Professionalism

The Bear’s View

Professionalism

My association with Pro-Trucker magazine for the past three years or so has given me an opportunity to develop an appreciation for commercial drivers that I probably would not have been able to do in my enforcement capacity alone. Having read each issue that the Bear’s View has appeared in from cover to cover I have come to realize that the majority of commercial drivers view themselves as professionals and take pride in their work. I think that you are right to do this as being a competent driver is a skill that is not easily won.

I looked at the definition of profession in Wikipedia. It says “A profession is an occupation that requires extensive training and the study and mastery of specialized knowledge, and usually has a professional association, ethical code and process of certification or licensing.” All of these elements are in place in the commercial driving community and it is apparent to me from articles in Pro-Trucker that the good drivers expect to be regarded as professionals.

When I was growing up I remember my parents speaking of winter travel. They told of poor road conditions and advised me that the smart thing to do was to find a commercial truck and follow along behind. The driver generally had good knowledge of the highway and would provide the example to get me where I was going in one piece.

I can also remember one year on December 24^th when I was stationed in Penticton. I happened to be standing next to the 911 operator and I could hear her repeating information that was coming in from a 911 call: “two vehicles, head on, driver trapped. It’s starting to burn….” “Wonderful,” I thought to myself, “Merry Christmas!” It did turn out to be because the next two vehicles on the scene were commercial drivers who stopped and used their extinguishers to put the fire out.

So, how does anyone become a professional? Traditionally, this is accomplished by either apprenticeship or a formal training program. If I understand your comments correctly, it appears that there are still plenty of older drivers to provide the example, but few companies willing to spend the time to pair an expert and a novice in the same cab for the novice to learn the ropes. Economics dictate that the company is not able to pay the price of professional development, even though it would benefit them in the long run. Apprenticeship only seems to be an option when one grows up in a family where a parent or close relative is already a professional driver.

While waiting for my wife to pick me up after class at Malaspina University College in Nanaimo I was lucky enough to speak for a few minutes with the head of the driver training program hoping for some inspiration to base a column on. He shook his head when I asked about training and said that the college program ran for 35 hours, 8 of which was spent doing pre-trip instruction and cost about $3,500. He said that most commercial training in the area was almost double that cost. The college had an advantage because repairs and maintenance for the equipment could be done by the students in the heavy duty mechanic program.

He lamented that 35 hours wasn’t enough to begin teaching a driver to be a professional and the expense prevented most from staying any longer than necessary to get the bare minimum. Quebec was the shining example for professional driver training, he said. The program there lasted much longer and included many more topics than Malaspina provided.

I researched the course and found that it occupied 615 hours, covered Trade and Training, Truck Systems, Regulations, Condition of the Truck, Basic Driving Techniques, Planning a Trip, Loading and Unloading, Rural and Highway Driving, Delivery Trips, and Integration Into the Workplace. Clearly graduates of this program would have a much stronger basis to begin a driving career with, including a diploma.

It would be nice if everyone could begin a career with qualifications like these and if they were the minimum necessary to obtain a class 1 licence. It would be one distinction of a true professional.

I am also impressed by industry efforts to police itself. The BC Forest Safety Council’s TruckSafe initiative is designed to reduce injury and death caused by the operation of commercial vehicles in the forest industry. The action plan recognized that there was an escalating problem and that it needed to be addressed by everyone who might be affected by it. If the program is successful, it will be through the professionalism of the drivers involved.

There are few articles in the public media today that hold professional drivers up as a shining example to follow. In addition, many of the comments that I receive from the four wheelers in the presentations that I am involved in are quick to highlight the dangerous driving behaviours of a minority of commercial drivers. This doesn’t have to be the case. I encourage you to continue to uphold professional standards, do what is right rather than what is expedient, and teach those who follow you into the driving profession how to become a truly professional driver.

As always, comments and suggestions for the Bear’s View are gratefully accepted. Please e-mail them to bears_view@shaw.ca.