My Dog is Traffic Stopping Handsome!
My Dog is Traffic Stopping Handsome! No really! You don’t believe me? Well, here is my latest story in my Journey’s of a Professional Truck Driver series.
Many drivers take their pets with them on the road. Beyond the obvious companionship, a good road dog earns his keep. A dog that watches the truck and cargo is equal parts co-pilot and security guard. When a dog genuinely serves that security role, some of his expenses can even qualify as a business deduction. There are real rules and recordkeeping to it, which I break down in my trucker tax deductions guide. My road dog Thumper loves the trucker life, especially when the passenger seat is available and he can watch the world go by. Now when I say “available,” I don’t mean empty. He’s as happy to sit on top of someone as he is to have the seat to himself.
One morning, while I was in the sleeper, I woke up to a voice saying, “Hold there, I have something for your co-driver.” How very odd, I thought, but I’d only been asleep a couple hours, so I shook it off and knocked back out.
Upon waking up a while later, I was told this story.
My husband was driving southbound on I-81 through Virginia, and Thumper was enjoying the sun in the passenger seat. Then we were pulled into a weigh station. He notices all the trucks are getting pulled in, and the line behind him is starting to back out onto the freeway. In the parking lot there are several police vehicles and roughly 20 officers. He figures they’re running a “trucker special,” looking for illegal or illicit activity.
It’s finally his turn and he pulls onto the scale, but the light stays red. It stays that way for a good 10 seconds longer than normal. Then a woman’s voice comes over the loudspeaker and says (you guessed it), “Hold there, I have something for your co-driver.” A woman comes out of the building and walks around to the passenger’s side to give my big sweet baby a treat. My husband was flabbergasted. He had barely been able to contain himself until I woke up. All those trucks and officers waiting around, just so my big guy could have a treat.
Do you know the Eagles song Take It Easy? Well, that’s my dog. He racks up friends and girlfriends everywhere we go, and I can now proudly boast: my dog is traffic stopping handsome!
If you love road dogs as much as we do, check out more of our adventures in our Dogs, Dogs, Dogs! section. You can also read the rest of my Journey’s of a Professional Truck Driver stories.
Join the M2GT Family
At M2GT, we understand that for many drivers, pets aren’t just animals, they’re family. That’s why we welcome dogs on the road with our team drivers and owner-operators. Thumper and Rocky ride along with us and help write half our policies around here.
If you’re looking for a carrier that values compliance and treats its drivers right, schedule a call with M2GT and let’s talk about what we can offer you. You can also visit our Owner Operator page for more information.
If you enjoyed this article, please check out our other stories from the road and our Trucking 411 articles — Keep the Shiny Side Up!
