FULL DISCLOSURE: There is some salty language in the video that’s linked to this post. There are also one or two commercials you’ll have to deal with, but Rob Mariani tells the story better than I ever could, and he knew Bob much better than I ever did.

As Rob Mariani states at the beginning of this video, Bob Spooner was one of those very few legends who spent their lives running back and forth across our great country. It wasn’t because he had to. It was because he wanted to. He loved the life and he loved the road.

From the two or three times that I had the good fortune of running into Bob during my years of running a truck, I can honestly say he was one of the kindest and friendliest people I have ever met. But it didn’t take much time to also realize that you wouldn’t want to cross him, day or night, thinking he was an easy target. He wasn’t.

I have no idea how many people actually had the good fortune to meet Bob, but for the professional drivers who have called the road home for more than a couple of years, most have heard of him and his 1961 Peterbilt conventional. He could fill a book or two telling stories just about the loads he hauled over the years. Bob was a great guy who will definitely be missed.

If you want to know more about Bob Spooner, you can find many more videos on YouTube, and most days you can even find the 2+ hour-long documentary that Rob Mariani put up.