Driving a truck gets into your blood, says Mark Stern, who has been spending his days - and often nights - on the road since 1978. As a truck driver for Schneider National working out of the company's terminal behind the Wal-Mart Food Distribution Center in Cessna, Stern puts 2300 to 2500 miles on his 18-wheeler's odometer each week. A typical day will see him driving up to 550 miles - delivering a load of dairy products to the Wal-Mart Super Center in Altoona; another load to a store north of Milesburg, perhaps a load of freight to Bethlehem. He works alone - something he enjoys. "I guess you could say I'm a loner," he says. "I like being on my own - having the responsibility - knowing that if I go out and do my job everything will fall into place."

In more than 20 years of driving Stern says he hasn't had a serious accident. "You must be a careful and defensive driver," he says. "In bad weather you've got to be 10 times more cautious and slow down." He has seen some changes in the drivers around him during his time as a trucker. "The drivers have gotten less polite and a lot more aggressive," he believes. "They're more impatient than they used to be." He attributes some of that aggression to the larger vehicles on the road. "I think they must feel that because they're bigger they're invincible." Sterns says drivers often don't seem to understand that a large truck hauling 80,000 pounds of freight can't stop on a dime. Despite the hazards of the road Stern says he loves the work. "I like the lifestyle and love to drive," he says. "You've got to enjoy being on the road and be able to work under pressure to survive in the business as long as I have." He says he copes with being away from his wife and children by using a cell phone to call home each day. "At times it's frustrating being away from home during the week, but I'm only out five days a week and home on weekends. A lot of drivers are away for weeks at a time, so I feel lucky."

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