In The News

Trucker says driving “gets in your blood,” makes you want to stay at it

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — From pipe fitter to trucker, Dan Istre says he’s stuck on trucking.

“I did pipe fitting boilermaker work for 25 years,” Istre said. “I made good money, but I traveled and might be gone two or three months at a time working shut downs.

“I wanted something different. I liked it [trucking] when I started so I stuck with it. It gets in your blood and you don’t want to leave it.”

Istre has worked for Powell Transportation, Columbia, Miss., for nine years as a company driver and has been a truck driver for 11 years total. He hauls flatbed loads consisting of mostly utility poles to the lower 48.

Istre admits he spends too much time in truck stops playing video games and spending money to fight boredom while he sits and waits for the next load.

“It’s tough right now,” Istre said. “We have to sit and wait. I spend money waiting; wasteful stuff like playing games because I get bored.

“I’ve got a computer with one game on it in the truck, but I’m computer illiterate. I’m old school. I have a four-year-old at home who knows more about the computer than I do.”

And speaking of the four-year-old, she’s the apple of Istre’s eye. He has two grown sons, 5 grandchildren, and Haylee, the four-year-old.

“She’s spoiled rotten,” he said of Haylee. “She called me today to say it’s snowing.”

When he gets home he spends time with his wife and daughter, who he said is as “smart as a whip.”

Istre said Haylee demands all of his time when he’s at home and he doesn’t spend much time with his wife until Haylee goes to bed.

“I’m home every weekend,” he said. “I won’t work for somebody if they won’t get me home. I’ll deadhead home on Thursday nights if I can’t get a load.

“My wife doesn’t have to work. I make about $70,000 a year. She’s got a full-time job raising Haylee.”

Istre said one problem about being a trucker is parking.

“Parking at night is hard,” he said, “if you aren’t in a truck stop by sunset you won’t get a parking place. Sometimes in bad weather they will shut down the roads so you park where you can. A lot of states won’t let you park on the ramps. In Tennessee they will wake you up to move your truck and write you a ticket.”

Istre said there are sometimes issues with other drivers, but overall it’s not a bad climate in which to work.

“Every now and then you’ll find some problems,” he said. “Most of the drivers are pretty nice. West Memphis [Ark.] has a lot of problems with lot lizards and drug dealers. It’s one of the worst sections of the country. It’s a bad area in there. Listening on the CB there; it’s constant they never shut up. You can buy just about anything you want to buy on the lots in West Memphis.”

No matter what issues were brought up during his conversation with The Trucker, Istre’s thoughts and words always returned to his daughter Haylee.

“I recently missed seeing Haylee ride in a Christmas parade and now she’s waiting on me to get home to play in the snow,” he said on a rare day that snow fell at his home in Mississippi in mid December.

Istre said he likes to fish and hunt, but hasn’t had time to deer hunt this year. He also gardens and works on his seven acres of land.

Istre thinks most truck drivers could end up satisfied and happy if they would just stick to a company long enough.

“My opinion is if you get with a good company, and you stick with them, you’ll do good,” he said. “You can’t get ahead moving from one to another.”

And as for driving he said, “Everybody needs to learn a little patience. If not, sooner or later you’ll be in an accident.”

When asked if he’d made any New Year’s resolutions, Istre said no, but there is something he needs to do.

“I need to quit dipping snuff,” he said. “It’s worse than cigarettes; it’s nastier. My little girl doesn’t like it.

“You just have to put your mind to it. If you want to quit you will. It’s a habit. I used to drink out of habit, now I rarely drink.

“As for the future, I’ll just keep raising that young ‘un, Haylee, and keep her going in the right direction,” Istre said. “Next year she’ll be in kindergarten.”

Barb Kampbell of The Trucker staff can be reached for comment at [email protected].