Weather Worry by Bobbi McGee

    Sometimes I stop and think, do other wives watch the weather report to check and see if he packed warm enough? Do they worry if his prescription was filled so he has enough meds if he is trapped out an extra week? 

I hardly remember a time before trucking; I know when we met in 1995 he was a trucker, I know when we started dating in 2007 he was a trucker, and I know when we married in 2011 he was still a trucker, and today as we prepare to celebrate 15 years married, yep, he is still a trucker. 

I know it has been a while since I published a new blog but that is the life of a Trucker's Wife. Busy as ever living the 'Hard Shell" life.

    Winter is a whole other ballgame which brings on a unique set of challenges for life on the road. I try my best to pack everything he needs but how can I unpack my mind? Does he have plenty of cash in case the ATM's are down, does he have two pair of gloves in case his favorite ones get wet, should I increase his protein in his meal prep, does he have his "warm" winter coat, did we put the extra blanket in the sleeper? Sometimes it simple things like did I pack him extra coffee and sometimes it is scary things like how long can you live without heat in 10 degree weather if the truck breaks down? These are the things that pass through the mind of a Trucker's Wife. 

It is that feast or famine lifestyle that can catch up with you quickly. As a propane hauler my husband and many others are running hard like their hair is on fire since they are working under exemption, Harsh weather conditions increase demand and those long days wear you out. That is when you are more likely to get a cold or the flu and let me tell you there is nothing worse than being sick in the truck alone and away from home.

    Ever since COVID I have said, "Truck Drivers are the original essential employee," they practically coined the phrase but it is the truth. When most of America is reaching for the phone to call in a snow day, truck drivers are enjoying less traffic on the roads but wishing they could keep the salt off their trucks. Drivers don't get snow days or most three day weekends. As my husband has always said, "President's don't drive a truck so truckers are not off for President's Day." It is funny but he is right. It is easy to take for granted you're "home every night," 9-5 lifestyle when you have never known anything else.

Most trucking families will get this but to the average ever day reader they may think, "Why would anyone want to drive a truck?" The most common answers I have heard over the years; life on the open road, the chance to be your own boss, the quiet without a crowd, the challenge of getting it done, the best way to pay the bills, but what if I told you there is another answer. Men need to be wanted, they enjoy a challenge and crave the satisfaction of meeting a goal or conquering a foe, each of them still has that little bit of wild deep down inside. Truckers are driven, that is not a pun it is a fact. Most of them enjoy proving you wrong and doing it their way, that is just how they are built. It takes a special kind of person to thrive in unfavorable conditions and rise to meet any challenge. No matter if the driver is female or a male, the same type of reasons apply. I don't know a truck driver behind the wheel today that would trade his boots for a three piece suit or his sleeper for a corner office. Why would you fight to climb the corporate ladder to earn an office window when you have a whole windshield view? 

 The cold and the "what ifs," may keep my mind busy as a trucker's wife, but to those out on the road rolling 18-wheels it is just another level to complete or another beast to tame. I am thankful for those who put it all on the line to keep America rolling, what would the rest of us do without them? For one thing we would be doing whatever it is without clothes, food, or shelter because a trucker brought you that.