No Respect

We'd be the first to admit that our opinion of truckers - when we actually bothered to think about them - was indifferent at best. About the only time we gave them a second thought was when we were cursing them for either driving too slowly or too fast and recklessly. Like most people, we thought they were more of a nuisance than anything else, so we didn't give them or the work they do the respect they deserve.

That all changed, though. For Lori, it was when she started driving a truck. Nothing changes your perspective like walking - or, in this case, driving - a mile in someone else's shoes. Taking control of 80,000 pounds of machine and cargo gave her a whole new appreciation of why truckers drive the way they do and the "real" work that it is.

Lori's also had the opportunity to spend time with truckers, newcomers as well as some real veterans, as has Mike when he went to spend Christmas with Lori at Prime's headquarters in Springfield, Missouri. While truckers can be a bit more independently minded than other folks, they're just people like everyone else. They've got families, bills to pay, opinions about religion and politics, and the same sort of hopes and worries as the rest of us.

But they also have a passion for trucking. You can hear it in their voices when they swap stories. And do they ever like to swap stories! It seems everybody's got one or two (or more) that they're just waiting to tell to whomever will listen. We hope to share some of the best ones right here (both our own and other's) in the future.

You also come to realize they must have a passion for what they do because they keep doing it, in spite of the many challenges that go along with this profession. Even with all the positive things there are about being a truck driver, you've got to respect someone who makes the sacrifices they do so we can have easy access to the "stuff" we take for granted every day.