It has been 28 years since I got off the road and began writing this book. Though much in my life has changed, not a whole lot has changed in the trucking industry. The number of women drivers has increased from 5% in my day to 6 ½% of the driver force of 3.5 million drivers.  Trucks have become more efficient and more high tech. Emission controls have improved as have safety procedures.  Almost all long-haul trucks now have satellite communication (ours was one of the first companies to install them circa 1990) and drivers all have cell phones (which we did not).

 

Otherwise, the day-to-day work schedule of the average long-haul driver has not changed. The different aspects of the road which I discuss in my book still exist. The day to day and night to night trials, the weather, the long hours, the traffic, the on-time deliveries are still intrinsically a part of the trucker’s lifestyle. I have tried to portray what it’s like to be one of the 3.5 million people “who bring us, among other things, our toilet paper, corn flakes, automobiles and construction materials”. To read the book, please click on the book cover above. Enjoy!

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Barbara Blaisdell

June 2021