things I learned while trucking

When I was a little girl, my dad drove a semi for a living. We didn't get to see him a lot, so during the summer, my sisters and I would take turns and go trucking with Dad. We were usually gone about 2 weeks, and we traveled all over the country during that time.

Here are some of the things trucking taught me:

1. Don't judge a book by it's cover. Some of the nicest people in the world are truck stop regulars, and they look terrifying. I remember a guy in Florida who gave me a raisin box full of real shark teeth while I waited for my dad to finish tarping a load. I was a bored little girl and he took the time to stop and entertain me for a bit. I still have those teeth.

2. Sometimes you have to take the scenic route. This is a beautiful country, with some of the prettiest places you'll ever see. Go for a drive, look out the window, stop at the rest stops, enjoy the beauty around you.

3. The best place to eat in Louisiana is the Tiger truck stop. Its a tiny little truck stop/restaurant right off I-10; the owners of the truck stop have live tigers in pens right there on the lot. Get the Crawfish Etouffee. Oh my heavenly stars, it is amazing!

mmmmmmmm

4. Follow the rules of the road. My dad told me enough stories about bad wrecks he's seen to teach me that no matter how annoying I may find the rules, they are for our safety.

5. Ricky Skaggs is a musical genius.

6. My dad is also a genius. Seriously. Close your eyes, point to a random spot on a US map, and my dad can tell you how to get there, right down to the exit number.

7. If you eat a chocolate yoohoo and a crawfish meat pie in one sitting, you throw up.

8. My dad doesn't like it when you throw up right outside the door of the truck.

9. Embrace your weirdness. There is a phenomenon that is not widely known, called "trucking personality." I'll explain. When one is stuck in the cab of a semi for 2 weeks, one begins to lose one's mind. To keep sane, we develop trucking personality. Everyone's trucking personality is different. Daisy talked nonstop, Jeannine read book after book, Carrie sang at the top of her lungs, and I just became weird. Really weird.

10. My dad loves me a lot. He let me spend 2 weeks every summer crammed in his truck, hogging all the room, eating his food, drooling on his pillow, and he never complained.