Joe the Trucker

Unlike the RNP it's pretty difficult to classify an entire profession into one stereotyped fictional character. With regard to ethnic diversity, social economic standing and demographics it is almost impossible. To even attempt to conventionalize a truck driver would be an erroneous assumption. From our travels we had the opportunity to meet a myriad of drivers from all walks of life. The other night a driver named Tito invited us in his cab to drive to the nearest shopping plaza to grocery shop, knowing that if any other driver from his company saw us get out of his truck he would be fired on the spot while the snitch collects a two hundred dollar reward. A devout Christian, he believed in helping people and if that cost his job, then it was never meant to be his in the first place. Tito from North Carolina has three daughters, 15, 12, and 3.

We met Scott and Greg while our truck was in the shop, team drivers who drive for the same company as we do. Greg, a former writer for Discovery, began trucking soon after the writer's strike. A man who has lived in major cities all over this country now owns a farm in Virginia. Scott, who owns his own vintage car shop at his hometown in North Carolina has been laid off too many times over the past several years and started driving with hopes of it becoming a lucrative way of earning money. Scott has been married for fourteen years, has two daughters and three chihuahuas. He recently gave his oldest daughter a '64 Galaxy.... lucky! He met Greg while they were both in trucking school, and the odd couple hit it off from there and decided to drive team. On the road together for eleven months, they have hit all 48 states their first eight weeks out!

Glen, 47 from Texas, has trucking in his blood. His father drove, all his uncles from both sides drove, pretty much his entire family drives! He has been driving a flatbed for the same company for seventeen years and just bought himself a brand new classic Pete. Glen hauls oversize loads and heavy equipment, making between 8-11k a week without ever leaving his home state and manages to be home with his family every night. Definitely one of the better paid truckers out there. Glen is married to a nurse and has three children.

Husband and wife team Eric and Michelle are from Buffalo and have been driving team together for thirteen years. They ride with their French Bulldog Ava and have shared many humorous tales about their life on the road like how Eric enjoys ruffling truckers' feathers on the cb and how Michelle once had to use bear spray and a cattle prod on someone trying to break into their truck. They've been around the block well before we had gps, satellite communication with your dispatcher, cell phones, etc. They vividly remember having to call every load in on a payphone.

There are drivers from all over this country each with their own unique story of how they started. And not all trucks haul the same things. You have car carriers, dry vans, otr drivers, day cabs, yard jockeys, company drivers, owner ops, livestock haulers, reefers, flatbeds, tankers, doubles, triples, pile haulers, log haulers, containers, wagons and more! Our journey is a random one as we all move from place to place employed to transport america, and so are the drivers you meet along the way.