Questions to Truckers... For a fiction story!

Look up "Questions on trucking from an author"

It's a thread from a couple years ago, might find something you can use.....

 

Hmmmmm.....trucking hits differently for me than it does many others. I'd like to think I offer a different flavor to the industry. I feel like each day is an opportunity to get even better at the craft. I'm in my 6th year with the same company, just began my 16th year in the industry, and I've learned a lot but i feel like there's more to learn.

I never think about getting stranded somewhere crazy anymore. I've been to a lot of places and encountered a lot of issues so problem solving gets developed with experience. The freshness definitely still exists, especially if I get a run to a spot that I haven't been to in a long time. The reality is, you could run a particular route 100 times, and each time will be different. You will discover something or somewhere new about that lane. Could be a restaurant, truck stop, crack in the road, or even some new hideout to sleep at. You will encounter a different challenge. Those challenges are what makes you a good, productive driver. You never stop learning these highways and by ways.

The culture of trucking is a bit difficult to explain. I don't really know that there is a good culture, or one at all. Me personally, I don't really interact with other truckers much. It isn't often that I come across truckers that I connect with on a high level. I'd say the culture of trucking is largely made up of grumpy guys with big egos. Imagine that combination. Many are fraudulent tough guys. They may have trouble with change. Many of them want this adulation and admiration just because they drive a truck. I said it in another thread..we are truck drivers doing a job, not heroes trying to save the day. It isn't going to get the notoriety many crave and they gotta learn to be good with that. Now the big ego part is that many truckers have stories for days and will tell them whether people want to hear them or not. The drivers are not really all that receptive to different or new. Everyone is out for themselves, even within a company. It isn't much of a brotherhood for real, perhaps the evolution of cell phones contributed to that. There's a bit of impatience involved, and I think too many people are out here that never really learned how to do the job. Now this is what I see. I think each driver has to create his/her own culture. Doesn't make me right or wrong, just me thinking out loud.

I've enjoyed my time out here up to this point. I've learned a lot and I still have a lot to give to the industry and a lot to learn still. I've experienced a lot of growth as a man. I've learned to deal with those that see the world differently than me. My problem solving and resilience got sharpened. My skin got even thicker. Thick skin and mental toughness are musts if you're going to survive and thrive in this industry. When I go around the country and talk to people outside the industry, it makes me see things differently. I'm more aware of different cultures than what I'm used to. I don't know that I would have been this aware if I haven't got into trucking. All that being said, if this job and lifestyle is used properly, there is great opportunity for personal growth.