In the United States of America, Labor Day is more expressive of the summertime and thus people go out to enjoy their last days of the summer. However, for the people particularly the truck drivers moving around the highways of this country, this is a special occasion. Truck drivers are the seldom appreciated but vital backbones of the American economy bringing goods from one side of the country to the other and keeping supplies flowing to businesses. It is fitting that during Labor Day we take the time to ponder about the important contribution truck drivers make in our day to day and the several issues they go through.
Labor Day has its roots deep in the 19th century Workingmen’s movement to establish the first ever Labour Day on September 5th 1884.
The origins of Labor Day go back to the last part of the 19th century and it was intended as a celebration of the American worker – in fact, it links with the labor union movement. In the course of Industrial Revolution, workers were poorly treated, meaning that they had to work for long hours at very low wages and their safety was not valued at all. People, including employees and especially transportation employees started forming movements to fight for better status and decent treatment.
The first Labor Day was observed on September 5, 1882 with only 10,000 participants in New York City mostly by the Central Labor Union. From this event, a nation-wide workers’ parade movement was launched to honor all workers, including those who operated early motor vehicles that later developed into what is now the trucking business.
Trucking and How it Evolved Over the Years and Labor Day
Since the process of industrialization started across the nation, the movement of products became more and more significant. The development of trucking took its start in the first decades of the twentieth century and quickly came to form the keel of the American economy. Particularly, the drivers of trucks contributed immensely in effecting these changes where products and services were delivered on time to their destinations.
In recent time, the Labor Day is commemorated to honor all employees in the United States with special focus on truck drivers. These men and women are forced to work for long hours sometimes on the road away from their loved ones, endure unfavourable weather and work under pressure to meet delivery time targets. It is vigorous and most often complex requiring both the physical and mental abilities of the persons involved, but is vital in the economy of the country.
Some specific constraints of the truck drivers are discussed below.
Thus, it is necessary to recall the primary issue that Labor Day is devoted to, which is people’s work, and focus on the truck drivers’ problem in particular. Unlike other jobs, driving a truck is mostly a lonely job, where a driver may spend days, or even weeks, on the road without much contact with his or her fellow beings. Long working hours result in fatigue which is a major issue in terms of not only the drivers’ safety, but also the safety of others on the roads.
In addition, there are other road challenges that truck drivers have to face including the regulation on hours of work in relation to required rest periods. These are measures that are intended to enhance safety but they just compound the pressure and stress that drivers are always under bearing in mind that they have strict time schedules to beat.
As the e-commerce continues to expand, other challenges are also being posed to the trucking industry. Customers have become impatient waiting for their products to be delivered implying that drivers will be under pressure to deliver the products within the shortest time possible. Pursuit of this increased speed can result to long working hours, development of the means of commuting, and stress.
Emerging Role of Truck Drivers in Situation of COVID-19
The Covid 19 pandemic brought into the light the importance of the role that truck drivers in the economy of the United States of America. While the country has been overwhelmed with new tests that it never encountered before, the truck drivers kept moving, delivering vital goods such as medical supplies, food etc., to those areas that required them most. Crazy as these drivers were, they put their lives on the line to keep the nation’s wheels rolling during a crisis.
Certainly, Labor Day should be used as a way to honor the efforts of the truck drivers during the pandemic period. A large number of employees were able to move and work from home, while truck drivers had to stay on the front lines, in a world that became much more dangerous overnight. They have been so committed and hardworking to make sure that things go on as usual in the country amid theCOVID-19 crisis.
Truck drivers and Labor Day: ways to show appreciation
Labor Day is typically associated with parades, barbecues, and picnicking with friends and family, and now is also the time to honor the hardworking long-distance truck drivers that keep our country going. To those involved in the trucking business, this may be an opportunity to remind those who do not directly deal with trucks, trailers or the automotive industry of the importance of trucking in the economy and feel proud for being part of the process.
For others, it provides a sense of supporting the provisioned trucking industry, especially the drivers. This support can be in form of demanding for better working conditions and remuneration as well as extending courtesy to the drivers we come across on the road.
In the progression of the future of trucking and workers rights, new technological advancements for the trucking industries that are beneficial for not only the companies but the workers as well: Self-Driving Trucks and Employee Free Choice Lifting of the Ban on Manufacturing Union Funds.
Both the short term and long term horizons reveal that for the trucking industry more challenges lie ahead. The matters of driver scarcity, shift in policies, and increasing pressure for delivery speeds will remain to be solved and fight for workers’ justice.
So, Labor Day is a kind of a reminder that a struggle for decent treatment and safe working environment continues. To that end, for truck drivers, this means advancing policy reforms to better respond to the specific needs of its constituency: better rest stops, access to health care, and protections against unfair treatment in the workplace.
Other trends are opportunities and threats arising from developing automations in the production of trucks and self-driving vehicles. Of course advances in technology may alter the type of trucking work that is available, but the demand for professional and committed drivers will continue on. It remains pertinent in today’s developing industry for this force to be maintained and reinforced and the efforts of truck drivers namely recognized and given their due appreciation.
Conclusion
It is not just any other holiday, but a significant occasion of celebrating the workers of America especially those who spend most of their time and night moving from one place to another delivering products. Truck drivers are the backbone of the United States economy and their efforts should not go unnoticed and ignored.
Commentaires