Semi-trucks have always fascinated me. Their array of styles, colors, makes and models seems endless. Some are plain, no-nonsense-get-the-job-done rigs. Others are personalized, spiffed-up, tricked-out, and head-turning. While my favorite time to view the trucks is during the day when I can study them carefully, there is nothing more eye-catching than seeing an uber-lit rig going down the road at night. It makes me want to salute!
It further fascinates me to see whose corporate moniker is on the trailer. Occasionally the tractor and trailer carry the same brand name so I know it is most likely from a corporate fleet. More customary is the tractor having one business name on the doors and a different logo on the trailer. One of my favorite corporate-rig looks is from the Steelcase Company. Their signature black tractor/trailer combos with primary color-splashes makes a distinctive statement, one which really appeals to my eye. The U.S. Marine Corps also has bold and beautiful murals on some trailers.
Most tractors come in primary colors with white, blue, red leading the color-choice charts. Yellow isn't far behind, followed by green, the entire family of red-related shades, gray, beige, brown (We all know Brown.) and tan. The custom-paint jobs are fun to look at as are the paints that shimmer in the sunlight, posing as a different color depending on which direction you are looking at it from. Pink or pinkish colors would seem to indicate a female driver but I should not stereotype owner/operator color choices. I know this because on long trips I have been known to take statistical samples of tractor colors just to keep myself occupied.
Today I saw a beautiful rig on the interstate. I would have given the driver, whom I was not able to see clearly, the thumbs up, if I could have made eye-contact. What I did see, that was so impressive, was the black lab seated proudly in the passenger seat. Driver and his best friend. Now that warms the heart on a cold winter's day! How fortunate that driver is to be able to have man's best friend with him or her on those long-haul trips.
Semis do move America, both literally and figuratively. I still get the urge to relocate whenever I see a moving van. We Americans probably do not appreciate the significant role the trucking industry plays in our every-day lives. From our appliances, to our automobiles, to our staple guns, to the garments we wear, all probably spent some amount of time being transported via a truck. Today I saw a load of pontoon boats going down the road. Smartly, that load was headed in a southerly direction! Occasionally you will see a very large boat being hauled. Those types of loads require special equipment and very special drivers who are entrusted with someone's nautical baby.
Getting to visit and ride in one of those gorgeous rigs is on my bucket list. Truckers work hard, probably play hard, and seldom get the recognition they deserve. I cannot imagine being away from home for the long amounts of time that many of them are. Presumably that is why some of the tractors are as large and spacious-looking as they appear. Those truckers are like the turtle who carries his house on his back.
Keep on truckin', America!
Ancora imparo
