Truck drivers in the United States can be on the road for days, weeks, sometimes even months. They are away from their physical home, forcing them to change their definition of what ‘home’ means. In this case, how do you take ‘home’ with you? Drivers have been known to bring pictures, food, trinkets and sometimes pets or family members to make their rig feel like home while they are away. This portrait series, “Home on the Highway”, features what trucker drivers take with them on the road that reminds them of that feeling of home.
At the Petro Travel Center in Kingdom City, Missouri, hundreds of truck drivers pass through the truck stop every day. Some stop to fill up and grab a snack, while others spend multiple nights there. The mission of the truck stop is to provide a sense of a ‘home base’ for drivers. There are showers, washing machines, a restaurant with hot meals, and even a drivers’ exclusive lounge and theater room. The Petro also has a truck service station to be there as a resource for drivers who need maintenance while on the road.
Kyle Goodman, 25, displays his tattoo featuring his favorite truck’s logo. Goodman is coming up on a year of driving within the industry. “I have been with two companies, and both of them put me in a Kenworth,” he says. Goodman’s only disappointment is that his current truck is an automatic, but he still loves the job. Growing up in Virginia, he was always driving vehicles with a manual transmission so he fell in love the machinery.
Mary White, 54, says “sit and say cheese” while posing for a portrait with her two dogs. After the death of her last dog that rode with her for 14 years, Molly was going to be taken to the pound, so the timing just felt right to bring her into the family. Molly (bottom) is coming up on five-years-old and Macaroni (top) is coming on two-years-old. “He likes to stir it up and then he will get her fired up… then we all got to get up and see what’s up there,” White explains. Being a woman in the industry, White highlights that having the dogs as company helps her feel comfortable driving alone.
Juan Rivera, 45, brings out his bike to the truck yard. He got a good deal on the bike years ago and has brought it with him on every trip since starting to drive a year ago. “The bike has been with me so long that it kind of has sentimental value now,” Rivera explains. The carbon-fiber build of the bike makes it delicate but a very well-made bike. He is committed to keeping the integrity of it by only putting similarly made parts on it, despite the cost.
Brooke Smith, 20, and Shane Comstock, 28, pose to commemorate their first trip riding together. Comstock has been driving for 8 years, but for Smith: it’s her first ever long-haul ride. She describes leaving her home state of Florida, “I’ve never really been places like that, so it’s awesome to have the chance to see different states and places. I wouldn’t be able to do this if it wasn’t for him.” The couple is stuck parked in the Petro maintenance bay for the night because of some blown shocks on their truck. Comstock is an owner and operator, which makes the broken truck fully his responsibility.
John Benedict, 25, travels with his three stuffed pigs when he drives. “I was walking through Walmart, I was like, oh, a pig for my car. It’s so cute, it’s so fluffy, da da da. Then my mom got me the big one… and the little one rides on my dash” Benedict explains. As a part of Schneider’s tanker division, he currently transports liquid fertilizer mainly throughout the Midwest, putting almost 12,000 miles on his new rig in just the past four months.
