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these rules who know absolutely noth-
ing about trucking,” Salisbury said.
“They don’t know what’s it’s like to pull
“my whole thought iN this image process into a shipper and they tell you, ‘you
is that public image driVes public policy. can’t park on our lot, you’ve got to back
so if we waNt to get a faVorable ruliNg oN on the street.’ You go back out onto the
street and you’re trying to take a nap
legislatiVe or regulatory issues, it’s obVious and the police come by and say ‘you
our image Needs to be improVed—drastically.” can’t park in the street, you’ve got to go
back to the parking lot or find a truck
—gary salisbury, stop.’ Now your 50 miles away and the
dispatcher is getting a geo-fence alert
presideNt & ceo, that you’re out of the corral and run-
fikes truck liNe ning off. He calls the driver and says
‘why aren’t you at the receiver?’
“And that’s just the first 10 min-
utes of the morning.”
father, a 91-year-old who still lives by dards and raised the bar in this indus- Industry leaders understand the
himself “and could probably outwork try,” he said. “People who can fix theory, Salisbury suggested, but the
me if he wanted to. anything—things that look impossible.” reaction too often is “it sounds good,
“There was no excuse. In the dairy So why can’t truckers—who rou- but I’m not going to do it.”
business, you never called in and told tinely answer a desperate shipper’s plea “That’s okay. Get somebody in your
Dad, ‘I don’t feel good and I’m not with “don’t worry, we’ll take care of company to do it: Understand your driv-
going to get up and milk those cows it”—provide the same level of service, ers,” he said. “These are the guys who
because it’s just not fair—it’s Christmas determination and creativity to their make you a living, who move America—
Day,” Salisbury said, drawing laughs. “I own image? who have brought everything you’re
might have gotten up, but it wouldn’t “It seems like when it comes to tak- wearing, you’re sitting on, you’re drink-
have been Christmas Day. It would’ve ing care of our own, in our own house ing out of, you’ve eaten. A truck driver
been a day or two later because he and in our own backyard, we just kind brought every bit of it.”
would’ve knocked me out. of look stupid,” Salisbury said. “I’m In a follow-up interview, Salisbury
“One thing my dad instilled in me being frank. I thought it would be a expanded on his call for trucking
is that emotions have nothing to with good opportunity with this audience— companies and industry executives to
it. It’s all about determination and step- because this is going to be my last. But give more—much more—to the image
ping up and making it happen, no mat- in all seriousness, we’ve got to change.” campaign TCA launched this year. The
ter what obstacles you run into.” A good first step for companies push had raised less than a third of the
For trucking, that means “becom- wanting to clean up their image would $300,000 goal at the time of the TCA
ing the industry and the association of be for more executives to get their annual meeting.
‘yes.’” hands dirty, he suggested. “Our industry will spend money
“We can’t say ‘no, that’s not “If you really want to understand on anything they want,” Salisbury said.
going to work,’ and ‘we can’t do that,’” how that driver handles electronic log- “But we’re just like anybody. You can
Salisbury said. He paused, looking out at ging while going down the road, or talk to a guy and he doesn’t have the
the audience, “And now your’re probably sitting at the shipper, or sitting in traf- money to get out of sight, then you see
thinking ‘how did we hire this idiot?’ fic—if you don’t have a CDL, get one,” him in Walmart buying $400 or $500
Well, you didn’t hire me. I’m free and I he said. “If you don’t want to do that, worth of camouflage, shotgun shells
get to say what I want.” ride along with the guy. Just see what and deer doe scent. Or you see a guy
The problem, he continued over the happens.” who says I can’t give money for that
laughter, is not that truckers have to say Salisbury said it’s critical for truck- right now, but then he goes and buys an
yes to “everything that comes down the ing executives to understand the driver’s $800 driver to play golf. I’m the same
pike,” but the industry must be “proac- life on the road in the same way they way. That’s human nature—but this is
tive.” know their P&L statements—down to how we make our living.”
“Whether it’s hours-of-service, that last, critical detail—because indus- Joking that he may need security at
EOBRs or independent contractor try leaders must, in turn, educate policy future association meetings, Salisbury
issues, we’ve got a lot of great people; makers and regulators.
innovative people who have set stan- “You’ve got people implementing  43

22 ArkAnSAS trucking report | issue 2 2012