The last days of summer are fading fast, and those anticipated cooler nights are finally coming. The outside temps are slowly receding back to a livable range and, hopefully, the electric bill will not need to be paid with a Brinks armored truck full of cash anymore this season. Seriously folks, this year has been extremely hot, and I’m ready for those cooler nights, sitting under the stars next to the highway, watching the traffic stroll past.
There have been many nights when I was rolling down life’s highway, perched between the windows at 379 Peterbilt Lane, watching people sitting in their yards or on their porches, watching me drive past. I always wonder what they are thinking – are they wishing they too could be flying down this ribbon of concrete toward the sunset, or are they upset because I disrupted their lives with my obnoxiously loud Jake brake?
Either way, it’s my life, and I’m living it one mile at a time, with both hands on the wheel, and giving it my total and complete concentration. If along the way I get the opportunity to influence someone else to reach for the stars, then my aspirations have been fulfilled. I’m sure every driver has had that “Ah Ha!” moment when they saw the spark of inspiration in another person. Someone who has, at that moment, realized they have the ability to reach for their fullest potential. But just because you can, doesn’t mean you should! Your child or grandchild may have been accepted into one of those very expensive name brand schools in a faraway city, but that doesn’t mean it’s their best opportunity. Okay, I just lost a few of you, so bear with me as I try to gather some of you back up. We may not be able to save this year’s new freshman class, but I must try.
September is that time of the year when young children return to school and older ones head to college, the military, or join the workforce. Welcome to the rest of your life – you’re only young once, but you will be an adult for a very long time. Those big yellow school buses are once again back in our lives, collecting kids on the local route. It’s also the time when young, newly minted “adults” start off on the next chapter of their lives. I bet your first thought was college, right? Harvard, Yale, Cambridge or some other school with prestige and status? Hold up, not so fast, there are other options for our young people today, as well.
Years ago there were only two options: the military or the workforce, since most of us common people could not afford higher education. However, in the modern era, “kids” have additional choices. Trade schools, apprenticeship programs, OJT (on the job training), state universities, junior colleges, and the list goes on. Yes, all of us want our children to be more successful than we may have been during our lifetimes, but at what cost? Is it realistic to expect them to assume hundreds of thousands of dollars on education costs just to find work as a barista for Starbucks? A few of you smiled at that thought, but it’s not a joke. Four years at a well-known college can easily amount to $200,000 or more of debt, and with no guarantee of any future employment. You may get a PhD, but you can’t find a J.O.B.
Every year around this time I bring up the subject of traffic and school bus safety at the beginning of the school year. Most of us are hurrying about in our own little bubble, huddled behind the windshield, not always aware of the world outside. My greatest fear is I might not see a child waiting on the morning bus next to the street. We all get distracted and at times miss things along the side of the road. It’s easy to miss a little person when the morning sun reflects off your polished hood or chrome air cleaners. Drivers, it’s our responsibility to protect those who we share the road with, regardless of their size. Please be careful and give extra time and space to the bus drivers who devote their lives to collecting and transporting our future and our precious cargo (our kids).
Let’s get back to what is really on my mind. Trucks, trucking, and the power of youth. This may be difficult to string together, but with your help and imagination, we can do it. I have been pondering this subject for a few months, and while my lovely wife and I were brainstorming for this month’s article, I stumbled onto this idea. I mentioned earlier this is the most influential time of the year, when recently graduated high school students become newly minted young adults. Many of these young adults leave home and slip from the nest to test their wings. As with any other group, some will take to flight on the first try, while others, well… not so much.
I’m reminded of this since I have been watching a nest of bald eagles with two hatchlings across the road for the past few months. FYI: bald eagles are a protected class of birds and there are laws that require a safe distance for viewing. We all aspire to fly like eagles on the currents of change, lifting through difficult times, to soar above missed opportunities and see beyond the horizon. I never imagined the most revered symbol of our freedom, one we see riding currents of lift to heights we can’t even comprehend, might not be eager to fly. I watched the first eaglet leap from the nest and fly a short distance and then perch precariously at the end of a branch while the second one looked on. Minutes later, he left the nest, too, but instead of flying, he walked to his sibling at the end of the branch. Mission accomplished, but by different means, right?
Yes, the second eaglet eventually learned to fly, but only after some parental encouragement and supervision. He has since been menacing all the small and active rodents who lurk about the farm. I like to use the example of birds learning to fly because it represents different types of motivation. The first is the adventurous type – they leap from their comfort zone for the thrill because it was exciting, without considering all of the consequences. The second one, however, was for the necessities of reaching the goal. Thoughtful, considerate by design, and reasoning, because there was a need to reach the end of the branch, but without all that emotional connection.
Once again, what does this have to do with trucking? Everything! We need more talented, experienced, and qualified people in our business, not more nimrods seeking thrills, with overpriced degrees and disconnected theories of nonsense. Yes, I am being a little hard on some of these people, many of whom have never spent one day in the life of a truck driver, but still think we are on a gear-shifting thrill ride and living an adventure.
As a driver, I know the challenges we all face. I also know the best chance any of us have to fix or change these issues is through the next generation. Education is the key, and where these new people get this learning from is also very important. I’m a firm believer that “dollars and cents are not a substitute for common sense.” Harvard or Princeton, or any one of those Ivy League schools, probably can’t solve our troubles. I would place my money and bet on a local community college, since they would be more likely to have professors and guest speakers who are more closely connected to the real world and who have worked in their field of expertise. Life lesson here: most teachers learn from a book, while true professionals, at any given task, learn from their mistakes. There is no substitute for experience.
