Back in the booth, I’m sort of getting the hang of it. I share the space with the operators and listen with intrigue to their stories — where they’ve come from, how they came to be here, the logistics, the passion, the extension of family, what keeps them here.
There’s a raw honesty in their words. The hours can be brutal, the travel sometimes relentless — but the pride, the community, and the joy I see in their faces as we chat about the industry and what it brings to others make it all worthwhile.
There’s a thread that ties everyone together here: resilience, respect, and an unspoken understanding that this industry is something truly special, unique and complex.
