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Thetrucker.com Perspective
SEPTEMBER 2023 • 13
We can (and should) wear white after Labor Day
CHAPLAIN’S
CORNER
Rev. Marilou Coins
Welcome to September, and happy Labor
Day! Sept. 23 is the first day of fall, promising a
cooldown from summer heat.
How many of you have seen the Twizzlers
commercial with the man asking, “Why
shouldn’t I wear white after Labor Day?” You
may have asked yourself the same question.
I have a different idea about wearing white.
Just think about the hot days of summer as us
while we are lost in sin. Then we are saved by
grace and given a white robe of cleanliness.
So, why don’t we wear our white robes all year
long? Are we ashamed of what Christ did for
us? Do we hide the fact that we are forgiven
through his grace and mercy? All our sins
were nailed to the cross on Calvary. Christ
said, “It is finished!” This means we all have
been saved by his death and have been given
“white robes.”
We don’t have to worry about if it’s after
Labor Day or not; we can wear our white robes
all year long. We do get those robes dirty from
time to time, but grace and forgiveness washes
them clean again, made white as snow.
White is a sign of forgiveness. We all need
to “wear white” all year round.
Sometimes we may even have a tear in
our white robe, but all can be mended when
we ask God to come back into our lives and
get us on the right path again. Prayers are the
mending stitches that patch the tears in our
ragged robes.
The way I see it, tears can either be sewn
up or mended with an iron-on patch; both will
work, and our robe will be like new. When we
make a small mistake and the tear isn’t too
bad, it can be sewn. When we really mess up,
resulting in a gaping hole, an iron-on patch
may be God’s solution. Iron-on patches will
cover the holes that are taking us away from
God. Once we mend it and iron on that patch,
our robe will look like new, and the patch
won’t show. God never lets a torn or dirty robe
keep us from him. He welcomes all our robes,
and he wants us to try to keep them clean and
refreshed as new.
Have you ever had a tear in your favorite
shirt or pants and patched them just to make
them last a bit longer? Well, I know I have!
Once patched, they felt like new. If we do that
with our clothing, then why not try doing that
with our eternal white robes (our souls)?
My answer to the Twizzler man is this:
Yes! We can wear white after September! As
a matter of fact, we can wear white all year
round because of the grace God gives us to
mend our garments. We are washed in the
blood of Christ for the forgiveness of all our
mistakes. We are mended daily no matter the
month or the season. White doesn’t go out of
style.
So, stop chewing on your Twizzlers and
accept the mending that Christ paid the price
for our stitches and iron-on patches. Proudly
wear those white robes all year long. Wash
them daily in prayer. Mend the holes and tears
by asking for forgiveness. Your white robe will
never be out of season.
We all are mended garments. We all have
dirt, tears and holes to be mended. But it’s the
flaws in our robes that make wearing white an
awesome statement of our faith in Jesus, who
saved us. No season or reason should keep us
from wearing our white robes. To God be the
glory. To us be the reason to wear white with
pride. Keep patching, sewing and washing
your robe daily with prayer.
Best of the roads and all gears forward in
Jesus. 8
Attorney cont. from Page 12
While this case deals with the driver of a
personal vehicle, the question must be asked:
Could this technology be used against commercial
drivers? If so, would it be a violation
of a driver’s reasonable expectation of privacy?
The answers are of course and maybe.
The courts have long held that because the
trucking industry is heavily regulated, truck
drivers have a lower expectation of privacy than
others. The reasoning goes like this: Because
the industry is so heavily regulated and the purpose
of the regulations is to protect the health,
safety and welfare of the public, devices like
ELDs, which can monitor a driver’s location, do
not violate a driver’s right to privacy. ELDs are
necessary to accomplish the overarching goal
of making the roads safe. The same argument
can be made for the use of AI in this scenario.
The only way we will know if this type of
technology is constitutional is for the issue
to be brought before the courts, something I
suspect will be occurring soon. So, with that in
mind, stay tuned. This could have far-reaching
impacts on our industry.
Brad Klepper is president of Interstate
Trucker Ltd. and is also president of Driver’s
Legal Plan, which allows member drivers access
to services at discounted rates. For more
information, contact him at 800-333-DRIVE
(3748) or interstatetrucker.com and
driverslegalplan.com. 8
TRUCKER
TALK
The Trucker is all about drivers, and we want to hear your thoughts. Follow us on
Facebook, Instagram, Threads and other social media platforms to take part in our reader
polls. Here’s this month’s question, along with a few of your comments.
How do truck drivers navigate the delicate balance between
meeting tight delivery deadlines and ensuring road safety?
“Concentrate on safety first and everything
else will work out.”
— Tony Justice
“For me it was always safety first. If the powers
that be couldn’t schedule proper pickup and
delivery parameters that was their problem.”
— Bill Clift
“Always drive safe; the load gets there when
it gets there. That being said, proper trip
planning is the key, and that doesn’t guarantee
on time delivery. The real world always seems
to get involved in everyone’s life. So remember,
safety is the only thing that matters.”
— John Procarione
“I can’t explain it; I just do it. But I do it the
way my father taught me a long time ago.
I didn’t learn what it was called until 2000,
when I learned it was called the Smith system.
However he didn’t know it was called that; he
just also did it on his own. Apparently he had
no peripheral vision in his right eye, so he
turned his head a lot, kept his eyes moving
and he taught me that. Always know what’s
around you and look ahead as far as I can.”
— Charles D. Pullen
“Safety always comes first! Communicate
effectively loads can be rescheduled! There’s
never an excuse to operate in an unsafe
manner! NEVER!”
— Bambi Marcelle Bealer
“If it’s tight, I tell them I’ll do my best. I don’t
promise eta; if they didn’t plan enough time
for a truck trip, I can’t make up for that.”
— Pam Sult
“Safety first. Deliveries can be rebooked.
They can’t be rebooked when the load is
spread all over the highway because a driver
pushed it to hard.”
— Ron Gillingham
“It’s really a pisser when you rock up 30 mins
late due to unforeseen traffic problems and
they tell you, ‘Go park over there and we’ll
try to work you in … maybe tomorrow.’ No
ablution facilities and no food except what
you have with you. A can of sardines and
soda crackers. What a life. Leave the facility
and you’re stuck under the load indefinitely as
it’s rescheduled. I can already hear the super
truckers, ‘You should have planned better.’”
— Rock Bowman
“No load is worth your life or the life of
someone else. Safety first. If you say, ‘I
cannot legally or safely deliver (or pick up)
this load’ and document it, dispatch will have
to answer to Safety if anything happens.”
— Mary Abraham
“Safety comes first, always. Dispatch can
whine and carry on all they like, but you’re
on the road with somebody’s wife, husband,
mom, daddy, child, favorite teacher, etc., and
Job #1 is keep those people safe. Don’t let
anyone else drive your truck, that includes
dispatch. Now beyond that, keep that left
door shut and do your best to get it there.”
— Jody Hull