United States of America

Well where should I start, there were so many things that drove me to being a truck driver.  From my mom telling me I can do anything I set my mind to.  To my dad telling me "It's a man's world" (I think he didn’t want me to marry a hairy legged truck driver).  You see when I turned 21 in 2001 I decided that I was going to prove my dad wrong.  So my dad and I teamed for 2 1/2 years (I think that was to try and turn me off of driving). Oh my gosh, those were 2 1/2 of the longest years I have ever experienced.  He put me through so much, from the overnight runs from California to Texas, or loads that well, we had to get there like, yesterday.

But in 2003 when my dad decided he couldn't run his truck anymore, he came to me and told me that if I was going to drive truck, then he wanted me to go to school for it and start just like everyone else.  So I agreed, I went to Central Tech in Drumright, Oklahoma, where I fine tuned my driving skills, I went ahead and renewed my CDL (commercial drivers licence) got my hazmat, (hazardous goods endorsement) and started at SWIFT when I got out of school.  Well when I went to SWIFT, and even though I had been driving already, the procedure was that I go out with a trainer for 6 weeks. 

Well remembering everything my dad had taught me, I went on the truck with a male trainer (who thought women should be at home barefoot and pregnant).  For 4 weeks I put up with this guy, telling supervisor of the students what kind of man this guy was.  I'm not saying that I know everything about driving Lord knows the moment we all know everything then it's time to turn in our keys.  But my dad taught me well on driving, and I know I learned from the best, after all my dad has been driving more than 35 yrs, where as this guy had only been driving for 5 yrs, anyways we had a big blow-out on how he was always trying to talk down to me.  So I finally got off his truck and onto a woman trainers truck. 

She rocked!!  The first run out went from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Slidell, Louisiana.  She drove just on the other side of Houston, Texas, and we switched drivers.  I drove for about 2 hrs and she decided she would get some sleep.  For 2 weeks we ran as a team.  She got paid for the mileage and paid me on the side.  She said I was one of the best students she had.  And couldn't understand why I even needed a trainer.   But apparently to get a lower insurance rate if you have a driver out of school, it will lower the rate if you have them go with a trainer first. It was 2 weeks when I came in and got off her truck, took my drive test, and then got into my own truck. They almost wanted to make me go out with another student, I threaten to quit if I had to go thru that again. 

I started out driving solo and 4 months later I met my future husband.  We would catch each other off and on at terminals; we talked on the phone, and met up when we could. I soon started training drivers, and progressed.  In 2004 my dad and mom met my fiancé, and thought he was great.  On October 2, 2005 my man asked me to marry him. I said yes.  Everything was going great, my mom and dad were both proud of me and that I had made something of myself.

My driving career came to a halt on November 21, 2005, the day I lost my best friend, my mother.  At about 7:05 pm I was in Columbus, Ohio headed to Findley, Ohio when I got the bad news that my mother had, had an accident and had died.  Needless to say I caught the first flight I could to Tulsa, Oklahoma. And because my mom and dad were raising my niece and nephew, I had to step up in my mothers place to assure that my niece and nephew would never be harmed by my sister's..... husband. 

So on December 13, 2005 my fiancé and I got married, and in Feb. 2006 I started driving school buses.  And finally on June 6, 2006 the battle was over and I have won legal guardianship with my dad to take care of my niece and nephew.  And that's my life on how I became a driver. 

You see when I got down, I always felt out numbered I always remembered that I was taught by one of the best. And when these men would try and knock me down, I just remember that there is nothing a man can do that I can't, (except perhaps pee standing up.) Well I admit that I can't pee standing up, but that's my story. Don't get me wrong my husband and I both miss it, we will return to driving when my niece is 18yrs.  That won't be for another 12 yrs.

It's going to be a long haul waiting. Until then..... Crystal Crumb.

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