Comment from Mickey Hartley

This is a slippery slope relying on a machine to do the right thing in place of the drivers. I have been driving a truck in the civilian world since January 1986 and have seen many changes. If drivers were trained properly Before they are turned loose on the road there would be no need for a computer to control braking, lane movement, changing gears ect. Our industry has been dummed down for years now to accommodate the mega carriers filling their seats. We should hold them accountable to actually train drivers before putting them on the road. I realize there has to be some regulatory requirements in any any industry but trucking has absolutely TOO much overreach. I personally have talked with drivers who are so called trainers with a mega carrier that have less than one year of experience driving themselves you cannot pass on knowledge that you don't have this is a major issue in the trucking industry. Until you as a governing body hold those folks accountable nothing will change because of money they are not willing to invest to make their fleets better. I realize everything has to learn I was trained by the US Army at Ft Leonard Wood MO in 1982 and here's the key when I got to my permanent unit even they did not just turn me loose. I had to prove myself worthy of my military drivers license and yes I was given a road test and even then was paired with a senior driver to help me mature properly as a driver. So my answer on automatic braking systems is No. The choices the governing body are making is legislating many of us right out of business so if this is your goal you are doing a good job. We should start using some common sense in this industry please. I started in the Army at 17 and now I'm getting ready to turn 59 and I am still trucking just to give you some clarification my mindset. Thanks for allowing us a chance to comment. Mickey