We movers are called bedbuggers, and our trucks are called roach coaches. They're the guys who pull box trailers with any kind of commodity inside. There's a strict hierarchy of drivers depending on what they haul, how they're paid. And I suppose people figure all truckers do pretty much the same job. I want to start with a reading from the book, a short paragraph from the introduction.įINN MURPHY: (Reading) To the casual observer, all trucks probably look similar. He dropped out of college to become a truck driver.įinn Murphy, welcome to FRESH AIR. He's been driving a truck off and on since the late 1970s. His memoir is filled with insights about life on the road and the subculture of truckers as well as about the attachments people have to their possessions when they're transitioning to a new home and having to decide what to keep and what to ask Murphy to throw in the dumpster. Murphy typically packs and unpacks the possessions as well.

His cargo includes the furniture, dishes, clothing, pianos, heirlooms and artwork of corporate executives and their families moving across the country to new homes for their new jobs.

My guest, Finn Murphy, has written a new memoir called 'The Long Haul' about his experiences logging over a million miles. I drive a compact car, so I was interested in hearing about life driving a 70,000-pound truck whose trailer is 53 feet long.

The Long Haul by Finn Murphy