Truck Drivers Road Music... Favorite Songs For Favorite Stretches Of Highway

So, in my former life, before starting this journey, I ran a local radio station in Maine. I am, by no means, a music expert or anything, but music has always played an important part of my life.

At every point in my life, there had been a song, or a group that said exactly what I needed to hear to make me dance for joy, make me think about what I was doing, or even cry for what I had lost.

Much like a good wine paired with a good meal can make for an extraordinary dining experience, I think a great song paired with the right location can make for an extraordinary driving experience.

Today, I was driving through northern Montana and I had Pearl Jam Radio on XM. This stretch of desolate, stark, unforgiving road went perfectly with the moody, angsty music from Eddie and the boys.

Think about some of your favorite stretches of road and let us all know what music would pair perfectly with it.

I remember one time I had my flat-bed loaded down with about 48,000 pounds of American made structural steel headed for some construction project where good old hardworking American steel workers were putting it all out to build some great project. As I turned off of I-81 in Virginia in a North Westerly direction onto I-77, I began winding my way up into the mountains through the snow that was lying heavy on the ground, and bending the branches of the trees downward under it's weight. I was commandeering my rig up through this beautiful stretch of highway and feeling proud to be out here overcoming the odds and doing a job that a select few get to enjoy, when on the radio began the familiar strands of Tom Petty singing "I Won't Back Down". I know the song has nothing to do with driving truck, but I've got to tell you, I just sat up in my seat all the more straight with my head held high, proud to be out here making something happen positive in this world. I wasn't backing down from the weather, or any of the other adversity that came my way - I was making my way through the mountains and I was delivering the "good stuff" that my fellow citizens needed to "get er done".

Just last week I delivered some 53 foot long aluminum extrusions that are used to fabricate the floor decking in the trailers at a Great Dane trailer manufacturing facility in Statesboro, Georgia. When I got there early for my appointment they actually let me in and were going to unload me early until the fork lift operator discovered what it was that I had, and they sent me back out of the gate to wait until they could get me inside the building underneath an overhead crane. Man, was I disappointed - So I cranked up the Allman Brothers wailing out "Statesboro Blues" and I felt a little better about the whole situation.

And I agree with Gunner about Bob Seeger. So much of his music has a travelling theme to it that it just sits well on truck drivers ear as he's rolling out the miles.

Just arrived in Twin Falls, ID and got a chance to check out all the responses. Some great selections in there, Seger definitely travels well, and Tom Petty has that common man thing going.

The great thing about this is that there is no wrong answer, in fact the answer can even change depending on mood. I have an example from my first week of training.

Driving east through New Mexico we passed through Albuquerque, NM one night (awesome view). It was week 1 for me and the weather in the area had been bad recently. Marginally icy roads and I was heading to the mountain pass on the other side. Of course as soon as we get in there...fog. lots and lots of fog. Satan (my trainer) was in the jump seat attempting to talk me through it.

I don't remember exactly what I said, but it was something like "if sounds don't stop coming out of your face hole, I'm going to stab you in the neck with a pen...I'm trying to concentrate here!" So, not my finest moment. After molding my fingers into his steering wheel, we came out the other side.

Satan was gracious and just laughed a little and called me a pansy (which, I explained to him are very tough and hardy flowers actually. It's true, look it up) and went back to his bunk.

I turned on the radio and heard Kylie Minogue, can't get you out of my head. I couldn't help but do a little chair dance and I now associate her with that stretch of highway heading east.

For some reason, that same stretch of road heading west gets the Spotify treatment with Fall Out Boy, my songs know what you did last summer.

Go figure.

Great thread! Agree with Bob Segar at anytime. Against The Wind is my personal favorite. Don't Look Back by Boston and Jackson Browne's Running On Empty are hard to beat. I've got such a diverse list of music on my phone (from Dream Theater to Yanni to Carrie Underwood to Gordon Lightfoot, etc etc) plus the mandatory Sirius XM Satellite that music constantly plays in the Weatherman's KW.

Oh, Seger and Petty are made for trucking. And I"m sorry Heavy, metal and driving for me just doesn't work. It's all about settling into a groove for me, cruising and relaxing. Listening to Cannibal Corpse or some of the other stuff I listened to in high school would probably just make me wanna use my truck as a battering ram the first time I got cut off by a UPSF or Fed Ex Freight driver.

Love this idea.

I75 south out of Detroit is a stretch I run quite a bit, in fact I'll be making that run in a few hours as I deliver in Redford Michigan at 8am. In my way out of Detroit, I always crank up Motorhead, Bye Bye ***** Bye Bye.

Chicago is always a good call for Ozzy and Crazy Train.

Nice I love both of those!

Survivor by DestIny's Child when you manage to get out of Chicago/NYC without hitting anyone or anything.

Levon Helm, Hurricane to or from New Orleans in any direction

Anytime I was heading to California I'd crank up Meat Loaf!

Anytime I was heading to California I'd crank up Meatloaf!

Good ol Meatloaf.

I listen to all kinds of music from older metal to EDM so it just depends on my mood.

Any part of North Carolina pettie Pablo raise up lol. I like rap mostly

I play C.W. McCall's Convoy once in a while, no particular place mostly in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere.

Love that song, let them truckers roll 10-4!