Here's a reprint of a 1999 EO article by the EO staff.
On The Road -
How Do You Stay Friends!
With our Laptop in hand we recently visited the Flying J Truck Stop in Walton, KY and the Dayton South Truck Stop, in Franklin, Ohio to ask some expediting teams about their secrets of how they get along on the road and in the cramped quarters of the truck. We focused mainly on male/female couples, but talked to some male co-drivers also about this subject.
Bob and Helen, Straight Truck - D Unit out of Knoxville say, "Just giving the other person some space is important. If they don't feel like talking, just let 'em be. Sometimes one of us will get in a down mood, and it's better to keep quiet until that mood passes. It always does. Sometimes, going our separate ways for a little while helps; Bob will drop me off at a mall for a couple of hours, while he goes shopping on his own, says Helen. That little bit of time to myself does wonders."
Charlie and Joanie, E unit from Detroit tell us, "Our faith helps us through the rough times. When we experience problems on the road, or even just when we get on one another's nerves, we ask the Lord to give us the patience and understanding to get past it, and He's never failed us yet. Also, we're fortunate in that, we have so many common interests; antiquing, flea markets, baseball. We both like to read, so we can fill up those empty hours with some quiet time, too
Ralph and Sharon, B unit from Chicago say that life on the road in a van can strain a relationship if they're not careful. "We used to stay out for a few weeks at a time, and those 2 or 3 days in a slow moving area would have us at each other's throats after awhile! About a year ago, we started going home if the layover wasn't too promising, and we've found we get along better when we keep moving. At least we can get some things done at home, and we don't feel trapped in that little van like we used to. Also, we seem to pick up some long runs from our area, so the revenue hasn't really suffered."
Nadal and Hamad, D unit, New Jersey, tell Expediters Online that "We are brothers-in-law, and we own this truck together. We have to remain friends because of the business and family connection, so when we're out of the truck, we try to get away from each other, not always because we are fighting or something like that, but, just to have some privacy for a little while. We are lucky I guess, because we have always been friends as well as relatives, and we are working for a common goal. But, I (Hamad) have to admit, we don't spend much time together when we are home. And our families don't go on vacation together!" (Laughs)
Jerry and Glenna, D unit from Nashville say, "Showers, without a doubt! (Laughs) Being cooped up with another person in the close confines of the cab or sleeper really makes you appreciate personal hygiene. Glenna is also very meticulous about keeping the living quarters tidy; we've got a Pekinese, Bubba, that travels with us, so that can be a full time job in ways. We do the usual things that teams do on the road, hit the malls, go to parks when we can find a parking place, anything to keep busy. We've been lucky over the last year or so, our company has kept us running, so the waiting time for a load has been kept to a minimum. We've got a large family spread out through the Midwest, so we can visit when we get in their areas."
From our talks with these teams, it seems that all of them have found a system that works for them. Expediters Online would like to hear from other teams out there - How Do You Remain Friends on the road?
The question in 1999 was "How do you remain friends on the road?" The question 8 years later is the same, How do you remain friends on the road?
On The Road -
How Do You Stay Friends!
With our Laptop in hand we recently visited the Flying J Truck Stop in Walton, KY and the Dayton South Truck Stop, in Franklin, Ohio to ask some expediting teams about their secrets of how they get along on the road and in the cramped quarters of the truck. We focused mainly on male/female couples, but talked to some male co-drivers also about this subject.
Bob and Helen, Straight Truck - D Unit out of Knoxville say, "Just giving the other person some space is important. If they don't feel like talking, just let 'em be. Sometimes one of us will get in a down mood, and it's better to keep quiet until that mood passes. It always does. Sometimes, going our separate ways for a little while helps; Bob will drop me off at a mall for a couple of hours, while he goes shopping on his own, says Helen. That little bit of time to myself does wonders."
Charlie and Joanie, E unit from Detroit tell us, "Our faith helps us through the rough times. When we experience problems on the road, or even just when we get on one another's nerves, we ask the Lord to give us the patience and understanding to get past it, and He's never failed us yet. Also, we're fortunate in that, we have so many common interests; antiquing, flea markets, baseball. We both like to read, so we can fill up those empty hours with some quiet time, too
Ralph and Sharon, B unit from Chicago say that life on the road in a van can strain a relationship if they're not careful. "We used to stay out for a few weeks at a time, and those 2 or 3 days in a slow moving area would have us at each other's throats after awhile! About a year ago, we started going home if the layover wasn't too promising, and we've found we get along better when we keep moving. At least we can get some things done at home, and we don't feel trapped in that little van like we used to. Also, we seem to pick up some long runs from our area, so the revenue hasn't really suffered."
Nadal and Hamad, D unit, New Jersey, tell Expediters Online that "We are brothers-in-law, and we own this truck together. We have to remain friends because of the business and family connection, so when we're out of the truck, we try to get away from each other, not always because we are fighting or something like that, but, just to have some privacy for a little while. We are lucky I guess, because we have always been friends as well as relatives, and we are working for a common goal. But, I (Hamad) have to admit, we don't spend much time together when we are home. And our families don't go on vacation together!" (Laughs)
Jerry and Glenna, D unit from Nashville say, "Showers, without a doubt! (Laughs) Being cooped up with another person in the close confines of the cab or sleeper really makes you appreciate personal hygiene. Glenna is also very meticulous about keeping the living quarters tidy; we've got a Pekinese, Bubba, that travels with us, so that can be a full time job in ways. We do the usual things that teams do on the road, hit the malls, go to parks when we can find a parking place, anything to keep busy. We've been lucky over the last year or so, our company has kept us running, so the waiting time for a load has been kept to a minimum. We've got a large family spread out through the Midwest, so we can visit when we get in their areas."
From our talks with these teams, it seems that all of them have found a system that works for them. Expediters Online would like to hear from other teams out there - How Do You Remain Friends on the road?
The question in 1999 was "How do you remain friends on the road?" The question 8 years later is the same, How do you remain friends on the road?
