MARGARET “PEGGY” BALLINGER
FAMILY: Five sons, 12 grandchildren
LEASED TO: Yellowstone 2000 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
RIG: 2000 Western Star
FREIGHT: Flatbed – mostly airline freight, electrical boxes and air conditioners
NET INCOME: $46,000
ACCIDENT-FREE: 32 years, 41/2 million miles
Peggy Ballinger’s red hair is the first sign that she might be a little feisty. Her solo driving career of 32 years reinforces the notion. A no-nonsense attitude and vigorous work ethic have kept her on the road 350 to 355 days a year.
“I drove until I was eight and a half months pregnant with my third son. I was back on the road when he was 6 weeks old,” Ballinger says. “The two youngest, I potty-trained in a cabover. You haven’t lived until you have a potty tarp-rubbered on the doghouse.”
Now that her sons are older, Ballinger’s dog, Lady, and cat, Mouse, are the only ones that ride in her cab with her.
“Driving by myself, I do it all. Those chains on the side of the cab? I put them on myself. I change the oil. I do a little wiring; occasionally screw up a little wiring. I can dink around and do a lot of stuff,” she says.
Ballinger bought her 2000 Western Star in 1999, along with a new trailer. Her 110-inch custom ICT Sundowner has a shower, toilet, television, VCR, microwave, 45-gallon water reservoir, 6-gallon hot water heater and even a kitchen sink.
“It’s really cool. There’s so much storage space,” she says. “It’s really comfortable. It’s just the payments that are uncomfortable.”
