What is "The Professional Truck Driver"

Ask any one that has driven for any amount of time and your answers will differ.
There are few old school truckers that have all the traits of a Professional drivers has.
Most of the drivers coming up now a days has no respect for the road, other drivers (both four wheelers and big rigs) there was a time that if a driver was stuck on the shoulder somebody would pull over to see if they can lean an hand ...now they just drive by.
Drivers would not run onto a cars bumper ...now some of the newer drivers find it hard to contain ROAD RAGE.
Some drivers seem like they open a box of Cracker Jacks and get their CDL just enough experiece to say, "Hey! look at me I can drive a BiG Truck" words not the actions.

 

Doing your job while remaining safe, courteous, and legal.

 

I have seen this question come up 100 times..... Here are a few good threads

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr.../45536-professionalism-what-does-it-mean.html

And

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...18311-i-am-professional-truck-driver-now.html

 

99% is attitude.

You are a responsible individual, taking care of business in the safest, most timely manner possible.

You keep an eye out for "the other guy," whether it is out on the road, or in a truck stop, or at a shipper, or receiver.

You keep yourself and your truck in good condition, your paperwork in order and done in a timely fashion.

That's enough of my two cents for tonight!

 

Pretty much what i was thinking. Having respect for all people on the road, regardless how many wheels are under them. Treating everybody with the respect you THINK you deserve goes a long way. 2nd part of that would be a driver who actually DRIVES. I dont really think you can consider yourself a 'professional driver' if you only make one local run a week, or 1 2000 mile run a week. Kinda like saying a pilot for a regional puddle shuttle that flies a couple skip and-a-jump flights here and there, and a pilot of a 767 or 747 that flies from JFK to Paris. To me, one is more professional than the other.

but then again, my opinion might change after i've been on the road for a week or two.

 

it is what they refer to you as when they want to implement more BS but they will quickly forget when it comes to pay etc...

 

One of the instructors at the CDL school I went too had a saying. I think this one line has had a larger impact on me personally than anything else has to date. He used to tell us "Your job out here is not to deliver freight. It is to protect life". From that they built a very strong foundation for their students based on safety. I am coming up on my 1 year mark and still have a lot to learn. But I take that belief with me every day.

So to me being a professional means to operate my truck in a safe maner. It has nothing to do with how I shift or lane control or who I drive for or anything else. It means operate my truck safely.

In my opinion it's all about attitude. Just like others have already said.