What’s an Ambassador? (The Amazing Middle Finger Story)

More than once, I have been asked “What’s that Ambassador thing on the side of your truck mean? I had the basic understanding regarding why it is on our trucks, but for research purposes, I looked up the definition of Ambassador.

Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines it this way:

Main Entry: am-bas-sa-dor Pronunciation: \am-ba-s-dr, m-, im-, -dor, -bas-dr\

Function: noun Etymology: Middle English ambassadour, from Anglo-French ambassateur, ultimately of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German ambaht service Date: 14th century

1 : an official envoy; especially : a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment

2 a : an authorized representative or messenger b : an unofficial representative

I like the explanation in number one most. From now on, if I am ever pulled over by law enforcement, I will mix parts of that together. When the friendly officer approaches my window, I’ll roll it down and begin yelling “DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? I’M AN AGENT OF THE HIGHEST RANK ON A DIPLOMATIC ASSIGNMENT! I HAVE NO TIME FOR YOUR LOWLY SHENANIGANS!” Yeah- I’ll let you know how that works out for me.

In all reality, the reason it’s on our trucks incorporates both definitions. We are in fact agents of our company; we are on a temporary assignment (one of hundreds that we do a year) and we are a messenger to our customers (knock, knock- your furniture has arrived good Sir!). We are also “ambassadors of goodwill” as it applies to the general motoring public. We drive with respect for others in a safe manner and act as a representative of our company by safely navigating a huge billboard everywhere we go.

But wait, there’s more! Not only will you see the word Ambassador on the side of our trucks, but if you look today, you’ll also see the drivers name! Why? Not only does it help me find my truck at the yard in a sea of black & gold Volvo’s or help me remember my name when I’m away from the yard, it’s purpose is much higher. It’s about accountability- we’re not afraid to put our name on our work. As a company, we are proud of our safety record and currently enjoy one of the best in the industry. Several times a year our company gets messages from the general public regarding how safe, courteous and professional a driver they have encountered has acted. Almost always they will refer to him by name.

On the other hand, the drivers name is clearly visible to the entire world if he (or she) does something wrong or unsafe. It comes in handy for a civilian to jot down the name and turn them into the company. After a note like that is received, it works it’s way through the proper channels, the driver is found, taken out back and promptly shot. Well, not always. Our leadership gives us the benefit of the doubt and allows us to explain our self.

This (believe it or not) has happened to me. In my opinion I did nothing unsafe but I admit I may have done something wrong. Read on.

In the Fall of 2008 I was heading East towards home after another fun adventure in West Virginia.. Approaching Cumberland, Maryland, I was in the far right hand lane (out of three) specifically labeled “all trucks.” The truck lane ends after a few miles and on that day I prepared to move back over as the end of the lane was approaching. Traffic was sparse to non-existent and I checked my mirrors as I normally do. There was a green minivan a good three truck lengths back (or more) so I moved her on over.

That should have been the end of the story- but unfortunately the show (or in this case the story) goes on. The green minivan was approaching my tail at a high rate of speed and instead of simply passing me by in the vacant left lane like a normal person might, the driver instead chose to inject drama into an otherwise tranquil scene. I watched in the mirror (with complete disbelief and horror) as he came right up behind me and slammed on the brakes.

Shortly afterwards, he finally passed me in the still vacant left lane, like a well behaved and courteous person might have in the first place. I looked down as the van passed, mostly out of curiosity, and there she was. The lady riding shotgun had her window down, and her hand out the window giving ME the finger. I cracked a half smile and shook my head in disbelief while wondering if she shot the bird at the wrong person? I saw the whole thing transpire and thought she might have used her ammunition much better by shooting the bird at the guy sitting to her. Right about now I would like to use the words “The End” but I cannot, as the story continues.....

Fast forward a couple or three weeks, and I’m passing through the office en route to grab some paperwork. Our Driver Care Manager spots me and calls my name which in turn causes me to panic and look for an exit. He’s a great guy and all, but since we never really need to have any kind of serious chats, the way he said my name left me feeling like I was in trouble. I have an aversion to authority figures, perhaps left over from my school days when the Principal used to call my name- it was rarely, if ever, to step onto the podium to accept some kind of noble award.

