30 Old Trucker Stories About Storms, Deserts and Wild Places

A retired trucker who drove from 1975 to 2015 tells stories about the weather, and the wild places where it caught him. Deserts, mountain passes, swamps, rivers, blizzards, dust storms. When the weather turned out there, there was nowhere to go. You just sat in the cab and took it. And sometimes, other things turned with it. In this episode: 1976, Mojave Desert. A man walks toward his truck across a heat mirage and leaves wet footprints on the hot road. 1978, Colorado. A man walks beside his truck on the service walkway inside the Eisenhower Tunnel. 1979, Montana. During the total eclipse, a field fills up with people looking at the sky. 1985, Arizona. Dusty watches covered wagons cross the highway in a dust storm. 1980, Oklahoma. After a tornado, a family photo album lost in 1947 lands on his windshield. 1982, Michigan. A bridge worker drives his truck across the Mackinac Bridge in the wind. 1986, Pennsylvania. Gopher sees headlights in an abandoned turnpike tunnel. 1983, Oregon. A truck with no lights and no brakes flies down Cabbage Hill into the runaway ramp. 1990, Louisiana. Boudreaux sees blue lights rise out of the swamp beside the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge. 1989, Montana. At fifty below zero, a gas station attendant comes out in a short-sleeved shirt. 1990, Wyoming. Snowed in at a truck stop, an old stranger tells a story that hasn't happened yet. 1993, the Great Flood. An old woman in a rowboat keeps offering to take Rainman across. 1986, Mississippi River. Captain watches a lit-up paddlewheel steamboat full of dancing people. 1991, Oklahoma Panhandle. On April 14th, a black wall of dust rolls in out of a clear sky. 1989, Iowa. Under the northern lights, his watch starts running backward. 1997, North Dakota. In a whiteout, someone ties a rope to his mirror. 1984, Tennessee. A million fireflies blink in time with his turn signal. 1981, Kentucky. A girl in a white dress stands under the moonbow at Cumberland Falls. 1995, Wyoming. In ninety-mile-an-hour wind, something holds Kite's empty trailer down all night. 1997, Nevada. A saddled horse with no rider runs beside his truck without touching the ground. 1987, New Mexico. In the blue glow of St. Elmo's fire, someone is sitting on his bunk. 1994, Mississippi. In an ice storm, his reflection in the road signs waves at him. 1977, Utah. A dust devil follows his truck, laughing like a little girl. 1992, Arizona. An old prospector asks for water and pours the last cup out for the others. 1996, Donner Pass. A pale young woman walks out of the snow and asks if it's spring yet. 1988, Yellowstone. During the great fires, a ranger with a lantern leads the animals to the river. 1979, Ohio River. Tugboat's ferryman won't take his money and says he'll pay on the way back. 1992, Oregon coast. Salty sees a lighthouse that's been dark for fifty years sweep the sea. 1998, West Texas. In a heat wave, one mile of I-20 is always freezing cold. 1988, Iowa. In the worst drought in fifty years, one little rain cloud follows him home to his father's grave. This is a work of fiction inspired by the real culture of old-school American trucking. Names, handles and events are fictional. If you enjoy these stories, subscribe so you don't miss the next one. And if you drove back then, tell us in the comments. What's the worst storm you ever sat through in your cab, and did you see anything out there? #TruckerHorror #ScaryStories #RetroHorror #Channel19AfterDark #OldSchoolTrucking #HorrorStorytime