From the independent producer project of KCRW and KCRW.com, I'm Bob Carlson, and this is Unfictional.

Unfictional is a program of true stories and personal documentaries and today on the program

Collision Course. Two stories about the moment when an everyday drive becomes a life or death struggle.

Beginning with the story of one trucker's long drive through the night and into the

abyss. The story comes from the nocturne podcast which you should definitely know about if you don't already.

It's a podcast that explores the night and how thoughts, feelings and behaviors transform in the dark. And in this

this story you're in the cab of a truck pulling tons of cargo down a dark

interstate five in Oregon and all of a sudden you're tumbling through space, with no idea of what has just

happened.

The story is set up by the voice of nocturn producer Vanessa Lowe.

From KCRW.com, it's unfictional and a whole in the night. In most places, the defining feature of night is darkness. And darkness can make us

unsure of our footing.

So some people go slow or stay still, lest they trip over a roof, knock into a wall.

Conversely, some people get behind the wheel of a 50,000 pound truck and go hurtling through the night with a mission.

Al is one of these. My name is Albert Creighton Wilkinson.

I used to be a truck driver.

28 years I drove truck commercial.

Trailers varied from truck commercial.

Trailers varied from 20 foot trailers to 53 foot trailers.

There was a time when United Grocers in Portland who would hook up three trailers.

They call them triples, and you'd pull three trailers to someplace, the up or down I-5.

Myself and another truck driver, we were sitting in a coffee shop and we were talking to somebody.

...