Size Matters Story by Salina Bailey I drive trucks for a living, one in a long line of truckers. Both my dad and stepdad were drivers. They were hauling logs in old Mack trucks before I was even born. It's funny, but none of my brothers followed in their footsteps, just me�the daughter! I drive everything from a solo dump truck to a log truck. My usual job is driving a dump truck and trailer. The trucks weigh in at 102,000 to 105,000 pounds. That's fifty-one tons (give or take) on wheels. The red truck in the picture below is a sixty-yard end dump, which means it has a sixty cubic yard capacity. The trailer stands up on the very back set of tires when you dump it. When fully raised, the trailer is almost three stories tall and will flip over if not completely level. I haven't flipped one yet. The diesel engines we run vary from 350 to 600 horsepower. Transmissions are nine to eighteen speeds. That's a lot of gears to shift. There is a lot more to driving a truck that big, though. These days everyone is in a hurry and road rage is quite common. A lot of people don't realize that a truck is not a car. It does not stop or turn or accelerate like a car. It takes the length of a football field to stop a loaded truck at sixty miles an hour. Keep that in mind the next time you are tempted to squeeze into the space in front of a truck. That space is there for a reason. A lot of times I have to haul right out of downtown Seattle with a truck and trailer. And you guys thought autocross was a challenge?? I've had to back my truck and trailer down long driveways, around blind corners, and into areas that weren't big enough to fit my car into! But it's all in a days work. I wouldn't trade it for anything! Running up and down the highway all day I get to see a lot of interesting things. You would be amazed at what you can see from the cab of a truck. I've seen some pretty rare muscle cars hidden behind fences or hedges only because I was high enough to see over them. I also see a lot of accidents, which is not so interesting, especially if there were children in the car. I love my job. I like the freedom of not having a boss sitting next to me telling me what to do. I love going down the road. Sometimes its hard to explain: there is just something about driving a semi. Drive safe.