Handywomans Companion : an Internet publication adapted from the journal of Jeannine Patane

Guardian Angels of the Road
by Jeannine Patané • June 2004

I have a great respect for truck drivers. They operate huge vehicles with massive loads at high speeds, while skillfully avoiding obstacles and unpredictable drivers. It can be very challenging, solitary work. Some of my biggest memories of being on the road involve truck drivers. A few memories took place in Western Australia during my bicycle trip. I got a lift with a talkative and friendly trucker when my bike broke down. Another encounter with a trucker was when he pulled over ahead of me because he thought I’d be thirsty and he wanted to give me a Coke. I don’t get to meet many truck drivers when I’m driving my car, but none-the-less, I look up to the men and women truckers of the road.

    During this May’s driving trip south from Alaska, I hit a snowstorm in Banff, British Columbia. Darkness had just set in for the evening. The driving conditions got ugly. I was facing blinding, driving snow with slushy, wet roads. The highway had poorly marked and non-existent road lines with a speed limit of 110 km. It was one of those hypnotizing snowstorms when you felt like you’re going warp speed in outer space, mistaking the driving snow as billions of stars whizzing by you. Some cars had pulled over to the side of the road because driving conditions were so poor. However, the weather didn’t affect the truck drivers. They knew the roads and how to drive in bad conditions.
    I put my faith in the experienced truck drivers to guide me through the storm. Every truck’s trailer is equipped with rear red lights, which was my guiding light for the course of the road. The trick was to keep the same speed as the truck in front of me and maintain a safe distance. I had to overcome the fear of pushing a little extra speed to keep up, or I would lose their lights and lose the road in front of me. When I couldn’t see the immediate road ahead, my speed drastically slowed down and I was quickly immobilized with fear. Then I saw a faint glimpse of red lights ahead of me. I pushed the pedal and myself to ride the adrenaline rush of going a little too fast for comfort to keep up with the lights.
    Having a guiding light propels me to shed my fear and push myself a bit more with the trust in someone else. When I can’t keep up with a guiding light, I continue to comfortably follow course as best I can, until another skilled truck driver comes along to help me keep the pace.