If you're a hitchhiker stuck on earth in the US for any length of time, and need to earn some money, you may want to consider becoming a trucker. Of course, US trucks ("18-wheelers", "semis", etc.) are mere specks of dust compared to intergalactic or even interplanetary freight transporters, but it's an interesting job which requires a minimum investment of time to learn. You see a lot of the country, meet a lot of interesting people on the road, and unlike space freight vehicles, you don't need a huge crew - you can do it by yourself or with one other person. The money's also a lot better than washing dishes. You can make $30K your first year, and two to three times that in a year or two.

Getting my CDL (Commercial Driver's License) set me back four weeks and $4,000. As a side note, I earned a little money doing a website for a rental property in Punta del Burro, Mexico (near Puerto Vallarta)...even though I didn't have much spare time. I'd like to mention that I used a cool PHP Open Source project for the photo galleries. It's called SPGM (for Simple Picture Gallery Manager), and it's on SourceForge here in case you ever need such a thing. Installation was simple on GoDaddy, I had only to copy the files to a directory and edit a few files to my liking. You can see the results if you click on the upper links near the bottom of the homepage.

The worst part about driving a truck is backing up. You have to steer the front wheels in wild sinusoidal patterns to make the back tandems track even modest curves. I recommend visualizing that you're pushing the kingpin of the trailer around, but it still feels like you're pushing a cooked noodle around your plate with a chopstick.

Besides driving, you'll also learn a lot of trucking trivia. For example, who would've thought that truckers would know the etymology of the word buffet (common places to eat in truckstops)? It turns out that buffet is an acronym for "Big Ugly Fat F*****s Eating Together. You can verify this yourself next time your on the road. Simply stop at a TA or similar truck stop and have a look in the restaurant.

While you don't have to be a techno-geek to be a trucker, things are headed in that direction. My truck has a satellite communications system with GPS in the cab. Modern trucks have a load of microprocessors running everything from the engine to the RFID automated scale systems. The sleeper berth in my truck is quite comfortable, and I have no trouble at all getting eight hours or more of sleep per day. There is also a refrigerator and TV/DVD player. Some truckers also have microwave ovens and other cooking accessories. Internet connectivity is available both through WiFi hotspots at truckstops and cell phone networks. Some truckers even have broadband satellite connections.

I'm still a student driver, so I don't have my own truck. Once I do, I hope to be able to update this site when I'm stopped for the day.

There is a huge demand for truckers in the US. Many people don't realize that virtually all goods are transported by truck, so this isn't a job which can be outsourced. The requirements are fairly easy - you have to be in good health, you have to be a safe driver, you can't drink or take drugs, and you have to be willing to work hard. If you're looking for a good job and have any kind of sense of adventure, consider being a truck driver. There's probably a driving school in your area which can get you there within one month, and many of the larger companies will even pre-hire you and pay back the tuition you have to pay to get your CDL.