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Commentary
I'm a long-haul truck driver, moving around the 48-states. My
wife and I live in Boise. Mostly I live in my truck, a 1997 Volvo
sleeper cab. Usually I stay out for 6 weeks on the road, and am
home for one week. My company allows one day off for every six on
the road. Some trucking companies allow one day off for seven days
on the road.
I live in the truck. Most meals and showers are taken at truck
stops, although I have a small office refrigerator and microwave
oven stacked in front of the bunk, between the seats. I sleep in
the truck every night.
It is a life style most people cannot imagine.
It's living like a gypsy refugee. Most long-haul drivers work 7
days a week, 12 to 14 hours a day on average--including 10 or more
hours a day driving.
My "typical" workday begins about 6 a.m. I'll grab a quick cup of
coffee from the truckstop, make a quick walk-around inspection of
my truck (a "pretrip" required by law), and then I'll hit the road
for as much as 10 hours of driving, or about 600 miles. I like to
shut down before dark, and get into a truckstop parking space
before they fill up. A "typical" delivery appointment will be from
6 to 8 a.m., and will take one or two hours. With luck, I'll have a
dispatch for new freight to pickup by midday, and the cycle repeats
itself. It is not "typical" for things to go this
smoothly.
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