Phillip Wilson decided he'd like to see America, and get someone else to pay for the trip, so he went to truck driving school to learn how to operate a big rig. Driver is Wilson's memoir of his six weeks of over-the-road training, crisscrossing the country from coast to coast and points in between. During that time he worked and lived in close quarters with a partner who could hardly be less like himself: his trainer.
Along the way he learns how to run a "mule," as drivers like to call their rigs, and thrillingly describes the thrill of what it's like to sit on top of a 425-horsepower diesel engine hauling 80,000 pounds of trailer and cargo. He learns what it takes to become a million-mile driver, and why companies stand in line to hire them. He appreciates the joys of Gulf Coast cooking, finding those places that truck drivers recommend to one another. He finds out about the outlaw drivers who fudge their logbooks, and does his best to stay in "the hammer lane" (the fast lane), with his gearbox in "the money hole"-top gear, when the miles are accumulating and so are the dollars.
Driving a big truck on America's highways is among the most difficult, demanding, and highly regulated occupations open to the average American. It's also one of the least restrictive ways of life still around-a throwback to the independence and freedom of the frontier. This is an account of one man's embrace of that experience and that relationship. A story about America, and about the truckers who keep America supplied and running.
About the Author, Phillip Wilson
Phillip Wilson served in the U.S. Navy, and has worked in management positions in the construction, utility, and nuclear industries, as well as in retail and distribution. He lives on the Texas Gulf Coast, and when he’s not home fishing, he’s still driving.
It's a guy thing: when we pass a behemoth truck on the road, many of us like to put our arm out the window and pump it up and down, hoping that the truck driver will respond with a glass-rattling blast of his horn. The burst of glee mixed with a bit of yearning probably places truck driver slightly ahead of librarian in the "What-I-Want-To-Be" occupational sweepstakes.Wilson didn't let that dream die. After a stint in the navy and a fling at the corporate life, he chucked it all to become a truck driver. His reasons were well-nigh universal among men: to see the United States and experience the wonders that awaited at each truck stop. This engrossing book is his love letter to the life he has embraced. A master of painting vivid images in our heads, Wilson places readers in the passenger seat (a little crowded since Trainer is there...you'll see) and takes us on a coast-to-coast journey that Steinbeck would have loved. All the while, he's also trying to find out what many a middle-aged man asks himself: "What the heck am I doing here?" Highly recommended, good buddy, and that's a "10-4."-Joseph L. Carlson, Lompoc, CA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
