So, what does someone who is terrified of heights do while trying to ignore the face that we are high up or about to drive onto one of those Dallas flyovers? Why, I take pictures of tall buildings, almost giving myself vertigo! Lol.
Month: August 2014
Dear Lady In The Next Car
Dear Lady In The Next Car,
You don’t know me, but I saw you, from my seat in the truck, next to my husband. I saw you yelling at your kids, I know what you said, you see, I can read lips. I saw you curse my husband for pulling the air horn when kids in the car on his side asked him to, but you were too busy yelling to realize your own kids giggled, because they were making the same request.
I saw you with your white knuckled grip on the steering wheel when we were next to you, I saw your words directed at us, “Damn trucks are dangerous and need to stay off the road when decent people are traveling.”
I understand a big truck can be intimidating at times, driving beside one can be scary. But the drivers are human, just like you, and they are trying to earn a living to support their families. How do you think everything you own got to the store?
But, trucks are not to be feared. Maybe if you knew the safety measures in a truck you wouldn’t be so nervous. Did you know that this truck has a lane assist system that buzzes in the cab if the driver crosses a line without his blinker on? Or that the truck will disengage the cruise control and apply the break if the truck gets too close to the vehicle in front of him? The driver could run the truck at full speed at a brick wall and not apply the break but never hit it with the safety features!
My husband, the truck driver beside you, was at more of a risk from YOU swerving into HIM than you ever are from him swerving into you.
Don’t fear trucks, respect them. Teach your kids to respect trucks and their drivers.
You never know, your child might take your disdain for trucks and truckers and actually become one some day.
Sincerely,
The Passenger In The Big Rig.
Adventures From The Passenger Seat
I know I have not written all summer, even after that speech about turning this into what I intended, lol, but I have been having so much fun!
The Mini has been visiting my family in NY for the summer, so I had the opportunity to spend the summer on the road with The Man. I have done this once before, but now we are both a bit older and he is a bit more experienced.
The Man and I are one of those annoying couples who tell each other everything, and talk about everything. We really are each other’s best friend. That being said, the summer together (well, the last month) has been amazing! We are even closer now!
Last time I went out with him, he got Penny, the 2012 truck. This summer, he got Lady Luck, a brand new 2015 truck! So the joke has become that I need to come out every year so he gets a new truck every year, lol.
Lady Luck is awesome! And The Man is so lucky to work for a company who puts their money where their mouth is! With the new push for driver health, wellness and nutrition, Maverick has done their part by putting a fridge in the new company trucks! This makes things so much easier to eat healthy on the road.
Now, for the adventures! This year we went to Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Georgia, Missouri, Kansas, Tennessee, and a few other places. We saw beautiful vistas in West Virginia and Virginia in the Appalachia’s, passed several amusement parks, and even passed a few Major League Baseball games!
I got some amazing pictures of the different sights, a few shots of the different stadiums and amusement parks, and even some sad shots of tornado damaged areas.
We have had the opportunity to have a date night at least once a week at the place at whichever truck stop we were at, something we don’t normally get to do.
I met some great Maverick drivers, too. At one place we stopped, it was dark and I walked to the building to use the rest room, a Maverick was pulling out of his spot and followed me back to the truck with his lights on so I could see, then flashed his brights to say goodbye when he saw I was safely back to the truck!
Another saw us looking for a spot so he waited and gave us his spot since he was pulling out and the lot was full.
When we stopped in Birmingham to swap a trailer with another driver, I saw a girl enter the cab of a truck of a company, then leave a few minutes later to knock on the doors of other trucks. I guess that driver proved why he works for a company whose name means quickly! And, yes, the girl was a lot lizard.
At a delivery, we were talking to two different Maverick drivers, first one then the other. A woman driver from another company came in and, after trying to back into a dock for about an hour or so, flustered she gave up and backed into another door.
Later that day, we got to play Good Samaritan. We witnessed an accident and The Man and I stayed until everything was over, making sure everyone was ok and the larger debris was out of the road after taking pictures of where everything was. The elderly woman was so thankful she asked for our contact information and The Man’s boss’s contact information so her husband could call to personally thank us.
I will figure out how to post pictures here and post as many as I can. When The Mini comes home I will post about his summer. Tonight is my last night in the truck, so we are going to do a final summer Date Night and just enjoy each other’s company for one last night alone together.
I hope everyone has had as much fun and as great a summer as I have had! Thank you Maverick for allowing me to have the opportunity with your rider policies and for such a great family atmosphere!
Country Yankee 