Life, On Different Terms
"Not all who wander are lost".
-J.R.R Tolkien
As a forewarning to ancient mariners so foolhardy as to dare venture to the outer regions of the known world, primitive nautical charts were inscribed with the grim admonition; 'beyond here, there be dragons...' Any Captain and crew that unwisely chose not to heed the warning could well expect to encounter creatures beyond their wildest imaginings. Venture further still, and they were sure to come to grief by falling off the face of the earth, mercilessly flung into the abyss. And while this might have presented a challenge to the travel writers of the time, there was no question that people then truly believed such reckless and itinerant seafarers got what was coming to them.
It seems as though folks' flat-earth notions haven't changed all that much. Ironically, even while the unsavory reputations of those early merchant sailors as being nothing more than drunken nomads at sea have long since improved, those of the long-haul trucker have just as similarly diminished. Indeed, few professions have so spectacularly fallen from grace.
Wildly romanticized and yet clearly marginalized, the imagery of the American trucker has been bandied about and distorted far beyond the industry's or anyone else's ability to defend it. Both Hollywood and the media's incessant preoccupation in pigeonholing the trucker's lifestyle are ill-conceived at best, denigrating at worst. Whether in the over-sensationalizing of a highway accident or in the cinematic portrayal of a homicidal truck driver in movies like Steven Spielberg's cult-classic, Duel, such depictions have altered the industry's relationship with the general public to the degree that the mere mention of the word "trucker" elicits something resembling a gag reflex.
There are those who place the blame for the deconstruction of the profession's reputation on the media, pointing to it's style of blood-sport journalism. Some claim the real villains are the mega-trucking companies whose irresponsible, meat-in-the-seat recruiting policies stop just short of a criminal disregard for public safety. Still others insist that drivers have sullied themselves, undone by their own impetuous, big-rig egos.
It would be disingenuous for truck drivers not to admit that a small percentage of their cadre aren't more than a little at fault for the loss of public confidence. In earlier days their occupation enjoyed unflinching respect. Truck drivers were widely known and admired as, "Knights of the Road". They possessed reputations as helpful, caring individuals, watching out for the welfare of the motoring public. But as time went on a disconnect occurred. The urban myth of the long-haul trucker as the American anti-hero grew in direct proportion to the industry's inability to police itself. And worse, at some point, truck drivers themselves began buying into the myth.
What most people understand about this business is what they perceive: Big. Scary. And loud. Let's face it; it is hard not to be intimidated by what amounts to a six story building laid on it's side rolling down the highway. Its the fear factor at work. Folks tend to equate the experience of a semi-truck looming in their rear-view mirror to that of an imagined Tyrannosaurus Rex bearing down on them. I've certainly experienced the feeling in my own 4 wheeler, and that's coming from someone who has spent almost 40 years in the industry.
There's certainly no shortage of emotional sovereignty when it comes to the subject of truckers. I've come to realize there are at least as many opinions about truck drivers as there are people. And so it goes. But almost everyone agrees that the culture of trucking is a curious, if not enigmatic world. It's also, at times, a really neat way to make a living.
As occupations go long-haul trucking is, at the very least, secure in its significance to the American experience. Regulatory nightmares notwithstanding, its a profession that allows a person a remarkable amount of autonomy. It's an exhilarating, mostly solo venture, sometimes challenging in ways that call for adaptability to extraordinary situations - very often in extreme environments. The decisions one must make on a daily basis, each course of action chosen in a given situation can quite literally mean the difference between life and death. Talk about excitement! If your'e tired of living in the measured beats of a practiced life, beholding to the idea that self-worth is equal to material gain, aching (and being paid) to explore the United States, then this profession might just save your sanity.
But its also a lifestyle that requires personal sacrifices not everyone is prepared to make. For the unaccustomed, its about being worlds away from worlds known; about the sometimes prolonged, heart wrenching periods of separation from loved ones. Its the lack of companionship and the hollow feelings that emerge from moments of profound loneliness; the sometimes overwhelming sense that wherever you go, your'e the stranger. And oh yeah, there's that public perception thing.
Yet, for all it's sacrifices the collateral benefits are rewarding. I have been to all 48 states and 5 provinces in Canada. I've stood on a beach in Florida watching the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean, and witnessed my share of sunsets over the Pacific Ocean. Yellowstone? Been there. Grand Canyon? Yep. I accidentally bumped into Aaron Neville in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. I've shaken hands with Buzz Aldren in Denver and was waved at by John Madden smoking a stogie as he rode by me in the back of his custom bus on his way to somewhere. Once, while standing in line behind Mike Ditka in a convenience store I had the opportunity to politely raz him about firing Buddy Ryan who went on to coach the Philadelphia Eagles. Those memories and many more were a direct result of the opportunities afforded me from a life on the road.
There will always be those people who cannot fathom leaving the predictable behind and would question the sanity of those of us who have. But by and large, a life lived over the road is as much a state of mind as any other endeavor in life. I can think of several professions that don't have any appeal to me whatsoever and are better left to those who excel at them.