One thing that draws folks into trucking is the desire for independence — and there is no greater independence for truckers than rolling down a highway with wide-open spaces and blue sky in their windshields. This same drive makes truckers want more than just the independence of the open road... More »

I was getting divorced and had two children to take care of. At the time I drove a school bus, and my soon-to-be-ex husband used to say that if I could drive a bus I could handle a truck.So I called up a training academy to learn how to drive a truck. I even held myself back an extra week before... More »

Have you ever seen a carpenter try to cut a board with a dull saw? Have you ever seen a farmer try to plow a field with only half of his tractor’s cylinders firing? Like many tasks, these can be accomplished, but not with the speed or efficiency one would hope for. The same thing holds true in... More »

With the breakout success of her rowdy 2004 hit “Redneck Woman” and quintuple-platinum debut album, Here for the Party, small-town girl Gretchen Wilson had to learn how to be a country star. She didn’t realize at the time that she’d also have to learn how to be the head of... More »

When Cynthia Morgan moved from the back of the bike to handling her own hog in the summer of 2007, she was embracing a dream and immediately knew she had found a true passion. But when she decided to go to the annual Sturgis, S.D., motorcycle rally, she knew she had to be smart about it.In 2004... More »

Editor’s Note: From setting regulations for truckers to allocating funds for the nation’s highways, the federal government has a profound impact on drivers’ lives. Trucking Matters will regularly offer interviews with key players affecting the  transportation industry.When... More »

There are three fundamental factors that affect a vehicle’s fuel consumption: the vehicle, driving conditions — which are outside the control of driver and vehicle — and driver operation. Believing myself to be a fuel-conscious driver, I was excited by the opportunity to... More »

The cold, dark winter months can really affect you. Mood changes, depression and weight gain are very common because people dole out the comfort foods and cut back on activities to cope with dreary, shorter days. But those making an effort to keep healthy and fit should not change their focus due to... More »

Does anyone else remember when the year 2009 seemed like a ridiculously long way into the future? By then, according to the movies, we’d be traveling on hoverboards, vacationing on space stations throughout the galaxy and commuting in flying cars.Well here it is and nobody I know has a... More »