The various websites that pertain to trucking often have plenty of naysayers who bash the companies they work for, or the ones they previously worked for. Also some will further their comments to include the industry in general.

In my 22 years of driving, I have seen incidents and noticed serious problems both inside and outside of the companies that I drove for, but they rarely affected me. If you are diligent, professional and on time, dispatcher aren't likely to give you any trouble on a regular basis — unless they are clearly deranged. A good dispatcher always values drivers who are conscious of loading on time and driving safely to their destination every time.

If that does not happen at your company, and it is truly terrible in all areas that you harp on, get out and find another outfit that is equitable and fair. But my opinion is that the majority of complainers are really just quitters.

For example, YouTube has become a haven for haters and complainers, and it is spreading like wildfire with the new and upcoming drivers, who are wanting to start their own channels and become vloggers (video bloggers) just like their favorite drivers.

As an instructor and trainer of new blood coming into the trucking industry, I would estimate that 4 out of every 10 students are very aware of YouTubers who make vlogs and other entertaining trucking videos. Vloggers who are popular and have a regular fare of vlogs that are uploaded daily tend to be popular with the younger drivers — those who are rookies in essence.

It is a peer-driven venue, and the vloggers tend to be young and new in the trucking world themselves. With channels that are well connected with other heavy hitters that share each other's videos and give one another shoutouts, vlogging can generate thousands of hits in a short amount of time.

Subscriptions are the life blood for YouTubers, and channel views on a monetized platform are what advertisers seek. There is money to be had with large audiences that tune in every day.

Sadly, some will tune out the idea of being a trucker simply because they hear a negative post about how trucking companies are out to get you, making you run hard and not giving you ample time to rest. With titles that can capture interest like "The real truth about trucking" or "Companies that you should not drive for," these videos make the industry look unappealing and unattractive, thereby dousing out the fire these men and women once had.

One YouTube driver, who just recently abandoned his truck and quit driving all together, uploaded a video showing him talking with his dispatcher. The driver had already on previous occasions declared his dislike for the man and the company's stance about pushing drivers to hard. He called in and informed dispatch that they once again did not give him ample time to rest — that he was very sleepy and the public would be in danger if I didn't pull over to sleep.

A legitimate point, perhaps, but it's not right to capture what was a private call to his company and "expose" his dispatcher's request to keep it moving, drink some coffee, get out and stretch for a while. It came across to his vast audience as an industrywide problem, and the venom of that profound phone call poisoned a lot of would-be drivers to hang it up and do something else.

Suppose the dispatcher was understanding, like most reasonable dispatchers are, would we even see a video? The good videos that are positive and well-produced do not generate the type of numbers that a negative or hateful video can attract.

Through my scanning of the vast amounts of vlogs, I have noticed constant complaints and drivers with outright disgust for their jobs. It is easy to ascertain that views and subscriptions are more important than giving a positive remark.

I am not against free speech, nor do I have an ax to grind about YouTube truckers — I am a YouTuber myself, producing and editing occasional videos. It is just obvious when a disgruntled driver takes his particular weakness in this tough arena of OTR driving and blames the trucking industry. He makes a video to try and give reasons as to how the industry is failing or not caring, and then praise his viewers for the record amount of hits to keep them coming.

Some (not all) drivers who are popular on YouTube are often discussing things that give fodder to those in general who may not be favorable to trucking or the industry. YouTubers, including myself, need a balanced approach to the negativity about driving or something they dislike about company dispatchers or managers, or the things in the industry that need change.

And if a driver comments on how many hits he got and thanks his followers to keep it up, then his or her video can not be held up as genuine or sincere. Help your fellow truckers to be positive in this industry. If negativity is promulgated on YouTube and elsewhere, it may never change.

Changing the industry is something that we as drivers and industry workers must be proactive in. First we must change ourselves. The rest will follow.