Day 12 - A Way of Life

Day 12 - This is a picture I took while a passenger on our way to Tennessee over the weekend.  I  wanted a picture of a semi and decided on this one.  I grew up in a truck driving family.  My dad was always a truck driver, at least as long as I can remember.  He drove a lot of over the road runs where he would leave on Monday and not be back home until Thursday or Friday.  It was hard on him to be away from the family like that but it paid the bills.  I have some great memories of Dad picking us up in his truck that had a sleeper in it.  I would get to ride in  the sleeper from Effingham all the way to Indianapolis.  As a little girl I thought it was the coolest thing ever.  I have always loved and adored my dad and I think this gives me a respect for truck drivers that many I know don't share with me.

After Mom and Dad divorced Mom married my step-father who was also a truck driver.  He would leave on Monday get home on Tuesday, leave on Wednesday, etc.  He drove for Yellow Freight from before we met him until the day he retired. My brother became a truck driver after the factory that he worked in closed down.   So, yes, I believe that trucking is a way of life.

Many people I know are either afraid of truck drivers or just don't respect them.  When I see a truck I see a person who is working for their living and dealing with traffic, weather and other drivers not just on their way to work, but all the time.  When the roads are slick they can't call in because they can't make it to work.  They are the ones out there regardless of the conditions, because if they aren't driving they aren't earning.

Without the truck driving industry we wouldn't be able to buy things in the store or online.  The items in the store have to be delivered somehow and most times it is via a semi.

When you are on the road and you encounter an eighteen wheeler, imagine yourself in their position, give them space, when you pass do so quickly and most of all give them respect.

Thanks for all the truck drivers out there, I am glad you do what you do.