Convoy!

October 4th (10-4)  is our reminder of all the truckers who keep American running; they bring us the things we need every single day of the year.        The song Convoy by CW McCall can be heard here

The song begins ....  we was headin' for bear on  " I  one oh "  about a mile out of shaky town....

If you're from the west, or if you've driven here in the west, you know that heading east out of Los Angeles means I-10, an extremely busy traveled road leading to Arizona.  America's truckers are some of the most amazing people I've ever met.  And while there are stories of bad truckers, they don't compare to the number of good truckers out there.  At my job, I meet up with a couple truckers a week, and they're always extremely helpful.  Ricky and Woody are two company drivers who are hard working good guys; the driver who picked up a load for me on Friday (from Con-Way) was awesome. 

From an Ann Landers column in the SunSentinel: 

WHO IS THAT PERSON BEHIND THE WHEEL?

Truckers are found on highways, in truck stops, in service bays, on loading docks, on bush roads and at fuel stops, and often they are the first at the scene of an accident.  Their wives help them. Little boys follow them. Relatives don`t understand them. Meals must wait for them. Weather can delay them. But nothing can stop them.

A trucker is a paradox. He is a blue-jeaned executive with his office in the cab. He is a scientist who hauls dangerous chemicals and explosives; a purchasing agent in a baseball cap; a personnel director with grease under his fingernails; a poor eater with a fondness for burgers and fries; a student of geography and a weather watcher who reads the clouds for rain or snow.

He likes sunshine, children, smooth pavement, good traction, clean loads, dinner at home, weekends with his family, his shirt collar unbuttoned and country music. And there is a special place in his heart for his rig.  He`s not too fond of city traffic, tourists who are rotten drivers, fuel prices, dispatchers, snarly receivers, kids in high-powered cars or drunk drivers.  Nobody else gets as much satisfaction out of talking about trucks, truckers, gear shifting, good weather, homemade pie, strong hot coffee, kids, wives, sweethearts and the price of diesel.

He is your friend and your customer. He is your source of food, building products, clothing, petroleum, natural resources -- in fact, nearly everything in your life arrived in his truck.  And when he comes home late at night after a long and tiring trip, the energy sapped from his hopes and dreams, he can be lifted up once more by those magic words: ``Daddy`s home!``

The next time you're at a rest stop, on the road, getting fuel, or stopped at a red light, thank a trucker, they keep America rolling!  Let them truckers roll, 10-4!