On my way into work this morning, I saw a decal on the back of a tractor-trailer which showed a picture of a baby with some text that said something along the lines of, “Just about the only thing not delivered by truck.” Cute, but true, and something that Joe Q. Public tends to forget more often than not.

If I had a nickel for every time a trucker complained to me about four-wheelers cutting them off and slamming on the brakes, flipping them the bird or honking their horns when they’re not moving fast enough, or just treating truckers like a general nuisance, I would have a serious nickel collection.

But whether you like sharing the road with big rigs or not, that fact that they (literally) drive the economy is undeniable. “You know, if truckers got together and decided to strike, life as we know it would grind to a halt. No TVs, no cell phones, no food, no nothing. We should really do it some day.” I hear this comment all too often and I can’t help but feel for the guys. They’re out there trying to make a buck, just like everybody else, and the “holier than thou” attitude perpetrated by a large number of the non-trucking community doesn’t make it any easier.

Which brings me – strangely enough – to a children’s book I picked up a couple weeks ago called Brutus the Big Red Truck. The book was put together by a pair of employees from one of Navistar’s assembly plants in Ohio, who have combined their artistic and literary skills to create a work with a great message.

Without being too much of a spoiler, Brutus tells the story of a truck who thinks he’s biggest, toughest and coolest truck on the road, thumbing his nose (hood?) at a trio of other vehicles that he feels are inferior. But all that changes when the titular character gets himself in an accident and finds he needs the assistance of all three – those three being a beat up pick-up with a radio, a tow truck and an ambulance.

While the book is supposed to be teaching kids about equality, the message is still a good one for us adults.
Sure, maybe trucks are bigger and slower than you might like and maybe you don’t always like sharing the road with them, but their role in keeping the economy moving is essential, and for that we owe all truckers a large debt.

So to all the truckers out there, keep your chin up; here’s at least one non-trucker who respects what you do and the space you need on the road. And to the four-wheelers who cringe at the sight of a big rig, try to relax and show some respect: like Brutus, you never know when you’ll need these guys.