A Trucker’s Tale of Life on the Road

Would it surprise you if I told you that I’m a trucker? Well, not in the traditional sense of the word. No long-haul, tractor-trailer driver would allow me the moniker, “trucker.” But I’ve got my CDL and, at least during this summer, I drive a route for an ice company where I’ll put on anywhere from 100-400 miles in a day few times per week…with a whole lot of lifting besides.

I’m kinda-sorta a trucker. Or at least have been for a week now.

So when I was looking for an audio book to get me to and from work, this book Long Haul by Finn Murphy caught my eye. I wasn’t sure what exactly it was—memoir or travelogue? Humorous or gritty?—but I gave it a shot anyways. Turns out it’s a little bit of all these, and slightly educational to boot.

Who knows what prompted Murphy to write a book about a profession everyone knows yet ignores? Who goaded him on? Certainly, he’s a well-read sort of guy (and yes, someone who devours lots and lots of audio books from Audible—like my sister—can consider himself or herself “well read”). Certainly he had some stories to tell. But an insider’s look into moving companies who take high-end cargo from one state to the next? Sounds kinda lame.

This is a book that you’ve either got to be in the mood for or have some prior interest in. I picked it up, because I climbed back behind the wheel of a truck from the first time in seven years and wanted a reminder of what it could be like, living this way long-term. I found the trucking subculture interesting—not to mention the subcultures within the subculture, like truck stops, diners, truck types, driver types, hierarchies, and so on.

Murphy also introduces us to cranky customers and kind customers, the nonsense of materialism and the secrets people hide in their “stuff.” He takes us on a journey through his life as a mover, cluing us into the wealth to be had, the stress to endure, and a few of the existential realizations he comes to along the way.

The book is vulgar at times, but so are most truckers, if we’re honest. Murphy references hookers and housewives and the 80s during which time it was pretty standard practice for long-haulers to drink and drive. It’s a strange world, that ever-present yet invisible bloc of humanity which faithfully moves our belongings and products from one place to the next, often stressed, sometimes angry or sociopathic, and yet invariably determined to get the load in safe and on time.

Murphy’s memoirs here give us a taste of that world, and it’s an interesting ride. I don’t recommend it for all, but some of you may find it interesting.

©2021 E.T.