Last week, I managed to survive one of the busiest weeks I’ve seen since I joined CCJ. As managing editor, I am responsible for a multitude of tasks – none of which would seem too terribly exciting to my reading audience in the world of trucking, but suffice to say, they all involve getting the monthly magazine to the printer on time.
Last week was my first week pulling double ME duty for CCJ and its sister publication, Overdrive, now in its 50th year. Since CCJ celebrated its 100th birthday last year, that means I’m now responsible for the timeliness and accuracy of 150 years of continued trucking magazine credibility. No pressure – but I digress.
Anyway, since Overdrive and its ways of doing things all are new to me, there’s a bit of a learning curve – and the long hours that come with being a newbie. I’m not asking for a hanky or anyone’s condolences – just explaining things so you understand how exhausted I felt when Friday afternoon FINALLY arrived.
So I take those long days and how they piled on the brain-deadness in my head, and I found myself wondering how truckers are supposed to argue they can drive for hours and hours on end for several days in a row without feeling it. Without proper oversight of a driver’s work hours, there’s no telling how far he would be willing to push himself to make it to a particular destination or two to pad a paycheck if possible.
I now understand that is a recipe for disaster when a monster diesel tractor on our highways is involved. And that’s why, in today’s age of advanced electronics, there’s no excuse for not monitoring drivers and making sure they’re not pushing themselves over the limit – and endangering the traveling public in the process.
