Don’t underestimate your ability to influence change

by Al Goodhall

In April 1970, David Brower founded Earth Day and coined the slogan “Think globally, act locally.” It is a term that can be, and is, applied widely outside the environmental movement. According to New Geography the phrase “exemplifies the millennial generation’s outlook towards implementing societal changes on a direct, local level, and their belief in changing the world one community at a time.”

Last month I ended my column with the words “A universal method of training and certification is the only way to manage this (technological) change in a way that will minimize disruption across the trucking industry while defining the job of the truck operator in a rapidly changing market. That’s what we need to attract new blood.”

That statement is a global one, not a local one. Big ideas are great, but we need to be able to act on them as individuals to bring them to fruition. This is outside our individual sphere of influence. So, what do we do if we want to influence change?

One way to influence change is to throw your support behind people like Shelley Uvanile-Hesch and the Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada (WTFC).

Shelley is a full-time truck driver and founder of WTFC. Don’t let the name of her organization deceive you, it’s not for women only. Although its focus is to assist women breaking into the trucking industry, it does so by focusing on training and mentorship. She brings together experienced truck drivers with newly licensed truck drivers, integrity-based carriers, and training organizations. As she likes to say, WTFC is about creating a network for drivers, created by drivers. The WTFC slogan is “Join our drive to drive.”

Whereas I have the privilege of presenting my thoughts and ideas in this column each month, WTFC brings training to the front line. It does some great grassroots social media work such as creating mentoring groups that bring seasoned drivers and new drivers together.

WTFC is a non-profit group, run by a board of professional drivers. WTFC provides a wonderful place for those interested in joining the trucking industry to go for a driver’s perspective on the industry. Go to the WTFC website and to its Facebook page to get the full picture.

Shelley and her associates in the women’s trucking movement deserve huge kudos for the efforts they are putting forth. They are making a difference while still driving full-time. It’s a huge challenge for them. But this is what happens when drivers that live and breathe trucking get sick and tired of watching from the sidelines and jump in feet first to make a difference.

We can support them and participate ourselves by becoming a member of the organization. This is an effective way to bring the expertise and experience of drivers to the cutting edge of the rapid changes that are happening right now in the trucking industry.

Another effective way to act locally and influence change is to speak up within your own company. Don’t underestimate the power of your own voice.

Any credible employer values the front-line experience you bring to their organization. After all, you as a driver are the face of the company you work for. Don’t underestimate the importance of your position in this regard. In fact, I’m surprised that we spend so little time bringing customer service training to the driver.

How often do you, as the driver, end up solving customer service issues on the loading dock? It happens all the time. I have a feeling that drivers will be taking on a larger role in the customer service and public relations fronts as we move forward.

So, joining organizations that represent the interests of drivers and speaking up as a driving professional within your own company are just two ways of acting out on a local level and influencing broader change. It’s incremental change, but it works.

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Al Goodhall has been a professional long-haul driver since 1998. He shares his experiences via his blog at http://truckingacrosscanada.blogspot.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Al_Goodhall.


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  • Alas, great as he was, Dave Brower did not establish Earth Day nor did he coin the phase about think global etc. Don’t know where you got those fake facts, but they’re not true. I worked for Brower for two decades and just wrote his biography and am certain of these corrections

    • I put too much stock in the New Geography piece I read(?).
      Thanks for the feedback Tom. It prompted me to research Mr Browers’ accomplishments and service more deeply.
      I appreciate it.
      AG