Truck drivers

Before I go poking fun at truck drivers (which I plan to do a LOT of) I should probably tell you the truth about them, they deserve some good press, after all.

Although they may seem a little rough around the edges, almost every one of them is a serious professional. They not only pilot that enormous truck and trailer into places and out of situations that would make you and I faint dead away in shock, they also drive in all sorts of conditions with care and dedication to our well being.

They drive not only for themselves, but for every other vehicle that is sharing the road with them, because they know all too well what it can mean if any other vehicle cuts them off, drives in front of them, forces another car or motorcycle into their draft, stops abruptly directly in front of them or chooses to apply it's brakes just as the road freezes or it begins to rain.

I have never spoken to one who said he could continue driving if he was involved in a serious accident that hurt or killed others. Even if not his fault, he knows what damage that tractor and trailer can do, and fault isn't going to matter if he has to wade through your blood to get off the road.

I'm saying "he" in a generic sense here, but a lot of women choose this profession, as well, and they deserve to be recognized.

A Driver knows how to get to almost anyplace he has ever delivered, he has to remember thousands of directions, locations and circumstances and he has to be able to negotiate them in any conditions at the time the client expects his freight and with a cheerful attitude.

His GPS is his best friend because it has allowed him the luxury of giving more of his attention to what's around him than to where he's headed. His laptop is his constant companion, it holds his logs, runs his PC Miler program, connects him to the universe and generally makes his life simpler.

He knows how to print and scan logs from anywhere in the country and he knows that the GPS locater in his call comm better agree with the paper. He can tell you where to get a meal, a shower and a good cup of coffee and can also save your life if he has to. He carries white sheets, first aid kits, his cell phone and probably knows CPR.

He'll give you (literally) the shirt off his back if you are cold and all the money in his wallet if you ask him. That sounds like a lot but he isn't carrying that much cash at any one time. If he has to go without supper to feed somebody out there, he will and he's a sucker for a good cause and always willing to donate.

He will never be rich but he will always be satisfied and you can't say fairer than that.

A man who can turn around and back a 53 foot trailer into a dock from a street that was built for the horse and carriage while talking on the phone and doing his weekly paperwork is a good kind of person to have in a crisis, I wouldn't trade mine for the world.

He's my best friend, my dearest love, my hero and the guy that sees to it that when you want to buy groceries they are in the store waiting for you and when you need emergency surgery the gauze pads and hemostats are available to the guy stocking the OR.

He is intelligent, kind, thoughtful and a whole lot of fun to have around and the next time you see him, smile. It means a lot to him.