Somewhere on a mountain highway in Virginia or West Virginia

Driving along I-77 in West Virginia and Virginia can be riveting. The green mountain scenery is astonishing, the air is fresh and cool, the highway curves are long and well-marked and there are several well-maintained roadside rest areas. As a rookie truck driver, I can see that stretches like this are what driving a tractor-trailer is all about.

While many friends and former coworkers are nestled in restrictive office cubicles, I’m out on the open road, enjoying the vistas while maintaining good speed and keeping a cautious watch for bad or distracted drivers … in cars, small trucks, motorcycles and even other tractor-trailers.

Eager for Enjoyment

I’ve been driving on my own for over six months now. Each week I head to North and South Carolina to drop off and pick up an interesting array of goods, including machinery, auto parts, clothes and toys. In this time, I’ve found there’s one thing that sticks with me and comes second only to safety: the desire to enjoy this career and all its trappings.

Sometimes the enjoyment comes easily, especially when you’re in the mountains and you’re making good time. It helps when you have interesting podcasts saved on your iPhone. Several episodes of “This American Life” come to mind, as does “Science Vs.” and “Canadaland.”

Other times you’ve driven too long without getting out to stretch and giving your mind a break from the intense focus required for the job: “eyes scanning the road at all times.” Then it’s time for a short stop or a brief nap.

I like to think that the enjoyment always returns, in some way and shape. Maybe it’s a certain view of the sun peeking out from behind a particularly stunning hillside. It could be a baby deer grazing at the side of the highway. Sometimes it’s just a general feeling of contentment: an ease of connection between yourself, your vehicle and the road.

Talk to Me, Somebody

Occasionally you’re stopped for a beak and want to connect with another driver. After all, driving is even more solitary that what I’ve done professionally for years: writing. The difference is that back then, I could typically look up and find someone to exchange a joke with. Now, that someone is much harder to find. Even when you find someone to talk to, you can’t be sure you want to connect with them. In my case, I’m a liberal Canadian. I’ve found that a lot of these guys are conservative. There’s no quick connection between us. Plus, exchanges between drivers are fleeting. You’ll likely never see that person again.

When you do make some sort of connection, you hope it’s a positive one. There are so many negative drivers out there: guys who have been at it for a long time and have become jaded. They don’t know why anyone wants to do the job any more. You hear about the olden days when there were fewer rules and a better sense of camaraderie between drivers. They apparently used to connect well via CB radio, where they would joke and share information. In my brief foray with the CB, I heard mostly obscenities aimed at other truckers and regular drivers. So, I leave the CB off.

Positivity, Please

I don’t want to hear the negatives, unless they’re constructive. There’s only one guy I turn to for the straight scoop: Dave, the guy who trained and fine tuned me. Dave gives me a balanced view all the time: “Well, what you’ve heard about road weariness is true for some drivers, but others still don’t mind the long slogs.”

Dave is an open-minded optimist with a belly laugh and a keen analytical mind. When he complains – which isn’t often – he quickly turns around and offers up the other side of the argument. ‘I know I’m pissed off about that customer right now, but I can understand that they just want to have their freight delivered. And, I only have to deal with them a few minutes every month.”

That’s the kind of mindset I’m trying to adopt. I already know about many of the possible negatives of being on the road: long hours; bad drivers all around you; trying desperately to find a parking spot every night before your electronic time clock runs out or you get too tired to drive; many bad docks to back your trailer into; those docks are in small yards where you can’t easily turn your truck around; warehouse guys take a long time to load or unload you; your rig breaks down; your GPS gives you incorrect instructions and leads you astray; you miss home; bathrooms on the road are disgusting … The list can be endless. In fact, it can be as long as you want it to be. Or, it can be as short as you allow it to be.

The job is like any other job in some ways. There can always be something to complain about. Or, you can remember why you chose this career and try to make the best of it. In this line of work, you have an awful lot of time to think. Driving and thinking go hand in hand. So why not let most of your thoughts be positive.

Dave has shown me that’s possible. He’s been doing this job for about 15 years and still enjoys it. Plus, that view around the next corner is going to see me through at least the next half hour. I know it will. And, there’s always a deer grazing somewhere at the side of the mountain highway.