I just came across this usage in the features section of a small Oregon paper. The subject of the article "drove truck" before his illness, and is once again "driving truck." Thinking it a colloquialism or misprint, I googled around and found more examples in articles and blogs out of Minnesota ("driving truck is a good living") and Wisconsin ("my brother drives truck"), and from Winnipeg: "he drives truck into the States every day.."

Growing up in upstate NY with a dad in construction, we had family friends who "were truckers" or "drove trucks"/ "did long-distance hauling", but I never heard this expression.

Have you?

We'd say "drives a truck". The occupation would be described as a "truck-driver", or perhaps "truck driver".

quote:

The occupation would be described as a "truck-driver", or perhaps "truck driver".

Or even more probably a "lorry driver".

I have heard the expression, and in Upstate New York, where we used to live. My husband's brother was a truck driver and he, my mother-in-law, his wife and my husband would all say, "he drives truck for [name of company.] Bethree5, this was central NY, near Utica.
Growing up in Ohio, I never heard it put any other way than "drives a truck" or "truck driver." Here in Pennsylvania, it's the same.

Maybe it's a northern thing. What part of NY are you from?

Wordmatic

Were you here in Oregon when you read it, or was it on-line? I hear the expression frequently.

Asa, I was linking from a website to an article that was about 10 years old.

Wordmatic, I grew up in Ithaca, NY, which is rather close to Utica-- & I taught school in Syracuse, which is even closer; never heard the expression despite knowing a fair number (& still do) of people who drove truckS. I see from the map that Utica is quite close to Canada, as are the other places I found the expression on Google. Perhaps that's the connection.

I'm from Wisconsin, and it was either drive a truck or drives trucks.