It's about integrity!

in·teg·ri·ty (ĭn-tĕg'rĭ-tē)

n.

1) Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.*

2) The state of being unimpaired; soundness.*

3) The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness.*

All of the above are good definitions of the word integrity as it applies to people who work on the road. The degree to which we have true integrity relates directly to the degree to which we require ourselves to steadfastly adhere to a strict moral or ethical code. Although it is more commonly used in describing physical objects such as bridges or other structures, definition number two applies significantly to people who work on the road. By unimpaired, we do not mean sober or straight, as in the use of alcohol or drugs, necessarily, but unimpaired in our vision and purpose of life.

For the purpose of this discussion, definition number three says it best, though. "The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness." If we are going to live lives of integrity on the road, we must be men who are undivided in purpose. We must be whole and complete, not men who are broken by frequent lapses in moral behavior such as sexual impropriety or by more subtle lapses such as dishonesty. Men who are whole are men who are focused on being the men of integrity that they were created to be. They are men who want to maintain their sexual purity within the marriage rather than marring it with outside, potentially dangerous activity with truck stop prostitutes, or other people outside the marriage.

Men who are whole...

...are men who delight in honesty in all their dealings. They take pride in being truthful in their paperwork. They are honest with their log books. They would not even consider stealing from their employer. For example, the thought would not cross their minds to sell chains and binders or tarps, etc. that belong to their employer to another driver. Do you have products left on your truck that the receiving customer would not accept? If so, do you sell them to people along the road and pocket the money? Or do you check with the shipper or employer first in an attempt to see that your shipping customer does not lose money unnecessarily? Perhaps you are a person who is in desperate need of money. For some reason, you can't get another Comchek for a day or two. "Nobody will ever miss it," you might think. The man of integrity would find another way - an honest way - to fill the need. Asking for help might bruise a person's pride, but there is nothing dishonorable about it.

Perhaps you are a salesman rather than a truck driver. Have you ever falsified receipts for travel expenses? Maybe there was that one time that you turned in a fake receipt to cover for a gambling habit. Do you find it easy, or difficult, to be dishonest with your clients? Would you rather tell a lie to close a sale than to be honest with the customer and possibly miss the sale? A close hard look at your answer might tell you whether you are a man of integrity or not.

College student, are you honest and forthright in your homework and in your finals? Is the grade you were given yours alone, or should it have been shared with some other unnamed person?

Some of the same questions and thoughts apply to people who travel with entertainers. The same issues of falsifying receipts or otherwise being dishonest apply. The same issues of sexual morality apply. Temptations come at you from every direction. But what do you do about them? Do you let them dictate your behavior, or do you dictate whether they will have any impact on your life? Your answer to that question tells the tale of whether you will be a man of integrity on the road.

Being "whole," or undivided in your focus toward integrity can be hard for any person who travels for a living. But it is essential if we are going to be the men that God created us to be. If we are going to be the employees, husbands, fathers, and friends that we should be, we must develop habits of integrity.

* Definition from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition through Answers.com.

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