If you are a trucker (or a trucker's loved one), you know the sting of having to spend a holiday apart. While a holiday like the 4th of July may not be as tough to get through as Christmas, it still isn't easy to mark off those dates alone. If you're creative, however, you can still find ways to feel connected over holidays, as well as any regular day, enough to where you feel as though you are right there with your favorite people. Thanks to modern technology, we are fortunate enough to have many different options for keeping in touch with those who matter.
Phone Calls - Text messaging is so common these days that some people almost never speak on the phone. Entire relationships have been played out over text. It's no wonder friendships end and couples break up! Solely texting in a regular relationship is a bad idea, but relying heavily on text messages when one of you is an OTR trucker just further perpetuates that physical disconnect. Hearing each other's voices on the phone is important, especially when it comes to spouses and kids. Not to mention, it can be done while driving if you're wearing a headset, which increases the amount of time you're able to talk. (It should go without saying that texting should absolutely never be done while driving).
Face Time / Skype / Google Hangouts - No matter your means, utilizing video chat as a means of communicating with loved ones while on the road is a great idea. Of course, this one requires you to be parked and have a WiFi connection (which most truck stops have). Video chats are the best way to feel like you're physically in the same room with each other. You can virtually take your spouse and kids on your route with you by giving them a video tour of every place you stop. Even though the view may not always be exciting, it helps loved ones better understand what life is like for you when you're away. Taking some of the mystery out can ease anxieties and concerns as well. Likewise, your loved ones can flip the camera around and let you experience moments at home. If you time it right, you can even have family dinner together. Albeit you are eating in your truck and they looking at you on a computer screen as they around the dinner table, but the weight of it still holds. You can still have conversation, and ask about each other's days.
Social Media - Facebook and Instagram are especially great tools to utilize while you're on the road. You can keep up with the things happening in your friends' lives, and don't forget to post some pictures and updates yourself! Many people don't understand what it's really like to be a truck driver because it's such a solitary job. You can document experiences or photograph beautiful sights along the way, and it's guaranteed that the people missing you back home will love it.
Games and Apps - Find a game that you both enjoy playing and can download on your phones or tablets, and then play each other during your down time! Many games allow you to instant message each other while you're playing, and it gives you something to talk about later on as well. It is something you're doing together, even when you're apart from each other. One example of this is Words with Friends - which doesn't require both of you to be online at the same time. There are also more interactive games that you can both be playing at the same time. And don't forget to throw in some trash talk!
Letters and Postcards - This one is especially meaningful to a significant other. Going "old school" in your means of communication really shows that you put some thought into letting that person know you're thinking of him or her. In an age full of easy, instant communication, putting forth the extra effort to mail something has become somewhat of a romantic notion.
We are very fortunate to live in a time where long-distance communication does not have to be difficult. Nurturing relationships with friends or family as a trucker does not have to be complicated, it just has to be consistent. Some of the strongest relationships between truckers and spouses have succeeded simply be keeping the lines of communication open, and making an effort to connect, even when you're not in the same city. Plus, staying in touch with loved ones helps the time before you see each other again to pass by much faster!
Are you a trucker or a trucker's loved one? We want to know what you think! If you have any ideas to add, leave them in the comments below.
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