Yesterday I had the pleasure of driving a U-Haul truck for the first, and hopefully last, time ever. I had to go get the cabinets from Kelly’s parents, and it seemed like renting a truck was the best way to handle the situation. Although in retrospect it probably would have been more fun to make a hundred trips on foot, carrying the cabinets on my back.
If you’ve never driven a U-Haul, it is kind of hard to explain just how unpleasant it is. The main problem is the complete lack of visibility. You’re probably not aware how often you use your rear view mirror, or how much you rely on being able to see out the back of your vehicle. Well the reason for that is that normally you can see out the back, so you don’t pay much attention to it. But then when it is gone, it is horrible. It feels like you are driving blind and careening out of control.
The side visibility isn’t much better. Sure, they give you huge mirrors, but there are still terrifyingly large blind spots. Several times I thought that I was clear to change lanes, only to have a car zoom by me the next moment. I’m convinced that I would have crashed several times had I not had Kelly driving behind me, changing lanes before me and making sure that everything was clear.
But even if you get past the fact that you have no visibility, you still have to drive the damn thing. I didn’t even get one of the bigger ones, and it was still pretty horrible. The steering wheel gave you a vague approximation of control, but you could turn it quite a bit in both directions without really causing any change in the direction of the vehicle. And then there was the fact that there were basically no brakes. And that it is as wide as an elephant. And that any little bit of wind completely causes you to go flying all over the place.
So yeah. It was a great time all around. I’d highly recommend driving one once, so you know how bad it can be.
One Comment
Your precious Mother drove a U-Haul all the way to Marshall when Jeanne moved. She even had to drive through the truck weigh station. It was an adventure and fun. It was an experience I will always remember. Then when we got there dear Grandpa Sathre supervised unloading it, and did way too much of the work himself, assisted by some local young men. Grandpa Sathre was a wonderful person and we were all priviliged to know him. And don’t forget what a wonderful and amazing woman your own Mother is.