Regional Drivers and a Discussion of Romance

Autumn in Pennsylvania

Well, after a year of being on a dedicated OTR (over the road) account, things have changed for the Davis team. We are now going to be dedicated regional drivers. What this means is that, instead of going coast to coast as OTR, we will now be driving within a certain mile radius of home, thus being regional. It also means that, instead of being on the road for 3-5 weeks, home for drill weekends and a few days for running errands, and back on the road, we will now be home on weekends! We may choose to work extra on some weekends, but for the most part, we will now be on the road for only 5-6 days at a time.

We are excited about the change. It came a little sooner than we had planned, but in the long run, it will be a good thing. Since we've been together, we've never had weekends off together on a regular basis, so this is a welcome opportunity to spend time together outside of the working environment.

Speaking of the working environment, it has been good for our marriage to live and work together in a tiny space 24/7, but it has also been difficult in some ways. For instance, it has taught us to communicate clearly and work together as a team; however, we sometimes have to remember to be not only coworkers but spouses and lovers as well. It can be hard to keep the romance alive when so many of the typical things (gifts, surprises, date nights, etc) are next to impossible on the road!

My favorite of several photos taken this month

I am thankful for this season of life, in which we have spent so much time together and learned so much about each other, and I pray we never forget the lessons in communication, trust, and teamwork that we've learned. And yet, since a great deal of the time is spent sleeping and nearly all the time one or both of us is working, it's like spending time in the presence of the other person but not really spending time WITH them.

One thing we have certainly learned this year, however, is to appreciate the little things. Too often we can take for granted the ordinary, everyday stuff that we do for each other - make lunch, take out the trash, sweep the floor, hold a door open - and yet, those little things are very important, especially when you live in a space the size of a closet! Just a simple thank-you, letting the other person know that these things are noticed and appreciated, is its own love language. So are back rubs. So is letting the other person speak without interrupting. These little things are, in their own way, the truly important things that make a spouse feel loved and appreciated. Sex is wonderful, but doing the dishes or letting the other person sleep in a few extra minutes are also powerful romance!

I'd love to hear your ideas or suggestions for making your significant other feel loved and keeping the romance alive. Until then, I'm off to go snuggle with my sweetheart. ❤

US Xpress Military Program Videos

When US Xpress commissioned the military tribute trucks, they also signed a commitment with the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, ESGR, to specifically target hiring veterans and current service members as employees. Here is the video made of the ceremony where they signed the commitment and presented the trucks to the drivers:

 

At the same time, they also interviewed several current drivers who are veterans or current service members. Here is the video compiled of those interviews:


We were honored to be a part of this program. We enjoy working with a company that is actively interested in both honoring the military as well as listening to what their employees have to say!

Freedom Truck

Freedom, Marine, and Navy trucks

Back in July, when US Xpress wrapped six new 2017 Freightliner Cascadias in decals honoring the military and our country's independence, we were honored to be chosen to drive the Coast Guard truck. Now, three months later, we have changed trucks again, this time to drive the Freedom truck!

Unlike the other trucks, each honoring a branch of the military, the Freedom truck is not branch-specific. Rather, it represents stages of our country's independence, from Revolutionary War to now, and the photo of Arlington represents the true cost of freedom. This truck is applicable to all branches of the military as well as to everyone who has given their lives in defense of our country.

Freedom truck

We are excited to be driving the Freedom truck now. Unfortunately, when we got into the truck, it needed some maintenance to bring it back up to show standard. In the meantime, we've had a little time to relax and rest in a hotel while we wait. #3 is stretched out on a hotel bed, rolled on her back, snoring and twitching - I think she's enjoying this!

The weather is getting cooler, and leaves are beginning to change colors; autumn is upon us. It's time for sweatshirts, jeans, hot chocolate, and everything pumpkin! Pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin cookies. So much autumn goodness! What's your favorite thing about autumn?

Happy Driver Appreciation Month!

Don talking with drivers at a Driver Appreciation event

September is Driver Appreciation Month, and I wanted to take a moment to thank all of our fellow truck drivers for everything you do. Our country would come to a screeching halt if truckers stopped moving freight around the country! Here are some statistics from the American Trucking Association (ATA):

Minor food shortages of perishable items would occur in one to two days, significant shortages in as few as three days.

Supplies of fresh drinking water would run dry in two to four weeks without the chemicals needed to filter and purify the water sources. Unpurified water will cause more sickness, further taxing the now compromised healthcare system.

Hospitals, nursing homes, etc will run out of food supplies for patients in 24 hours, and medicines, oxygen, and medical supplies will be depleted quickly as well. In a matter of hours, the healthcare system could no longer provide care to injured or sick patients.

Trucks keep the country moving!

