dates seem redundant

Wednesday, November 2^nd, 2011

Often times I will get questions. People look at me and “truck driver” is not usually the first thing that comes to mind. In light of such singular circumstance, I have the opportunity to speak to a number of intelligent, educated people who really have no clue about the means by which that box of ( let's just say I chose this randomly) granola bars gets to the shelf at Biff's Shopping Plaza. One question I get a lot is about what it is like to be a truck driver. To be honest, I would say that it is a deeply personal experience, dependent upon the driver and the circumstance of the day and load. The best I can do is to relate what goes on in my mind on a daily basis, hence, I am writing this. 

Today started at 0315 local time, which is one hour ahead of my home time. Depending on who you drive for, timezone change can be a frequent occurrence. Nobody in their right mind starts work that early, and they hammer it into you at orientation that humans have these circadian rhythms that make you want to fall asleep about that time. Driving in the wee hours is great, because there is no traffic to speak of, and the road is yours. Starting so early makes for an early day, which can be a wonderful thing. 

Fast forwarding to the present moment, I've driven for about 9 ½ hours today, worked for 2 or so, and had a nap while being loaded earlier. This is what makes the job interesting. Driving for so long takes a lot of concentration, and your mind is more or less working the whole time. Granted, there are certain parts of the trip that the subconscious takes over the job and your conscious mind can wander; these times are sadly limited to open stretches of limited access highway. For those who don't know, limited access highway is a fancy way of saying “interstate” to use the American vernacular. Your brain gets to space out for a while on those parts. Especially through Nebraska. Nothing to look at for the most part, and the mind is free to rest and wander of its own accord.

Then there are the two lane highways, like state routes and national routes. Driving these roads tend to require a bit more involvement, since swerving into another lane, even for a moment, can cause a head on collision. Then you have people off the side of the road, people turning into traffic, people cutting across traffic and so forth. Lots of stuff happens. (Today some pick-up a ways in front of me hit something... by the time I got there it looked like he drove into a big bag of poop and guts). This kind of stuff requires attention and taxes mental facilities. (The IRS wants to get on that I'm sure). So I drove one of these routes for a few hours at the end of an early day. 
 

Have you ever come off an extended road trip, then gotten out of the car? Did it take your body a while to realize that it isn't going as fast as it was for the last few hours? Welcome to the world of trucking. For the next period of time, the entire world becomes surreal. Being in Canada certainly does not help me; it seems like some parallel universe where things are mostly the same but just different enough. Today I spent a good 45 minutes walking around in kind of daze, neither here nor there. I felt so disconnected from everything. All material things were present, but somehow less substantial, as if they were made up to populate an empty space. It was as if I were seeing things for maybe the second time. I had an idea, but not a clue. 
 

Eating food tends to ground me somewhat. At least to the point where I can attempt to put some words together for this project. I've still got to do my log book, and take care of some paper work. Hah! That's right. When I was day dreaming earlier, it occurred to me that truck driving is like an office job that you need to get dirty in. You sit on your butt all day staring at a screen and watching numbers go by, checking parameters and constantly getting feedback. Then you need to get out of the truck and put chains on your tires because, shit, it's snowing and the road is gone. Best of both worlds I suppose. So much for being coherent. Back to work.