By: Anna Elise Ford,
Southgate,Mi
I love steampunk and plan to dress steampunk as a trucker. I also like communication so have ordered bumper stickers from my favorite presidential candidate. I’ll pass out stuff and talk to a lot of people I love America and Americans!
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Response from Vicki:
Hello, Anna Elise,
Thank you for submitting a tip about how to make a successful trucker transition. It is clear that you have a passion about your chosen topic.
You said that you plan to dress a certain way as a trucker and order “bumper stickers from {your} favorite presidential candidate” — the latter of which I assume you want to put on your truck. May I address this for a few moments?
First, if you are planning to enter the trucking industry as a company driver, you may not have the freedom to dress any way you want. Whenever you interact with customers (shippers and receivers), you will be a representative of your trucking company. So check ahead of time for trucking companies that have and enforce a “dress code” and grooming requirements.
Second, your trucking company may frown upon the placement of political bumper stickers on their equipment, be it tractors or trailers. They may see it as an endorsement of a specific candidate, which they may not want. In a worst case scenario, a trucking company may hold truckers responsible for “defacing” their property with bumper stickers or charge a “removal fee” for their safe removal. Please be aware of this ahead of time.
Third, trucking companies — like some other businesses — are looking at social media channels to do a sort of background check on their prospective drivers. If they feel that you are more into your passion than being a “team player” when working for them, that may hinder your chances of finding and keeping a truck driving job. I’m not saying that you should hide your passion, but I am sharing what some trucking companies may be looking for.
If you love steampunk and political activism so much, why don’t you see if you can build a business out of one or both of those passions? That way, you won’t be hindered when it comes to expressing yourself. It’s just a thought.
Alternatively, you may find that there is an active group of steampunk truckers out there. And if there isn’t one now, perhaps you will lead the way on this.
I wish you great success as you go into your chosen field. Many truckers enter the industry after attending truck driver training school.
Should you pursue a trucking career, my husband Mike and I wish you safe travels and lots of money saving opportunities on the road.
Best regards,
Vicki Simons
