The other day I was talking to my uncle David on the phone. He and I are the only two remaining long-haul drivers in my family. So, we typically pass the miles away by chatting a couple times a week. In this particular conversation, we found ourselves pondering the differences between the old days when our relatives drove trucks, or covered wagons, and how they might comprehend what trucking is like today. Would our grandfathers have a harder time learning to drive today’s modern trucks or would we have more difficulty learning to operate the primitive machines they were accustomed to? It was just a fun thing to muse about, and while I would love to go back in time and experience the old days for myself, I can certainly appreciate the state-of-the-art comforts we indulge in today! I might daydream of running a wagon train across the plains, but I’d be complaining about my aching back in no time. These new rigs have their problems, but they sure as heck ain’t my grandpa’s horse and cart!
GRANDPA’S HORSE AND CART
By Trevor Hardwick
I drive a truck, on the highways and the byways,
I drag a trailer full of everything you’ve got.
I do my job, with a special kind of fervor,
Instilled in me since I was three, and never really stopped.
My daddy drove, like his daddy did before him,
I guess my great granddaddy led a wagon train.
I’m pushin horses, in a different kind of fashion,
But my urge to keep pushin on, is pretty much the same.
His wooden spokes, ain’t my Durabright Alcoas,
His wooden seat ain’t the Bostroms under me.
His covered wagon, ain’t my roll-top Conestoga,
But I bet he chased tomorrow, with a spirit wild and free.
My daddy’s dad, had it just a wee bit better,
With gasoline and then a diesel after that.
He must’ve thought, he had a bona-fide go-getter,
With the shutters runnin open, and a max of 50 flat.
He had a task, and a Mack was his solution,
He taught my dad and daddy passed it on to me.
And then at last, like some macro-evolution,
That wagon train, somehow became a distant memory.
All that I’m sayin, is that it’s been a long time comin,
From covered wagons to a Peterbilt that’s “smart”.
I’ll be just fine, with my 18-speed and Cummins,
And thank the Lord, I ain’t on my grandpa’s horse and cart!