I wrote this last year and never posted it. I think it is still relevant so here you go.
Today I was talking to my trainer Carl, who is still driving and training for USXpress. We’ve stayed in touch as I have with a few drivers over the years. I got to thinking about all the drivers we have befriended that just sort of disappeared. We would talk often and then not a word. It made me think about how transient our lifestyle is and how difficult this profession is. Carl and I were talking about how most drivers just drive, pick up, drop off, go to a truck stop, eat, sleep and start it all over the next day. I was asking about past trainees he has had. How many are no longer driving because it can be so hard out here. But thinking back over the people we were friends with is just odd. I have friends that I have been friends with forever. As does Craig. We all live in different states but can pick up the phone and call any of them. It would be like we just talked. We pick up right where we left off and we are blessed to have these people in our lives.
Drivers can be another breed. There are ones that I feel are good friends. Ones we go on vacation with. Ones that you are cordial with. Ones that we have never met that know us through this blog. Craig and I love helping people and telling our story. But Craig was telling me how it’s the same on The Truckers Forum. There are people who are there all the time and then they vanish. Makes you wonder where they went. Are they ok? Had they just had enough?
I love the friends I have made through trucking. They are a cool bunch of peeps. There are the ones I talk to daily or weekly or monthly. Not all of them vanish and I realize its a weird topic but it makes me wonder where they went and what happened.
Anne & Craigs Great Adventure 
I think this is in all parts of life. In trucking, in my 37 years in the sailboat business. Same thing People come, some stay a while then poof gone. Trucking is little tougher but not a lot different in this respect.
I first read Craig’s posts on Trucker Forum about 4 years ago when I was in a CDL class. I bookmarked this blog and follow along. It’s difficult for a lot of us to stay on the road, especially getting through a training company. Even if you manage all the hard and soft skills a lot of folks find out they don’t want to be away all the time. You think that would occur before all the hassle of getting seated !
For myself, I finally got to a small fleet that pays ok and treats me like a member of their family. I get home weekends and usually at least one pass through on a weeknight. My circumstances are such where it’s a really good fit and I enjoy what a lot of other folks might view as boring. Like with any work, you just have to stick it out and be reliable or all of life becomes a revolving door and guess who the common denominator is ?
Great post. Made me think. But so true.
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