WRITTEN BY PATRICIA ESTABROOK
In the 1840s, boys read Richard Henry Dana’s book “Two Years Before the Mast” and longed to pit themselves against the boundless sea and the forces of nature to deliver goods by schooner from Boston to California. The hard life held a certain romance for those who longed to see the world. Today the schooner trade is gone but the romance of travel, the bittersweet loneliness, and the valor of facing the elements in all their fury continues to call truckers from New England to California.
Cory Littlefield knew from an early age that he longed to see the world from the driver’s seat in an 18-wheeler. He grew up on a farm and learned how to drive farm equipment from his five uncles.
“When I was five or six years old my uncle let me sit on his lap as he drove around the farm,” Littlefield said. “I even got to steer a little.”
It was that early feeling of being useful and trustworthy that gave Littlefield his self-confidence. He drove around the farm by the time he was 12. By the time he was 15 he had ridden along with his uncles and had seen how they navigated mountain blizzards and brought their loads safely home.
For Littlefield, the rewards of being a trucker are similar to what Dana experienced in 1840. They both got to see different places. They both realized that their work was important to the people they served and that getting goods to customers made the whole country stronger.
From his experience of driving for more than 20 years, Littlefield has advice for young people who would like to take their places behind the wheel. He urges them to ride along with experienced drivers whenever possible. Life experience can show a potential driver how to cope with the weather, the inattention of other drivers, and unexpected road obstacles. He says successful drivers have a straightforward attitude. They believe in the importance of their jobs. Good drivers are patient and able to endure the loneliness of being away from their families. The best drivers enjoy the people they meet on the road, their customers, the other drivers, and the staff at truck stops, and most of all enjoy returning home safely.
Littlefield believes that being a driver can be a secure future for a young man or woman. “Trucking will always be there,” he said. “Railroads increase and decrease but the need for truckers stays the same.”
Although the Covid-19 pandemic has leveled off, a grateful country still applauds drivers like Cory Littlefield who continued to drive and ensure the supplies that keep the U.S. fed and comfortable are delivered.
