The trucking days.
A road full of memories.

20 years. 2 million miles.
And a whole lot of life along the way.

When I started commercial driving in late 2006, the job was to move freight. Over the next 20 years and 2 million miles, it also became a way to share America: its highways and back roads, small towns and big cities, changing seasons, and the everyday places you might otherwise pass by.

My nearly two decades with Swift Transportation took me through big cities, small towns, mountain passes, deserts, and snowstorms. The truck became both a working vehicle and a mobile broadcasting studio—a front-row seat to America.

Trucking meant early starts, long days, loading docks, weather, traffic, and finding a place to park at the end of a run. Between the deliveries were the views and moments that made the miles memorable. From the Bronx Run to the Washington Apple Trip, every journey offered another piece of the country to discover.

In February 2008, BigRigTravels opened that windshield view to everyone. A small camera and a simple website grew into live broadcasts, shared stories, and a Road Crew joining us from around the world. You rode along through the ordinary workdays and the unforgettable scenery. You even helped choose the Viper Blue color of The Blue Comet. What began as my trucking journey became something we experienced together.

A new chapter, with the same Road Crew.

Today, that love of the road continues through RV travel, broadcasts, and time to explore the places along the way. The focus has shifted from the next delivery to the next discovery: towns, parks, scenic drives, campgrounds, attractions, and hidden gems worth stopping for.

The trucking years gave us the miles, the memories, and this community. Now we get to carry that spirit forward, with more opportunities to stop, look around, and share what we find. Whether you’ve been here since the Snowman Camera or are joining us for the first time, there’s a place for you in the Road Crew.

Thanks for traveling with us. Let’s see where the next road leads.

01 • How it all began

Meet the man behind the miles.

BigRigSteve started commercial driving in late 2006, bringing a lifelong love of the highway to a new adventure. Before trucking, he served in the Air Force in Minot, North Dakota, worked on avionics for private and corporate jets, spent time in television studios, and pursued photography.

Those experiences came together in BigRigTravels: a family-friendly, kid-safe window onto America’s geography, history, small towns and big cities.

The first website refreshed a still image every five minutes and included a simple map. Steve would pull over about once an hour to update it manually. Early live video followed in the same little window—with room for just ten viewers at a time.

The Blue Comet.

The 2022 Freightliner Cascadia was Steve’s Million Mile truck, given to him by his company. The Road Crew helped choose the color: an open poll narrowed the choices to three, and Viper Blue won.

It entered service on February 8, 2022—the BigRigTravels anniversary—with only 81 miles on the odometer.

The automated manual transmission offered automatic operation and manual gear selection. Steve could select gears on the steering-column control, alongside the Jake Brake controls.

Under the hood • Detroit DD15 specifications

The original truck page featured the DD15 engine and its manufacturer-described fuel-efficiency improvements of up to 3% for that generation.

Configuration	Inline 6 cylinder
Displacement	14.8 L
Compression ratio	21:1
Horsepower	400–505
Torque range, as originally listed	1150–1850
Service fill • oil & filter	45.7 L

Keeping the broadcast connected • Starlink

2023 High Performance In-Motion Starlink

During the trucking years, Starlink supplemented the amplified cellular connection. Bonding the two connections helped the broadcasts stay connected across more of the country as Steve traveled.

Open The Blue Comet photo collection • 8 images

Select a photograph to open the larger original.

Original truck page →

The Snowman Camera.

Before the big live broadcasts, a little camera gave the Road Crew a windshield view. During the trucking years, the Snowman Camera uploaded a still image roughly every 15 seconds—even when a live broadcast wasn’t running.

Viewers could follow the road and check conditions for a commute or a longer trip. This chapter remembers that camera and the early journeys it captured.

Explore 10,000 original Snowman images ↗

The early two-camera setup in the Volvo.

Take a trip down Memory Lane.

A Road Crew member brought early Snowman images from 2010 together into these two journeys: The Bronx Run and the Washington Apple Trip. Familiar roads, lasting memories.

Why was it called the “Snowman Camera”?

The first website camera was a Logitech Orbit AF. Its shape looked like a snowman, so the nickname stuck. It supplied the first still images and earliest videos.

How did that first two-camera setup work?

In the Volvo, the early system used two cameras. A rubber band helped keep the Snowman camera head from bouncing out of its base on rough roads.

Through the years.

From that first small image window to the “2 Million Mile website” rebuild, BigRigTravels kept evolving. These website snapshots were collected from the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.

Scroll sideways to travel from 2008 to 2023. Select a snapshot to see it larger.

Ten years of BigRigTravels • Overdrive Radio

Todd Dills marked the tenth anniversary with this 2018 podcast conversation.

Open the original audio recording →

Old banners, familiar names • 18 graphics

“18 Wheels Across America” was the name of the blog section. At one point the site also had a photography section with more than 500 interactive panoramas. These banners and graphics are a look back at those earlier designs.

Original BigRigTravels history page →

Revisit the trucking days.

The broadcasts showed the road. Our blogs recorded the journeys and the everyday moments along the way.