Vertically Challenged

I love being short. I really do. I think it is a big part of my personality.

It has never really hindered my ability to do anything, although it has made somethings a little more difficult to accomplish. But it has never stopped me.

Yesterday I posted that my legs have been aching lately , and actually, I do know the reason why. It is because I am short!!

HUH??

Yes, it is because I am built closer to the ground. This is a problem I have faced throughout my entire trucking career, but I have always managed to adjust.

When I first started driving, I had troubles reaching the fuel, brake and clutch. So, to accommodate, I strapped 4x6" wooden blocks onto the controls. By the time I got my second truck, I had learned to position myself in the seat to be able to reach the pedals. That first Truck, actually left my legs black and blue with bruises from the edge of the seat cutting into the backs of my thighs. It looked like someone was beating me on a regular basis.

I have found over the years that most trucks have seats that will adjust to fit my needs, and more and more Truck manufacturers are designing Big Rigs to be user friendly for people of all shapes and sizes. For example, the typical seat in a VOLVO will place me under the dash so I can indeed reach the pedals, the only problem with that is that the base of the seat itself is so high, that I cannot get low enough for comfort. Therefore, all though I am close enough, the seat itself presses into the backs of my thighs whilst I try to reach the floor or brake or fuel pedal, which is all the time!! And it cause my legs to be achy, cutting off my circulation.

The first time I ever drove a Volvo was quite amusing. My truck was a Peterbilt, and it was too long to get into a particular dock in OKC. So the broker I worked for, let me borrow one of their company trucks. A daycab volvo. While driving down the interstate to get back to the customer, I got some pretty strange looks from people. You see, every time I would hit a joint in the road, I would bounce inside the truck and mash on the accelerator..... Vrroooommmm Vrroooooommmmm vrrooooommmmmm... Which of course it about every 20 feet on the concrete surface. A police officer riding beside me decided he would see what I was up to. When I explained the situation, he let me go but not before laughing at my expense!! He had also tried to move the seat for me, but no adjustment would help.

For the past 9-10 months I have been driving one such Volvo, but had no problems with the seat adjustment. The air controls in the seat were broken and the little bags looked like squishy brains hanging out of the side of it. But I was comfortable!!! Then, after having exhaust leaks for 2 months, my boss decided to put me back into my original truck from a year ago. This thing had problems from day one, but seemed to have had all the kinks worked out of her. The day I got back in her, my legs went numb!! It has a perfectly good seat with all controls working, the little bags make her seat up high, which is no good for me! I have been in pain and uncomfortable ever since.