Alot of drivers take hobbies on the road, but how many can say their hobby got them preferential treatment at a shipping dock, or saved them an inspection at a weigh station? Pam and Bill Myyers can — and what is that hobby, you ask? Quilting.

That's right — these Dart contractors make quilts in their off-duty time. They give some to nephews and nieces, while others go to their Trucker Buddy classes. It helps the couple relax and gives them a creative outlet. They've also met a lot of other quilters on the road, proving it's not just your grandma's pastime.

"One time, we were in California picking up a load," Pam says. "I went to the shipping office to sign in, and there was a beautiful quilt in a frame on the desk. I asked the foreman who was doing that beautiful work. He said it was his. I asked him about a famous quilt shop in the area that we were trying to get to before it closed. 'They close at 6,' he said, 'You'll never make it.' There were seven trucks in front of us. 'Wait a minute,' he said checking the papers on his desk. 'Pull it into this dock as soon as the driver pulls out.' "

The Myyerses did as they were told, while the other drivers stared. The manager loaded them himself, and they were done in 15 minutes. "He also called the quilt shop, which remained open at his request so we could do our shopping. We still don't know what he told the other drivers," Pam says.

Another time at a weigh station, an officer started to wave them over for an inspection. "He changed his mind when he saw the sewing machine. Turned out he was a quilter, too, and knew quilters would never take shortcuts on an inspection because we are all so fussy. He checked out the patchwork and sent us on our way.

"Quilting is a hobby that can expand or shrink to fit the needs and situations of the individual," Pam says. "The only things you really need are fabric, thread and a needle. Of course, very few quilters stop with the minimum."

That's certainly true of the Myyerses. They rarely go home, so work and play center around their new Freightliner FLD. Besides being quilters, they're also computer buffs. "When you have four computers, two printers, a flatbed scanner, TV, VCR, satellite dish, videos, books on tape, computer programs and books, two months' worth of clothes, a sewing machine, two Burton stoves, a cappuccino maker, an espresso machine and a regular coffee pot, you need places to put things," Pam says. She worked out the logistics of how to store their gear in the cab, as well as thread, padding, about 150 yards of fabric and accessories. The heart of the system is a collection of plastic drawers in various sizes. "They made room for cloth, which can't be put just anywhere because it is easy to ruin good fabric," she says.

Putting a set of the drawers on the foot of the lower bunk created enough space to store clothes, cloth and other items. This shortened the bed, but taking the bottom drawer out and putting it on top of the drawer cabinet took care of that. A pair of shoe racks raised the drawers enough for foot room under the cabinet. There's also a smaller set of drawers at the head of the bunk. The couple turned an inexpensive wooden TV table into an easy-to-store, combo fabric cutting table and ironing board.

Pam was 12 when her grandmother taught her how to quilt, but she eventually lost interest. After going on the road, Pam whiled away time with their computer, but during several lengthy repair sessions she found herself with idle hands.

"I bought some fabric to make a laundry bag and saw a template for miniature quilt blocks and bought it. Cutting, sewing and quilting made the miles fly by. Bill looked at the tiny blocks and shook his head. He was certain no one could sew such tiny things and not go blind," Pam laughs.

Bill had watched his grandmother quilt, and when Pam challenged him to try it, he was hooked. "He discovered that quilting is like trucking: Most people think anyone can do it until they try it. I took pity on him and got some larger templates, and he began designing quilts with Electric Quilt software."

He decided they should make quilts for their Trucker Buddy classes in Derby, Kan., and Carol Stream, Ill. They planned designs and made blocks for the children to sign during school visits in early 1999. Then came months of patiently putting pieces together; one of Pam's works in progress is two feet square and has more than 6,000 pieces. "Bill still thinks I'm going to go blind," she says.

Quilts consist of hundreds or thousands of tiny pieces of cloth, usually put together in designs, which are sewn together onto a larger piece of fabric called the backing, with a filler called batting in between. Sewing the pieces together in patterns is called piecing or patchwork, while sewing the patterns onto the larger sheet of fabric, with padding in the middle, is actually quilting.

Some quilters use sewing machines to stitch everything together, which greatly speeds up the process. Others do it by hand. The Myyers use both techniques. Either way, it requires an artistic sense, an eye and memory for color and patterns, and a lot of patience.

The couple belong to online quilting discussion groups on CompuServe and also seek out quilt shops, using a guide called "The Quilter's Travel Companion." The first time they pulled up at a quilt shop, they discovered the owners were members of the online quilting forum, who treated the truckers like visiting royalty.

"They insisted on serving coffee and seeing the truck they'd heard about. Bill demonstrated how we set up the sewing machine and the computers and let each of them sit in the driver's seat and honk the air horn," Pam says. Like excited kids, the quilt shop owners nearly drained the air tanks.

While Bill drives, Pam sews and designs. She cuts fabric only when the truck is stopped, and sometimes she holds off on sewing, too. "What do you call someone who tries to sew while going through Arkansas? A blood donor," she quips. When they stop, Bill grabs his work and stitches away.

"Basically, quilting is taking small things and putting them in an order that makes sense and serves practical and personal purposes," Pam says with a chuckle. "Sort of like a dispatcher trying to get rid of a grocery load."