Home for good - 7/26/09

By the standards of my last post, I didn't get lucky. What I did get was a twenty-four hour bus ride from Wisconsin to Georgia. At least the company paid for it. For those fortunate enough to have never experienced bus travel, allow me to explain. You're crammed into a seat with less room than an airplane, the interior was last sanitized in 1973 when the bus was new, and every person you never wanted to meet will be on the bus with you. But who cares? Just over twenty-four hours after leaving the yard, I was home.

After getting up Friday morning, I dropped my load in Stevens Point, WI and dead-headed to the yard. It took about an hour or so for me to pack my belongings, and after returning the company's items, I was free to go. Pretty simple, really; no hard feelings on either side.

I've been surprised at the number of people that seemed unaware of how truckers live on the road; "where do you sleep?" was a surprising question I received on more than one occasion. Life in a truck isn't too bad. It's kind of like a really long camping trip: Space is at a premium, so you pack the essentials; in the winter, you have a warm, cozy place to bundle up in at night; in bad weather, you have a comfortable shelter from the storm. Most of the larger truckstops have everything a driver could need, including hot showers (that are usually free with a fuel purchase). So, it's pretty easy to get by. All in all, I'll be able to look back on my experience as a favorable one. I was prepared to not get home every weekend, and I didn't. I was prepared to miss meals and drive all day, and I did. I was prepared to see the countryside, and I did. I've learned that proper preparation, in a addition to your expectations, can make a world of difference in how you view your situation. I've learned that there are thousands of hard working men and women on the road that sacrifice time with their families to do their job and that we enjoy the benefits of that sacrifice. And I've learned that being lost isn't so bad. Thanks for following along with my travels; I hope you enjoyed the ride as much as I did.