Gas stations would run out of fuel in less than two days. Without fuel, private vehicles as well as public transportation would not be able to run. Without transportation, many people can't go to work, earn money, or access whatever food and healthcare supplies are left.

Waste couldn't be removed, literally burying us in our own trash. Banks would run out of cash, businesses would close their doors, manufacturers would shut down their plants. Sick people would die, and even healthy people would starve.

If trucks stopped moving, so would this country. Thank you, truck drivers, for moving America!

What's It Like to Be a Trucker?

#3 keeps Don company as he shines our truck rims 

One of the questions that we hear frequently from friends, family, and people that we meet is, "What's it like to be a trucker?" Some people are amazed that a normal, educated young couple like ourselves would be trucker drivers; a lot of people still stereotype truckers as old, nasty, stinky, and perverted. Other people are surprised that a woman can drive, that a couple can drive as a team, or that we would even want to drive a semi.

So what's it like to be a trucker?

It's hours and hours of sitting in a not-overly-comfortable seat behind a steering wheel, staring out a window at traffic and scenery.

It's a hundred thoughts and decisions running through your head at once, watching traffic - both nearby and farther out - trying to predict what the drivers of vehicles around you will do. It's slamming on your brakes because a car just cut you off and slowed down in front of you. It's knowing that you can't stop 80,000 pounds fast enough to prevent hitting a minivan that just changed lanes in front of you, traveling 35 mph to your 65 mph, and the lives of the kids in their backseat flash before your eyes.

Miles of desert 

It's watching the miles of roadway slip away, the trees or rocks or desert or fields all blending and blurring together outside your windows. It's watching a sunrise or sunset, admiring the way the sunlight reflects on the clouds, and wondering where your loved ones are and whether they're too busy for a phone call. It's talking on the phone with someone you care about, only to lose reception and drop the call.

It's traveling, seeing the country in snapshots from the interstates, passing by national monuments and natural wonders. It's the traffic congestion around big cities as thousands of people push their way forward in a self-centered mayhem of honking horns and angry voices. It's breathing more freely once you're out of the narrow city streets and back on the open road. It's a little kid asking you to blow your air horn, and the giant smile on their face when you do.

It's waiting for a late load, waiting for directions from someone five hundred miles away, waiting for a tire to be changed, and falling asleep waiting for the phone call assigning your next load. It's people with no concept of what your job entails trying to tell you how to do your job. For us as a team, it's living with your spouse in a space the size of a walk-in closet, working and communicating and sharing - and yes, sometimes squabbling - but always loving.

A recent load allowed us a quick visit with my parents

It's going home for a few days and realizing how much you need to get done in a short period of time. It's trying to explain to doctor's offices and realtors and family members that you're only home once a month, it's the only time you're available, it's really nothing personal. It's people that you love and miss asking when they will see you again. It's passing through the hometown of people that you care about and not telling them, because you're on a deadline with no time to stop and visit. It's missing out on birthday parties and family events and feeling like life is passing you by.

It's not forever, at least not for us. I keep telling myself it's not permanent. It has its ups and downs, its pros and cons, but it's not a bad life. I will forever be grateful for these years we spent together on the road, getting to know each other and ourselves as the miles pass. Someday we will be settled down and it will all be a memory. Someday my Pinterest boards full of chicken coop blueprints, casserole recipes, and parenting articles will come in handy. Someday the photographs of bucolic pasture scenes and mischievous children will be ours. But until then, I will be thankful for the time spent with my sweetheart, working toward our goals, seeing sights we may never see again. This is so much bigger than simply driving a big truck. This is what it means to me to be a trucker.

Time

Could I the fleeting moments grasp,
And hold them as a string of pearls -
To lay them forever in your clasp,
I would travel 'round the world.

Or could I catch each passing hour,
Golden as a grain of sand;
And were all time within my power,
I would place it in your hand.

Alas, I cannot make them stay -
But cherish each as past they fly.
Every moment of every day,
I'm glad that you are mine.

2016 Rebekah Davis, all rights reserved

Happy Birthday, My Love

It's my sweetheart's birthday today and I thought it was only fitting that I share a little bit of our story. It's amazing to look back and see how far we've come, and I can't wait to see where the future leads!

When we first started out together, we spent two months living in a tent, in the primitive area of a local campground, with no electricity or running water - and yet we had never been happier, because we had each other. We got an apartment together and furnished it mainly with things given to us and thrift store purchases. Over time, we made it our own and we enjoyed our little nest. We got married, we grew together; jobs and schedules came and went but our relationship was the anchor, the constant in an ever-changing world. Then we decided to go on the road for awhile, to pay off debts and save money for the house and lifestyle that we want in the future. And here we are, a year later, driving across the country and happy just being together.

I love you more today than yesterday. I love you with all my heart and everything in me. I love you for ever and for always, and always will. I love you.