Worst Trucker in the World (this week)!

In the semi-regular feature Worst Trucker in the World! we pass along misbehavior so egregious, brazen and or just plain dumb that it made headlines in the broader media: This week, a truck driver just misses the mayor of New York City stepping into the crosswalk.

Kevin Jones

Dec. 14, 2015

2 min read

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In the semi-regular feature Worst Trucker in the World! I pass along misbehavior so egregious, brazen and or just plain dumb that it made headlines in the broader media—and those sorts of reports, while often completely mischaracterizing the trucking industry and the many, many truly professional drivers, do nonetheless make the rest of us look bad. In short, the Worst Trucker is a person who serves to educate and inspire by counter-example.

Of course, the Worst concept is borrowed from long-time commentator and smart-aleck Keith Olbermann, who famously gets himself in trouble wherever he goes, including stints at ESPN (twice), MSNBC, and Current TV. So any complaints should be addressed to him.

Anyway, this edition recognizes a truck driver who made the mistake of failing to yield to a pedestrian in Brooklyn—and that pedestrian happened to be the Mayor of New York City, the Hon. Bill de Blasio.

The story was so irresistible that the Old Gray Lady, The New York Times herself, picked it up and credited the initial reporting by tabloid rival the The New York Daily News.

The gist: The mayor, who is pushing a Vision Zero initiative to improve traffic safety in the city, was stepping into the crosswalk when the driver of a “beat-up box truck” zipped past. Running a red light. Going the wrong way. In an unlicensed, uninsured vehicle. Without a CDL. In all, the driver and company were cited for 13 violations after de Blasio ratted them out.

Contacted by The Daily News, the man said he wasn’t the driver, he just happened to be there unloading the truck when the security detail red-lighted him from the mayor’s black SUV. He also had a few choice woids for hizzoner, best paraphrased as he should “butt out.”

I don’t use names here for a couple of reasons: one, because the names really don’t matter to the lesson; and, two, because they happen to be names that could easily be misconstrued as sounding like they’d fit right in with certain groups in New York City known for conducting business in an extra-legal fashion—and I’d prefer not to have an associate of such an organization pay me a courtesy visit here in Barrow, Alaska, to discuss the matter further.

Got a candidate for WTITW!? Please forward a news account.

About the Author

Kevin Jones

Editor

Kevin has served as editor-in-chief of Trailer/Body Builders magazine since 2017—just the third editor in the magazine’s 60 years. He is also editorial director for Endeavor Business Media’s Commercial Vehicle group, which includes FleetOwner, Bulk Transporter, Refrigerated Transporter, American Trucker, and Fleet Maintenance magazines and websites.

Working from Beaufort, S.C., Kevin has covered trucking and manufacturing for nearly 20 years. His writing and commentary about the trucking industry and, previously, business and government, has been recognized with numerous state, regional, and national journalism awards.