Hobby Trucker

So, I didn't invent the term, but after coming across it I found the idea so intriguing I thought perhaps it deserved to be expounded upon. Perhaps it's most basic summation: Hobby Trucker - One who drives a truck, not out of necessity or for income, but for the pure enjoyment of the tasks involved. When I first read it, it was being used as a slur against someone who was financially stable enough to quit his job, buy a brand new truck and trailer, and start his own one-man trucking company. He was basically tired of the office environment and decided to fulfill a dream of his, sort of living out the childhood fascination with big trucks, equipment, etc. that some of us guys have. It was intended as a slur because the guy, by other's standards, didn't focus on the business-side of being an owner-operator as much as they thought he should. And he probably, by his own admissions, didn't have much concern for his profit margins, but that was obviously not important for someone in his situation. I only wish I had the capital to do what he did, but I can certainly relate to his motivations. And like him, I hope to enjoy the experience and move on before it starts to wear out.

On the subject of truckers' motivations to do what they do and how and why they got into driving, I came across a discussion thread in an online forum today that asked that very question. It was interesting to see that several of the respondents had college degrees. A few had the, um, "starter degrees" such as political science or sociology that are usually a stepping stone to graduate school. Some had advanced business degrees and were successful in their field but hated the work. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to blow smoke up your you know what - just tonight I turned on the CB and instantly heard two guys using profanity and insulting each other before each eventually threatened to kill the other with the gun they supposedly had with them. I'm just going to go ahead and guess they probably didn't worry too much about their SAT scores. So, sadly, there are drivers of that sort also. I'm not knocking the folks that didn't make it to college, but if the majority of your conversations are conspiracies to commit felonies, do the rest of us a favor and lock yourself in a padded room or something.

Anyway, I drove a whopping 140 miles today from Knoxville to Marion, NC. I'll have about 40 or 50 miles to my delivery in the morning, then it's off to Catawba to be held hostage, er, I mean get loaded.