Experiences from a Trucker's Life

Incident in the Mojave Desert, 2017

• Setting: Overnight haul through Mojave Desert, California, headed for Arizona.
• Initial Conditions: Pitch black darkness, dim headlights, very few cars on the road.
• Event:
  • Saw a car with hazards on, parked in the middle of the road.
  • Passenger door wide open; car completely empty inside.
  • Feeling uneasy but continued investigating.
  • Found three squished garbage bags and a rope in the trunk.
  • Unexpected event: Loud gunshot, strange man approaching with a shovel and rifle.
  • Man tried to stop the trucker; trucker sped away, called police.
  • The pursued car got deterred by police lights but escaped.
  • No update from police; speculations about what was being buried.

Personal Reflections from the Trucker

• Modern Videos: Mentions of truckers documenting their routines and providing tips via TikTok/YouTube shorts.
• Background: Dropped out of a prestigious university, chose trucking as a career.
• Isolation: Long hours and dealing with loneliness on the road; advising others to make peace with personal demons.

Incident Driving from Southern New Jersey to Lafayette, Indiana

• Setting: A 12-hour drive after already having completed an 8-hour trip.
• Event:
  • Realized he needed an energy drink; stopped at an abandoned gas station.
  • Investigated a faint glow, found a gutted refrigerator; heard a clatter.
  • Went to another store; on returning noticed the previously closed door was open.
  • Back on the road, saw movements in the curtain behind him; feared someone was in the truck.
  • Drove to a police station and found three homeless people in the truck, one armed with switch blades.
  • No clear motives identified.

Incident in North Dakota to Montana

• Setting: Early morning in May, chilly Tuesday.
• Event:
  • Took smelling salts to stay awake.
  • Saw a purple dress and random clothing on the road.
  • Investigated kids' clothing; heard crunches and a child's scream.
  • Discovered people using a speaker to fake kid's crying; objects thrown at truck, cracked glass.
  • Escaped and called the police; no updates.
  • Reflects on how stupid it was to get out of the truck.

Key Takeaways

• Isolation and weird encounters are part of the trucking life.
• Trucker's job involves not just physical challenges but also dealing with strange and sometimes dangerous situations.
• Importance of safety and the unpredictability of nighttime driving experiences.