Feature -- by Mark Sproxton

Rising in his bed to the sound of the alarm at 4 a.m. Alberta-time, the long-haul trucker slowly makes his way from the bunk to the driver's seat. Delivering a load in New York City, the trucker has to get up before dawn to make his way into the city to avoid some of the traffic in this huge city. A lack of space for parking and safety issues require him to spend the night far from the receiving dock.

Steve Fosbery takes a break from behind the wheel.

While the early start may not be an ideal day, the Mullen Trucking driver enjoys the flexibility the career offers. "You've got a lot of freedom to make choices in your schedule," explains Steve Fosbery from a pay phone just off a Central Alberta highway. "You have to be somewhere at a certain time, but you decide if you want to drive all day and all night or take the day off and work harder the next."

In addition to the freedom, Fosbery, who lives in Kelowna but drives for the Aldersyde, Alberta-based company, also enjoys the income. "It comes down to someone who is not an Olympic swimmer in the academic stream who wants to make a good living. You're paid by the mile. You can make a good living if you're willing to work hard." That hard work for Fosbery means being on the road for six or eight weeks at a time and then taking a couple of weeks off. "By that time, you're ready to go back to work and work hard," he adds.

That's not to say he isn't aware of some of the drawbacks of sitting behind the wheel for 12 hours or more a day. Circulation problems to your lower body can develop and healthy eating can be tough, so weight gain and diet-related health issues can also develop. Fosbery, though, maintains a disciplined routine to overcome these issues. He buys food in grocery stores as much as possible to avoid the grease-laden grub of truck stops. And he exercises regularly. "I take my bike and running shoes and roller blades and get some exercise everyday," he said. "If you don't, it doesn't take long to catch up with you."

Fosbery was well aware of these issues when he first began investigating a career change four years ago. At the time he was working as a mechanic, but when the economy in British Columbia turned sour his mechanic job was no more. He realized there were opportunities to make good money driving, so he went to truck driving school and earned his air brake certificate and Class 1 licence. That landed him a driving job in B.C. but again a poor economy meant he was out of work.

"There's so many jobs if you have experience and they pay more or less the same," he said. "The key is to find a company that'll keep you busy. I looked into it and Mullen had a good reputation." For two years with Mullen, Fosbery has spent most of his time driving a flatbed truck driving all over North America using a Mullen-owned truck. Some drivers, however, own their own trucks and contract themselves out to transportation companies.

"As a company driver you hold much less of a responsibility financially. You don't have to make a truck payment or insurance payments. I wouldn't get into leasing with not much experience. Coming out as a company driver you can build that experience." With the knowledge of driving and being able to save some cash, looking to become an owner-operator of a $150,000 truck makes more sense later in someone's driving career, he added.

But enjoying driving is only a small part of being a good trucker, Fosbery said. Those who handle stress well, are able to be alone for days on end and are able to stay awake for long periods driving will enjoy the work more. As an example, Fosbery's ideal day would see him awake in the back of the rig at 8 a.m. He would then drive for a couple of hours before having breakfast. After eating he would drive some more and then stop for an hour of exercise and another meal. Back in the truck he would eventually stop for a light supper and drive until about midnight. "I usually work eight to midnight and go about 650 miles a day." All the while he might be battling bad weather, poor road conditions, changing time zones and bad drivers.

Being on the road so often means safety is a key issue for truckers, Fosbery said. Trucks are regularly checked along highways to ensure drivers have secured their loads properly and to ensure they are driving trucks capable of handling the load. "Your liability is fairly high," he said."Sitting at a desk job you're not subject to being fined. That comes out of your pocket. If anything is wrong with the truck, the driver is responsible."

While Fosbery isn't sure if he'll drive forever, he would encourage young people to consider the job. "They can't do away with trucks. Try to find, if you want to get into it, a company with a good reputation that treats employees well and has a good safety record. For someone young who wants to get out and buy and house and get a start, the pay is good."