2,000 Miles of Quiet: Life as a Truck Driver in America

You’ve probably passed me on the interstate; maybe I was in the slow lane, or perhaps I was parked at a rest stop with the engine humming; it’s totally fine if you hadn’t noticed me; I’m used to being invisible.

I am a long-haul truck driver, and I’ve been crisscrossing America for the last 17 years; I’m writing this anonymously not because I have secrets but because I can speak for thousands of lives on the road, just out of sight, but not out of mind.

A lot of times, people think my job is just to drive, but it’s more than that. It’s a lifestyle, I sleep in a cab the size of a closet, I shower at random truck stops, I eat more gas station burritos than I want to admit, and my days are measured by miles, not hours. 700, 800 miles, then sleep, then repeat.

There’s peace to it. Out here, you’ve got time to think. I’ve watched the sunrise in Texas and set in Wyoming all on the same day. I’ve driven through blizzards in Colorado, tornado warnings in Kansas, and the kind of silence you only find at 3 a.m. in the Nevada desert.

But it’s not all freedom; it’s hard on the body and harder on the mind. I have missed so many birthdays, weddings, funerals, and many more. My back aches more than it used to be, and my kids have grown up with FaceTime calls during rest areas. The job pays the bills, but it takes a larger toll on our lives.

What gets to me is how little respect we get; people dont see the work put behind the wheels. They dont realize their groceries, amazon orders, or their furniture got them because someone like me put up with 11 hours behind the wheel, dodging traffic and sleep deprivation.

I’m not a hero. I don’t need a parade. But I wish people understood that this country runs on wheels. On diesel. On routes and rest stops and logbooks and lonely highways.

So the next time you see any truck on the road, dont cut it off. Dont get mad while we slow down a little uphill; just remember that we are out here keeping the shelves full, one mile at a time. We are here to help you have all the grocery lists that you’ve ordered.

And for some of us, this road is all we’ve ever known.