“We’re throwaway people. Nobody cares about us. Everybody’s perception of a truck driver is we clog up traffic, we get in the way, we pollute the environment.
“We’re just like cops. Everybody needs us, but nobody wants us.”
Then there’s 22-year-old Michael Gallant, who is quoted, “There are some times when it’s kind of a crappy job, but other times it’s great. Over all, I’m very happy with my job. I wouldn’t change a thing about it.”
In Alone on the Open Road: Truckers Feel Like “Throwaway People” the Times’ Trip Gabriel writes about men, women and a couple who drive for a living. From veterans to rookies, they all comment about life on the road.
Gabriel talked to drivers he met at the Petro in Effingham, Illinois where interstates 57 and 70 cross, about halfway between Indianapolis and St. Louis. In the process the conversations cover a lot of ground: driver pay, turnover, autonomous trucks, driver health, and regulations. The article also touches on the personal side of driving: relationships, family commitments, job satisfaction, divorce, loneliness.
Read Alone on the Open Road: Truckers Feel Like “Throwaway People” in its entirety.
The Times also wants to hear more from truck drivers. You can share your thoughts with the Times.
Use the comments section below to share your thoughts about the article and about your job.
