833 - Experience Creates Confidence: What a 1,000-Mile U-Haul Trip Taught Me

Last weekend, I did something I had never done before.

I drove a 15-foot U-Haul more than 1,000 miles from Northern Kentucky to Fort Worth, Texas, while pulling my daughter’s 2015 Toyota Corolla on a tow dolly.

For weeks leading up to the trip, my mind was rehearsing everything that could possibly go wrong.

What if I had to back up?

Would I be able to navigate gas stations?

Where would I park overnight?

Could I make it through narrow construction lanes?

What would it feel like driving with 18-wheelers on either side of me?

I did what I could to prepare. I watched videos, asked questions, learned how to secure the car, and got advice from someone who had done it before.

But there were some things I simply could not learn ahead of time.

I had to get behind the wheel.

At my first fuel stop, my nervous system was in overdrive. I asked my wife and daughter not to talk while I figured out how to maneuver this entire setup through the gas station.