Trucker tells the story of his near half-century trucking with his wife 

A truck driver took to the internet to share the impressive story of he and his wife’s journey through trucking over the last half  century in a touching social media post. 

The post was made on the r/Truckers subReddit and the CDLLife App with an old photo showing a man and a woman in front of a big rig, and then a second photo posed about the same in front of a more modern rig. 

“Just about 50 years rolling the big wheels…” the caption reads. 

“Put our little bit of stuff in storage, bought a brand new truck,” the story begins.

“Ran team over 48 then I ran solo while she raised some babies. I did regional and food service that would get me home at least every other day and on weekends. When the kids were in college, I got her back out and into a team job again for a little while. Then I went solo some more and then my health went sideways. I take a lot of opioid narcotic pain relief because of a nerve disease so I had to give up my CDL. For the last 12 years, she’s done all the driving. She knocked out over a million safe miles by herself and I just rode with her ……..and we just retired the first week of August!!”

“We hauled bed-bugs (moving people) , Ran team for Atlas Special Products Division hauling large medical equipment, mainframe computers, trade shows, prototype machines, weather missles, art collections, hauled steel and ag products on a covered wagon, did LTL linehaul and P&D, did foodservice for 6 years, general truckload freight, reefer pulling Walmart food and also fresh poultry, did direct-service long haul LTL…” he detailed. “Love driving to this very day. Not happy with what the trucking industry has become, and what the highways have become, but driving a big truck is like someone giving me a motor boat out on the lake.”

“She was the Mennonite preacher’s daughter. When we were dating she told me that she probably wouldn’t want to marry a truckdriver. (I didn’t drive big rig at that time)…..2 1/2 years later she WAS a truckdriver! Haha!” he added.

“[The rig is the first photo is a] ‘77 K100 aerodyne. The big version. What…..110 inch BBC? I’m pretty sure that’s what they called it. They made 76 of them for 1976 and then they went into full production in 77. It was a real headturner. There was nothing like it on the road at that time. That one had a 3406 caterpillar in it with a 13 speed.”

Every single driver who commented on the story had something positive to say about the trucking tale (a rarity for the internet…) The poster says it wasn’t always easy driving for so long with the same person, but that it was worth all the struggle. 

All of these “congrats!”!!…Thanks ya’ll!!!…..” he wrote. 

“When you’re living it out you don’t think you’re doing anything special. Sometimes it just feels like a long-row-to-hoe. So keep on keepin-on!….I also have to say that there was three of us in our relationship and if it hadn’t been for The Good Lord I’m real sure we would have wrecked our marriage a couple of times. Ecclesiastes 4:12  ‘And though one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.’”

“We definitely have had some bad moments…..” he continued. “Times that you question your judgement in “mate-selection”…Haha! But at this point I’m soooo blessed to have her. She stepped up to driving full-time when it’s not really her thing. It helped us sooo much financially that she did that……She can stay home now and she’s loving that! …..We’re very different people, and we have to make allowances for that. I remind myself that most of those “differences” are what attracted me to her.”

On top of a successful trucking career, the driver says they were able to raise some successful children, too. 

“Three. None of them truckers! Haha!” the driver wrote. “We have nothing but high school. Our kids? Well…..One a corporate attorney in NYC married to an urban planner. One with a masters in business management and nonprofit management married to a masters-degree programmer for Tesla. And one masters degree level certified research nurse coordinator married to a doctorate in Neuroscience.”

“Dang! I hope I can look that good after such a long career! Enjoy your retirement together!” commented one driver. 

“That’s a great photograph of you guys. You are the backbone of this country,” added another. 

Congratulations driver! And thank you to you both!