Vintage Insights into Trucking Culture
This classic interview from TIME with truckers provides a glimpse into an era that some drivers regard as the golden age of trucking in America, featuring perspectives from those who traveled through Transport City in 1979.
Life at “Trucker’s Heaven”
Conducted at the famed “Trucker’s Heaven” truck stop in Georgia, the TIME piece highlights the extensive amenities available to drivers at that time. Spanning 51 acres, “Trucker’s Heaven” offered everything from fuel and saunas to motel accommodations, serving as a community hub for drivers to recharge and connect with others in the field—primarily men, with a few women.
The Call Board
The article sheds light on a now-obsolete feature of truck stops: the call board.
“The board is equipped with buttons linking directly to the Georgia offices of 29 nationwide freight carriers. An amplified female voice announces, ‘May I have your attention, please. Anyone with a reefer interested in heading to New York, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania, please report to the desk.’”
Changing Perceptions of Trucking
The article also touches on a trend that seems to have faded over the years: the admiration for truckers.
“Similar to rock music and politics, trucking has its fans, with young girls waiting outside locations like Transport City for a chance to hitch a ride… Some drivers voice concerns that Transport City mistreats the women traveling with truckers, but the management argues they are merely looking out for the drivers’ safety.”
Timeless Trucking Topics
Although the trucking landscape has evolved considerably, some discussions remain unchanged.
“Conversations at truck stops revolve around road conditions, the size of the largest pothole, state legislation, and, incessantly, the misdeeds of ‘the four wheels’, ” the article states.
The Outlaw Spirit
“We’re an outlaw breed,” professed a 29-year-old trucker featured in the 1979 article. “We’re the last free sons of bitches in the U.S.”
Another trucker from that time elaborated, “The main reason a person becomes a driver is the solitude. Drivers tend to dislike a lot of noise; they appreciate getting away from it all to have their own thoughts.”
