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    You are at:Home»Poetry In Motion»“Back In The Old Days”
    Poetry In Motion

    “Back In The Old Days”

    By Trevor HardwickMarch 13, 2011Updated:March 31, 20114 Comments3 Mins Read
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    I just love old time truck drivers. I love to hear their stories of the old days of trucking. Sometimes, when I’m cruising across some barren part of the desert or the tumbleweed portions of west Texas, I imagine what it was like to drive the old trucks of the 50’s and 60’s through these areas – even before the interstate highway system was built. I like to recall what it was like to ride with my dad across the country in a spring ride cabover and loving every minute of it. I remember what it was like when two drivers would run together for a while and they would talk about everything under the sun. I get a kick out of it these days when I hear an old timer tell a tall tale on the radio to some wide-eyed newcomer who has no idea he’s yanking his chain. Drivers are full of stories – some of them true and some that are passed on from the generation before. This poem is about an old high-ballin’ driver who has a lot to say about the modifications he has performed to his old truck to make it run ahead of the pack. And I can only imagine the guys who would believe every word of it, only to pass it on to the next generation of unsuspecting drivers.

     

    TALL TRUCKER TALES!

    By Trevor Hardwick

     

    The street was singing softly, as I slowly strolled along.
    The engine pitched-in harmony, they sang my favorite song.
    The C.B. came to life, with some old driver talkin’ smack.
    He told me his old Diamond-T, could stomp on this old Mack.

    “This I gotta see!” I said, and grabbed another gear.
    I rolled my foot back to the floor, and then looked in the mirror.
    “Where’d you go?” I hollered back, quite sure of his demise.
    I knew I had him beat, cause this ol’ Mack gets up and flies!

    All at once, I hear the sound, of thunder in the air.
    I got this tingling feeling, on my skin and in my hair.
    A flash of light, a sonic boom, the paint peeled off my roof.
    I think I even peed a bit, to tell y’all the truth!

    The wall of wind he punched me with, was really quite insane.
    I had to fight the wheel, just to hold ‘er in my lane.
    “Dammit driver! What the heck!! That ain’t even fun.
    Slow that som-bitch down, old man, you’re gonna kill someone.”

    He calmly answered back to me, “Ain’t she runnin’ good?
    Bet you wish you knew, just what I’ve got beneath the hood.
    It’s a Big-Cam Cummins Formula, with a Caterpillar crank.
    Detroit Diesel pistons, and some jet fuel in the tank.”

    “It’s stroked & bored, peaked & tuned, and triple turbo charged.
    The injector pump and pick-up sump, were recently enlarged.
    Eighteen forward gears, with a four-speed brownie box.
    Paired with every power upgrade, Pittsburgh Power stocks.”

    He never let go of the mike, it seemed a little strange.
    He kept on telling trucker tales, plumb out of C.B. range.
    I squelched him out and then went back, to doing my own thing.
    I listened close and then I heard, the highway start to sing.

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    Trevor Hardwick

    Trevor Hardwick is a 3rd generation truck driver who has been in love with all things truck-related since he was “delivered” (pun intended). When he was a kid, Trevor began using artwork and poetry as a means of staying connected to trucking, and still loves doing it today. Trevor lives in Stanwood, Washington with his wife Alicia, and has been a regular contributor to 10-4 Magazine since January of 2008. Alicia puts up with Trevor’s love affair with trucks and also shares his outspoken devotion to their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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    4 Comments

    1. jay barber on December 27, 2013 5:01 pm

      That poem reminded me of a story…. Me an my boss were cruisin down I94 headed eastbound, when this feller behind us started complaining about his 600hp Cummins. “Dang thing got no power”. Well! Bein right proud of our 4 and a corter Cat, an young an dumb to boot, I says over the mike “Well, bring it on, Son!” I shifted out of overdrive, to give the big kitty a few more ares, and buried the hammer! The helicoper staccato beat from our twin chrome stacks was quickly drowned out by turbo SCREAM, as the guy went by. His trailer was all i could see, growing smaller as he quickly put distance between us! “There ain’t a damn thing wrong with that truck!” I yelled into the CB.

      Reply
    2. Penny Zurbrigg on January 15, 2018 8:02 pm

      I was wondering if I could put this trucking poem in our Newletter for the Great Lakes Truck Club.
      Please let me know if it would be alright to publish it.
      Thank you in advance
      Penny Zurbrigg

      Reply
    3. Alicia Hardwick on January 17, 2018 2:14 pm

      Penny, yes you can use it in your newsletter but please give credit to “Trevor Hardwick and 10-4 Magazine” for writing/publishing it, and allowing you to share it.

      Reply
    4. Maria on October 21, 2022 10:02 pm

      Hello! I am wondering if it would be possible to determine who owns the rights to this photograph. I would love to have it enlarged and printed to hang in my office. Please contact me!

      Reply
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