Trucks and Truckers

March 1st, 2008

What a Find

A quick stop turned into a lifetime commitment for this tanker driver

Billy Brannon, Dothan, Ala., Driving for 6 years

I always drove vans or straight trucks, but didn’t have my CDL to drive the big rigs. That’s what I really wanted to do, so I saved my money, went to a school for commercial driving and in 2000 I got my CDL. It was one of the best decisions I have made. I love driving! I have been accident-free…

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March 1st, 2008

Beyond the CB

The Web helps drivers create communities

By Katie Dodd

When Tom Wiles launched his trucking podcast in late 2004, he was just “clowning around,” he says. Three years later, his almost daily dispatches are downloaded as many as 90,000 times a month, and the driver’s three-week runs for Shaffer Trucking typically include at least one meet-up with a devoted listener. “I’ll be 53 in April,” Wiles says. “And I’ve…

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March 1st, 2008

Techie to Go

Computer repair on the road

Nancy Henderson

Out in the middle of nowhere, late at night, a driver settles in with his laptop to plan out his next day’s route before getting some much-needed shuteye. But there’s no rest for the weary — he can’t get into email. The keys don’t respond, no matter how hard he hits them. The screen is lit up but completely frozen.…

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March 1st, 2008

Sharing the Road

Trucker uses YouTube to put viewers in the driver’s seat

Nancy Henderson

Some drivers write poetry to explain the lure of the open road. Some tell vivid stories of the sights they see. And a handful create music videos, then post them on YouTube.com for the world to see. Roger Escuain, who posts under the name Rogertrucker, has more than 30 mini-films on the video-sharing website. They are simple but compelling…

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March 1st, 2008

Tanker, Tanker in the Sky

An artist’s tribute to truck power

Justine Ingersoll

Imagine standing beneath the collision of two 18-wheeler tanker trucks, steel curling into a C-shaped coil, towering 42 feet in the air. Sculptor Mike Ross and his Big Rig Jig exhibit are providing this rush for both art and trucking enthusiasts alike. More than 47,000 people had the chance to see, touch and even climb inside the massive sculpture at…

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