Bringing The Good Stuff

The CB crackles, "How about that driver in the white Freightliner? You got a copy?"

"Thanks for the info, driver, 'preciate it," you hear another trucker respond.

Or in the repair shop, you might catch someone saying, "Hey there driver. You the one with the yellow Pete being worked on?"

These are just some of the ways you'll hear a truck driver addressed. Solely by the moniker of Driver. Oh, you'll hear a few more choice names if you have the CB cranked up, but for the most part, you are a driver out here on the road. One of many. You never hear a real name and don't often hear any clever "handles" like the ones on TV shows like BJ and The Bear years ago.

When I got my CDL a few months ago, I joined the ranks of over three million truck drivers in this country and I was so excited! At that point, I just had the license, but now I have actually driven the truck. Today was my first day of driving on the road with Ed!! As a driver.

Brave man he was, sitting in the passenger seat while I took the position behind the wheel. Of course, since he owns this truck, I don't reckon he'll be instructing me to do anything that is going to cause it any harm and I am starting with the basics; you know, all that shifting and lane changing and squeezing through underpasses and all.

I am looking forward to learning from Ed and the other driver friends I've made out here on the road. Ed has over ten years of experience and an exemplary safety record and if I learned nothing else in the past two years I've been in this truck, it is how important being safe is. Ed takes it very seriously, as will I, now that I have a great responsibility to myself and others on the road.

I also look forward to being a part of an industry that keeps the country rolling. Something I didn't give much thought to before I got out here was where I got all my stuff. Now I know. So next time you're out shopping or looking around at all the stuff you have, I hope that after reading this, you'll remember that Trucks Bring It.

And I'm one of those "drivers" bringing it to you!