How NBC Ruined My Childhood Dreams of Being a Trucker

It was bound to happen. I was a 10-year-old Midwestern boy with discriminating tastes in television and engine technology. I was attracted to shows that featured adventures of anti-heroes in high-powered machines (go Beau and Luke!) instead of do-gooders in their masquerades for justice (I’m looking in your direction Ponch). It was only natural that an outcast named B.J. with an illegal vanity pet tickled my fancy. BJ and The Bear topped my weekly list of must-see. Just like that, I wanted to be a truck driver.

It couldn’t have lasted.
The idyllic lifestyle of this bard of the blacktop (BJ fronted a country band, as if he wasn’t cool enough already) was just too enticing for my wee sensibilities. He could do everything I wanted to do – he could drive, he could drive FAST, he could eat hamburgers in the car, he used a monkey to impress potential friends, he had long hair, he could outrun smokey and he could stay up as late as he wanted at the Country Comfort Truck Stop. If it weren’t for Sherrif Lobo getting all up in his grill every week, BJ’s life was next to perfect.

So what happened?
As I got older, let’s just say I realized where NBC took a few liberties with the actual lives of truckers. I know they wrote it that way to pique the interest of pipsqueaks nationwide, but it was quite a come-down for an aspiring teenager. Once I realized what the job entailed, I started looking for a new career. That gig with that talking car that could fly looked pretty good. Was Knight Industries hiring?

Anyway, here’s a short list of the liberties, compared to the realities of the job. And don’t get me wrong, while a career in truck driving is a hard job, it can be fulfilling and pay well. It’s just not as fulfilling as the charmed life of Mr. Billy Joe and his bag-of-chuckles chimp.

BJ and the Bear liberty:
BJ had an awful lot of time to chase the ladies (or suavely help them out of trouble) and hang out at the Country Comfort Truck Stop.

Truck driving career reality:
Interstate truckers often work long hours and many contractors demand pretty tight schedules. Work is plentiful, but you earn your living.

BJ and the Bear liberty:
High maintenance animals are a welcome addition to the duties of the road, and in many cases will get you out of trouble.

Truck driving career reality:
A small enclosed truck cabin is not the ideal place to share with an animal that requires daily diaper changes and enjoys pushing random buttons and levers. However, your significant other may be a good choice to share the travel, if they’re capable of avoiding this behavior and remain hygienic. Many couples double up for the CDL license training and share driving duties.

BJ and the Bear liberty:
Truckers spend most of their time assisting local law authorities in figuring out mysteries and taking part in sting operations.

Truck driving career reality:
While demand for qualified truck drivers is currently high, the demand for undercover truckers who thwart crime rings is unfortunately at an all-time low. This may have less to do with there being more widespread crime, and more with truckers being plenty busy with contracts and earning an honest living. But hey, who are we to steer you away from an exciting career like Criminal Justice.

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