Why am I dancing to Bollywood songs in a semi in the middle of nowhere? Because I'm on the road with a Punjabi trucker
who's living the American Dream. Even music videos from Punjab, India, hype how cool it is to come to America and become a trucker. And the Indian immigrants who get into trucking here have a crazy backstory you’ve probably never heard of. Hint: It involves crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Today I’m riding along with Satnam Singh. He’s been trucking for 25 years. Satnam’s one of thousands of Sikh immigrants from the
Indian state of Punjab who've taken up trucking here in America. In California in particular, Punjabis are so much part of the industry that they run trucking schools, own trucks stops – even publish a bilingual trucking magazine. It's also an
industry that stretches all the way back to India, where Punjabis run trucking
companies, too. So it's a natural fit for new immigrants. — Oh wow. Cool! — In a Batman lunch bag! — Yummy. When Satnam doesn’t have his wife's home-cooked food to bring on the road, he stops at one of the many Punjabi dhabas, or truck stops, that have popped up along highways around the country. Satnam and lots of other drivers cover their hair as part of the Sikh faith. The turban stands for compassion and service. It's like a daily reminder to be a good neighbor. But it’s often misunderstood. Do you ever worry for your safety? Are you ever scared? Attacks against Sikhs have been making national news, especially after 9/11. (sirens) “(Newscaster) … carried out the deadly shooting rampage inside a Sikh temple that left six people dead and three others critically wounded.” (sirens) “… aggressively walked over to my dad’s car and started punching my dad in the face.” “(Newscaster) Outrage and fear mounting in one Manteca neighborhood after an elderly Sikh man is attacked in broad daylight.” But there have been moments of solidarity, too. In 2017, Punjabi truckers joined truckers across the nation to
protest regulation changes in the industry. Right now, there’s actually a shortage of truckers in the U.S. because the demand is high but the job is tough. Truckers often spend days, even weeks, away from their families, living on the road. Immigrants like Satnam are are increasingly filling the need. And in California, nearly half of truck drivers are immigrants – many of them Sikhs from India. There are about half a million Sikhs in the U.S. They gather at events like this one to cook and serve the community free food, or langar. It’s an example of the “seva” or selfless service, that’s a hallmark of the Sikh faith. Sikhs also believe in one God and show respect to their holy book. For many who left Punjab for the U.S., the journey wasn’t easy. I know a guy who crossed from Mexico border. He stayed in, they call it a camp, he stayed in a camp for a year and a half. And he had to pay a bail bond for, I think it was $20,000. Just to get out. And he’s still on a case of asylum. This story isn’t unique. For decades, Indians have been making long journeys to reach the U.S.-Mexico border. In some detention facilities, as many as 40 percent of the people being held are from India. Gurdwaras like this one, are where Sikhs come to pray. But it’s been reported that Sikhs in detention have faced religious discrimination, like not having access to vegetarian meals. There have been a number of lawsuits about it, too. And lately, more and more have been crossing that border claiming their community is under attack from India's government, and that activists have been arrested and even tortured. Sikhs are a minority in India, where the majority of the population is Hindu. Back in the 80s, armed Sikh groups fighting for independence from India started carrying out assassinations, drawing the attention of the Indian government. In 1984, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi sent troops to clear the separatists from the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine in Sikhism, where they had been meeting and storing guns. Hundreds — by some estimates, even thousands of people died in the attack — including many civilians. Months later, the prime minister was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards, which set off a wave of violence against Sikh communities across India. Homes and temples were burned, women were gang raped, and more than 3,000 civilians were killed. And how many countries did you travel through before you came to America? When Satnam got to Mexico, he had to cross the Rio Grande to get to the United States. After Satnam crossed, he was pulled over by immigration authorities and taken to a detention facility where he was held for a few months. But Satnam was one of the lucky ones. He was released from detention, got his green card, and after a few years, got into trucking. He’s now a U.S. citizen with his own family and a good life in Yuba City, California – which, by the way, is known as “Little Punjab.” Punjabis have been there for over a century. The first Punjabi immigrants came as laborers back in the early 1900s, building railroads and working on farms along the West Coast. Many left families behind in India and married Mexican women who also worked the farms, creating a whole new generation of Punjabi-Mexican families. Even Satnam once worked on a farm but found trucking to be a much better fit. So uncle, how much money can truckers earn? I couldn’t believe truckers could earn so much! Satnam does have to pay a lot in expenses like fuel, repairs and taxes, but still. After more than 12 hours on the road, I was exhausted. So Satnam treated me to his usual pick-me-up: chai. He boils the water with jaggery, or sugar cane ... … adds the tea and milk … and gets the temperature just right. — Yay! Being on the road all day reminded me just how important immigrants are to this country. Without truckers like Satnam, we wouldn’t have fresh produce, our online deliveries, or stocked shelves at stores around the country. But thanks in part to a small community of Sikh Americans, we do. Yummy. It’s great. Hey guys, thanks for taking this trucking journey with me! Show your love for Punjabi truckers by subscribing, and catch my other Untold America story on my big, fat Indian wedding.
wow this was very interesting!
Love uncle's confidence.
Holy shot he’s making 225k a year?!
Nice