[VIDEO] Lorry Driver Dad Stops At Pedestrian Bridge Just To See Family Between Long Drives
In the video, his children can be seen jumping up and down as they spot the cargo trailer he drives on the highway.
A lorry driver from Johor recently went viral after sharing an emotional moment between him and his family, whom he had briefly stopped to meet on a pedestrian bridge
The 30-year-old father of four posted a video on TikTok on 24 June, showing his children jumping up and down excitedly on a highway overpass and watching as he parks the cargo trailer he drives for work on the side of the road.
The father then runs up the stairs to see his wife and children, and gives them big hugs all around.
His caption reads, "The longing of a lorry driver for his wife and children. I'm sorry, my kids, for hardly coming home."
The video has since garnered over 1.4 million views.
The father said he was so touched and humbled to see so many people praying for his safety and the well-being of his family on the video-sharing app
In an interview with Harian Metro, the father, Muhammad Ghaffar Ilham Kamaruddin, clarified that the video was actually taken two years ago, when he could only return home once every two weeks due to work.
He shared that he used to live separately from his wife and children. As he had to fulfil most of his cargo deliveries from Johor Bahru, he stayed nearby in Pasir Gudang, while his family was in Batu Pahat.
"Every time there was an order in Melaka or Senawang, Negeri Sembilan, I would ask my wife to wait with our children at the location (where I will drive past) so that we can meet for a while, and so I don't miss them so much," said the father.
Ghaffar said that he now sees his family more frequently since they all relocated to Kota Masai together
"We live together now, but time with my family is still never enough. Sometimes, I only go back once every two days. But I try to go home as much as I can, even if my children are already fast asleep," he told Harian Metro.
He also shared that this is the sacrifice he has to make to earn a living for his family and in raising his children, who are currently between the ages of 11 months to seven years old.
"My career as a trailer driver means I spend a lot of my time on the road, and that I will miss many opportunities of seeing my children grow up.
"Sometimes, I feel like they are growing up too fast, as when I go home they're crawling, and when I return later on, they're already walking and, soon, getting ready to go to school.
"I take this as the sacrifice that I have to make and I hope that they will appreciate it by studying hard," said the man, who is now a self-employed long-haul driver.