I have a terrible confession to make…. Growing up I had a very narrow minded, very terrible perception of truck drivers. There… I said it. And the sad thing is that it was an opinion I formed in the first grade that took me YEARS to change.
I very vividly remember my little 6 year old self sitting around a table with a few of the boys of my class hearing them say that all they wanted to do when they grew up was to drive semi. Now, if you please, imagine a very cute somewhat bossy, sassy, darling and very opinionated little girl that was sure that the only dreams worth living were her dreams… that’s me. In my mind, the only guys that drove semis were fat, stinky single fathers that drank and smoked and were on the road so much that their own mothers had to take care of their kids. It was like they couldn’t get a job at home and the only thing they could do was drive. I took them for failures and therefore anyone that drove semi or wanted to, were failures at life too. Pretty terrible right? At the time I didn’t think so and so you can guess that when I heard these boys I was absolutely baffled why someone would want to choose a life as a failure, destined to be stinky, lonely, and fat from sitting on their rear all day.
Great opinion, huh? Remember I was 6!
Fast forward 14 years and all the sudden there I was marrying a man that loved semis just like those boys, and although he didn’t want to be a truck driver all his life, he did love the opportunity to haul cows in the semi. Eek! I kinda couldn’t believe it and I really didn’t ever want to admit that my husband did such a thing. But after riding with him those first few years, my opinion drastically changed.
Having an up close view of just what it is like in driver’s seat helped me realize that first, driving semi isn’t easy and isn’t for the faint of heart. That moment when you have to pull your rig across the highway, stopping all lanes of traffic to get turned around to get backed into that tight spot to load up just about makes me pee my pants… And I’m just the passenger! And speaking of backing up, can you imagine backing up a 50 foot trailer a quarter mile when you struggle to back up your car 10 feet?! I seriously thought truck driving didn’t require a brain but then my mind as BLOWN watching The Rancher drive.
Being the wife of an occasional trucker help to debunk the all-truckers-are-fat-stinky-losers myth pretty fast. I mean, with a wife as awesome as me, how can you NOT be rocking life?! Haha… But seriously, The Rancher’s character of being an honest, hardworking, giving, God-fearing family man easily proves that truckers are great men too.
Do you hate me? I seriously had a terrible perception and really discredited a lot of good men (and women!) with my shallow stereotype. But now every time Smokey and The Bandit comes on, I have a sense of pride for my trucking husband. So now I am here to tell you truckers are people too! And good people! Sure there are a few that give them all a bad name, but that’s in every job and industry we see. They are good, smart, skilled people that just have their own dreams.
PS On a similar note, The Rancher says to give a little love and share the road with those truckers. Just remember, they are bigger than you!
