Who Are America's Professional Drivers?

Here's an article that was in this month's issue of the "The Long Haul." A magazine put out by the Flying J truckstop company. I really liked it, hope you enjoy it too!

The writer is V.C. Parker.

Who are America's professional drivers?

America's professional truck drivers are very independent men... and women.

They speak English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Kurdish, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Indian, Polish and Czechoslovak.

They come in all shapes and sizes. Short and tall, husky and thin, bald and bushy, groomed and scruffy.

Some are young... Some are not.

They are single... They are married. Some have children... Some have grandchildren... Some don't.

They are transportation with a steadfast temperament... distribution with a diligent determination. Their time on the road is a barometer to the nation's economy.

They make their living steering 40 tons of steel and freight with their hands... Diesel fuel flows through their veins... Blacktop shines in their eyes.

They're America's Professional drivers.

They haul diapers for little babies, gowns for pretty ladies, food for growing families and medicine for those who are sick. They haul cars for personal commuting, books for leisure reading and treats for man's best friend.

Big boots and sneakers... Denim pants and T-shirts... Ball caps and do rags... They are philosophers with freight, businessmen with bills-of-lading and good Samarians with tire gauges.

They like the American flag, green lights, smooth ashphalt, regular routes, friendly food servers, a liveable wage and holidays at home.

They'd like a little more respect... because when they drive today, America enjoys tomorrow.

They're tough enough to spend endless days away from family and friends and tender enough to share cherished time with a classroom of children.

Shy, cocky, fun and serious... they hate log books, congested highways, ports of entry, small-town JP's, road construction, steep mountain roads, moving cargo and bad coffee.

They can tell you where to get the best meals on the road and the best route to their final destination.

They're big business on wheels... They're America's professional drivers.

Without them there would be no fuel for our vehicles... No metal for our machinery... No material for our roads and buildings... No merchandise to move our economy.

Born 150 years ago, they'd have been mule skinners, stagecoach drivers, frontier scouts, cow hands driving herds from Texas to Missouri... riders of the Pony Express.

They eat their meals in roadside diners, sleep in the cabs of their trucks, take private showers in public facilities and watch TV in truck stop lounges.

They're authorities on politics, foreign oil, the opposite sex... and the best way to run a trucking business.

They live by a rare code-of-conduct... will pass no man who needs a helping hand... are eager to support national security... are the first to share the road with all fellow motorists.

They like changes in scenery, fresh mountain air, open roads and someone to talk to.

They have problems and they're not hesitant to vent their complaints about anything from the state of the world to how their eggs were cooked this morning.

Every trip is goin to be their last. They're going to get off the road and live like a 'normal' human being, but they can't... because the highway sings a hauting melody that's addicting to their soul.

When the engines start roaring and the wheels start whining.. when the lines on the highway fly faster and farther... when the horizion beckons with the promise of a new tomorrow... they are the happiest people in the world.

They're America's Professional Drivers!!!