Having been in and around trucking for the last 30 years I am amazed at how much has changed. One of the greatest changes has been to what one would call the stereotypical American trucker. While there are still plenty of asphalt cowboys crossing one another’s paths as they travel the interstate, the next generation of truckers is slowly emerging, and the differences are many indeed.

Once hailed as an occupation suited best for grizzled old men and a small handful of tough ladies, you are now more likely to see a woman holding the steering wheel of a truck than her chromed silhouette adorning its mudflaps. With automatic transmissions, power steering, in cab 5th wheel release, and power assisted hoods & landing gear, operating a tractor trailer is easier than ever before.

Technology has played an essential role in this trucker evolution.

Navigation tools- While they still have some flaws, we are not too far away from having nearly perfect truck routing that adjusts to real time conditions and circumstances.
APU’s- Gone are the days where truckers had to open every door and window in an often failed attempt to keep cool in no idling zones. Nor do they have to risk starting a fire with their cavalier attempts to wire home appliances to a battery or an already overloaded inverter.
In Cab Technology- CB radios one reigned supreme as the must have tech gadget in trucking. Now trucks have flat-screen satellite TV’s, wireless Internet, electronic log books, all-in-one office machines, computers, gaming consoles, and much, much, more.
While all of this tech has made life on the road easier, it’s full impact on productivity and safety has yet to be fully analyzed,

These and many other changes are ushering in the era of the Renaissance Trucker. A new type of professional driver who is inherently tech savvy, more interested in quality of life than a tough persona, and closer in appearance to a white collar worker than a blue collar. Their having never seen the old ways of working the system, this new generation is much more in tune with safety and compliance. Many companies are having to rethink the way in which they interact with this new breed of driver for fear of failing to attract, retain, and motivate them. The days of the get it done any way possible trucker are quickly disappearing, ushering in a new era of drivers equipped with a more technical understanding of the industry, and brandishing it in ways that do not always favor their employer. Like it or not, the age of the renaissance trucker is upon us.