It's pretty hard to get a perfect straight line out on the freeway. I know from experience. WSDOT invited all of the local traffic anchors to  their practice facility to try it out.

I'm always up for a challenge and arrived early to make sure I could get some quality time with the instructor before anyone else showed up. It was a ton of fun to jump into the truck and get hands on with painting a line. I had a wonderful coach, who was very patient and positive in his commands. I actually didn't do too bad. My second go was much better than my first, but in the end I managed to get the technique down pretty well.

So who was the best striper?

The DOT's representative watching us said I was!!! OK I admit, the competition had a few speed bumps (they had to paint over my line, which is harder than painting the first line) but since this is my jam session, we don't need to talk about that too much. 

If you see the big green striping trucks out on your commute, make sure to slow down and read the signs. When you see a "wet paint" sign, don't drive over the lanes. You could damage your car and also damage the lines.

Jenni Hogan

a.k.a. The striping champion