On a clear dry day, driving 55 mph, it takes long-haul trucker Camille Pask the length of three football fields to stop her fully loaded rig.

"Just because we have more wheels doesn't mean we can stop faster," said Pask, whose truck can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds when packed.

This is the busy season for Pask, who will be working through the Thanksgiving holiday to deliver goods for the Christmas shopping season.

It's also the busiest travel period of the year for Americans, when travel veterans and amateurs converge en route to turkey dinners -- or just another day on the job. About 43.6 million people are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home between Wednesday and Sunday for the holiday, an increase of 0.7 percent over last year.

Everyone wants a safe, happy holiday, so we asked workers on the front lines of the Thanksgiving crush for their hard-earned tips for smooth travels.

As Thursday rolls closer and the roads get more crowded with impatient drivers, Pask would like them to stay clear of larger trucks.

Knowing that 80,000 pounds is barreling along in the lane beside you, why would you ever cut off a semi?

Another tip: If you can't see her mirrors, she can't see you. And she can't ever see any cars that ride in tandem with her on the right side. "That's one of our major blind spots for small vehicles passing us on the right," she said. "It's a really dangerous spot to be."

Leave enough time for traffic jams

With about 39 million drivers hitting the road this holiday, travelers need to leave enough time for unexpected delays. A minor traffic accident can back up traffic for hours on some of the nation's highways.

During the holidays, "there are an awful lot of accidents," said Fran Ehret, a toll collector on the New Jersey Turnpike for 26 years and now president of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 194, which represents the turnpike toll collectors.

"Leave enough time to get where you're going so you're not having to drive too fast," she said.

If you don't regularly use toll booths and don't have an electronic pass to pay the toll, pay close attention to the signs directing drivers to cashier-staffed booths.

"You don't want to pull into an E-ZPass lane if you're paying cash," said Ehret. You could cause traffic delays, and "you'll get a bill with a fee attached to it."

And please don't yell or curse out your toll collector or your fellow drivers because traffic is heavy or lanes are merging into the toll plaza. Pay your toll and drive on!

"People's personalities change when they get behind the wheel of their cars. You meet them in their personal lives and they wouldn't act like that," Ehret said.

Research air travel security rules

There is no getting around it: All 3 million travelers flying to their destinations during the Thanksgiving holiday will have to pass through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints. Some of them will be traveling with food for the feast. The TSA has posted special guidance online for travelers toting culinary creations.

TSA officers Jackie Fitzpatrick and Charles Link promise they don't want to take away your pies. Really.

"We know there's pressure to make that plane or you're traveling with family or bringing special foods you don't want to get squished," said Fitzpatrick.