Well JWor, we can view ourselves as dumb ol' truck drivers and expect to be treated as such or we can have character, conduct ourselves professionally and build ourselves a reputation to stand on.
These ideas won't catch on with every driver overnight. Some folks on this very board are evidence of that. It starts with each of us individually. We each make a choice as to how we act.
I'm not the oldest guy here, but I've been in this business (LTL and OTR) for ten years. In just ten years I've seen a change in the way people act. Go back in time fifty years. Heck, go back just twenty-five years. Things were different. Truck drivers were respected. Drivers had integrity and didn't hide behind a CB mic and whisper that they "don't got no panties on."
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Supposedly upper management reads this board. If we act like dumb ol' truck drivers, do you really think they'll go out of their way to help us? Some folks on here just don't seem to grasp this concept. They claim they've tried being civil with leadership before and it didn't work. I say try it again, don't give up and keep on trying it until they DON'T see us as dumb ol' truck drivers. WE the drivers are the only ones that can change the way we are perceived.
gfy was right. I did stoop to his level there for a brief amount of time, but it won't happen again. I'm not here to get into name-calling with other drivers. I'm here because I truly believe that we all COLLECTIVELY can change our (Con-way) reputation as a company. We CAN be the envy of the trucking industry. The respect IS out there. It's up to us to have enough discipline and desire to go get it.