Every man on Jess Box’s father’s side has two things in common: They’re all Libras, and they’re all truckers.

Her grandfather, her uncle and her father all drove for a living, and when Jess was growing up in northern Alabama near Decatur, it was her grandparents, Jimmy and Jeanna Box, who raised her — Jeanna keeping the books at home, and Jimmy out on the road hauling everything from produce for a farmer’s market outside Birmingham to dog food out of Red Bay. Trucking wasn’t just a job; it was the family business, and diesel ran in her blood long before she ever picked up a record.

Jess is now a sales clerk at Birmingham, Ala.’s Seasick Records, the renowned record store and accessories shop located in the Lakeview District. Working here, she has amassed a vast collection of music, but there is a part of the collection that she curates as a tribute to her grandparents and the trucking way of life she knew and loved as a young girl.

By the time she was five, Jess wasn’t just hearing about that life — she was living it. When school let out for summer, rather than leave her behind, her grandparents took her with them, riding cross-country from Alabama to California in the cab of a shiny red Peterbilt, her grandfather’s truck of choice. She remembers a TV in the sleeper berth for entertainment, but what she really loved was the world outside the windshield: the rest stops, roadside attractions, the desert stretching out for miles, and her grandfather’s voice crackling over the CB radio in a language she didn’t understand yet but loved anyway.

It was, as she put it, “Looking at the World Through a Windshield” — long before she knew that was also the name of Del Reeve’s famous truck driving song from 1969.

It was only a few years ago, however, that her childhood summer adventures and her passion for music would converge. Somewhere in a thrift store, she found a cassette called “Put the Hammer Down,” a tongue-in-cheek collection of trucker standards that made her laugh. Then came Red Sovine’s “Teddy Bear,” the record that flipped a switch — and after that, she couldn’t stop. She chased down every compilation she could find, tracing the genre back to its roots in the 1960s and forward through the CB-crazed 1970s that gave the world “Convoy” and “Smokey and the Bandit.” What started as a joke is now a serious collection: roughly 50 records and 20 tapes today, still growing every time someone who knows her habit hands her a “holy grail” comp they found in a bargain bin.

“This weird little collection is really about honoring my grandparents,” she says. “Trucking was such a big part of their lives. It is a hard job, but they loved it, especially my grandfather. These songs tell stories of the pride truckers have for the lifestyle, but there are also tales of dangerous roads, addiction, loneliness, and all the pitfalls of life on the road – and I just love it.”

And the folks at Seasick loved it, too. So much so, they recently issued a new line of merch including t-shirts and tote bags that proudly nod to the classic trucking aesthetic.

Jess realizes she has a nostalgic view of the industry and understands how outsiders often misunderstand it. When she remembers the things she saw as a kid, she thinks of how beautiful, vast, strange, and culturally diverse this country is. “It’s awe-inspiring to see the deserts, mountains, shores and forests,” she says. “Truckers get to experience those views every day. That Del Reeves song captures some of that.”

She says the missing part of the trucker song catalog is more songs about strong women in the industry. “I really wish there was more representation for women gear jammers and less of the stereotypical roles of waitress, wife, or lot lizard (I actually knew what that term meant at a very young age).”

She points to a few amazing songs, such as “Truck Driving Woman” by Norma Jean. A song about a woman who was raised to be a truck driver and excelled. “Little Pink Mack” by Kay Adams “is all sass with Nancy Sinatra style, and great lyrics like “I’m a gear-swapping mama, who doesn’t know fear.”

“It seems as though with more women becoming truckers these days, there are also more women writing songs about it,” she says. “I personally like Lainey Wilson’s “Heart Like a Truck.”

But there is one song that still stands out, “The Woman Behind the Man Behind the Wheel” off Red Sovine’s “Teddy Bear.”

“That song just makes me think of my grandmother,” she says. “My grandparents are no longer with us. But that song, in particular, is special. The tempo is upbeat, and Red Sovine actually sings it rather than talks, but it is a sad song about the loneliness of the road and how much truckers just miss their families. They want to get the job done and head home to be with their families. And on the other side of that narrative is how the family, usually the wife, is back home working hard to keep the household afloat.”

For Jess, trucking (and her collection) is about family. It’s an industry where family connections run long and deep. “Honestly, one of the reasons I wanted to do this article is because I know that my grandparents would be so thrilled to see it,” she says. “My grandfather liked to tease me about my tattoos, saying that I wouldn’t amount to anything in life because no one would hire me. Well, look at me now! I’m in Alabama Trucker!”

Jess Box’s Top 10 Trucker Songs

We asked Jess to pick ten favorite trucking songs; below are her selections in no particular order. Enjoy the ride!

1) “Hello, I’m a Truck” by Red Simpson

Jess says: “Finally, a song written from the truck’s perspective. The truck is fed up with his driver getting all the credit (as well as getting parked next to a cattle truck at a rest stop) and finally calls him out on his behavior. With great lyrics such as “He thinks he’s God’s gift to waitresses, but he never gives them a tip.” Trucks also prefer Merle Haggard over Buck Owens, go figure.”

2) “A Tombstone Every Mile” by Dick Curless

Jess says: “The eye-patched, trucker country legend Dick Curless really turns the bleak subject matter of a dangerous winter road in Maine into a catchy country hit. Read the lyrics without the music, and it will send chills down your spine.”

3) ”Alcohol and #2 Diesel” by The Willis Brothers

Jess says: “A trucker hauling oranges out of California meets up in Georgia with a friend hauling watermelons. The two decide to party too hard and accidentally switch loads. Hilarity ensues. Also, their song “Give Me 40 acres” is a constant earworm for me.”

4) ”Phantom 309” by Red Sovine 

Jess says: “It’s really hard to pick a favorite Red Sovine, but I always love a ghost story! This song is also the inspiration behind Large Marge in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.”

5) “Widow Maker” by Jimmy Martin & The Sunny Mountain Boys

Jess says, “It’s a common theme in trucker songs that sometimes a trucker has to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the lives of others. Unlike other songs that go with this theme, the lyricism and bluegrass make this one a real tearjerker.”

6) ”Mama Hated Diesels” by Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen

Jess says: “While mama hated diesels, I grew up hanging out in diesel shops as a kid. I love the smell of a shop, which is one of the many reasons I married my automotive technician husband. My dog hates the smell of diesel, so I sing this to him all the time.”

7) “Prisoner of the Highway” by Ronnie Milsap

Jess says: Ronnie gives Phil Collins a run for his money with this funky, kicked-up smash. It also offers an accurate depiction of a working life on the road. Plus, there’s a Birmingham mention! Any excuse to put Ronnie on a playlist, I’m going to take it.”

8) ”Truck Driving Man” by The International Submarine Band

Jess says: “I have heard this song covered by so many artists from Buck Owens to even metal bands like Weedeater. No one can hold a candle to Gram Parsons. I don’t know about you, but this always makes me want a cup of Joe.”

9) ”The Woman Behind the Man Behind the Wheel” by Red Sovine

Jess says: “A Red Sovine song where he actually sings and kicks it up a notch! Even better, he gives the well-deserved credit to all the women ruling the roost while their men are on the road. My grandmother raised me and our household by herself a lot of the time, so this song holds a special place in my heart.”

10) “Long White Line” by Sturgill Simpson

Jess says: “One of my favorite recent trucker songs. The siren song of the road and white line fever are common themes in trucker country. Sturgill captures that call to life on the Road perfectly.”

If you’re rolling through Birmingham, Seasick Records is worth the stop — and if the trip doesn’t line up, the store keeps its shelves, merch and weekly updates posted online at seasickbham.com.