This weekend, many Americans will be on the road. Whether they're heading toward reunions with family or friends, they'll be sharing the highways with others heading toward similarly warm gatherings of loved ones.
They'll also be sharing the highways with America's truck drivers.
The same truck drivers whose work makes it possible for stores to keep their shelves stocked for last-minute holiday shoppers. The same truck drivers who will be driving throughout the week to ensure that our grocery stores have food and our gas stations have fuel. And the same truck drivers who are on our roads delivering the goods 365 days a year, rain or shine.
As Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Anne Ferro said, "America's many safe and skilled truck drivers are heroes of our highways, not only for bringing us what we want for this holiday season, but also for all the goods they deliver that we depend on throughout the year."
I couldn't agree more. And I also couldn't agree more with Administrator Ferro's suggestion to the rest of us this holiday season:
"Let’s give these drivers back a gift we can all live with. When driving near a large truck, please keep out of their "no- zones," the areas alongside or behind a truck where the driver can't see your car. Letting them see your vehicle will help all of us stay a little safer this holiday, and every day.”
If you receive a gift from your wish list this holiday season, whether it comes from a brick-and-mortar store, an online retailer with a warehouse, or even the North Pole, chances are that it--or some part of it--spent some time on a truck.
So let's give some thought to Administrator Ferro's advice and thank America's truckers by staying out of the no-zone, respecting the difficulty of handling a big-rig, and giving commercial drivers extra consideration.
For safety and goodness' sake.
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