If you are wondering what fields I’m speaking of, let me suggest STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) – real courses that produce real jobs. There are also great training apprenticeship programs in the trades (like construction, transportation, water management, mechanical engineering), with a major in business. These are still four-year degrees, but they will lead to real employment and usable skills at a reasonable price. I bring this subject to your attention as a PSA (public service announcement), so please pass this useful information on to anyone you know who may be considering higher education.
Many of you have children and grandchildren who fit this age group. If not, then nieces or nephews, neighbors, or kids of your employees. Regardless of the connections, they are worthy of your attention. The reality is they should be having this discussion as early as junior high and be actively involved in their own education. There will always be the super smart students who will and should advance to those prestigious institutions, but we still need really smart people to help advance our cause – the world of transportation, legislation, and regulation.
In my lifetime we have gone from bias ply tires and centerpoint steering to computer generated GPS tracking, self-steering highway trucks, riding on air ride suspension and radial tires. Not that I think all of it is a good idea, but since we have them, someone still needs to control, route, and maintain this high tech machinery.
Have you asked yourself yet, “What can I do?” Look around – have you taken a child to work or had them help on weekends? They are never too young to learn by making a game out of everyday activities. This isn’t just a man’s world anymore either, girls build things, too! Did you happen to notice that kids in college are taking an Uber or riding a scooter or bicycle to and from their classes, while the kids working at trucking companies and maintenance shops are driving cool cars, jacked-up 4x4s, and fast motorcycles. Maybe mom and dad didn’t buy them one to take to school, or maybe they aren’t responsible enough to buy their own. Just a thought, but could it be that they, the ones who are burning torch gas, grinder blades, and spreading gallons of fiberglass repair filler, are not only going places, but they are piloting their own ship.
Many of these young people have skills and hands-on experience that have value in the workforce. It’s one thing to study theory and talk in the abstract, but when the boss hands you an idea and says, “Draw up a blueprint and let’s make it happen,” can you do it? I am encouraged by many of the new custom fab shops for commercial trucks. These shops, like the speed shops of yesteryear, see value in new ideas and pushing the limits, all while enlisting the help of the next generation. They are hiring some of these young people and letting them work on very high end projects.
If you are an employer and are interested in potential returns from your employees, have you considered job placement or financial aid for anyone who successfully completes additional advanced training with certification programs? This has become a great recruiting tool for small and mid-sized companies. This also builds loyalty through leadership. When an employee feels secure in their position, they are more likely to step up and volunteer for those risky special projects. Also, your business will benefit by having a stable, well-rounded, and local workforce.
Earlier this year, we truckers were delighted to see a project truck designed and constructed by a very young man who built his first working show truck. In fact, he did such a great job, it was selected as this year’s Big Rig Build Off winner at MATS in Louisville, KY. Not only did he complete the assignment, but he is intending to put it to work, as well. The proof is in the pudding, or so the adage goes. I have to be honest, not many experienced builders can compare in his realm of usability. I believe he has years of following his father and mentor around asking questions like, “Why did that break?” or “How can we make it stronger?” Not necessarily, “How do we make it look cool for less money?” Luke is just one example, but I could name many, and in the future, my fondest expectation is there will be lots more. They will have come from working class families like ours and continue to carry the torch that lights the future.
How many of us have hobbies we share with others? Things like riding side by sides in the desert, snowmobile racing or motocross. Personally, I have an old truck I tinker with, but the activity is not what’s important, it’s the time spent working with and teaching another generation. Getting them interested in how things work and, when they don’t work, finding ways to solve the trouble. A psychology degree won’t fix a busted axle, but your Lincoln welder will (that and a good understanding of physics, engineering, and metallurgy).
Some of our readers don’t hold themselves in high regard or consider themselves smart since they don’t have a fancy degree. I’m just a truck driver who is self-taught and often tested. Oh, hog wash! Those sheepskins don’t hold a candle to the busted knuckles, burned fingers, and long nights spent fixing an engineer’s great idea that didn’t work. What we need are better engineers, more reliable materials, and a strong willed and well educated design/work staff. All of this starts with smarter, better trained students, in an environment conducive to productive learning. Many of the best ideas start with a flashlight and a poncho, standing in the rain, helping find the trouble when your truck won’t start. We need more highly motivated, get-it-done people who don’t look for excuses, but rather find solutions.
Education starts at home, and the sooner they start, the more time they will have to learn. All of us have qualities we can and should pass on to the next generation. Who would have thought the kid who learned to read by thumbing through the Midwest Truck Trader would grow up to build those same trucks for our magazine. Or the girl who loved to read would build her own printing press. Anything is possible if we believe in ourselves. The next generation needs that same confidence to push their own limits to create opportunities, without drowning themselves in personal debt.
Take the time to explain the real world of “financial responsibility” to the young ones in your life before the money grubbing “recruiters” find them. Be honest with these newly minted adults at a time when glamor, excitement, or social status can blind them to the hidden dangers. They have options other than jumping out of the nest just for the thrill. Crashing and burning is a very serious possibility, with long term consequences, that could affect their options in life. Take a lesson from the young eaglet – a slow and steady advancement with purpose will achieve the same result as a high flying daredevil stunt, without the thrill. Let your accomplishments speak for themselves, and then few will ask where you learned to fly, 10-4!