The Cognitive Biography: A Close-Reading and Argument Essay

Student Name Instructor Course Date The Literacy of a Truck Driver The transport sector is very critical, allowing the movement of goods and people from one place to another. In particular, trucks are used in cities to facilitate the movement of goods. While other means of transporting goods like trains exist, trucks remain a critical aspect of transport, especially in getting products to their destination. Behind trucks, their drives are very critical., since they are responsible for operating them and transporting goods from one point to another. It is because of truck drivers that people can receive goods without worrying about the complicated supply chain. Despite the essential role that truck drivers play, it is easy to dismiss them as illiterate since their profession is assumed to require less intelligence. Truck drives may be dismissed as unschooled due to their lack of bookish literacy. However, while a majority of truck drivers may lack bookish knowledge, this essay demonstrates that they are literate since their day-to-day work involves literacy reading, writing, and learning. While truck drivers do not need to engage in extensive reading of books, operating a bus utilizes reading skills. "Literacy, at its most fundamental level, is the act of reading" (Waite 2). Roads have signs that drivers are expected to read, understand and follow. Road signs are critical in maintaining safety on the road and giving directions where necessary. As truck drivers move along the roads, they read signs and interpret them, enabling them to drive safely. For instance, it is common for road signs to indicate the speed required. Speed limits are indicated depending on the danger involved. While in some places truck drivers can drive at 80KMPH, in other places they will be required to slow down to 20KMPH. Accidents on the road have been attributed to ignoring road signs, especially among high school and university students. This is worrying since “young drivers studying at the universities are expected to have a better understanding of traffic signs” (Ghadban et al., 2213). The ability of truck drivers to read road signs enables them to get critical messages, which ensures the safety of their trucks and that of the other road users. Reading skills are needed since the transported goods have instructions. It is common for goods to have labels on the packaging with serial numbers, codes and stock numbers. Truck drivers are expected the understand the instructions on the packaging to handle the products according to the laid down procedures. The ability to understand instructions concerning the goods under transit is instrumental in ensuring the safe delivery of products to the rightful owners. Transporting goods from one point to another requires destination information. A truck driver cannot deliver goods without having all the necessary information on the destination. In most cases, truck drivers are required to deliver products in areas they have never gone. This means they must rely on navigation information to access the destination. The destination information is usually written down, either in full or abbreviation. This requires the driver to understand the destination information to help in p...