Keeping Up With the Times
Well, it's a new year, which inevitably means new technology. While the author of this newsletter is still a living, breathing human, I'm preparing myself for the day ChatGPT lets me know I've been let go. Gulp!
(All joking aside, ChatGPT will never get its hands on this newsletter. Writing it is the highlight of my month! I would no sooner let AI watch football bowl games for me than let it take my place on our writing team!)
They say the only constant is change. I can personally attest to that statement. Depending on how you define it, the trucking industry is a hundred or so years old, and I've been driving a semi for nearly fifty of them! The transmissions, the brakes, the fuel, the mechanics, and even the thermometers continue to evolve. Each piece of technology is only as good as the person operating it. And each operator is only as good as their understanding of their tools.
For example, as a teenager, I was told that there would always be a job for a good auto mechanic. After all, a carburetor will always require adjusting, right? If you don't understand that last sentence, then I made my point. Carburetors are relics, so my carburetor-adjusting skills are useless. Nonetheless we still need skilled mechanics. Nowadays they use computers more frequently than wrenches. And I'm grateful that Camelot's ever-reliable mechanic adjusted with the times and works with the latest technology to keep our fleet up and running!
He's not the only one who has had to adjust. In the past, the up-and-coming Camelot driver had to demonstrate that he could safely descend the Grapevine, braking minimally and downshifting the manual transmission to maintain control of the rig without brake failure before he was added to our roster of drivers. These days, the transmissions are automatic, and the rigs have engine brakes. While the rig might be doing the “heavy lifting” in maintaining control, it's our safety-conscious drivers who set the pace, taking into account the weight of the load, the weather, and the road conditions to ensure a safe arrival.
I could go on and on! Thomas Guides replaced by GPS, payphones replaced by cell phones replaced by smartphones, and intuition replaced with an external thermometer that tells our drivers when rain turns to freezing rain.
How do I deal with all this changing technology? I keep in mind a good rule of thumb: I don't want to be the first to jump on a new gizmo, nor do I want to be the last! If change is the only constant, Camelot will keep changing with the times. However, we'll never forget that the new gizmo is only as good as its operator. You hear that, ChatGPT?!
So what's next? Perhaps one day soon you'll see a gorgeously painted blue-and-yellow Camelot drone delivering your belongings to your new home!