I’m sure we’ve all had those days. The kind when you spend all day running around getting loaded or unloaded, and then you run late into the night just to keep a decent schedule. That’s pretty much the nature of the beast if you’re pulling LTL freight. But, after a long day of bouncing around the city, it actually feels pretty good to shut the doors and put that big rig into the wind, and to finally get out of town and get some miles behind you. I actually enjoy the overnight driving hours. The quiet streets and the all-night radio have their ways of keeping me company after the rest of the world has fallen asleep. And when I do ultimately shut down for the night, I sleep pretty good in those twilight hours before dawn. This poem is just a little something that sort of captures that feeling for me. Breaking free of the daily hustle of getting loaded, and then eagerly setting sail into the night. I call this one “Loaded Up & Truckin” – enjoy!
LOADED UP & TRUCKIN’
By Trevor Hardwick
I spent the morning loadin’ up,
I ran all over town.
A pallet here, a pallet there,
I covered lots of ground.
I wondered if I’d ever get,
This wagon loaded down.
I spent the morning loadin’ up,
And I ran all over town.
I left that city, smilin’,
When I hit the interstate.
I heard those wheels singin’,
Under forty tons of weight.
I knew I couldn’t beat the sun,
‘Cause it was gettin’ late.
But I left that city, smilin’,
When I hit the interstate.
It feels so good to wind ‘er up,
The stick’s against the dash.
The rhythm of the highway thumps,
To somethin’ Johnny Cash.
I pay no mind to others,
On my squawker, talkin’ trash.
‘Cause it feels so good to wind ‘er up,
And the stick’s against the dash.
I think about that pretty girl,
Just sittin’ there alone.
I wonder if she’s headin’ out,
Or sittin’ by the phone.
I call her and she asks me,
“Honey, when you comin’ home?”
As I think about that pretty girl,
Just sittin’ there alone.
The sun is down, the moon is out,
The night is long and deep.
All those people, in their homes,
Are drifting off to sleep.
I’ve gotta keep that hammer down,
For this schedule that I keep.
But the sun is down, the moon is out,
And the night is long and deep.
I’ll run her just a few more hours,
And then I’ll hit the sack.
But until then, I’ll keep on pushin’,
Money through the stacks.
My toes are numb, my legs are sore,
I’ve got an achin’ back.
But I’ll run her just a few more hours,
And then I’ll hit the sack.