Millis Blog

There are a lot of truck drivers who like to write poetry. A quick search of the internet will pull up hundreds of poems about life on the road. There are also poems about how much truck drivers love the people in their lives. Drivers who write poetry are often celebrated. Headlines like Truck Driver writes Christian Poetry are easy to find. There are even books. For instance, in 2014, the University of Akron Press published the work of a poet-truck driver.

The truck driver, who had already passed away when his work was submitted for consideration, had a grocery sack full of poems that had been written on the road. His brother gathered them altogether and sent them into the UA Press. The odds of being chosen for that publication were less than 5%. The works of that truck driver, however, made the cut.  The driver, Lowell A. Levant, ended up becoming a published poet after he died, authoring the work, “A Poet Drives a Truck.”

Robert Frost once stated that, “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.” There are other notations that people have made about the art. For instance, one online contributor says he stores his memories in poetry. “We don’t remember days, good days or bad days. We remember moments: good, bad, not so good, okay moments,” he said. “We live our lives in moments stringed after moments.”

Online publications have done a lot to bring notoriety to the trucker poet, especially sites like Pinterest. One poem called “Trucking Hurts” that appeared in a random search, shows the beauty and honest emotion associated with life on the road. The poem, written by J. Packard, states the following:

I drive everyday to find something I like.

I drive not because of the money.

I drive because It’s fun.

I live to see places I've never seen.

I live always on the road.

I live my life.

I Drive not for the glory or the Fame.

I Drive to get the load on time.

I Drive because I love it.

Read in entirety at https://hellopoetry.com/words/trucking/

There are also websites like PoetrySoup.Com that houses what they call the all-time best Trucker Poems of their members. At this site, you will find titles such as: “Little Trucker,” or “Trucker Coffee.” Never let it be said that truck drivers are not passionate about what they do, as they are.

There are a lot of ways that Truckers celebrate Valentine’s Day out on the road. Writing and publishing poetry is just one of many. This February, everyone here at Millis Transfer, salutes our poet Truckers. Those talented individuals who give voice to the full range of authentic and raw emotion felt during their traveling experiences. When Poet Truckers say they “love the industry,” you can honestly feel it in what they say. We think that is one of the best testaments we could ever give to the joy of trucking.

About Millis Transfer

Millis Transfer, Getting It There Since 1936, has an impressive service record earning dozens of “Carrier of the Year” awards. Headquartered in Black River Falls, Wis., Millis is also a Certified Top Pay Carrier with some of the best equipment on the road. Maintenance facilities and drop yards are strategically located throughout the company’s operating area. Its sister company, Millis Training Institute, offers five school locations that provide students with quality training in order to earn their CDL-A license. For more information, please visit www.millistransfer.com, www.mtidriving.com or call 1-800-937-0880.