A little about Brothers of the Highway

Happy Thursday everyone from Virago Transport LLC!

Sorry for a delay in content, this week has been one of those weeks where everyday has been Monday lol And my headspace has been a bit cloudy as we’ve been navigating this new way of life and all the roles and responsibilities that go along with it. I’m just a nurse you see, I know how to assess patients and situations, take orders and process information, pop IV’s/tubes/dressing changes and educate on disease processes. So being co-owner in a business for which I’m not familiar is uncharted territory. Hell, being a business owner in general for both of us is uncharted territory. Thank goodness Daryl has his MBA, it’s helped us along the way and we are finally seeing his full potential in this endeavor. Those ridiculously priced student loan payments don’t hit quite so hard when the degree is being utilized lol But alas, this last week has definitely been one that has tested our patience, critical thinking and has required both of us to support each other as we figure this all out.

That being said, this post will be about the importance of support, the different types of support and where one (particularly for drivers and their families) can find it. This has been brought on by events of the week and a little backstory to the life of Daryl and Nicole!

It’ll probably be a long winded one, so take a second to decide if you want to commit, otherwise, you can look forward to some weekend pics from Vegas and whatever shenanigans we can get into there!

So first things first, a little background on how Daryl and I (with respect to trucking) came to be. Being in the truck for so long definitely can change a driver and put strain on relationships. Not all relationships are able to withstand the tolls that the road can put on a family. I can recall when Daryl and I first started dating he was driving for a company that kept him out for several weeks up to months at a time. I lived in OK and he in TX. Our first year together we saw each other a total of maybe 7 times with pass throughs, a total of 14 days…But it forced us to actually get to know each other on an intellectual level and bypass the ever exciting honeymoon phase lol We survived it, sometimes painfully, but after 10 years, we are still here supporting each other’s stubborn ass lol

Now regarding trucking, it was not uncommon, due to his extended periods of time in the truck, to just stay in the truck because his townhouse was sort of foreign and too quiet to sleep. Having spent the last few weeks in the truck, I can see how the soothing rumble of the truck APU at night would become a necessary thing for comfort lol I found it quite difficult to fall asleep quickly when we were through the house over the weekend because it was too quiet, even with my 3 fans blowing in the room LOL But being out here has definitely helped me understand the dude I married and have stuck it out with for over a decade, that’s for sure.

Not all driver’s home life situations are the same. Some have a great support system with a family waiting at home for them to come in each night, each week, each month, or longer depending on the type of trucking they do. Some have very toxic home lives due to the career path they’ve chosen that takes them away for extended periods of time. Some have no one at all.

It’s definitely not easy being in a line of work that keeps you away from home base for on average 300+ days a year. We are all too familiar with that situation in our household, as at different points in his career, Daryl has been out 340+ days a year, and let me tell ya, that was rough on us all. But it’s what had to be done, so we did it! It’s definitely taken a toll on our marriage, our kids, our overall lives in some capacity. Trucking truly is a lifestyle. It is its own culture and not for the faint of heart. It takes a lot of trust and give and take, and for the families of the driver, it takes getting used to living life without a spouse, parent, or relative for the majority of each year. Divorce rates are statistically high, not all that different from say the military or law enforcement. But it's a life I wouldn’t trade for the world. And having seen what he sees day in and day out, I can honestly say I don’t blame him for eating, breathing, living this industry.

We were lucky to stumble into a group of like minded people, drivers and their supporters through a Facebook group of all places. The Brothers Of The Highway TC was founded around 2 years ago with a mission to share the value in helping each other out, educating the public on the real life of trucking, giving insight to life in the truck, returning to the old ways of taking pride in your career, restoring respect and dignity in trucking, and overall watching the back of so many who may not have that support at home. This is done by demonstrating random acts of kindness while in truck stops, paying it forward to those who may need a hand up, recognizing and appreciating those that help make their jobs easier (truck stop shower cleaning attendees, wait staff at restaurants, etc), demonstrating professional driver etiquette while at the truck stop (yes this is a thing, remember my post about the peepee lots LOL), educating and helping fellow drivers who may need assistance backing into a truck space, working on a rig, need a shower credit so they aren’t paying a ridiculous price to clean up, picking up trash in the areas that they sleep (truck stops), keeping each other apprised of safety concerns across the nation, and meeting up when in the vicinity of each other (this is most important due to the high rates of isolation and increased risk for depression in this particular sector). There's so much more than what I’ve listed here, but it gives you an idea of how amazing this trucking club has become to our family. One thing personally that we’ve experienced was when a club brother and his wife noticed that they were in the same area we were in early one morning (Everyone is on the Life360 app-goes along with keeping an eye on your brother and sister). Daryl and I were dead to the world after a long night of driving and woke to 2 handmade bracelets sitting at our door and a selfie from the brother who left them there for us to wake up to LOL Thanks again BOH Monkey and LilBit!!

It’s not uncommon for our house to be the stomping ground for a brother who is in the Fort Worth area to come in for a hot shower, home cooked meal, and be included in our family evening while they are out there doing what they do.

Most recently, they've opened a new division to the group for women, called the Angels of the Highway which is a sisterhood for the women drivers, women in the industry, and the spouses of those that drive. And let me tell you, they have been a godsend and helped me to rekindle my passion to be a part of an organization and help with my background in nursing and dispatching. Already the group has shown its value and importance in supporting each other, such as when a member was injured while on the job and was healing in their truck alone while waiting for family to come to assist. Through the group, contact was kept with the driver, a watchful eye if you will, until they were no longer alone and could be cared for by someone trusted. Without a group like this, there’s no telling what could have happened. Daryl was appointed to become an officer and chapter director within the brotherhood and I’m actually in the prospecting phase to become a club member of AOH and take great pride in that!

If you are a driver or an industry supporter who would like to learn more about what these 2 amazing clubs are about and get to know about what it really means to be a driver and what this industry entails, give them a lookover! It’s all free, just information! They seriously are a great group of men and women who are trying to take back what it means to truck and be a professional driver! They also post great restaurant reviews and recipes lol This is also a great support for spouses of drivers who face the challenges of life with a loved one on the road! We are the real backbones in this situation, keeping it held down at home base, constantly worried if our partner will come home safely, keeping our driver in touch with humanity during those long stretches, in some cases being both the mom and the dad, and living a 2 part life, one when our driver is gone and one when our driver is home.

I’ll include the links to the Facebook support page below! Answer a couple of questions (to make sure you’re human LOL) and the officers of the club will approve ya.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for your support, I appreciate your time! As for Daryl and I, we will get through this together, learn as we go, probably fall on our asses a few times, and pick each other up.

Thank you for coming on this journey with me! It’s been one hell of a ride! We’ve shut down in Stratford, TX, whipping up some chops and settling in for the night.

Did you know...

The rate of homelessness in this industry is surprisingly high, the truck is home for many drivers due to the high costs of living outside of the truck and little home time. At times going home is seen as a punishment financially, we experienced this many times during Daryl’s career…You don’t get paid when at home, and if you don’t have the budget to compensate, it’s slim pickens that month. In other situations, no family = no reason to have another expense. In some cases, paying for rent/mortgage is just not cost effective when a driver is out on the road more time than they are home. It’s not uncommon for a small family to live life in the truck with the driver, although not ideal, I can understand why this happens, especially in today's high cost of living.

Brothers of the Highway https://bit.ly/3gpIbv8

Angels of the Highway https://bit.ly/3scqd1J

#viragotransport #brothersofthehighway #Angelsofthehighway #realtalkintrucking #thereallifeintrucking #entreprenuercouple #figuringitoutaswego