Meet my Mom...the long-haul, Big Rig Driver!
When Mom met her husband, she would go with him on his long runs across the country. After a while she decided to get her CDL license. Then she and her husband were a team which means more money.
According to DOT Laws, 1 driver can drive no more than 8 hours so 2 people get 8 hours each which means more driving time.
Their run was always from Long Island to California. It would take them 3 days max one way. They would always have a load to take back as well. Then of course another pick-up and back to California they went.
If you live in California then you know how the highways are there. There is just enough room for a big rig to fit in one lane. But Mom did it with no problem. Me? You wouldn't catch me dead driving a big rig for a living!
All the men truckers loved my Mom. She is a big time tea drinker so they all gave her a handle name: Tea Cup.
She would tell me inside things like, a lounge lizard is a prostitute at the truck stops. An alligator in the road is a blown out tire in the middle of a lane and every trucker would warn each other about the gators, lol. Truck drivers are like one huge road family and they all look out for each other.
The only bad experience she had was while she was attending driving school. It was her turn to drive on the Long Island Expressway and it was raining. Next thing you know, the truck started to jack-knife out of nowhere. The steering wheel is very hard to control at that point and it ripped the skin off of some of her fingers. The instructor should have taken control but he didn't because he ended up going into shock. Mom was left to fend for herself. Luckily, no one was hit but the Long Island Expressway was shut down for hours.
The instructor ended up suing her for $1M. It never came to pass because the instructor never took over like he should have. He was a professional driver himself and he never should have panicked.
Did all of this deter my Mom? No. She got her CDL license and drove a big rig for a living and the money was really good. Between her and her husband they made over $150,000 a year.
She retired from driving 5 years ago. Why? It was time for her to be with her grandchildren and to be home again. The downside to driving long-haul is that you are never home. When they did come home, it was literally for one day a month. She was done with that.
So, the next time you think you can't do a job that is traditionally meant for men, think again and think of my Mom!
Jackie Connelly-Fornuff
Coldwell Banker ResidentialBabylon, NY 11702
Direct: (631) 274-1937
Cell: (631) 703-0201
Email: Jackie.Connelly-Fornuff@cbmoves.com
Website: www.longislandrealestatelady.com
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