Home after 28 days... Damn it feels good.

[cherokeeprogressive]

What a longggg strange trip it's been.

My 28 day "training" trip as a newbie trucker finally came to an end Monday. In 21 days of being on the road (we sat for a few days here and there) my truck covered over 18,000 miles. Two things stand out as things I'll never forget...

I was on I-8 just after crossing over the river into Arizona from California when I came to a construction zone at about 3 a.m. and got behind two other trucks. It was just us three and the construction zone seemed to go on forever. Speed limit 35mph. After a while, I started to get drowsy just from going slow, and decided to turn on the CB radio to see if I could hear anything. Not more than ten seconds after I turned it on, this is what I heard:

"That's the LAST mother fucking time I'm going to ask you to turn your high beams off you stupid asshole"

I thought to myself wow, that guy is really pissed off at someone... then I looked down at the dashboard and realized he was talking to ME. Casually (as IF anyone was looking) I reached down and turned the high beams off. Instantly here's what came over the radio:

"It's about TIME you stupid mother fuckin' son of a bitch".

Well okay, at that point, I thought this guy had gone too far. I made a simple mistake, and had I had the radio on sooner, I'd have heard his requests. He kept going on about rookie truckers though and finally I had enough. I grabbed the mike and said:

Me: "Hey, I heard o' you, you're one o' them SUPER TRUCKERS, ain't ya? (just about the worst thing you can call an old-school trucker is a Super Trucker) I've heard you Super Truckers don't even know what a mistake IS, much less how to make one."

At this point, the trucker in between us keyed up his mike and went "hahahahahahahahaha"...

Super Trucker started telling me I had better watch my mouth or risk an ass whoopin'.

"I bet you think a miss-take is a female T-bone, dontcha?"

"hahahahahahahahahaha"

Him: "I'll park this trailer across the road and kick you AND your co-driver's asses"

Me: "Pardner, if you put that pretty new reefer across the road, I'll drive this rig right thoo the middle of it"

"hahahahahahahahaha"

Him: "Awww, FUCK Y'ALL and with that, he stood on the fast pedal, and was gone in a few heartbeats.

The other happened one morning in Tallulah, LA at a Love's truck stop. I was checking the oil while my lead driver was taking a shower. I don't know how many of you have ever actually seen a dipstick, but they're normally a flat piece of pretty rigid metal with a pointy end and a scale. The Freightliner I was driving has a dipstick that's actually a spring, with the flat piece attached at the end.

This ol' boy prolly about 65 years old sees me checking the oil and comes over to my truck... Imagine if you will the deepest thickest southern accent coming from a guy in coveralls and a baseball cap whose bill is bent nearly in half...

Him: "The HAY'LL kinda dipstick izzat?
Me: Well, it's the kind o dipstick truckers use to check the erl in their drivin' motors.
Him: Kinda limp, ain't it?
Me: Well... it's made o spring, so it'll spring back any time an ol' boy needs it to.
He laughs, claps me on the shoulder and says... Well, aight then, and walks away.

I drove a 53' trailer with only 10,000lbs in it between Laramie and Cheyenne with icy roads and 45mph gusts in the middle of the night, scared SHITLESS.

I drove that same trailer with 42,000lbs over I-5 from Oregon to CA with chains on in a snowstorm that had visibility down to about 50ft, scared SHITLESS.

In short, I had a blast.

Been home for two days. HoneyDo's are almost done and boy oh boy is it nice to be held tight from the time I go to sleep to the time I wake up. It just wasn't the same laying with my co-driver (he snores too loud and won't rub me like I like plus the two of us combined are too big for the small bunk in a Freightliner).

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My dear cherokeeprogressive!

Ah, how lucky to find you here tonight! I'm glad you're home, and have survived the long, torturous road.

Love the stories too!

I imagine being held tight isn't the only thing happening in your bed...;)

Welcome home!

:hug:

[cherokeeprogressive]

2. It's so good to be home! I'll be out on the road within the next few days though...

From here on out it'll be 20 days out, 10 at home.

To me that's like having a 10 day vacation after every three weeks at work.

We can live with that.

I've met some interesting people on the road though, I have to tell ya.

Nice to see ya Peg!

Strange days here at DU after being away I must say.

[denbot]

3. Welcome back, and thanks for the update..

I have trouble sleeping. Somehow I managed to sleep in the Navy, but I wonder if I could sleep in the tight quarters of a truck cab, especially with a snoring co-driver.

Got pictures?

[cherokeeprogressive]

7. Thanks D

I have never had problems sleeping. I slept like a baby on the aircraft carrier with an ordnance elevator on the other side of the bulkhead that was in use 24/7. I had trouble at first in the truck because of the bouncy nature of it, but after about three days I was getting bounced off the mattress and still sleeping soundly.

You won't hardly notice your co-driver if you drive team, he/she'll be driving while you're sleeping unless you're stopped for some reason.

No pictures to speak of yet, forgot the camera at home. I'll post some when I get 'em.

Have a Great Day!

[A HERETIC I AM]

4. So you have joined the ranks of us great unwashed, eh?

It is 5:30 here is the East and I am up, ready to drive the 90 miles to my co's shop. After taking care of a few maintenance issues, I'll load for San Francisco - 7 new Mercedes and a Rover for export. Up I 75 then across 10 (maybe jump up to 40..thinking about it) all the way past your place to I 15, then up thru the Antelope Valley, down thru Bakersfield and up to the Bay area.

