SAN DIEGO. Results of a national survey released Monday suggest that Americans’ perception of trucking and truck drivers is more favorable than many industry executives might have assumed. Neil Newhouse, partner and co-founder of Alexandria, VA-based research firm Public Opinion Strategies, presented the results of the survey at the American Trucking Assns. annual meeting in San Diego.
The survey commissioned by ATA was conducted Sept. 20-24, 2014, and polled 800 registered voters on their attitudes about politics, the trucking industry and the state of infrastructure.
Among the highlights of the poll:
- 80% believe truck drivers are safer than passenger vehicle drivers
- Only 7% of respondents believe truck drivers are more likely than passenger vehicle drivers to drive unsafely
- 90% of respondents believe passenger vehicle drivers are more likely to speed than truck drivers
- 74% of respondents think in accidents involving a car and a truck, the passenger vehicle driver is at fault.
“This poll confirms that the public knows what we in the trucking industry have always known: professional truck drivers are dedicated, professional and safe,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. “It also shows that our efforts to portray a positive image of our industry are having a tremendous impact.”
Graves cited the poll results in his annual address to members when he argued that Americans favor more highway spending but don’t want to pay for it.
