OTRoad

You should get into it if you're a loner like me. I have a 12v thermoelectric mini-fridge in my truck. I go grocery shopping at least once every 2 weeks. I rarely eat fast food. I try to go for a 45 minute jog/workout session at truck stops every 2-3 days. Sometimes it seems like I'm one of the few health-conscious truckers left alive! lol Of course we're all stereotyped. Constantly. By everyone. I've gotten used to it. It's mostly funny to be stereotyped like that, seeing as I look -nothing- like the bulk of truckers out there. I am articulate, in decent shape, and even do my hair every day, even if it's just for me in the truck. You may even get away with calling me a metro-sexual trucker. That shit's hilarious.

I'll never forgot the time I was just driving a normal shift when the sky started turning green in streaks. I immediately realized I was watching the northern lights / aurora borealis form/appear while driving in some valleys of Minnesota. I got to drive most of 3 hours while watching the sky in front of me slowly twist and change forms/shades of green. It was absolutely stunning.

PLENTY of times. Not with lot lobsters (aka lot lizards, aka prostitutes), though! There are plenty of ways for a decent-looking male with some spare time and money to go out on dates. If the girl you're scheduled to take out on a date knows what your job is, and knows that she'll probably never see you again... it becomes easy to filter out females that want long-term relationships, and only date those who know what they're actually in for. Netflix'n'chill, etc.

• Tips for staying awake: Get REALLY into music you're listening to. I mean so into it that you're stomping the floor to the bass of the drums (hard enough to almost get a workout from it). I suggest doing the ol' hand-drums on the steering wheel combined with the stomping of drums (assuming you're using Cruise Control) to Metallica- No Leaf Clover. That'll wake anyone up. If that's not your sort of thing- talk on the phone. Constantly. Never stop. (WITH A HANDS-FREE BLUETOOTH DEVICE OF COURSE!!! Please be safe!)
• Nothing makes my butthole pucker quite like driving over an iced bridge in the mountains. Mountains have the random strong gusts of wind, combined with you being on ice... you're now 80k pounds of 'please don't fucking tip!" I'm not a religious man- but when that sort of thing is happening, I can't help but beg the gods of nature for mercy under my breath until it's over.
• TONS of scares. Just recently you may have heard about that SuperCell storm that pounded the midwest/eastern US. I drove through the center of that shit. Over night. It was a dumb move, and I regret it now, but I did it. There came a point where the wind was blowing SO HARD that I had to keep my steering wheel turned significantly just to keep going straight. This created a LOT of lateral pull on my vehicle... giving me the ever-present sensation that she was about to tip. I could feel the weight of it shifting off of my front right tire ever so gently. Needless to say after that passed, I pulled my ass over, and braced myself.

• Honestly it's extremely unsafe to only partially pay attention while driving a giant, 18-wheeled steel brick that weighs as much as 80k pounds. I would NOT recommend watching a movie, or TV, or anything of the sort. That trucker you came across is blatantly unsafe, and that disturbs me. Things I usually do to keep busy are; talk on the phone almost all day (bluetooth hands free device), listen to music, listen to AUDIOBOOKS, listen to MORE AUDIOBOOKS, and when they're done I am usually only left with AUDIOBOOKS to keep my entertained. Yea. Lots of audiobooks.
• I won't tell you how much money I make- but I will give you a ballpark. Between 65k-110k a year.
• Truckers usually don't socialize very much with each other. We keep to ourselves at the truck-stops, restaurants, and repair shops. However when we're on the road, doing our job- we're always extremely courteous to each other, giving signals of danger ahead, talking over the CB Radio sometimes, etc.
• I've never been pulled over. I guess I've been extremely lucky.
• THE MOST ANNOYING THING that other drivers do is continue riding our rears, as if it's going to make us go any faster, or not signaling when they're about to pass, or cut in front of us. We're all hyper aware that you're there- but we're not aware of what the hell the hurry is about, or what you're trying to do. Please use signals, and have patience.