First Interview

the first person I interviewed was Charles Parker a 27 year old man from Oklahoma.Charles has two daughters and a son. Charles graduated high school and driving trucks was something he hs always wanted to do. being an auto mechanic is his hobby.

Charles Parker: 1. yes because traveling was something that I always enjoyed, so I became interested in driving trucks. I figured that it wouldn’t get any better than traveling across the country exploring different sceneries and getting paid for it.   

2. My career has so far turned out to be what I expected and more. Also, I must say the only disadvantage is not being able to go home  to see my family on a daily dasis

3. My biggest value as a truck driver is Safty.

4. The best solution to staying awake is getting the proper amount of rest, but a lot of other drivers have mentioned things such as blasting the radio, talking on their phones, or turning on their air conditioning.

5. The pros of becoming a truck driver is the availabilities, great pay, getting paid to see the country. The cons to becoming a truck drive is the lack of home-time, being trapped on the road in bad weather, and dealing with so much traffic at times and still having to be on time for every appointment.

 TANYA HORTON.. DRiving trucks was not what i also wanted to do.I went to community college and obtain a degree in Hospitality
and once I graduated, I could not find a job.I got a job driving the school bus for elementry students, that was not paying
enough , then I got my CDL and got a job as a truck driving , diriving for over 7 years.

2> As a tuck driver  I value the work i do, i value all the people who drive safe to their destinations, it makes my job alot
easaer.I value my long trips home and visiting new places and meeting interesting people. i enjoy collecting souverinors from
diiferent states to bring back to my family members. At the moment i am struggling with sepatime FROM  my family for long
periods of time3. by I am getting used to it and them the same. . Externally i am stuggling with adjusting to the different
weather climates i have to travel in .

3> the pro's of being a truck driveris the oppurtunity to travel without the whole family, the pay is very good, and the peace
 of mind while in constant motion. cons.. working during the holidays, and long hours.

4> Career goal is to purchase my own 18 wheeler, Well since i have been driving for over 7 years,i have been aquainted with other
drivers and we share family stories together

truck drivers help each other in numerous ways. we lookout for each other when it comes to our routes. We advised each other of
short cuts and traffic blocks. we also share good eatery locations for good prices.

Laungue or codes..we abbrevated alot, and we use hand signals.

Interview Process

I chose to do a conversational and easygoing approach, which involves a friendly conversational tone. I will profile the person (truck driver) to find his or her special niche to promote their career , their achievements, and personality. hopefully their personality and voice comes through my writing. I will keep the article "Tent City" by George Saunders in mind. In ENG101 We discussed microcosms and where they exist in class; it turns out that they exist everywhere, in our families, at our jobs, and even in our hobbies. 




QUESTIONS: 
1. IS DRIVING TRUCKS WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO. IF NOT WHAT  CAREER PATH DID YOU WANT TO TAKE? IF SO WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE THIS CAREER?

2. WHEN YOU BEGIN YOUR CAREER WHAT DID YOU EXPECT, AND IS THIS WHAT YOU EXPECTED? 

3. AS A DRIVER WHAT DO YOU VALUE? AND ARE YOU STRUGGLING WITH ANY ISSUES EXTERNALLY OR INTERNALLY?

4. WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS OF BRING A TRUCK DRIVER?

5. WHAT ARE YOUR CAREER GOALS? HOW DO YOU AND OTHER DRIVERS TALK TO EACH OTHER? HOW DO YOU AND OTHER DRIVERS HELP EACH OTHER? WHAT IS YOUR LANGUAGE OR CODE?

Setting - TA Truck Stop

I recently went to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for spring break. I had a great time especially doing my research there at the TA Truck Stop. TA Truck Stop is a full-service national travel center chain in the U.S., with 165 locations serving hundreds of thousands of professional drivers and other highway travelers each month, including long-haul trucking fleets/professional drivers, independent professional Motorists, drivers/owner operators, RV`ers. motor-coaches, virtually all major trucking fleets.  Anyhow there are different types of truck drivers, such as long distance and local drivers to drivers of hazardous materials and owner operators, if not all most of the drivers rely on Travel Centers of America as their "home away from home" while working on the road. TA helps take care of all the drivers over-the-road needs as they push forward to meet their deadlines to get to their destination. TA has different services for these drivers such as diesel fuel and gasoline, truck repair and maintenance, restaurants: full-service dining and fast-food courts, travel and convenience stores. The driver amenities include showers, business services, laundry facilities, weigh scales, video arcades and more.  I discovered that the truckers come from all areas of the U.S, all with a similar if not different story. They like to travel, it pays good, some do it for their families, some even do it because it fits their personality. I discovered they are just like anyone else out here trying to make a living. I left the TA Truck Stop with a brain freeze and a bellyache due to the free refills on slush and sweet tea, their food selection is also good. The people there are so friendly.

Truck Drivers

I can remember as a little girl driving in the car with my mother putting my hand in the air and pulling it down as if I was pulling the horn of a 18 wheeler truck I even did it to dumpster trucks. I would do this until the truck driver saw me and he pull his back. I did that every time I saw a truck, telling my mom drive faster so she could catch up to them. I couldn't believe how beautiful some of the trucks were. When I found out that some of them had beds in them, just amazed me. I just loved when we would go on family trips and we pulled into the truck stops, I felt as if I was in a M&M factory but with trucks. I don't know much about this group, but my assumptions are that truckers are outlaws, Women can't be good truckers, and they are mean, smelly, and they cursed a lot, but after doing some research about truckers hopefully will change my assumptions of them. In class we discussed an article "Tent City" by George Saunders. In this article it talked about a group of people who formed a microcosm. Just as microcosm exist in Tent City, I believe it also exist in truckers society. They both have rules, regulations, and responsibilities. I plan to observe men and women truckers that drive local, long-haul trucking fleets/professional drivers, independent professional motorists, drivers/owner operators, RV`ers. and motor-coaches, 
 at a TA Truck Stop.