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Interstate: Confessions of a Rookie Truck Driver
What does a computer programmer do when he can’t find a high tech job? Hey, why not learn to be a long haul truck driver? Join author Doug Sanderson as he maneuvers his way through truck driver school and starts moving freight down the interstates from the front seat of an eighteen wheeler. Learn a little about the lifestyle of a professional driver; the long hours, the log books, the truck stops, and the reasons for the huge turnover in this industry that is so vital to our economy. All this, plus a few humorous stories, are waiting for anyone who chooses to read about this rookie driver trying to make a living out there on America's interstate highway system.
181 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 17, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 19, 2018
This book, “Interstate: Confessions of a Rookie Truck Driver,” by Douglas C. Sanderson, is many things. It is a memoir, it is a how-to book for would be truck drivers, it is a travelogue, and it is an inside look and a frank critique of the trucking industry. With sensitivity, humor, and even passion, Sanderson describes what it is like for a novice to attend truck driving school and then start out work as a long-haul truck driver, pulling a 53 foot trailer across the U.S. and into Canada. In his short career, approximately 7 months, Sanderson worked for two companies hauling freight on various routes from Oregon to Pennsylvania and Montreal to Ohio.
He explains the use of a Truck Atlas to identify important spots such as low bridge clearances, truck stops, and weigh stations, and he defines terms such as “dead head miles,” driving “bobtail,” “lumper,” and “drop-and-hook.” Sanderson introduces the reader to a world of laws, regulations and rules, aggravated by company policies, that make it extremely difficult for a long-haul trucker to earn a decent living. While getting paid primarily for driving miles, the driver must perform a number of non-driving duties, while strictly observing state and federal laws relating to when and how often he can work.
A Different Sort of Adventure
Laws like the 11-hour rule, 14-hour rule, and 70-hour rule are described, along with various weight limits, state-to-state variations, border crossing rules, and log book requirements. The reader is also introduced to a cast of colorful characters who have chosen to make great sacrifices for a unique lifestyle. These drivers work hard for low pay and face weeks away from home on the open road. But they also have a degree of freedom few others experience, as well as the privilege of seeing the beautiful variations of the country’s regions and seasons.
The work presents great challenges and a few rewards to anyone, but especially to the author who describes himself as being well out of his element. Not only did he do it to try to get a paycheck, but Douglas C. Sanderson clearly approached the task as a grand adventure: “learning new skills, facing different challenges every day, seeing parts of the country I had never seen before, and more than a touch of danger.” Through clear, concise, and vivid writing, he easily brings the reader into that world to experience the adventure with him.
He explains the use of a Truck Atlas to identify important spots such as low bridge clearances, truck stops, and weigh stations, and he defines terms such as “dead head miles,” driving “bobtail,” “lumper,” and “drop-and-hook.” Sanderson introduces the reader to a world of laws, regulations and rules, aggravated by company policies, that make it extremely difficult for a long-haul trucker to earn a decent living. While getting paid primarily for driving miles, the driver must perform a number of non-driving duties, while strictly observing state and federal laws relating to when and how often he can work.
A Different Sort of Adventure
Laws like the 11-hour rule, 14-hour rule, and 70-hour rule are described, along with various weight limits, state-to-state variations, border crossing rules, and log book requirements. The reader is also introduced to a cast of colorful characters who have chosen to make great sacrifices for a unique lifestyle. These drivers work hard for low pay and face weeks away from home on the open road. But they also have a degree of freedom few others experience, as well as the privilege of seeing the beautiful variations of the country’s regions and seasons.
The work presents great challenges and a few rewards to anyone, but especially to the author who describes himself as being well out of his element. Not only did he do it to try to get a paycheck, but Douglas C. Sanderson clearly approached the task as a grand adventure: “learning new skills, facing different challenges every day, seeing parts of the country I had never seen before, and more than a touch of danger.” Through clear, concise, and vivid writing, he easily brings the reader into that world to experience the adventure with him.
September 1, 2020
Open, honest insights
Near as we can tell, this seems to be a straight up, honest testimony of a guy who tried his best at something and just didn’t “find his groove” doing it. And that’s alright in my book. I appreciated the narrative and the honest details on the workaday life of a US truck driver.
When I was a kid, about a hundred years ago, I fancied being a truck driver some day. This will make you think harder about it. I don’t see how solo OTR drivers can survive in this game designed against them.
Near as we can tell, this seems to be a straight up, honest testimony of a guy who tried his best at something and just didn’t “find his groove” doing it. And that’s alright in my book. I appreciated the narrative and the honest details on the workaday life of a US truck driver.
When I was a kid, about a hundred years ago, I fancied being a truck driver some day. This will make you think harder about it. I don’t see how solo OTR drivers can survive in this game designed against them.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews