( December 31, 2007 ) - A national trucking magazine held a poetry contest recently and more than five hundred people entered.

Obviously Land Line Magazine is doing something right - and there are certainly a lot of truck-driving poets out there.

That's exactly the conclusion drawn by the full-color subscription-base magazine which covers professional truck drivers and the trucking industry. Their first 2007 Trucking Poetry Contest held earlier this fall garnered entries from all over North America and included every poetry style from free verse to haiku. While not every entry was from an eighteen-wheeled poet, each dealt with the glories and the struggles of life on the road.

First Place Winner was David R. Madill, a retired Canadian Owner/Operator truck driver with over thirty years' experience on the road who writes about his experiences and thoughts while on the road. Madill has a wide coterie of fans, and has had two books of poetry published, "Reflections Thru My Windshield Part 1 and Reflections Thru My Windshield Part 2," with an option on his third book by Write Up The Road Publishing. His books are available at bookstores in the US, Canada and on-line, or http://writeuptheroad.com

His reaction to winning the contest wasn't what you'd expect of a former trucker and published author: "I'm still in shock." Adding to his surprise was winning the Honorable Mention ribbon as well as the cash prize for First Place.

Madill's winning entry was:

The Last Load
by David R. Madill

Alone out in the trailer yard he crumpled to his knees
Tried so hard to get his breath and whispered, "Not here please"
Pain blurred his vision as he opened up the door
One hand reached for the wheel and he gasped, "Just three feet more"
He collapsed into the seat and fumbled for the key
Then he heard the engine roar and he whispered, "Now let it be"
We found him in the morning, hands clenched upon the wheel
Eyes fixed on the horizon and his skin gray as steel
He went the way he wanted, with his boots upon his feet
His hands upon the steering wheel, sitting in the driver's seat
We buried him just today, with his logbook by his side
God when you go to judge him, remember that he loved to drive

Other trucking poems may be viewed online.