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Jan. 19, 2007 I have to High-Five Kristy Robinett in agreement regarding her Article Driving Is For The Birds. I share the same sentiments. Once upon a time, the abundance of West Virginia minimal wage jobs from Hades inspired me to ponder becoming an over the road Truck Driver. A girlfriend drove me to the employment office in Virginia to put in an application for a Trucking Outfit called Slow Women In Freightliner Trucks (SWIFT). That application was denied. A few days later, I received a call from West Virginia Employment Services. I was hired by a company that contracts with the Department of Transportation as a Courtesy Patrol Driver. I drove a white Ford Truck and patrolled a section of Interstate 64 in search of stranded motorists who were out of gas or had flat tires that needed changing. One time I reported moving what I thought was a dead bear off the interstate. " That was not a bear, that’s a dead dog," one of the DOH workers advised me. I didn’t think bears had long tails but I had never seen a bear up close. I am a Southern California Gal. I certainly did get my winter driving experience with that job. The first time there was snow, I called my Supervisor and told him, "I’m not going!" "Yes you are!" he informed me. We will make a West Virginia driver out of you yet. One particularly stormy night, I ran into a young sailor with a flat tire on his way to Norfolk Virginia. My son was on a ship in the Persian Gulf at that time thus young sailors make my maternal heart go pitter patter. We changed the flat tire but the spare went flat. Sunday nights are the worse possible times to have a mechanical crisis on the road. The only alternative is a guaranteed fleecing by a Mobile Repair Service. I drove the young man to the service station to pick up a tire. He was ten dollars short. I covered the difference and gave him the cash I had in my pocket. Soon the young man was on his way to Norfolk Virginia. This could be my kid stuck on the road miles from his destination. Two years later, It WAS my kid stuck on the road miles from his destination. My younger son and his friends went to a concert in Virginia Beach. They got lost and the car ran out of fuel. A kind hearted person gave them some money to fill up the tank to get home. Eventually, my driving job with Courtesy Patrol went terminus. I sent an application to the Great Pumpkin Truck Driving Academy and this time I was accepted. Driving a fully loaded truck on the freeway with no experience on the second day is an awe inspiring experience. My Partner wrecked the day. After the was through talking to Safety, I got into the truck and hit a Peterbilt Truck in the parking lot. "There are not good omens at all", I thought to myself. I never go over being nervous while driving that truck. A week later, there was a storm from Hurricane Frances. Not only was I not driving in that storm but "Hell No!" I am not driving in that storm. I was heading home, there was an Eighteen Wheeler jackknifed on the freeway. This was an omen that perhaps I should not be training to drive trucks at that academy. Perhaps, I will never drive an 18 Wheeler in this lifetime. That suits me just fine. I am having a good laugh at all the folks in Texas who called off work because of an ice storm. Texas has nice straight and flat roads. I’ve driven in worse storms driving the company truck (a four wheeler) up Sand Stone Mountain in West Virginia. ------------ About the Author: Bonijean Isaacs is an Astrologer and Freelance Writer but Bakes Bread, Makes Donuts and Decorated Cakes at her day job in Texas. Email: inez4liberty@gmail.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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