Scenes From The Trucking Life

Since I began a new career a bit over a year ago, I have found myself surrounded by sights that eluded me for most of my life. Most of them go un-recorded, except in my memory. Others, however, have occurred at times when I have been able to capture them with my cell phone camera. It has also occurred to me that some of them might be of interest to others, so today I will share a few of them.

I am not a photographer, so let’s just get that one out of the way. I do, however, know some who are quite skilled at photography and have picked up a tip or three along the way on how to compose an interesting shot. The camera is a Samsung and is I have been quite satisfied with it.

The lead shot is sort of a sad one for me. I learned to drive trucks behind the wheel of one of these – a Mack CH series from the mid-to-late 1990’s. These trucks served in front-line duty for a long time and have only just recently been taken out of service.

I especially loved the hood ornaments – the famous Mack bulldog.

Occasionally I got assigned to a truck with the golden bulldog on the hood. Those were said to have been made with all-Mack components. This view was from the driver’s seat of one of those trucks. I was told that some old-timers’ advice in icy weather was to “Watch yer dawg”. If the bulldog started to get icy, the roads were building up ice too.

Nighttime scenes are especially captivating to me.

This particular view was a favorite of mine. I loved the way the glitz of Lucas Oil Stadium (home of the Indianapolis Colts) serves as a background for a part of the city where the dirty work gets done.

This crop shows it a little better. Entertainment, office towers and a freight yard – the signs of a well-rounded city.

I think this may be my favorite version of that shot.

The longer I look at these, the more I like them. Perhaps I need to shoot more photos like these.

29 thoughts on “Scenes From The Trucking Life”

  1. All very good pictures that tell a captivating story. The pictures taken at night are evocative of how so many important things in life take place so invisibly people tend to overlook the activity.

    I can only imagine what all you have seen so far, particularly when working at night.

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  2. Great shots, and congratulations on a successful first year. I guess Jason and I are still considering our semi-retirement options, we met with our financial planner last month and it is possible for me to be out at 60.

    Many (many!) years ago I had a summer job as a security guard, and spent nights at various buildings and construction sites. It was boring as could be, but I gained an appreciation for the peace of night, and watching the morning unfold.

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    • I come across security guards on a daily basis, and have a hard time imagining a more boring job. But then there are probably people who say that about what I do too.

      Ooh, retirement at 60 sounds like a great thing! But if you are anything like me, another few years in another field could be a good thing for all kinds of reasons. Good luck!

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  3. I appreciate these “gritty” industrial scenes–finding beauty in the ordinary and overlooked. Most people have no conception of all the behind-the-scenes work and complex infrastructure it takes to grow or manufacture something and get it to a store (or in your case, get mail delivered).

    Below is a photo I took just a few blocks from me. Most people consider industrial areas to be ugly, but these old 19th century brick factories have a certain charm. And they’re disappearing rapidly.

    So I guess new Mack trucks won’t have metal bulldogs on the hood?

    Industrial Buildings, Myrtle Ave. (Rt. 202), Boonton NJ

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    • I have a fascination with old industrial buildings like the one in your photo! I come across them all the time and marvel at how even buildings built for the most basic functions had a certain beauty in their details. This is not true anymore.

      Actually, new Mack trucks still sport a bulldog on the hood! My company bought a few of them recently, but I understand that Mack went through several years of trucks that did not have good reputations. In the division where I work all of us are driving Internationals.

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  6. I like the “dawg” ornament that is your guide to icy roads – that was sound advice the old timer gave to you JP. My first year driving my VW Beetle I slid on the ice, spun around a few times and nearly ended up in a ditch and that episode tainted me for Winter driving forever. You drove around a lot in your former career and have similar weather to mine, so you easily can handle this big rig.

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      • I believe you – I drove from Toronto to Detroit in heavy snow behind a snowplow in a fishtailing Pacer. It took us twice as long to get home and I’m sure I lost five years off my life. (In those days I had a heck of a lot more years to go.)

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  10. A couple of years ago my Wife agreed to accompany me on a dump run. The dump used to be called a dump, then a sanitary land fill, and now is known as a “resource recovery park.” Still smells the same! From the top of the hill we could see the south end of the SF Bay wetlands. My Wife was amazed at the size of the dump, I told her that the sewage treatment plant in nearby Milpitas was considered one of the best in the world. I told her that there was a “hidden city” that most regular folks never ever think about. Waste removal, storm drains, sewage lines and treatment facilities. Drinking water pumps and pipes, and electrical service lines. Not to mention all the workers involved in keeping the system up and running reliably. It would make an interesting documentary for people who never consider what happens after they put their trash in the can, or when they turn on the spigot, or flush the toilet. As you mention most of the goods in America are distributed by trucks, a vital industry.

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    • All very true! For quite a few years, Mike Rowe hosted a show called “Dirty Jobs”, where he would accompany workers on jobs like you mentioned and even try his hand at some of the work. I found it fascinating.

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  11. I love photos of places where trades people do things! A few years ago we took a train from Calgary to Vancouver and though I know Calgary very well, we got to see parts of the city that people seldom see. Fascinating!

    My husband has worked on oil rigs around the world – few people get to see them, either. He took photos of them so that his family could see what his working life was like when he was so far from home (for so long!)

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  12. I knew about Mack truck but not about the hood ornaments. I’m the driver most days, but on the few occasions where my wife takes the wheel it’s nice to get a passenger’s point of view. The road is a lot more interesting when you’re able to look past the road itself.

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  13. Hello! Wanted to comment on an old I Dont Understand blog from 2016, but cant figure out how? me and computers dont work well together! Is there a email i could use to send to? Newcomer to the blog. Really enjoy it!

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