I couldn’t find an exit so instead of making a run for it, I was forced to respectably reply “Yes Sir?”

“Hey, we have a lady that wrote in several times and called a few times about an incident that took place.” he handed me a copy of a letter and continued “Safety wants you to write a few things about what happened.” As soon as he finished I knew instantly it was the lady from the above mentioned encounter. How did I know it was her? Because most all my trips are fairly routine drama free days. I don’t remember a lot of people except the pretty ones, the naked ones and of course, the ones who give me the finger.

Here’s what she wrote. I have changed the name (and dates) to protect the not so innocent, but the letter is otherwise free from any editing:

Dear Ashley Furniture,

My name is (Miss X), I recently sent you several emails in regards of one of your drivers. The Date would have been (2008) around 8:30 Pm. His name is Jason Harry, my husband and I were on I68 we was near Hay Stack Mountain. My husband was passing him and he decided to cut us off and run in front of us. He was driving recklessly and he thought it was funny. We were that close to where we seen him laughing at what he done. I myself did not think it was funny, I am a diabetic and it shot my sugar up to where I needed to give myself a coverage. I honestly do no think you want your company to be represented in this manner, by nearly running someone close to media to where they almost run into it. Like I said it was not a fun experience and I hope that you will talk to him about your “safe driver rules”. Thank you for your time.

Signed Miss X
(Entire home address included.)

Wait, What? I looked at this letter in disbelief. I thought if the entire incident, from it’s very beginning to the moment I read that note, was filmed for my reality television show, the audience would think it was scripted. Then again, maybe not, after all who could make this stuff up? Here we have a lady that gave ME the finger then turned me in for stunts I never even pulled!

Some people might write a brief statement to their company, quite possibly filled with the word “idiot.” I didn’t do that because I don’t know Miss X at all and therefore don’t know enough about her to classify her as such. I had no idea she had Diabetes, and perhaps she is even the sweetest Grandmother in the world. Miss X is a stranger to me, and obviously I am a stranger to her. She has no idea about the kind of person (and driver) I really am. Did she consider that her “multiple emails” could have gotten me fired at a less compassionate company thereby putting my five beautiful kids in immediate financial distress? Does she know I have a strange habit of singing love songs while going down the road? Has she read anything I have ever written? She doesn’t know me at all, so I decided to change that. Since her name and address were included in her letter, I decided this was a great chance to open up a dialogue and chose to write her back directly.

By the way, Do I think we live in an idiot free world? Absolutely not, and I’ll tell you quickly how to spot them: next time you’re on the road when it is raining, snowing or otherwise miserable, including at dusk, look for the people driving around with no headlights turned on. In their feeble minds they think, “I have no need for lights as I can see just fine” while the rest of us just barley see THEM! It’s almost like they are going down the road, raising their hand and saying “look at me, I’m an idiot!”

Darn, you got me off topic now, lets get back to my side of the story. Here is what I wrote to her:

Greetings (Miss X),

I was happy to receive the correspondence you sent my Company recently. You followed the protocol I tell my friends and family all the time: if you ever see a big truck doing something unsafe or doing something that otherwise makes you uncomfortable, get the truck number and contact the company. That being said, your letter left out some facts and also contained a few inaccuracies regarding what happened that day. I’m hoping by writing you directly you might have a better understanding of what transpired.

To begin, we were passing through Cumberland, Maryland where the speed limit is 40 MPH. I was in the far right lane, where there are signs posted saying no trucks in left TWO lanes. As I approached the end of the truck lane, I used my standard procedure of a seven second lane change: signal on for 4 seconds and 3 to move from one lane to the next, all the while checking my mirrors for traffic. I observed you and your husband in a green minivan approximately three full trucks lengths back from my position. There was plenty of space to safely move into that lane since my current lane was ending.

From your husbands view, I had no less then 6 turn signals for him to see clearly, in other words my intentions were clearly spoken. For whatever reason, he choose to exceed the speed limit considerably, and instead of moving into the lane on the other side of me (not the median as you stated) he instead closed in at a high rate of speed and dramatically slammed on the brakes dangerously close to the rear of my trailer. I was in disbelief as to his driving manners and obvious disregard for others on the road. I should also mention that while checking my mirrors, I was not laughing as I saw nothing funny.

