Pretty close to 3 million miles in wheeled vehicles. all the lower 48, a couple of trips to Canada.
Id venture to say 280- 300 K in 4 wheeled vehicles
the same for 2 wheeled

the rest in 18 or more.

Best lot lizard story.

Don't lie either, you know you have one.

most days, pretty good, occasionally......not so fucking pretty

When you hear this song does it give you chills?

Whats the biggest shit hole you never ever want to drive through again? Is it Gary? Detroit? Oakland?

OK, OK, OK.... What's the Best State, area of country for isolated rural safe, livable BOL....


Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge with someone wanting to relocate....ASAP


BS4L

OK, I'll give you one...the only one I ever dropped my britches for.

I would guess around 1991 or 1992, I was 21 or 22 yrs old.
I was somewhere in Texas, heading for S. Central L.A with a load of yarn (or textile products) from NC (Home state).
I had drove about 1100 miles (straight) and was beat. Just laid down in the bunk when that fucking "knock" came.
They generally dont knock just once....so it is best to get up and tell them to FUCK OFF!
I get up, look out the drivers side window.....WHOA! I stunning red head. She was not a crack head, nor a skank.
She explained her offer, Not a bad deal when I thought about it. SOB! I had maybe 20 or so bucks on me. . I used to toss all my change in a plastic jar that set on the floor wedged
in the seat mounts. I explained to her (did not want to give all my cash, not going to an ATM) that was all I had on me, hoping she would balk and I could go to bed.
She called my bluff.

In 22 years of driving a truck, that was the only time I ever paid a hooker for a BJ.

I used to eat a late dinner with a very hot hooker in the Bronx (Hunts Point) about twice a month. She was attending some arts school in NYC. Really good gal, So I would buy her dinner.
No sex, no pics (before digital), Alicia was her name. Real name.

I watched "lot lizards" go from working girls to meth heads in my time on the roads.... I have punched my drivers side window a few times trying to knock their last remaining teeth out.
3 am and they are like fucking vultures when you pull in somewhere to park.

How much bigger are your pants now versus when you started driving?

What is your favorite route or road?

Not sure how to answer that....depends on ones lifestyle.

I prefer the NW
To me the East is too crowded, Midwest too ugly.

Texas is neat, but not enough water to "live off the grid".

Most states west of the MS River and north of I-40.
I want to get to the Missoula area of Montana pretty bad.

What's your least favorite place to drive?

When I drove OTR it was the bay area man I hate that place.

I was 20 years old when I started running from NC to Fl up to NYC and return to NC.
I was 150lbs and 5' 7".

I am 43 and I weigh 155-160 and still 5' 7". I am in just as good a shape as I was in high school.

How many flats have you changed?
 

personally?
Or have had someone else do it?

Whats the oddest load you have ever hauled?

Whats the coolest load you have hauled?

Any big city. Except Green Bay, Green Bay is a cool big city.

From Richmond North...I-95
Anywhere on I-81 sucks balls

Chicago, Detroit, LA, SF, ATL, most of Florida, Indy, San Diego, Louisville, Memphis, Knoxville, Nashville, etc., etc..

Want to see the worst in people, drive around a big city. You will see the most hateful, impatient, angry individuals on the planet.
Get in front of them or not jam on your brakes to let them merge and you swear you had just molested their child.

Sad really.

I'll rephrase that to ask how many flats have you had.  

What a terrible, miserable job. It's a road trip that never ends. You will never, ever get to where you're going. I don't know how yall do it.

times your own, no boss, see the country many times over. Not a job for me, but I can see how there are enjoyable aspects.

Favorite chili, favorite burger places?

Its a great gig actually. If it weren't for family and the job i have now I'd still be doing it.

It certainly isn't for everyone though.

Oddest? I don't know.....I hauled something out of NWS Yorktown on a flat bed. They strapped and tarped it, bunch of wooden/metal crates. I have no clue what it was.


