![\"Gurinderjit](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_3971.jpeg\" "\\"Gurinderjit")
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Gurinderjit Singh poses with a copy of his fifth book,\u00a0\u201cAmereki Trucknama,\u201d propped up on his Peterbilt truck in a yard in Fresno. The book\u2019s name translates to \u201cAmerican Truck Saga.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gagandeep Singh<\/p>\n
gagandeep.singh@fresnobee.com<\/p>\n
For nearly three decades, the highways have served as Gurinderjit Singh\u2019s<\/a> workplace.<\/p>\n Now the Fresno-based Punjabi trucker has distilled those experiences into a 136-page nonfiction book titled \u201cAmeriki Trucknama<\/a>,\u201d which translates to \u201cAmerican Truck Saga.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s the fifth book he\u2019s written.<\/p>\n Singh, 51, recently talked to The Fresno Bee about \u201cAmerican Truck Saga\u201d at his Fresno home.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea of the book was floating in my mind for the last 15 years,\u201d Singh told the Bee as he organized copies of the book recently shipped from India. \u201cI have a wish that whatever I had witnessed on the American roads while driving the truck across the country, including the challenges faced by drivers and the life of drivers, should be documented for the people.\u201d<\/p>\n Singh said his 27-chapter book, which was written in the Punjabi language and published by Chetna Parkashan<\/a> publications, of India, will provide a clear picture of the American trucking industry.<\/p>\n Singh, whose nickname is \u201cNeeta Machike,\u201d has lived in the United States for 35 years and has been driving trucks for the last 30.<\/p>\n Singh had just completed high school in the northern Indian state Punjab in 1991 when his hand accidentally got caught in the fodder cutting machine. As a result, the 16-year-old\u2019s left hand was amputated.<\/p>\n Singh immigrated to the United States in later that year.<\/p>\n He began his trucking journey at the Port of Oakland in 1994.<\/p>\n He decided to pursue trucking after several young men from the Punjabi community died due to gun violence while working in convenience stores or driving taxis in West Oakland and Richmond.<\/p>\n Singh said a friend of his was working at a 7-Eleven store in West Oakland when a customer approached him to purchase cigarettes.<\/p>\n \u201cAs he turned away to retrieve the cigarettes for the customer, he was stabbed and died at the scene,\u201d Singh said.<\/p>\n \u201cI found trucking a safe place where a person hardly deals with the public,\u201d Singh said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I chose it.\u201d<\/p>\n Initially, Singh only drove trucks commercially in California. He was unable to obtain a long-haul license due to his status as an amputee.<\/p>\n Then Singh learned about a skill performance evaluation certificate by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration<\/a> for amputee drivers.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce that hurdle was cleared, I started riding across the country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Punjabi truckers like Singh play a significant role in California\u2019s logistics industry.<\/p>\n According to the North American Punjabi Trucking Association<\/a>, Sikhs contribute to approximately 35% of the state\u2019s trucking industry.<\/p>\n \u201cAmerican Truck Saga\u201d details the evolution of the trucking industry, starting in the 1990s at the Port of Oakland, where drivers often waited eight to nine hours for pickups.<\/p>\n The book also chronicles Singh\u2019s first trip to New York City in 2002, where he struggled to navigate low bridges and complex urban routes.<\/p>\n Singh writes about the physical dangers of the road, including steep grades in Colorado, snowfalls in Oregon, and high winds in Wyoming.<\/p>\n He also writes about financial and personal setbacks.<\/p>\n In 2016, Singh attempted to expand his business by purchasing three new trucks, but the venture failed.<\/p>\n He said the drivers he hired ignored instructions and hid violation tickets from him. After two years, he sold the trucks at a $70,000 loss.<\/p>\n In 2004, Singh\u2019s truck broke down in rural Texas in an area without cell service. He waited several hours before a police officer arrived to call a mechanic, who charged him $1,400 for a 10-mile tow.<\/p>\n In addition, Singh highlights the social isolation of working as a commercial truck driver.<\/p>\n He recalls missing his children\u2019s birthdays and family dinners due to technical delays. In 2016, for instance, he was stranded in Colorado due to a broker\u2019s mistake.<\/p>\n One of the most poignant chapters of \u201cAmerican Truck Saga\u201d is dedicated to his mother, who died of cancer in Sept. 2016.<\/p>\n Singh was unloading freight in Tracy when he received the call that his mother was near death. He rushed home to Fresno and spent just three hours with her before she passed away.<\/p>\n \u201cAmerican Truck Saga\u201d also addresses systemic issues, such as discrimination and poor working conditions.<\/p>\n Singh noted that many shippers and receivers refuse to let truckers use their restrooms, forcing them to use unhygienic portable facilities.<\/p>\n Singh wrote \u201cAmerican Truck Saga\u201d to serve as a guide for new drivers entering the field from the Punjabi community<\/p>\n Writing the book was a labor of mobile technology and patience, Singh said.<\/p>\n Singh wrote the initial 450-page draft on his iPhone\u2019s notes app between January and June. He worked on the book during loading and unloading times, breaks and long waits for freight.<\/p>\n Following the advice of his publisher, he split his manuscript into two parts. His book \u201cAmerican Truck Saga\u201d was released on Aug. 12.<\/p>\n The second volume, \u2018Punjabi American Trucking Encyclopedia,\u201d is scheduled for release next year. It will also be in Punjabi.<\/p>\n What is trucker\u2019s connection to Fresno?<\/p>\n Singh permanently moved to Fresno in 2009.<\/p>\n He feels a deep connection to the Central Valley city, noting its similarities to his home state Punjab in India.<\/p>\n \u201cFresno has similar weather to Punjab, and a significant population of the Punjabi community,\u201d Singh said. \u201cImportantly, it is a trucking hub.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite its hardships, trucking allowed Singh to build his dream home in Fresno and helped his son open a local truck repair business, Cencal Diesel Doctors.<\/a><\/p>\n Singh is a well-known figure in Fresno\u2019s Punjabi community, hosting a weekly TV show on Punjab politics and maintaining a professional Facebook page<\/a> with 19,000 followers.<\/p>\n \u201cThe truckers are unsung heroes in the American economy,\u201d Singh said.<\/p>\n How can I buy \u2018American Trucker Saga\u2019?<\/p>\n \u201cAmerican Trucker Saga\u201d is available for sale on Amazon.<\/a><\/p>\n You can call Gurinderjit Singh at 559-333-5776<\/a> or Satish Gulati at +91 98152 98459 to order the book by phone.<\/p>\n Loading\u2026<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n![\"Gurinderjit](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_3965.jpeg\" "\\"IMG_3965.jpeg\\"")
Gurinderjit Singh poses with his Peterbilt truck and a copy of his book in a yard in Fresno. GAGANDEEP SINGH gagandeep.singh@fresnobee.com How did Fresno man join trucking industry?<\/p>\n Gurinderjit Singh takes a selfie with trucks during his travels across the United States. Gurinderjit Singh gagandeep.singh@fresnobee.com What is new book \u2018American Truck Saga\u2019 about?<\/p>\n
![\"Gurinderjit](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_3940.jpeg\" "\\"IMG_3940.jpeg\\"")
Gurinderjit Singh presents a copy of his newest book to his father, Dalbara Singh Dhaliwal, at their Fresno home on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. GAGANDEEP SINGH gagandeep.singh@fresnobee.com Why did Central Valley resident write trucking book?<\/p>\n