Dear Editor,

As a CVSA (Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance)-certified police officer serving central Ontario, I have had many dealings with truckers over the past few years. Despite the outcome of the traffic stop, I have earned a new respect for these hard-working men and women. We all know that truckers put up with a great deal more stress than the average motorist. Whether it be tougher rules and regulations, ignorant fellow drivers or overbearing enforcement officers, truckers endure much more scrutiny by society than any other person using our highways.

The professional trucker must remain just that – a professional no matter what comes their way. That is part of the reason why they are called professional drivers.

It is always a pleasure to deal with the professional driver, whether I’m writing tickets (after all, I do have a job to do), or giving them much-deserved praise for having a clean rig. I wish I could say the same for the remainder of the motoring public.

Reading Truck News keeps me in touch with current issues and up to speed with the “bitching rights” of your readers. I give you guys credit for the job you do. Keep up the good work.

If there is one little piece of advice I could give to the drivers out there, it would be this: before you start yelling and swearing about being stopped for the millionth time, you’d better have a good truck. My attitude is generally dictated by your attitude. We’re not all pricks.

Andrew Barcham

Collingwood, Ont.