When I was a young man, I used to hang out with a group of guys who raced motocross bikes. As a lifelong rider myself, I decided to join them—and I learned a lot from those clowns.
There were always two types of riders at the track on Sundays:
Joe Moto was the guy who showed up with a loose chain, a clutch lever barely hanging on, and bent fenders. He’d always be trying to borrow parts, gas, or tools. He’d ride like a maniac until he wrecked. Every time.
Then there was the Pro—the guy who adjusted every spoke before racing, cleaned his chain with a toothbrush between motos, stretched his muscles, warmed up the bike properly, and then went out and won.
Over my 47 years in the trucking industry (plus 17 more being raised by my dad, a trucker himself), I’ve come to realize the same thing applies in our world. There are Pro Truckers… and Joe Truckers.
Stand in our yard and you’ll see what I mean. You’ll hear the guy slamming through gears with his Jake brake screaming, trying to show off. Or the one who rolls into town at 3:00 a.m. with straight pipes and his Jake on, waking up the whole neighborhood. Like we all need to know he made it to town.
Then there’s the guy who hops out in cowboy boots or tennis shoes and kicks his tires. Let me be the first to tell you: you can’t tell the difference between 60 PSI and 90 PSI with your foot. And that 60 PSI tire can heat up and blow out on you.
If you’re in this trade—act like it. Drive like you respect the work. Take care of your rig like your livelihood depends on it—because it does.
Don’t be a Joe Trucker. Be a Pro.
-Troy