Tractor Trailers

After a couple of days of travel on I-90, we can’t help but wonder what it’s like to be a long-distance tractor-trailer driver.   It’s difficult enough to manage a 30-foot RV, but our home on wheels is absolutely dwarfed by the rigs we park next to at rest areas and truck stops.  Going across Ohio, we even encountered a couple of triple-trailered (are they also called tandems?) FedEx trucks. 

Yup, that's three cars in tandem - pretty intimidating to be next to one on the interstate

Some of us have endured traffic snarls in our commute to work, but what if getting stuck in traffic is part of your job? 

Chicago traffic on a sunny Saturday afternoon 

Some trucking companies display employment enticements right on their big rigs ("for an exciting career in trucking, call.....") , but I wonder what the hourly salary amounts to.   At one Ohio toll station, we found ourselves stuck right behind a tractor-trailer that was taking an inordinate amount of time at the booth.   Unable to back up, we waited it out for about 10-15 minutes as the toll booth operator came out and took note of the truck’s license plate. When our turn finally came, the collector apologized, saying that the truck driver didn’t have the money to pay the toll; in her words, lack of payment is more common than one would expect.   (Considering that it cost us nearly $30 to get through New York, $18 through Ohio, and $13 for a very short distance in Illinois, maybe I’m not surprised!)