They gave up a “normal” life to chase two wild dreams—his behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler, hers behind a camera. Five years later, they’re still married, still trucking, and still surprising everyone who told them it wouldn’t work.

How a truck driver and soldier moved into a sleeper cab together

Jermaine and Djamila Horton began dating in 2018. But after a year living together, the couple felt something “wasn’t right.” Djamila remembers, “We lived a pretty typical life—just your average young Black couple trying to find their way.” But it felt as if their dreams weren’t aligned, and they considered breaking up.

Jermaine grew up in a small town in North Carolina, had never been on an airplane, and was working as a local driver in the Atlanta area. He wanted to become an over-the-road truck driver. Operating his own vehicle and taking on trucker jobs could be much more lucrative than collecting a paycheck from a trucking company. But even leasing a truck on top of renting their apartment wasn’t in the cards.

Djamila was born in Angola, moved to the U.S. when she was three, and grew up in Georgia. She was finishing her U.S. military service and working at the Atlanta airport. But she wanted to film and edit videos while traveling the world. She admits, “We started questioning—was working nine-to-fives all God had planned for us?”

Then Jermaine was reading the Bible, and Ecclesiastes gave him an idea. “Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.” He suggested they give up the apartment and lease a truck instead. He could start a business, and Djamila could document their life and travels. She only had to hear the idea once. “We packed up everything into storage and hit the road.”

Life on the road, in a semi-truck sleeper

The couple leased a Freightliner in 2020 and both moved into the sleeper cab. Despite the isolation of the COVID-19 quarantine, they made it work. Jermaine coined the TikTok handle “Coupled by the Miles.” Djamila began to document their travels and found her videos went absolutely viral.

They established an LLC and had to figure out everything from finding jobs to maintaining their truck to filing taxes as a business. “Filing our own taxes, handling fuel weight limits, sliding tandems—it’s a full business.” But they did it all together.

Five years later, the married couple was able to move up to their dream truck: a Peterbilt Model 579 UltraLoft. Why? Because its 80-inch sleeper has the biggest bed in the industry. It also has homey touches like a rear door and carpeted floor. “This was a big step up… it feels like a real home.”

How do two people live in a semi-truck sleeper cab? By using every inch of space possible. The couple has food, snacks, and even a tea drawer in their kitchenette. Djamila even packed a plug-in skillet so she can cook while her husband drives. The top bunk is storage for clothes, books, and even Djamila’s roller skates. She says most of her “feminine touches” come from Target, where she bought art for the walls, Christmas lights, and even hanging plants. She laughs, “I’m living in a truck with more amenities than my first apartment.”

The sleeper cab would be comfortable by vanlife standards. The Peterbilt 579 has an HVAC system that can keep the sleeper hot or cold without idling the engine. “It’s got solar panels on the roof to keep the batteries charged—even when we’re parked.”

Lessons learned from five years on the road

Djamila says one of the biggest challenges to sharing their life on the road is being next to someone 24/7. She’s learned their brains are different. “Men and women do not operate the same way. Men compartmentalize; women often juggle many thoughts.”

She admits, your energies don’t always align, and there’s nowhere to hide. “It takes wisdom to know what to bring up now and what to wait on.”

The couple does park their truck and take vacations. But they always come home to the Peterbilt. “We’re five years in, still rolling, still in love—and we still believe this is just the beginning.”

MotorBiscuit’s reached out to @CoupledByTheMiles for comment. See the couple’s story in the video below: