Life on the Road – Trucking News Blog

Drivers, have you ever seen the movie Le Cage Aux Faux? Do you know the song: “I am an allusion?” I am who I am. And who I am is a trucker. I roll down the road picking up stuff and delivering it. And so forth and so on. Robin Williams and Nathan Lane starred in the movie. As a Life On The Road “contributor”, my job is to write about all aspects of what it’s like to drive a truck and be on and off the road. If you’ve followed me for a while here or on my own blog, you know I try not to hold back. You might say I roll along the fine edge of “appropriateness.”

So, tonight I’m at the Flying J – Oak Creek WI – just south of Milwaukee. I got there early but it was already pretty full. I wanted to face the interstate and grass, not the garbage bin or the fuel pumps, so I parked on the back row. Next to me was a “melting” reefer – water running out of the back of the trailer. Up front was an old very well preserved l o n g nose Pete. It was a chrome lovers lighted fantasy, even in the bright sun of the afternoon. Everything inside the cab reflected something. The driver, sitting in the front seat, was reading the newspaper. I glanced over at him and he smiled at me.

Ok, apparently a friendly driver. I didn’t give a second thought. I went about my business. My usual post trip nonsense. I had e-mailed my dispatcher that I’m MT, but don’t want think about anything until the next morning. I told her I was hiding. That was fine with her. Put the phone down – look up. That driver next to me is smiling at me again. Hum. Drugs? Alcohol? A winning lottery ticket? Whatever. I’m hungry and go inside to eat dinner. Steak and spinach quiche. Afterwards, I walk around the store looking at the same junk I look at day after day after dinner.

I walk back to the truck. Enough exercise for me. Air on. Laptop on. Work. And there it was again. Another look and smile. Don’t want to move, the parking lot is full. Yesterday, a driver parked to my right put up the front page of USA Today on his window because the sun was so strong. Not a bad idea. I go back to reading newspapers on line. I glance to my left. Mr. “Smiley” is standing right next to my door. – live and in person. He in his sixties, long grey hair. “Hey”, he said, I just got a large pie, wanna join me in my rig for dinner?”

He smiled. I honestly had to think a second. What did he just say? I managed a “no, no, thanks, but I already ate.” He says: “ok, if you change your mind come on over.” I think, come on over. He’s parked right next to me. I rolled my window back up. I went back to my internet reading. I stopped a second. “Wait, a minute”, I said to myself. “Was that what I thought it was? Holy smokes. All these years out here and that’s never happened. Whew!

I meet all kinds a folks out here. I judge people on a one on one basis. I really don’t care what or who you are. If you can do the job and do it well, then you pretty much have my respect. But sorry, thanks for the invite, but I just don’t roll that way.

Photo credits: http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID4208/slideshows/Broccoli%20Quiche1.jpg, http://fastfood.freedomblogging.com/files/2008/03/pizza-pie.jpg, kenoath.wordpress.com/page/16/, http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/060801/142249__birdcage_l.jpg