Starting in March, Land Line offered a weekly poll on its Web site to get truckers’ opinions on issues of importance in the industry and in society overall. Here’s some of what we found:

Dixie Splits
As with any big public issue, Hollywood and entertainers in general added their opinions to the public debate over the war in Iraq. One of the most controversial was Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines. The group’s music was soon banned on many radio stations in the wake of hundreds of angry phone calls. In a national poll by USA Today, 68 percent said they thought Maines’ comments were inappropriate; 16 percent called them misguided; roughly 16 percent said they were justified.

In an informal Land Line poll, we asked truckers what they thought. The question:

Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks recently told an audience in London the band was “ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.” Should radio stations ban music by the Dixie Chicks?

50% Yes
50% No

Fueling the debate
Truckers across the United States have suffered immense increases in the price of diesel fuel, leading many to simply park their rigs. Some feared the war would increase the price, but others predicted otherwise — and they were right. As the war got under way, diesel prices dropped — not enough to help some struggling truckers, but they did drop. The question:

What effect do you think the war in Iraq will have on diesel fuel prices?

47.4% Increase
42.1% Decrease
10.5% No effect

Doing their part for security
Truck hijacking is becoming more prevalent, and with post-9/11 security concerns, stopping it has taken on a much more serious tone. But are we really doing anything to stop it? According to Land Line readers, the answer is yes. The question:

Are you taking steps to prevent your truck from being hijacked?

58.8% Yes
41.2% No