Most people only notice trucks when we slow them down. On the road, I’m an obstacle. Off the road, I’m invisible. That’s fine. Truck driving gives you a lot of time to think, and thinking doesn’t need an audience.
My days begin before sunrise, when the highways are quiet and the sky feels wide open. Coffee in a thermos, logbook checked, mirrors adjusted. Once I merge onto the interstate, life simplifies. Stay in your lane. Watch your speed. Respect the weight you’re carrying. A loaded trailer teaches responsibility better than any lecture ever could.
I’ve driven through deserts that feel endless and towns that blink by in seconds. I’ve seen America wake up one rest stop at a time. Diners at 3 a.m. have a special honesty to them. Nobody’s pretending. You eat, you nod, you move on. There’s comfort in that rhythm.
Loneliness is part of the job, but it’s not always a bad thing. When you spend days alone, you get honest with yourself. You replay old conversations. You think about people you haven’t called enough. You learn that silence isn’t empty—it’s spacious. The road doesn’t rush you. It just keeps going.
There are hard days too. Traffic that won’t move. Weather that doesn’t care about your schedule. Cars cutting in like forty tons can stop on a dime. You learn patience, not because you want to, but because you have to. Anger doesn’t move freight any faster.
What keeps me going isn’t just the paycheck. It’s the quiet pride of knowing things arrive because I showed up. Grocery shelves don’t fill themselves. Construction doesn’t happen without steel. Somewhere, someone is waiting on what’s behind my cab.
At night, parked at a rest area, I watch the lights of other trucks click off one by one. We don’t talk much, but there’s a shared understanding. Different routes, same responsibility.
I don’t chase destinations anymore. I measure life in miles covered safely. And every time I roll past another mile marker, I remind myself: progress doesn’t always look fast. Sometimes it just looks steady—and that’s enough.
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