We Have More Time Together (Part 3 of 4)

Cross-border trucker now has a better life in America. 'I really like the freedom of choice.'

Part 1: I Thought I Was Living in the Best Country

Screen capture from a brief interview with Ed, recorded by Beth Baisch in Ottawa. Click image to watch video.

I first interviewed Ed, a Toronto trucker, in August of 2022. Six months after the Freedom Convoy ended, he told me he was so disturbed by the police violence directed at the peaceful protest he intended to relocate. Part 1 and Part 2 of his story reflect that early interview.

Last week, Ed and I did a follow-up interview. Twenty-eight months after he departed Wellington Street in his blue Volvo 860 he has, indeed, forged a new life for himself. The year after the protest, he sold his truck, his house, and many of his belongings. In September 2023, he and his family became residents of south Florida. It’s a small town, he says. “I don't wanna change Toronto for Miami, for sure. I want a calm place.”

He was an instructor at a truck driving school for three months, but the pay wasn’t great. Since then, he’s been employed by a trucking company that does contract work for Goodwill Industries, the charity that helps people develop skills and find employment. Ed works the night shift, which pays a bit more, transferring furniture and other goods between Goodwill donation depots and its retail stores.

“I'm supposed to work from 6 pm until 6 am, and I really enjoy it,” he explains. “At night, the roads are empty, not much traffic. I'm on my own. I arrive, open the store, turn the alarm off, do my deliveries, close the door, set the alarm, go to the next stop.”

He says his company is fantastic. “Great management, great team. They do safety meetings weekly, every Monday. They tell us, do not rush anything. We have plenty of time.” He’s paid by the hour and whenever he works an extra shift, receives overtime pay. (Long haul truckers are usually paid by the load, or by the mile. If there’s a delay of two hours before their cargo can be loaded or unloaded, that time is unpaid.)

“Usually I work four days,” Ed says, “that's enough. I take a rest for three days. I really love that. I started this in January. Every day, I’m home.” He sees his kids in the morning, before school. After sleeping through the day, he spends time with them again in the afternoon, prior to going to work.

“We have more time together, here,” he says. “To take care of our kids, educate them. I am with my family a lot. I’m doing things I never had a chance to do, that I didn’t have time to do. Like fixing cars, fixing stuff at home. I check on YouTube and I fix everything myself. I’m really enjoying it.”

At first, his wife wasn’t eager to leave Canada. But recently, he overheard her telling friends her only regret is that they didn’t move sooner. The weather this past winter was delightful. “We enjoy the sun,” says Ed. “There’s blue sky every single day. We enjoy the weather so much, we can talk about it 24 hours. A little humid now, but from September until March we had dry weather here, so we don’t feel the humidity at all.”

His 2020 truck was a premium model, “the biggest truck Volvo produces - more room inside, and longer.” Does he miss his former life? Not at all, he says. “I really loved my truck, but I feel pity for all the truckers who are still out there on the road.” His timing was good, “I was lucky enough to sell it, because after I sold it, the market went down quickly. Yeah, the trucking market is in a difficult situation for the last year. I don't know what's going on, but I don't want to be in it at all.”

Having spent years crossing the border, Ed knows each American state has its own culture. “You cannot compare Los Angeles to Florida,” he says. “I mean it’s completely different rules, different laws.” In Florida “you pay less taxes, very less taxes. If you want to have good medical coverage, you just choose what you want and you pay your own insurance. We are still settling down, still learning, but I really like the freedom of choice.”

final installment: I Came Here with a Prayer