What Truck Drivers Miss Most About Home

pinterest.com

Article thanks to Jim Sweeney and the RoadPro Family of Brands. Links provided:

Dave Dudley knew what he was talking about when he sang “Six Days on the Road” about a lonely trucker hustling to get back home:

Six days on the road and I’m gonna make it home tonight

Well, it seems like a month since I kissed my baby goodbye

For all the talk about the freedom of the open road, long-haul trucking means a lot of nights spent away from home and family. Cabs might be equipped with electronics, appliances and other creature comforts, but they’re not home. And CB chatter is a poor substitute for real companionship.

That absence from home has broken up relationships and caused drivers to change jobs or at least come off the road.

We asked members of the RoadPro Pro Driver Council what they miss most about home and here’s what they told us:

“I always miss my daughter, she's at an age (5) where all she wants to do is learn and have fun.” – Ryan Sexton

“When I’m running solo, I miss my significant other. When I’m running team with him, I miss curling up together at night in our own bed (not one sleeping while the other drives).” – Libby Clayton

“My girls. And by saying my girls, I mean my two daughters and my wife. They are the center of my world.  My oldest daughter, who is now 24, watching her progress through life with my first grandchild, makes me beam with pride at the mother she has become. 

“My youngest daughter, now 15. She is all in with cheerleading, schools, and her friends. Watching her do competitive cheer and seeing the passion and the success she has had actually pushes me harder in my career to have the passion for safety. 

“My wife, she is my rock. She keeps me grounded and focused on what matters most, my family. She is most definitely my best friend.” – Thomas Miller 

“At the end of the day, we miss human touch and companionship the most. It’s the little things, the smells of loved ones or a hug or squeeze of a hand at the end of a long day that most of us miss the most. Yes, we can have contact with home, but it misses something, even the simple act of a loved one riding on the truck for a short period can make a huge difference.” – Tom Kyrk

“We haven't been home or off the truck (except for engine repairs stuck in a hotel room in nowhere Georgia) in over a year. The things I miss the most are having "me time," the privacy that being home gives you, where each can go do their own thing for a while. Even having a big house sleeper, after more than a year on the road, 120" of space may be big for a truck, but it feels increasingly smaller the longer we are out.

“The other thing I miss is having a full kitchen. Cooking is my passion. It helps with my anxiety. Also, I come from a Cuban family, where everything in life, from birth to death, revolves around the kitchen and food. ‘Life happens in a kitchen.’ While I make do the best I can on the truck, and even though I have more space and amenities than most, it's still not the same. I miss my kitchen and gadgets.” – Sierra Sugar, who rides with partner Allen Welcher

However much they miss home, these professional drivers make it work.

RoadPro Family of Brands