Driving a unit like this;


Although I am going to switch trucks today. Get rid of the Volvo and into a Pete 379 with a High-Rail trailer.

You describe one of the primary reasons why I rarely if ever turn on my CB anymore. But just an FYI - you really shouldn't need your high beams on the interstate anyway.

Have fun. Be careful. Keep it between the lines. I'll see ya out on the road!

[cherokeeprogressive]

5. How did you like the Volvo?

I drove one yesterday and after driving a FreightShaker for my first 28 days the Volvo was like the difference between an old Toyota 4x4 and a new Lincoln. Liked it and want one.

I heard car haulers make bank, is that so?

About the high beams, I was goofin when I was on a stretch of road all by myself and forgot that I had them on. Stupid rookie mistake and I should have expected to be called on it, but not like that. Or maybe like that, who knows? I thought the whole thing was funny.

You be safe as well. Maybe I'll see you out on the road someday and if I do, lunch is on me.

Hasta!

[A HERETIC I AM]

18. I didn't care for that particular Volvo....

as it had a small bunk, hardly any storage space, and was/is an automatic!


I drove one yesterday and after driving a FreightShaker for my first 28 days the Volvo was like the difference between an old Toyota 4x4 and a new Lincoln. Liked it and want one.
I think it really depends on the model. Some of the Volvo's are really nice, as are some of the Freightliners, though I admit I haven't driven a Freightliner for quite some time. Back in the 1990's I did get the chance to spec one out and loved it.

I heard car haulers make bank, is that so?
It can be very lucrative and it can run you broke. It really depends on what you are hauling and for whom. The thing is, car haul trucks have more moving parts than just about any other type of truck on the road and as they get older they become a maintenance nightmare. I hauled my first car back in 1988 when I worked for Buick Motorsports. My first "load" was a display unit that carried 3 cars, 3 engines on stands and a TV/VCR sound system. So, my first cars were a NASCAR show car, The Buick Wildcat prototype and an open wheel "Indy Lights" type racer. I did pretty well with that company. I've hauled Open racks like the one in the picture for about 7 years and operated lift-gate transporters for a total of about 5 years. I prefer lift-gate.

About the high beams, I was goofin when I was on a stretch of road all by myself and forgot that I had them on. Stupid rookie mistake and I should have expected to be called on it, but not like that. Or maybe like that, who knows? I thought the whole thing was funny.

It's all good! We have all made them. Don't let things like that (or asshole drivers like that guy) get to you. I long time ago came to the realization that we work in an industry overwhelmingly populated by morons.


You be safe as well. Maybe I'll see you out on the road someday and if I do, lunch is on me.

Deal! I've been by your place up in the mountains several times over the last couple months, albeit 40 or so miles away. I've often thought of PM'ng you to see if you were of a mind to meet a fellow DU'r. Now that you have taken on the title of "Lateral Ground Transportation Engineer", we'll have to get together!

All the best,

Paul

[Common Sense Party]

10. Be careful out there! n/t

[tigereye]

6. love these road stories- stay safe out there and good luck

in your new career!

[Common Sense Party]

8. I drive between Cheyenne and Laramie all the time...in a Chevy Impala

And even I'm scared out of my mind sometimes. The winds are unbelievable. I fear for you guys in the high-profile vehicles...and I want to slap the ones who won't obey the seasonal reduced speed limits on that stretch, and between Laramie and Rawlins. I have seen far too many tipped over trailers along I-80.

[cherokeeprogressive]

15. I wanted to stop. My lead driver said no.

The speed was limited to 35 mph which I think contributed to my trailer sliding around so much. If it had gotten to close to the edge of the road and lost the crown I would have been a statistic.

In the end, I'm told it would have been MY decision to park the truck since the other driver was on his 10 hour break, but being a totally new driver I went with what the lead said, against my better judgement. The last truck stop before that stretch of I-80 had trucks lined up from the beginning of the offramp to the end of the onramp and there must have been 500 trucks in the truck stop proper.

[ceile]

9. Welcome home!

And keep those stories comin'!

[pintobean]

11. I was wondering about you a few days ago.

I had forgotten that you had posted that you'd be gone a while. Welcome back and I'm glad all is well.

btw - I loved sleeping on-board an underway ship. They rock you to sleep like a baby. I've been woken up by rough seas on a few tin cans, but I would go right back to sleep.

[HERVEPA]

12. Well then, I guess you're Tobin's replacement on truck lore.

Keep it coming.

[elleng]

13. Welcome home!

:thumbsup: :rofl:
:hi:

[lunatica]

14. LOL! I like it!

Keep on keeping on and don't forget to post your stories.

[trof]

16. Fascinating. Thanks. I cut truckers all the slack I can.

They're out there trying to make a living.
I'm just trying to get from point 'A' to point 'B' to see my grandkids (1500 miles) and stay alive in the process.
:-)

[cherokeeprogressive]

17. I wonder how people would drive if they knew semis take 600 feet to stop from 60mph...

I hate it when a four-wheeler's first instinct is to speed up and try to get past me when I put my left turn signal on. They don't even KNOW what's on my right side causing me to move over, or if whatever it is is FORCING me to move.

I'm going to have T-shirts made for sale in truck stops and I bet they sell bigtime.

Front: My turn signal IS NOT a request.

Back: It's a statement.

Hell I'd even like to put that on the back of my trailer.

Have a Great Day!