Drivers are waiting for a Messiah. Someone who will solve their problems with a single blow or is about to do so. When he arrives, everything will get better.
But no matter how long they wait, he never comes. And why? Because he simply does not exist. Or put another way, there isn’t just one. The Messiah is a group. A group of drivers who come together with others to finally bring about the long-awaited changes.
And the group is not small. There are many, a legion of drivers.
So, enough daydreaming.
Not a single day passes without people complaining about the profession of truck driver on social media.
The pay is poor, working conditions are bad, and politics is to blame for everything.
But is that really true? Is politics to blame for everything, or are drivers still waiting for the one, the Messiah? For the one who never arrives?
Why the Messiah Will Not Come
The answer as to why he does not appear is simple: He does not exist, and there will never be one.
I was able to read this again this morning on Facebook , how many drivers look for the culprit not in themselves but in others.
More specifically, it was about a post by Yasmin Fahimi , one of the chairpersons of the DGB (German Trade Union Confederation).
In this post, Yasmin laments the state of affairs in our industry and notes that there are drivers who often have to live in their vehicles for months at a time. Yes, I know, some find that cool, while others do not.
So, but why does no Messiah come now? The answer is actually the same as always: Because the drivers don’t want him! Complaining on Facebook is easier than taking action against the problems.
The Messiah are the drivers themselves. Because only they alone have it in their hands to take action against the problems in the industry. And that, together. But as things are, drivers manage to get along everywhere in the EU. Only in Germany do they want to be smarter.
Only in Germany does every truck driver possess the best transformation skills when it comes to working conditions, wages, and even the truck itself. And if the boss doesn’t act as the driver wants, then a rollercoaster ride is in order.
At least at the Stammtisch (informal gathering). Because reality looks different. The entrepreneur sets a wage; either you accept it or you don’t. Individually, one might perhaps negotiate, but the masses must swallow what is served to them.
Yet all of this could be so simple. Neighboring countries already have an universally binding collective agreement, or better said, a collective contract.
One could have that here too, but for that, something would need to be done. Being a member of a trade union and preferably all in the same one would already be a start.
But exactly there it will fail, because hardly any driver can report anything positive about trade unions in Germany, even though most of this is based on hearsay. If one has had a bad experience, they have all had one.
Yes, no, that’s clear. Most drivers don’t even know how a trade union works but want to judge it anyway. Meanwhile, other industries show how it works: Every year, new wages are negotiated through the trade unions. And this is only possible because they have many members. But that’s nothing new. One can read about this in every trade union topic on this blog, or simply ask on Facebook how it works.
And that is exactly the reason why there will be no Messiah: The drivers don’t want him.
