CDLLife guest writer Melissa Cook, of My Crazy Life as a Trucker’s Wife, recently hit the road with her husband Steve and she journaled about her experience.
By: Melissa Cook
I asked my husband “You sure you will be able to handle me for a whole 2 weeks 24/7?” I went out with him on what was suppose to be a 2 week adventure but was cut short due to truck problems. I must say, I learned a lot about the trucking industry in my 8 days on the road with my highway warrior…
Day #1: Started off OK… Mileage on the ole girl was 751044… The weather was beautiful… Clear skies and OH SNAP! 10 minutes down the road, I get a damn mosquito in my eye! Of alllll places IN MY EYE! My natural reaction? To smack where the blood sucker had landed! Here starts the 1st bruise of my trip. A black eye over a mosquito. Stopped at the store to get a drink before we got on the interstate. My husband got a fountain drink. I wasn’t so smart. I figured a chocolate milk for now and a Mountain Dew for later… Didn’t quite work out like that. If you don’t read ANYTHING in this article please read this! Chocolate milk and Mountain Dew DONT mix well together! I also learned today what gator guts were and got to see a battle between two 63-MPH trucks– which I might add made a few mad! The CB was going crazy with truckers hootin’ and hollerin’.
Day #2: Slept behind a Home Depot, ate McD’s for breakfast. Three Home Depots later, pretty sure all the requirements for THAT job is a pulse! I am so afraid of heights and here I am in the mountains! Panic attack #1 finally over. Poor drivers all look so sad… Eating all by themselves as they are talking to their spouses on the phone. Shower was nice though… Enjoyed it!
Day #3 McDonalds had real plates in Columbus Ohio!! I stopped to pick up a penny and did a Face plant in a truck stop parking lot… Boy was I embarrassed… Over a penny!! Lol Sitting waiting on hubby to catch up on sleep… Zzzzzzz… Got a lot of nice pictures today. Minnesota here we come. I wanna go home so bad! I couldn’t handle doing this all the time and its only the 3rd day! Lightening bugs lit up our windshield when they hit they splatter neon green and glow! Indiana… Nice land hay bales and corn as far as the eye can see! I want to stop and play children of the corn! Chicago was beautiful. Seen a subway. Listen to me… I sound like a tourist! I’ve really never been out of Florida much so this was all new to me.
Day #4 I’m ready to go home! Wisconsin… Home of cheese! I asked for a coke and the lady looked at me like I was crazy! She said up here its called soda…Your machine says COKE! Lol! Ladies had skirts on in McDonald’s as uniforms. That was all new to me. Rain and construction as far as the eye can see. Today Steve broke out his yellow banana rain suit. That was a must see! We found a major exhaust leak this day which cut our trip short. Helped chain, strap and tarp today… More bruises. Tornado alley was quite scary.
Day #5, 6 and some of 7 were spent in a hotel due to truck problems. That was nice. Steve and I never had a honeymoon so we took that alone time to our advantage.
Day #8 was GREAT! Home sweet home. As soon as we pulled on the road I cried like a baby. I’m very much a homebody who loves my critters, kids, yard and home. I enjoyed the 8 days on the road. It was a much needed vacation even though I helped every chance I could.
Oh and his response to the question I asked him on the 1st day? He replied with, “If I couldn’t I wouldn’t have married you!”
You see why I married him?