So I thought I would share a small part of my world. I’ve been waiting on 10 pallets of grapes to come over the Mexican border for 23 hours now and still. I. am. waiting.
This is the unglamorous part of trucking ha ha ha…
It’s hot out and since I don’t feel like sweating, and mostly since I don’t look too glamourous sweating I have taken to the bunk and air conditioning for the duration of the afternoon.
This morning I did get up and out of the truck. I went for a walk, then made a good, hot, homemade breakfast, and I enjoyed as much of the outdoors as I could before the sun rose up too high making this Minnesota girl uncomfortable. Now that I’ve cleaned, caught up on my reading, and done paperwork, the next thing on the list is to answer emails…uh.
But before I go I thought I would give you the chance to ask a question or two if you’re so inclined about the life of a trucker, or my life trucking. I get a lot of emails asking questions about trucking, and how I live in a truck and I thought maybe someone else would have another, whether it be how I live in Rosie while out, how I cook, or what I do to keep organized in a very small space…
Just leave a comment below and I will try to answer them if you are interested. Oh, and happy Friday!
About Bethany
Bethany, I really enjoy your posts. This year, after being retired for a few years, I finally gave up my CDL; changing to a regular chauffeur’s license saved money and also means that future renewals can be done online. Enjoy your life in the truck! I still miss it and get the ‘itch’ to take off in a truck every time I see one on the highway.
Hope you don’t have to wait another day for the grapes! You know how it is in Mexico; it will get done ‘manana’ which means whenever they get around to it. LOL
Hi Sarah! I can imagine the itch you have, I get it when I’m home too long! You have me laughing about ‘mañana’! I lived in New Mexico once, on the edge of the Navajo reservation and when I first moved there, a friend told me that I had better get used to ‘Ish’ time because that was how they did things around those parts…. Which meant one-ish, two-ish, three-ish…..
How do you do your hair? I mean, I wake up at home looking scary! And I’m guessing you have to walk into a truck stop. Do you wear a hat or just don’t care if you scare people lol!?
Hey Sarah, Hats are a marvelous thing to have, and I probably have 10 in here rolling around but I do also use a dry shampoo by Kenra that I use quite often. I also keep a spray bottle of water mixed with rosemary essential oil that I will wet my hair down with, air dry and then am able to curl when I really look scary and can’t get to a shower right away in the morning. And after so many years in a truck, I’ve learned to sleep easy and not move too much which will ease the scariness in the morning!
Where do you go to the bathroom when one isn’t available? Not to get personal or anything but I know its not like you girls out on the road can just whip it out like the boys!
Dina, I have an ice cream pail I keep with for times without a bathroom or a very dirty bathroom that I’d rather not use. Not a perfect solution but room is limited!
Hi! Yó soy el chofer con tus uvas! Estoy muy borracho por todo las cervezas que estoy tomándo. Por eso no he llegàdo. Mil disculpas!
Hola! I’m the driver with your grapes. I’m very borracho from all the beers I’ve been drinking! That’s why I’m not arrive yet. One thousand apologies!!!
No I’m not! I promise but I do hope your grapes arrived! Lol!
My grapes have yet to arrive Nathan, but thank you for the laugh! I will be drinking beer tonight and very borracho if my grapes do not arrive! Hiccup! xx
First time commenter (might as well say Hello!
), long time fan cause you keep it REAL, and I’m a 13 year local driver (super duper local), thinking of going off the company leash in the future (always day dreaming about it lol), how do you get most of your work? Are you the early bird that gets the good jobs thru a broker or are you dedicated to one company with your truck….tell me more about that….you’ll be hearing from me more often! 
Love the blog!
Hi Donna thank you for the comment & compliment! Hubs and I have our own authority but I do not use it, rather I am leased to a company that I have been with for over 12 years (both as company driver & owner operator). Because of where we live, (the middle of nowhere) it is pretty difficult to secure good paying loads that keep me close to home and it also means a little less paper work for me to do! The way things go now, I load 18 miles from home and deliver no more than 3 hours from the house and generally I only haul for 4 different companies (2 produce companies coming back home & ice cream/turkey going out west). I love that I have dependability and I know all the people I work for, which means security and safety for me!
Look forward to hearing more from you!
Bethany, you have Rosie very organized on the inside!! When you cook a hot meal do you use a crock pot, or do you use a hot plate? Do you look at photos you while out on the road, or do you wait till you get home? Do you like to read paperback books? If so, whos your favorite author?
Hi Bonnie- I don’t cook in my truck much anymore. I do have a small croc pot that plugs into a very small inverter but I am moving everything outside using a single burner propane stove. I am ALWAYS looking at photos (I can’t stay away from them) and always dreaming up new ways to take them. I don’t read too many books on the road (they make me fall asleep), but I am a huge fan of magazines (I have a zillion of them and it’s a bad habit of mine). I do listen to audio books though and I love murder mysteries. Stuart Woods is one of my favorites!
10-4, have you ever listened too any of James Patterson’s books on audio, very goood writer.
Loved reading your blog until my computer crashed and I lost you and many others. I was so happy to see you mentioned on Daily Coyote and now I have you back
The two of you are amazing! Wish I lived in the west to take advantage of the new endeavor. All of us “easterners” will be watching and hoping you eventually come our way.
I travel a lot and can suggest a way to make your potty more ideal. Put a trash bag in that pail & steal some of Squeaky’s litter. Those cats don’t do nothin we don’t! I get the “multiple cats” – absorbent, no smell. Pour more kitty litter on top after each use. Toss it out when convenient.
Hey Bernice,
That is a great idea. My husband trucks alone these days as the kids need me here. I book his loads for him and run the home office but hope to travel with him in 7 years or so. I will have to keep this in mind for when I do. Thanks for the great suggestion.
Kim
I am a blogger, and I want to compliment your blogging as well as your trucking philosophy. I have used “women in trucking” as my topic of the month for blogs on the website of a driving school, USA CDL Driving School in Orlando Florida. You might like to check out the reference I made to you and for you! I have given you my weekly award, the “Eighteen Wheels and A Dozen Roses” Award. It’s no trophy, just compliments and the silent applause in my heart for your contribution to the trucking industry and the ladies who drive. If you Email me some good jpegs of Rosie, I could use them in later posts! Take care!
Best,
CharMaine Beleele (www.angelkissedseoservices.com) and http://www.angelkissedphotography.com)
Charmaine Beleele recently posted..USA CDL Driving School Salutes The Women Who Love The Big Rigs