I made my way out to the little ’burb of Stirling, Ont., just north of Belleville, this past weekend to check out the second annual Eastern Ontario Big Rig Truck Show and Shine, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. For a small community, they put on a pretty good show! I think about 90 show trucks were entered in the show and shine and I would say several hundred people from the community braved the blistering heat check things out. (My nose is still peeling. Note to self: always remember sunscreen).

One of the most original things I thought the show had to offer was the “Come and Drive a Big Rig Truck” event. Scarily enough, the event permitted anyone with a regular driver’s license to get behind the wheel of a big rig and take it for a spin. To be honest, I had no idea how they would pull this one off. I pictured the truck ploughing through the fairgrounds, picking off vendor’s booths like pylons before embedding itself in the side of a barn. Call me a pessimist, I guess.

But no, the novice driver was confined to an enclosed track, with the instructor’s foot at the ready, hovering above his own personal brake (a dead stop in a tenth of a second, I was told). And yes, even I, an admitted big rig rookie, decided to give it a shot. Thankfully, I was spared the pain of learning to double-clutch and instead learned the fine art of the slip shift. And with a brief two-minute lesson, there I was, on top of the world (or at least a bit higher than usual) making my way ’round the track just like all the drivers I’ve written about.

My instructor, Randy, said that many of the women who gave it a shot spent most of their lessons screaming with delight as they rounded each corner. Though I didn’t spend any of my lesson screaming, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a big smile on my face the whole time. Driving a truck might be old hat for you guys, but it was quite a rush for me!

I must say, I thought the event was an original – if not slightly daring – addition to the show, and the perfect way to educate the public on what it’s like to be a truck driver. Kudos to the organizers for pulling it off!