writing a story about a trucker in 1974

I was hoping to message with someone about the following particular situation in my story because it's a little complicated to unspool out on a message board, but just in case this catches anyone's eye and starts a conversation, here goes.

(And if you think to yourself, wow, this person does not know anything about trucking, you would be correct. I need your help.)

My character Ross is a company driver. I'm trying to get him back and forth across the States. I don't know what kind of company and what kind of loads that would be. I don't know if he gets a whole different kind of truck once he drops off a load.

I looked up exports of different states in the 70s to try to hypothesize what someone could carry from a point A to a point B. North Carolina exported blue jeans. Las Vegas had some blue jean distribution centers. So I sent my guy from NC to LV. Then I was trying to figure out what he could take out of Nevada. Nevada exports open mine mineral concentrates..... but... that's a different kind of truck, I think. And most mineral concentrates go in shipping containers onto private trains. Though did find some refineries in Texas that would have needed minerals shipped in.

So that is my big stumbling block right now... I need to get my character around the country in the right vehicle carrying the right load.

I have a hundred other questions as well. The next one would be, how does dispatch work. And then some more after that.

Thank you for any time reading this.

 

Bella do you have 10 pounders?

 

Good advice, thank you.

 

Who is this excellent beast?