.
. >>>
. >>> WELCOME BACK TO GREAT DAY
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. >>> SEMITRUCK DRIVERS HAVE BEEN
A BACKBONE TO ECONOMY,
TRANSPORTS GOODS FROM ONE PLACE
TO ANOTHER.
TO ANOTHER. BUT IT CAN BE LONELY ON THE
ROAD.
ROAD.
ROAD. DURING THE PANDEMIC, ANY BIT OF
FACE TO FACE HUMAN INTERACTION
HAS BEEN CUT OFF.
TRUCK DRIVER ED MILLER IS THE
AUTHOR OF THE TRUCKER'S TALE.
>> Reporter: I WANT TO START
WITH YOUR BOOK.
CONGRATULATIONS.
CONGRATULATIONS.
>>
>> THANKS. .
.
. >>
. >> WHAT
. >> WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION?
>> I WAS TALKING WITH A FRIEND
ONE DAY, AND I SHARED A STORY OF
A HUMOROUS STORY OF A DRIVER I
HAD WORKED WITH OVER 40 YEARS
AGO.
AGO.
AGO. I
AGO. I GOT OFF THAT AFTERNOON
AND GOT TO THINKING, I SAID THAT
WOULD BE FUN TO PUT THAT ON
PAPER.
PAPER.
PAPER. AND WELL, I GOT CARRIED AWAY AND
REMEMBERED ANOTHER STORY AND
ANOTHER.
ANOTHER.
ANOTHER. AND THIS IS THE MAKINGS OF A
BOOK.
BOOK.
BOOK. >>
BOOK. >> Reporter: WHAT'S YOUR
FAMILY'S REACTION BEEN LIKE?
>> THEY'RE LIKING IT.
MY WIFE EVEN LIKED THE
BOOK.
BOOK.
BOOK. THERE'S COLORFUL LANGUAGE IN
THERE AND SHE DOESN'T USE
COLORFUL LANGUAGE.
COLORFUL LANGUAGE. SHE HAD TO SKIM OVER SOME OF IT.
ALL OF THE FAMILY HAS BEEN
SUPPORTIVE.
SUPPORTIVE. ALL OF THE MEMBERS AND MY
BROTHERS AND SISTER, THEY'RE IN
THE BOOK.
THE BOOK.
THE BOOK. AND THEY'VE EMBRACED IT.
IT'S FUN.
IT'S FUN.
IT'S FUN. IT'S BEEN REALLY FUN.
PEOPLE LIKE YOU
INTERVIEWING US.
INTERVIEWING US. THIS IS GREAT.
.
.
. >>
. >> Reporter: SOMETHING TOTALLY
NEW.
NEW.
NEW. YOU
NEW. YOU NEVER KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN.
>> NO.
>> NO.
>> NO. >>
>> NO. >> Reporter: WHAT DID YOU USED
TO TELL YOURSELF WHEN MAYBE YOU
WERE MISSING FAMILY OR MISSING
HUMAN INTERACTION WHEN YOU WERE
ON THE ROAD FOR LONG PERIODS OF
TIME?
TIME?
TIME? WHAT DID YOU TELL YOURSELF TO
KIND OF KEEP GOING AND CONTINUE
ON?
ON?
>>
>> EVENTUALLY, YOU'RE GOING TO GET HOME.
GET HOME.
GET HOME. WHETHER IT'S THE END OF THE
WEEK, WHETHER IT'S TWO WEEKS.
THERE'S NOT A AWFUL LOT OF OVER
THE ROAD LONG DISTANCE TRUCKING
FOR THE BIG COMPANIES ANYMORE.
A LOT OF REGION WORK, THE
DRIVERS ARE RUNNING DURING THE
DAY AND THEY GET HOME AND THEY
GET TO SPEND THE NIGHTS WITH
THEIR FAMILIES.
THEIR FAMILIES. ALL I CAN SAY IS THIS IS WHAT I
WANT TO DO.
AND TRUCKERS DO THAT.
THEY'RE OUT THERE BECAUSE
THEY WANT TO BE OUT THERE.
IT'S THEIR JOB.
AND MOST OF THEM AREN'T BURNING
TO GET HOME.
A LOT OF MARRIAGES SURVIVED
BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN APART.
.
.
. >>
. >> Reporter: A LOT OF PEOPLE
ARE BEING TESTED BECAUSE THEY'RE
NOT APART EVER.
>> OH, MY, CAN YOU IMAGINE?
>> I LOVE THE POINT YOU MADE,
THOUGH, OF YOU WILL EVENTUALLY
GET HOME.
GET HOME.
GET HOME. WE WILL EVENTUALLY COME OUT OF
THIS.
THIS.
>>
>> WE
>> WE WILL. >> AND GET TO HAVE THAT
INTERACTION, PHYSICAL
INTERACTION, PHYSICAL INTERACTION AGAIN.
INTERACTION AGAIN. .
.
. >>
. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> I THINK KEEPING THAT IN OUR
MINDS OF THIS WILL COME TO AN
END EVENTUALLY.
END EVENTUALLY.
>>
>> THIS
>> THIS WILL PASS. .
.
. >>
. >> Reporter: WHEN YOU'RE IN THE
CAB AND ON THE ROAD, YOU GOT A
SEVERAL HOUR DRIVE, WHAT WAS IT
ABOUT THAT TIME THAT YOU JUST
KIND OF ENJOYED SO MUCH, THAT
TIME TO YOURSELF?
>> I ENJOYED THE SCENERY.
I DROVE UP ON STATEN
ISLAND, NEW YORK, ONE MORNING AT
DAY BREAK.
DAY BREAK. AS A CRESTED A HILL, THE BALL OF
FIRE, BEING THE SUN, WAS PERCHED
RIGHT BETWEEN THE UPRIGHTS OF
THE BRIDGE.
THE BRIDGE. YOU DON'T SEE SIGHTS LIKE THAT
IN A CAR ALL THE TIME BECAUSE
YOU DON'T DRIVE 3,000 MILES A
WEEK, MOST PEOPLE DON'T.
AND YOU DON'T SEE THOSE SIGHTS.
IT'S A GREAT LIBERAL
EDUCATION BEING A TRUCK DRIVER.
IT REALLY IS.
>> Reporter: AND YOU ENJOYED
HAVING THE QUIET TIME TO
YOURSELF?
YOURSELF?
YOURSELF? >> YEAH, I DID.
AND MOST TRUCKERS DO.
>> Reporter: THANKS FOR JOINING
ME AND CONGRATULATIONS ON THE
BOOK.
BOOK.
BOOK. LOOKING FORWARD TO READING SOME
OF THE STORIES.
>> HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY IT.
IT WAS FUN WRITING.
I HOPE YOU HAVE AS MANY FUN
READING IT AS I DID WRITING IT.
>> AND ED WANTED TO REMIND
EVERYONE WHEN WE START GETTING
BACK ON THE ROADS, BE AWARE OF
RESPECTFUL OF THE TRUCK DRIVERS.
AT SPEEDS OF 65, 80 MILES PER
HOUR, THE TRUCK NEEDS THE LENGTH
OF TWO FOOTBALL FIELDS TO STOP.
THEY