Coolest? many many cool loads. I hauled ,mil freight for 10 or so years. One that shines is a hot load from Cherry Point MCAS to Pendelton (Va. Beach).
Dry van, "load and go". Got the call about 1500 and had to get their ASAP. Loaded on the flightline and my end loaction was "Gate x(3,4,I dont remember).
"go down the road, the gate is unmanned and locked, honk the horn and wait for someone to come out of the bldg.."
When I got there, 5 guys came running out. opened the gate and directed me the what looked like an empty parking lot with a fairly nice bldg. Very fit, soldiers. Walked, talked, with confidence only a soldier would understand. They had bolt cutters for the seal. 3 of them climbed in the trailer. Opened one pallet sized composite (plastic) box. Pulled out 6 M4s and a few boxes.
I have never seen such grateful soldiers in all my time.  They would NOT let me in the trailer, nor assist in opening, closing the doors. They were on some sort of "mission"  and the rifles were inadvertently left behind by some "upper brass" as they said.
I had to take the empty crate back to MCAS Cherry Point. After hunting anything "left behind".

One other was a 1/2 dozen KLRs from Camp Lejune to MCAS Yuma. They were JP4/5 compliant. Troops said they were a POS, but would not leave one on the truck for me

Ever have a "Family Truckster" drive under your trailer?

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

-----------------


Hard to say, never kept track.

I can tell you " a lot", but that is relative.

When I had to pay for the tires, "not many" as I payed closed attention to pressures.
When I drove someone elses truck, few compared to most other drivers.

I would stab about about 2 a year on an avg.

I had to steer tires blow out.
One doing 80+ in NM ( just outside of Gallup,NM....that fuuuucked up the truck pretty bad. I did not crash, but holy hell the hood was mangled, the batteries were dangling by the cables, as was the left headlight assy.
Rim was shot, fuel tank beat the hell up, 1/4 fender gone. bent the power steering pump bracket. few $1000 in damages. Never left my lane of travel.

Second was the right side, 70mph, MS, I-20. When it blew I damned near ran a HOT blonde Soccer mom off the road who was in the left lane passing me.
Fucked that truck up too, but not as bad.

No, never had a "chargeable crash".

had a few side swipes from assholes who do not know how to merge.
two of them thought they could "strong arm me out of my lane". It did not go as planned.

Being that your still relatively close to your weight from high school. Does it bother you seeing a 500lb driver in athletic shorts and a 10 xl t shirt fueling up at the Flying J?

Obese people.....trucker or no, tend to stir up all kinds of emotions.

Unflattering apparel on ANYONE is just wrong.


I remember in a Flying J (maybe Inidana?) where the clerk stopped what she was doing and announced:

"If you are going to come in here, stand in my line, could you have the decency to bath one a week. I will give the unclean individual a FREE shower."

The driver two in front of me was the culprit, rather obese, gym shorts, socks and sandals, food stained shirt. Smelled like a dead animal.
Guy left the building holding his head down.

I was always neat and clean. I would take a portable shower with me on the truck. Can't say I was always shaven, but I rarely smelled. Summertime and B.O are a givin. But I always bathed once a day or more.
Winter I could go every other day if needed.    I am still that way.

Why does Donald Duck wear a towel when he comes out of the shower, when he doesn't usually wear any pants?

What the heck is a weigh station, and how does it work?

Just remembered one other similar event.

We were working for FEMA in Florida (during the aftermath of Katrina).
Group meeting on what the plan was, 150 or so drivers.
I was leased on with Landstar at that time. We were in one 30 or so group and the rest were "one load shot" drivers.

We sort of sgregated ourselves form the other bunch, just off tho the right of the FEMA leader.
Huge dude come strolling in, and gets right on the "line" between us that the others.

I have never seen a crowd split so damned fast.
This was the first day of what would be 15 days with FEMA.

Second day, we had our morning meeting, I think the nasty bastard had ice. He was the first to go out. The FEMA leader made it a point to makes sure "big stinky" was given the first load out.

I felt sorry for him when the crowd clapped.

Yeah, I have seen some fucked up shit in my time.

I've never seen an open one.

Did you carry some sort of weapon with you in the cab?

DOT check points, so to speak.

We are restricted by many regs.
Overall and axle weight for one.

80,000 lbs max (without a permit)
12k on the steer
34 and 34 of the other remaining axles, 38-40K on the trailer, depending on the axle spacing.

Saftey inspections and driver compliance is also inspected.
other required documents and compliance issues as well.

I would like to say it is a good thing, but torn with it being a "money maker".

I started running the roads at 19yrs old (1989) for, what I remember, two years, I was never asked for a log book.
I was asked many times if I had slept recently.
Common sense to safety was the norm. Now, it seems, a game of "milk the cow".

