Father's Day * USA - A trucker's family route

As a trucker, Eddie can be away from home for weeks at a time. He has to find innovative ways to spend time with his children. He takes his children on his trucking route with him, especially in the summers

Oklahoma City,OK,USA -NewsOK.com (subscription), by John David Sutter -June 15, 2008: -- Edward Sallee was conceived in the back of his father's truck 14 years ago — and since that day he's gotten most of his father-son time on the road... Edward's dad, Eddie Sallee, 42, is a trucker. Since Edward was 3 years old, their best shot to get to know each other has been en route from pick-up site to drop-off point... In an unexpected way, it's made the family closer, Eddie and Edward said, because they consider what time they do have precious... On a recent morning, father and son left mom at home in Francis at 5:45 a.m. to lug about 60,000 pounds of cattle feed to northeast Oklahoma. Then it was on to Kansas with another load... Edward is out of school for the summer, awaiting his freshman year at Byng High School. He comes on trips like these to get to know his dad... It's a process he said started late, because Eddie was gone for weeks at a time when his son was young. Now, he's an independent trucker, so he can be home some weekends... Laughing along the way father and son banter like crazy. They talk sports and food, make fun of relatives, and they know which truck stops have the best gas prices (and corn dogs)... They even have their own handshake — they both lean in and wiggle their fingers like they're playing a guitar solo... They kid each other relentlessly. Eddie, for instance, drives slower than younger Edward would like... It's a circuitous family route, sure, but they say it brings them all together in the end... (Photo by John Clanton/THE OKLAHOMAN - Eddie Sallee banters with his son Edward at a truck stop in Tulsa. Eddie brings his son along on some summer trucking trips) See Video