The fascination with trucking and the trucking industry have long been the inspiration for books. Many bring the flavor and lure of the lifestyle to life in fiction novels that put the reader behind the wheel to experience adventure, romance, and the freedom of the road. Others are non-fiction tomes that can help take the mystery out of an industry to help those interested become a success in this challenging career.
Here is a list we have compiled of 10 of the best books in which trucking and truckers play a major role. They include both fiction and non-fiction titles, and all are available to keep a trucker company while on a long haul.
Drivers who have a taste for history will enjoy The Long Haul: American Trucking Companies. It tells how the trucking industry and some major firms got their start, reviewing the history of over-the-road transportation.
In Bumper-to-Bumper: The Complete Guide to Tractor-Trailer Operations, the reader is treated to a revealing look into the lives of truckers. A favorite of drivers who ride the roads every day, the book takes a no-nonsense, but respectful, look at the trucking industry and what makes it tick.
In the Driver’s Seat: Interstate Trucking—a Journey describes the true life of a trucker from the personal viewpoint of an actual long-haul driver. Marc Mayfield gives tips, offers tricks of the trade, and tells anecdotes that bring trucking to life.
Kids will love Truck Driver Tom. This children’s book tells of Tom’s travels and the many sights he sees along the way.
Mother Trucker is for all the adults who ever dreamed of hitting the road. It tells the often hilarious tale of a middle-aged couple who leave their high-paying white-collar jobs to become a team of long-distance drivers.
Continuing with the theme of life on the road, Spirit of the Road relates a year of adventures experienced by a man who sets out to be a long-haul driver with his cat.
The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger relates the conversion of much of shipping to using the container. This required huge investments from individuals, ports, and shipping companies, but has had a major effect on the global economy.
Sitting behind the wheel all day, eating a dives, and loading up on caffeine is not the healthiest lifestyle. Truck Drivers: The Dietician’s Guide to Smart Eating and Healthy Living for Truckers provides a way to fight back.
Tops among trucking “how-to” books is 10 Steps to Owning Your Own Trucking Freight Broker/Agent Business. This carefully explains the basics involved in every aspect of the trucking industry.
Trucker: Tractor-Trailer Driver Handbook/Workbook is a textbook for learning to successfully drive the big rigs or to keep up to date on the latest procedures and remain compliant. It gives helpful hints on how to stay safe and healthy on the road and to develop the traits of a true professional.