Cabs, heroes and feds, oh my

Whoever said getting there was half the fun has never sat in the back seat of a cab driver who doesn't seem to know where he's going. Land Line Magazine executive editor Sandi Soendker and I caught a cab early this morning to meet up with the Goodyear Highway Heroes at the Louisville Slugger Museum.

We had the misfortune of getting the only cabbie in Louisville who not only didn't know where the museum was (hint: it's the only building with a giant bat out front; it's kind of hard to miss) but refused to take the highway in getting there. But we survived the trip and Sandi will tell you more about it in another post.

After we made it safely back to the Expo Center, I had time to grab a quick bite to eat before Land Line Magazine Managing Editor Jami Jones and Associate Editor Dave Tanner and I triple-teamed FMCSA administrator Anne Ferro for an interview. She talked candidly about CSA, driver training and a number of other issues. Once I get it put together, we'll get it onto the radio show as soon as possible.

Anne also made an appearance Thursday night at the Truck Writers of North America awards banquet. A lot of people seem puzzled as to why we spend so much time with her. I've heard several cries of "she's the enemy" echoing through the Expo Center today. The thing is, that's not entirely true.

Yes, there are plenty of regulations that come out of the FMCSA that are bad for truck drivers. No one is disputing that. And OOIDA has stood up to fight against every single one that could potentially hurt your business. Make no mistake about that.

But in spite of those regulations, Anne Ferro herself seems to be genuinely interested in how the rules her administration makes affect truck drivers. When she wasn't talking to reporters, she spent her entire day talking to truck drivers. How many government officials do you know who would do that? Did you see Ray LaHood anywhere in Louisville this week? Or President Obama?

Think about it this way: If someone spends all day screaming at you or all day patiently and thoughtfully explaining something to you, which message is more likely to get through? There's an old saying that you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. The reason it's an old saying is because it is absolutely true.