lot to drivers but so do the less obvious benefits. Whether it’s a pet policy, rider policy or just having a team that gets to know its drivers as individuals, the little things add up when it comes to appreciation. 

5. Don’t underestimate the scale of the industry. 

“We are around transportation and logistics every day, but if it’s not our business we really have no idea of the magnitude of how much freight is moving.” Ginger explained that she was able to see trucks hauling rice, intermodal freight coming off of ships, and mail being transferred from planes to trailers, all within a single morning in Memphis. The trucking industry touches nearly every aspect of our daily lives whether we realize it or not.

Want to learn more about Ginger’s experience or about Trucking Clicks? Check out our website at Truckingclicks.com or email Bill Summerlin at billsummerlin@truckingclicks.com to see how Trucking Clicks can help your company hire more professional truck drivers at scale.

9/28/22 | Morgan Blake