When you think of a truck driver, there are many things that immediately spring to mind—typically, a big, tough manly-man that has a love for the open road and an aversion to all things sensitive. On truckers’ hobbies, one would think of fixing cars, following sports and other prototypically masculine affinities, seeing as the industry has an overwhelmingly male-dominated workforce– TV shows like “Ice Road Truckers” lend to the archetypal image of the American truck driver.
With that in mind, a new trend in how truckers spend their down time would probably leave you feeling a bit confused.
More and more truck drivers have taken to knitting, sewing and quilting in their downtime.
Knitting Truckers—Say What?
It is true! Truckers everywhere are spreading the word about the therapeutic and rewarding hobbies that entail weaving fabric, from sewing to knitting and crocheting.
The recent trend of truckers knitting and quilting may have begun in 2009, in the midst of the economic recession. With the number of loads slowing down, and downtime consequentially adding up, truckers across the nation turned to knitting in order to find a rewarding way to pass the time. Many took a liking to the peaceful hobby, and it has managed to keep its popularity and continue to expand.
Historical Context
While, again, it may seem rather strange to imagine an industry that is dominated by men to have a soft spot for knitting scarves in their downtime, history suggests that this is actually quite common.
For centuries, sailors—the truckers before there were trucks—were famous for knitting during their downtime, too. For men (and more recently, women) who work in the transportation industry, sitting back and getting lost in weaving a pattern is a great way to pass nights away from home.
So perhaps it is no strange phenomenon that our ice road truckers like to cozy up with a ball of yarn at the end of a long day’s drive. For centuries, their predecessors have done the same thing—it is a centuries-old tradition! In fact, there are several modern day traditions that the transportation industry employs that have historical roots, including invoice factoring. Just as invoice factors helped finance transportation voyages for the East India Company in the colonial era, it can help your trucking company take on more loads today. Get in touch with Factor Finders and see how this time-tested method of alternative finance can help your trucking company.
