REALLY??!!

This is a Central Refrigerated Service truck. It is a cold storage transport. The trailer is relatively new and the truck is also. Apparently so is the driver. I was sitting here in my sleeper having lunch. This was my view. I see this truck slowly creeping his way into the wet grass. I was curious as to why this was happening. Was he avoiding another truck? Was he having to turn wide to avoid an obstacle? The answer to both of these questions is the same. NO! He simply drove his truck into the soft earth. Then he proceeded to spin his drive tires in reverse and forward gears. Nice job sir. Very well played. Cost your company about a grand in recovery fees and add a preventable accident to your record all in one motion. GENIUS! You, sir are a shining example of idiocy at its highest level.

Truck stop vegetarian

That is almost a contradiction in itself I know. But it is what I am doing now. My wife and I made the decision about a month ago and unfortunately I do not do much half assed. I jumped in with both feet and quit meat (excluding fish) cold turkey. No pun intended. Here is the issue I am faced with. Truck stops are not known for their veggie fare. Almost all of them have a smattering of deep fried this or that. All of it is usually meat based. Burritos, corn dogs, chicken wings, pork egg rolls and other random goodies. Then there is the cold area. Sandwiches of every variety including the occasional tuna salad or pimento cheese. There are salads but they almost all contain bacon or ham.

Most of the bigger truck stops have a restaurant inside. Some have a Denny's and others have Arby's or McDonald's or other fast food places. For the most part though it is hard to find a good vegetarian menu in these places. I like to stop at the operating centers that my company owns and eat and sleep there. They have free showers and laundry and most of them have a cafeteria inside. I have yet to find one that refuses to make me a breakfast item for dinner. Tonight I had an awesome vegetable quesidilla at the Carlisle PA operating center. There was tomato, onion, green pepper, broccoli and cheese. It was topped with sour cream and salsa. OMG was it delicious. I may make it after all.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

SPACE PEOPLE!!!

No I do not mean among the stars. I mean area around my big ass truck. Time for a little trucker-educatin'. My truck, traveling at 55 mph will require about 450 feet to come to a complete stop when fully loaded. That includes the driver reaction time and vehicle stopping distance all in one. When traveling down a road like a US highway with random stop lights, the speeds are usually comparable to those on the freeways. Add in traffic lights and 40 ton trucks and.... You see where this is going. Then there is the consideration I make to stay in 5th or 6th gear and creep up to the red light at 20 mph or so in hopes it will turn green and I will not have to cycle through all 13 speeds again. These two things are why there is a large gap in between my truck and the vehicle directly in front of me. IT IS NOT A GAP THAT NEEDS TO BE FILLED WITH YOUR SWERVING CAR! I do not leave it there so you can gain a 20 foot advantage on the "idiot" you just passed. If I am in the process of trying to fully stop and you pull into the gap, chances are another idiot will think that was a great move and join you. Between the two morons and physics, my stopping distance has just been reduced by 40 feet. Consequently, your vehicle may just be shrunk by a few feet as well.

On another note. I love it when kids do the "pull the horn" motion to me. It is a throwback to when I was a kid. I did it too. Biggest difference is I did not flip off the trucks who refused to blare the air horn for me. Sometimes I will give a pull on the cord. Most of the time I will not. It is not random either. There are unwritten guidelines for honking. NEVER in a neighborhood. Never on a crowded city street, in stop and go traffic, or while passing a police officer. Sometimes on country roads and the uncrowded freeway. ALWAYS when it is a girl who is topless. ( not seen that yet ) Have some decency and know where you are when commanding a driver to honk.

PS: I hate changing lanes.

Freight Delivery Engineer?

My former blog did not seen fitting anymore as I am no longer a Chauffeur. I am now a Freight Delivery Engineer. One of those self righteous titles we give our jobs to make us feel great about it. Screw it! I am a truck driver. I recently swapped the limo for a Peterbilt and I feel awesome about that decision. I am seeing more than just Dallas traffic and I love it. Granted, I moved to Knoxville TN in 2009 but still, National views beat the hell out of the same old local traffic signals.

I went to school for this. I studied and learned just like any other student. Because I went into a high demand job, the state of Tennessee paid the bill for the Tennessee Truck Driving School. The class was small enough that I got great one on one time. From school I was hired by Schneider National. I started in my class there with 6 people and I was the only graduate. Not to be bragging at all. After I completed my minimum 6 months of driving as a company driver I looked into buying my own truck. These are expensive machines and my credit is not so good. The people at Schneider Financial hooked me up with a 1 year lease on a great 2007 Peterbilt 387 and I am happy with it.

I was on unemployment when I started school. I see that there is an unemployment rate in the high single digits right now and that is ridiculous. There is an estimated 300,000 CDL driver shortfall that is going to occur by 2015 say the experts. Not to mention it is a sweet job. I get to drive around the country and meet the greatest working people on Earth. Truckers. We are a unique breed. We love to drive. We have awesome sense of direction. Nerves of steel. Bladders made of ever expanding materials.(unless you are me)
Wardrobes straight off the Walmart shelves and a diet plan that consists of some of the best gas station cuisine imaginable.

I am still learning new and exciting things every day. I have figured out a few things I like and hate. I like light loads. 20,000 to 30,000 is just right. My truck handles beautifully and I get good mileage. (7-8 MPG) There is nothing quite as nice as a Pilot/Flying J shower after a crazy long drive. I hate mountains and hybrids.

More to come. Thanks for your time and if you see me out there just flash me some skin and we will all be good.