Jovanka is the mother of courage behind the steering wheel: She has four children, she drives a truck across Europe, and now she silenced everybody with one status! (PHOTO)
- I am the one that "lets" you join the traffic while you are storming out of the stop lane as if you were flying a spacecraft, and not a car, I am taking my foot off of the throttle, and you are thinking "the truck is far away, it can't reach me". You have no idea that I am "heavy, long, wide", that I can't break suddenly. A hundred of a second of me not paying attention is someone's life - words of Jovanka Misuric from Doboj, who started numerous comments with her status in the group Truck Drivers, and now read her words until the end and you will probably see that this woman is right.
Jovanka Joka Misuric (40) is one of the rare women who drives a truck and she is meeting accidental situations every day across Europe. As she said, "she is tired of drivers that don't care and that underestimate drivers and they don't even realize how much they depend on them".
There is no impossible for this woman, she knows no obstacles. Jovanka is a mother of four, she raises them herself. Her ex-husband passed away six months ago, and she has been taking care of the children. The youngest one is 12 years old.
Like she said, she did all kinds of things, from working part-time to forest houses, waitress, barbeque chef on hot summer days, travel saleswoman, and she decided to change something in her life - she started driving trucks.
At first, she found the resistance of the family for this decision, mostly for her safety, while the society looked down on her.
- There is so much discrimination that it is terrible. Women are handling ships and planes in the west, and a woman can't drive a truck here. If a woman knows more, she is more appraised, and here, Joka is crazy. When I took the driver's test, I experienced so many unpleasant situations that I asked the instructor if I was alien - Joka said.
This is her entire status:
- I am a female, but it looks like that I am some wild female. I am the one that "lets" you join the traffic while you are storming out of the stop lane as if you were flying a spacecraft, and not a car, I am taking my foot off of the throttle, and you are thinking "the truck is far away, it can't reach me". You have no idea that I am "heavy, long, wide", that I can't break suddenly. A hundred of a second of me not paying attention is someone's life.
Yes, I am the one who turns when the street is narrow, and you are such a stud, you parked and you threw your arm out of the window and you watch me while I am trying not to hit the curb. Yes, I am the one you are cursing while you are trying to overtake me, and you think that I don't see you waving your hands in the mirror.
I am the one that drives 40 tons truck. Where there are only two traffic lanes, or up the hill, I am going slowly, and you are cursing me because I am a "stupid, incompetent, female" and I have no idea about anything. You don't know that it's not the same going up the hill in a car and with a truck. I am the one that it transporting items that are breakable, glass, tall, expensive, heavy... I know, a lot of people are saying a lot of things about us because the truck drivers are "arrogant people".
You are going in front of me below the speed limit where there is a ban for trucks to overtake, and when I signal you to move, you are showing me the middle finger, I can see that, but I won't allow it to be annoyed, don't you worry. When some of the drivers ask for advice at the station, those who have no idea about the traffic are the ones who answer the most.
You are telling me personally that I am "stupid", and why are you calling me in the middle of the night, asking me "Joko, do I need Visa for Sarajevo?" You are looking down on me as if I was stupid because I do this job, and you don't know how to enter a roundabout. You are looking down on me because I drive a truck, and you don't know where are the border crossings out of your country.
All of the people doing this job do it because they have to or they love it. When I read "They are for nothing better", or "stupid like a driver", it makes me sick. This job is not just sitting and driving. If you didn't know, this job can be done only by people who are resourceful. Those who know how to drive perfectly know what I am writing about. Hours, minutes, and sometimes seconds are important in this job.
When I get out of the truck, you are turning your head away from me. The drivers "stink, they don't shower for days", get out of here! Many drivers are more decent than any other people.
And who said that drivers didn't go to school? Yes we don't have school, but why do you ask me "Joko, where are you, and when I say near Stuttgart you are asking me what's the weather in Austria?!?!
I just laugh it out, What else can I do to your words. Let us go who don't know anything about this, do your work. We surely won't get our noses in your professions, we don't have the time, we need to make to all loading and unloading - wrote Joka.
- I am fair in my job and I earn money for my children, I don't ask anything from anybody. Just a little respect and understanding, and if I can't even get that, they can just mind their own business. Wherever I go I find laughter. But I try to keep that away from me, so it doesn't bother me. It speaks about other people more. Sometimes, when I get tired of it, I write a few words, like this status, when I say what is in my soul - Joka said.
- You shouldn't give up when it's difficult, fight for everything in your life to accomplish it. If you want to be a lady, fight to be a lady, if you want to drive a truck, fight to drive a truck. Just follow your dreams and they will come true - Jovanka said for Telegraf.
(Telegraf.co.uk / J.J.Kulas/j.kulas@telegraf.rs)
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