trucking industry

Brandie Diamond describes herself as a "transgender truck driver/chef/Jill-of-all-trades." But her career in trucking began in the mid-1980s, and she hadn't come out as trans back then. Meg Vogel for NPR hide caption

Brandie Diamond stands by her FedEx Custom Critical truck in a Walmart Supercenter parking lot in Columbus, Ohio. Meg Vogel for NPR hide caption

Co-owners Vamsi Yaramaka (left) and Raj Alturu stand inside Eat Spice on Oct. 24, in the truck stop on Route 534 off I-80 in White Haven, Pa. The restaurant caters to members of the Sikh community. For them, Indian and Mediterranean dishes can be hard to find on the road. Matt Smith hide caption

Trucking companies have had a tough time hiring drivers willing to hit the road for long hauls. Now the U.S. is speeding toward a critical shortage of truck drivers in the next few years and companies are upping pay, making the job easier, and opening it up to new kinds of drivers. John Bazemore/AP hide caption

Siphiwe Baleka (left) says he gained 15 pounds when he first started driving a truck; food was comfort and exercise was tough to come by. Trucking, he says, is "the most unhealthy occupation in America." Alex Smith hide caption

Jed Brown drives 100 miles each day to work between Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Cheaper gas is making his commute more manageable, but he doesn't expect the low prices to last. Uri Berliner/NPR hide caption