Shortly after this incident unfolded, your husband finally passed me in the left lane and I noticed you looking up at me, your arm out the window and your middle finger extended high in the air. I was incredulous at this act- and here is where I must apologize, I was in such shock at what transpired at this point I just kind of shook my head and smiled. What were my alternatives? I could have fired back a finger, but to me that gesture is a hurtful and mean-spirited way to communicate without words and as such I refrain from it. What I should have done was to remain professional and pretended not see you and just kept looking ahead. So I hereby apologize to you for smiling because sometimes I am forced through others actions on the road to “grin and bear it.” Would ignoring you have prevented your views of the incident? Was my reaction not what you were expecting therefore creating your multiple emails to my company?

I sympathize with your medical condition, but in my view, instead of simply blaming a truck driver who was simply moving safely from one lane to another isn’t the driver deserving of the blame. In my opinion, it was your Husbands actions on the road that day that created the illusion for you of being cut off.

There are two types of drivers on the road today:

Group one: These drivers are safe and courteous to those around them. They pay attention to their surroundings, use proper following distance and turn signals. They put themselves aside and keep in mind it is a shared roadway system and that we are all trying to go somewhere. They will stop and let you out of a parking lot when you’re trying to pull out and let you move over when a lane is ending. You will find these drivers a pleasure to share the road with.

Group two: These drivers think about nothing but themselves and where they are going. They will do whatever they can to get there quickly without regard to speed limits, others needs for space, and will often disregard using turn signals or other safe driving practices. They can not put themselves aside to safely share the road with others. Not the most enjoyable people to share the road with but luckily there are not an overwhelming amount of them on the road.

I stand in group one. Where do you stand? Where does your Husband stand?

I take my safety record very seriously and am quite proud of it over the three years I have been driving. My company has also recognized my safety record by way of safety awards and through a safety bonus I have received every year I have been eligible. I’m very proud to be a part of an organization that has one of the best fleet safety records in the industry. I have also received many more warm smiles and friendly waves from passing motorists then I have ‘one fingered salutes.’

Again, I apologize for the misunderstanding between us that day. I hope this communication will help you to see the events from a different perspective and I truly hope next time we have the occasion to see each other on the road we can share a warm smile or a friendly wave.

Sincerely, Jason S Harry

I thought I did pretty good job of explaining myself. As much as I wanted to mail it to her directly, I took the common sense route and handed it into my safety office to do with as they pleased and they were satisfied with my take on the whole thing. For me, it was easier to write her directly and explain myself then to just “write a few things down” and hand it in. If it happens again, I may use that technique again. If I have no recollection of what someone said about me, I may simply write “Dear Sir (or Madam), I have no idea what you are talking about, please refresh my memory. Thank-You.”

I am quite confident it won’t happen again as I do consider myself a safe and considerate driver. Just once though, I wish a motorist would notice that and write it to the company stating that. Hopefully it would go something like this:

Dear Ashley Furniture,

We were recently stuck in a diner parking lot for over five hours trying to exit onto the road in rush hour traffic. At one point we were considering spending the night when along came one of your drivers (with Movie Star good looks by the way) in a sharp looking clean truck with shiny, sparkly wheels. He was nice enough to stop and wave us out! We would have taken him up on the offer, but at that moment we decided it was time for dinner and went back and parked so we could go inside and eat again. That was five months ago and we’re still here, so please send Jason Harry along this road again soon!

Signed (Mister and Mrs X)

All of us see some crazy actions from others from time to time when we are out on the road. Some are just bad drivers while others occasionally screw up and inadvertently end up looking like a jerk. We’re all guilty of having bad days and making occasional bad decisions but I’m an advocate of not just safer roads, but for friendlier roads as well. Sometimes I wonder, what if a trip to the supermarket was like what we see on the roads today? Can you imagine people cutting each other off in the check out line, screaming taking place of horns, and even the dreaded middle finger? That doesn’t happen because people are face to face and not sitting in sound proof vehicles. Car drivers (even some truck drivers) enjoy a certain level of anonymity on the road. They can act like a jerk and in most cases get away with it. Not me. I’m an Ambassador, my name is on the side of my truck and I’m proud of it!