I have had two log book violations in my career.
One on Thanksgiving day......2006 maybe? I had not touched my book for about 4 days prior (was at home).
MCAS Cherry Point had a hot load that needed to be in Yuma the day after.
I loaded it the day before and had left late in the afternoon.
0700, South Carolina, I-20. place is hardly open, so this day, I doubt it. That did not go as planned

Officer was cool though, "I got my one for the day, now I am going home and not getting off the couch".
He directed me to the nearest truck stop (5 miles away) and told me he would make sure I was there.
I was in the truck stop, getting my book stright, and he stops by to remind me he was going home.

Off he goes, and so do I. Felony in the making.
I made it to Yuma the next day without further issues.

Hauling camouflage loads really help on those long runs

 

Do you need 40 acres to turn your rig around?

Is Mittens TS in Oakley KS still a dirty hole? Are the stall limericks and writings still as funny as I recall?














 

What company are you working for?

You weigh the tractor/trailer to see if you are within legal limits

Best shitters:

Flying J or TA?

Don't forget about the Pilot and Love's

im sure we have passed each other on more than one occasion.

I did. 1911 mostly.

My NC CCW was good in all states from NC to Ca. (NM was odd, inside the vehicle is allowed).

When I got a new pistol, I would try and carry it, but always fell back on my 1911.

When I would go to states with no reciprocity, I would "make arragements". I leave it at that.

Only got into a pickle once. MCAS Albany. They NEVER searched trucks...in 8 or 9 years. One day........

Found my 1911 (Springfield) in one of my cubby holes..... hours of fun to ensue.
I had just bought and tested a G26 and had that in a SOB rig. Best hiding spot for a vehicle search if you ask me.

MP come out holding this thing like it had the funk. Two contractors (some sort of big wigs I suppose) were leading the bunch.
Ask me if I knew this was in the truck. "Damn, thought I had taken that out and left it at home, shit that thing needs a cleaning". It was pretty dirty (clothes lint and dry as hell).

One of them, we'll call "chubby", states that it is illegal to carry in a Com. Veh.
The "skinny guy" know better and lets chubby make a $100 bet with me.
I show them my NC CCW permit, so I have a leg to stand on.
Chubby takes the bet with a handshake while skinny runs the SN number of the 1911.

About an hour and a half goes by with nice talks with the guys and good debates with chubby, SN comes back clean and not stolen. Well, no shit
The whole time I am sweating bullets with a G26 in my small of back.
When the chubby one gets the "no law against a trucker packing" from dispatch, he calls BS and refuses to pay me my $. Like I knew that was gonna happen.
They were really cool and let me take the sidearm and store if off post. No, dont ask what I did with it nor the G26.

MCAS Albany was one of the many that no weapons checks.,
Anniston, Red River, and a few others did. Most, however had no provisions for weapons checks and I had to "make do" anyway I could.

Anniston knew me by first name as did Red River.
"Whatcha bring for us to finger today, Truckin'?" is what Red River would ask. Those guys were cool as shit. Especially when I came back from Yuma.

Going to Yuma about 1-2 times a month, I would pack damned near everything for long range shooting.
AR, any new pistols I bought, the Savage, Reming 700, the HP 995 (), few 100- a few 1000 rounds of ammo.
My buddy would toss in some cash for ammo and we'd spend a day on the public range. 800 yards IIRC.

On the way we may have a stop at Anniston or Kirkland in NM. They both had looks of when they would ask "any weapons to declare?"
It made the check in procees tolerable. Many times I was told "just leave the ammo under the bunk and keep your mouth shut, you filled our locker up!"

all the same really, Flying J had nice big showers..T/A was like a mobile home, cramped and small.
Still a far cry from "group" showers when I first started.

What is your favorite state, visually?

I was medically retired in 2009, my hearing in my left ear dropped below the min.
I should get some hearing aids, but the industry is borderline full retard now.

I miss the road, but not the BS regs.
Its only getting more restrictive.

I have been doing contract/ Temp work in Operations. Dispatch, log auditing, compliance etc.

I enjoy this part. I really want a full time gig with a bigger company doing Safety and training.
Know anyone needing such a person?

MT, WY, Co, NM,AZ, ID, WA and Or. Cali is up there, but well.... you know what makes that state ugly.

Illinois ranks up there as one of, if not, the ugliest (to me), more so when the leaves are off the trees.

How many you see going down?