How to avoid the Stereotype By Chelsea Brent

Here is a short guide of how to avoid the stereotypes and in brace a good image. The stereotypical truck driver doesn’t exactly have the best image. When most people think about a truck driver, they think of an overweight, scruffy looking male. While some truck drivers may still fit this image, it’s a misrepresentation of the trucking industry as a whole. So how can you, as truck drivers, make sure you project a professional image and how will that impact your career? Taking care on the road:  When you don’t have that typical situation where you’re reporting into work daily with your immediate supervisor looking over your shoulder, it can sometimes be very easy to allow yourself to fall into a downward spiral and let yourself go. How can we avoid this? Take a little bit of pride in yourself. When you look in the mirror, ask yourself, “Self, if I were at home, would I go out looking like this? When you’re driving down the road and you take a deep breath and think, “Man, something stinks in this truck,” take a look around! When you see that you’re the only one in the truck, guess what? It’s probably you! There are many people in the trucking industry that just don’t care. They crawl out of their bunk in the morning and just get behind the wheel and drive. Outsiders see these people and that becomes the overall perception of truck drivers. It’s the drivers that are dirty and smelly, who haven’t changed their clothes in several days and who haven’t showered in a week that people often relate to trucking. The driver that showers, changes his clothes daily, and looks for all outward appearances like everyone else in the general public usually is not even considered a truck driver when seen. One dirty driver tarnishes the image of ten good, clean truck drivers. This can only be changed one driver at a time, beginning with you.