Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Meet My Trucker

 This is my trucker.  My hero.  He is one of the 3.5 million truckers in the United States who braves the cold, frigid winters and the sweltering, hot summers to bring you practically everything you will buy for your family. He is a gentle man, who loves God, his wife and kids, and his job.  He stays relatively calm when you cut him off at a stop light, or move back into his lane too soon, causing him to hit the brakes, slowing down 75,000 pounds in an instant,  to keep from hitting you.  He waits patiently at fuel stops to get gas, sometimes three and four deep, as his clock ticks steadily toward the delivery deadline. He can sit for hours, waiting to be loaded or unloaded, even if he did get there on time.  At the end of "his" day, he has to find a parking spot to spend at least 10 hours out of the driver's seat. Seems like something easy to do, right?  Just pull into a motel.... Wait, no he can't do that because he can't  park a tractor and 53 ft trailer just anywhere. This means he has to find a truck stop down the road, hoping there will be parking spots when he arrives.  Upon arrival, he is met with several other truckers (depending on the time of day) who are, also looking for a parking spot. This can be quite the task, especially  if there is only a few spots open. It becomes a big game of musical chairs, only with trucks.  Tempers can flare, gestures can fly, all depending on the time of day and the current weather conditions.  Did I mention parking one of those rigs??   Once parked, it is time he finds something to eat, and get some sleep, only to get up and do it all over again. Being on the truck with him, I can honestly say that truck stop food is terrible. The comforts of home are lacking in those giant boxes on wheels. These things they do for us, without a second thought, to bring the goods to the people. Folks, if we didn't have these guys/gals, we would not have even toilet paper so readily available.  The next time you see a trucker in a truck stop, thank him.  They need to know how much we appreciate everything they do for us. Oh, I almost forgot, remember to give them the space they need to maneuver that giant machine safely down the highway.

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