I came across this 1963 Mack truck on a recent trip to visit family in the Knoxville, Tennessee area.  

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My family and I had stopped by an antique store just west of Fountain City, and low and behold, there's a Big Rig that I just couldn't pass up going over and taking a picture of.  I walked over to take a look, and asked permission from the owner to take a couple of pictures. He was a very nice man. Proud of this old truck. Yes. Little rusty here and there. But I call it character. He was kind enough to tell me a little bit about a couple of his trucks. This one and a 1941 Ford. I didn't have the courage to ask him what I really wanted to ask him — "Can I drive it?" Can you imagine the fun you could have driving this truck through the backroads and mountains of East Tennessee? You'd be sure to get a lot of waves and turn a few heads, especially if you honked the air horn a few times. Sitting behind the driver's seat of this truck, you would feel like you were King of the Road.

Many thoughts began to swirl through my head about this Mack Truck. I wondered how many loads has this truck carried over the last 50+ years. One load a day for 52 weeks.  For 53 years. Potentially 20,000+ loads over the last 50 years. How many different drivers has it had? I wondered where it was made, and where it had been. How many miles has it traveled? I wondered how many times the odometer has rolled over.  I wondered how it is still running after all these years. How many oil changes? How many sets of tires? How much fuel has it burned over the last 50 years?

Think about it. What if this Big Mack could talk? What stories could the Mack Bulldog on the hood tell us if he could talk?

This Big Mack has seen 10 Presidents in the White House. Has lived through the Vietnam and Persian Gulf Wars. Has seen a man land on the moon, and a machine land on Mars. It has seen the Berlin Wall come down, and has tragically seen the Twin Towers fall as well.

If this Big Mack could talk, what great stories it could tell? Many miles.Many loads. Probably many drivers and passengers. Probably experienced many highs and many lows throughout its long career, and yet, after 50+ years, it is still running. Still working.

This truck to me is a symbol of the Truck driver in America. It is a picture of the tough, hardworking character of the driver behind the wheel. The driver that just keeps on keepin' on.  

These trucks and drivers don't get enough credit for what they do on a daily basis. They just go about their job in a businesslike manner. When the ignition switch is turned on, the engine cranks and these trucks just go about their business. Hauling loads. Meeting deadlines. These trucks and their drivers keep America moving.

So this week, we say thank you, to the Truck Drivers, and their trucks, that make our country what it is. Keep telling your stories. Keep taking great care of your Big Rigs. Keep doing what you do.  

We appreciate all that you do!