Originally Posted by TrooperRat

Mr. or Mrs. Logs:
You couldn't pay me enough money to live the trucking life I did in my 20's and 30's. Mostly my 20's. I doubt people would believe much of my stories - insanity on wheels - so I will refrain from much of it. I remember one time filling up my tanks - 150 gallon each side - and running them dry before realizing that I had driving them from full to empty. See? You think that is unbelieable, here's the rest of the story: I was somewhere in Mississippi, and realized that I had driven a LOT of hours without stopping, going pee, eating, refueling, ANYTHING. I was a driving madman, the load had to get there, and I didn't care what it took.

I pulled off at the next exit after realizing that, and pulling up to the red light and stopping, the truck died. I had run the tanks out of fuel. I had to turn the valves off to the crosslines (don't think they have THOSE anymore, not like that anyway), find a suitable container, drain out the tank that wasn't the feeder, dump all that fuel in the other tank, pull off the fuel filter and fill that up - a couple of times actually before it would start - and get it to the truckstop that was 2 blocks away.

Is that the end of this story? I was dehydrated and hungry, I decided to park the truck and go into the restaurant to get something to eat. I sat down, the waitress came, I tried to ask for water - the only thing that came out of my mouth was a croaking sound - I had not talked all day long, actually since the day before, I hadn't eaten or drank anything - since the day before, my throat was so dry I couldn't speak.

The waitress "gathered" that I was thirsty and brought a large glass of ice water. I drank it dry in - something like a huge gulp. She brought another one, same thing. Next thing she brought was an entire pitcher of water...........

To be honest, I loved those days. It was a different time in trucking, and I can't say that I have much of anything but fond memories. Maybe just because it was SO insane - things I wouldn't DREAM of doing now. These weren't flukes, I was living this kind of life on a daily basis. As I said, the stories are probably unbelievable to most people. Regardless, I lived them and that's the only thing I can say about it.

But - to encourage some new guy/gal to do those same things now? I mean, you could easily end up dead, maimed, or worse, you could kill or maim someone else. My worst nightmare is to have to live with having killed someone else in traffic, even if it was their fault. Who cares whose fault it is, you have to live with it. Yes, you care if it is your fault, makes it a thousand times worse. Moreso, if that isn't enough, you can end up in jail, or, lose your CDL permanently. Your life will be altered forever.

A story? Sure, but not me this time. Another driver was on a regular city street (surface street) in the slow lane, going below the speed limit. A kid on an ATV comes flying out of a side street - doesn't stop at the stop sign, just goes right through it and plows into the side of this guy's truck. The ATV hits the truck, the kid goes flying off of it.

The driver sees what's happening, no matter that he slams on his brakes immediately. The kid's head is laying right where the heavily loaded trailer's tandems are rolling - his brains squish out of his head, the skull is flattened.

I try to learn from my past and from other people's mistakes and other people's experiences. There's a lot of death and mayhem out there, I don't want to be a part of it. That driver could never come to grips with driving again, even though there is no part of what he was doing that was his fault that that kid died that day. His entire life was haunted with the site of that kid and the aftermath.

How much worse would it be that it was YOUR fault, something you did that caused that person to die? It happens every day. I was done with living dangerously a long time ago, a LONG time ago.

No, Mr Logs, I don't endorse or even condone this stuff. It's just a part of my past - that's it. I still like the challenge of - things that you might still not like, but that's not my problem. Not long ago, I was at a construction site. Actually, I was at the bottom of a mountain, talking to a consruction supervisor who was receiving the delivery off my truck. "Umm, do you think you could take the load up there?"

I look in the direction he's pointing and see nothing but the side of a mountain. "Don't you see the equipment?" WHAT freakin' equipment? I start squinting and looking, more than half way up the side of this freaking huge mountain, I can make out a very large trackhoe (excavator) moving back and forth as it's digging up the earth to make a giant trench.

Ummm, well, Mr. Foreman, take me up there in your pickup first so I can decide whether this is something I want to get myself into.

Long story short, it was quite the challenge - 12% grade at least - dirt road, nothing was paved yet, one lane road with "pullouts" along the way, I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge! Especially at the top - umm, where there was only JUST enough room to do a series of things to get the truck turned around to go back down that "road".

Okay, I"m full of stories, oh well. I've mostly loved my career as a truck-driver and all of it's different aspects.

Originally Posted by TrooperRat

I've never experienced such a trying trip in all my trucking life. I was so tired, I was slapping my face, sticking my head out the driver's door window, dumping ice cold water on my face, doing whatever I could to keep myself going.

Originally Posted by LogsRus

I appreciate your stories and learn from them. I know the old days was much better (I am looking back 15-19 years ago, logging was so much easier and funner). Still had the challenge but wasn't as hard as it is today

I am happy you was happy. Sad story you let yourself get so dehydrated (sp?) but I could see myself being that tempted in them days

Yes I totally agree if you are in an accident and someone gets killed the feelings you are left with (if you have a heart that is as I am sure many do, did have one driver mysefl who had no heart and can't talk about it) has dramatized several drivers I know of.
It's sad

Originally Posted by TrooperRat

Well, at the time I didn't really care, I was a driving fool and loved to just run wheels off the truck. I USED to love trucking - OTR style - but that was quite a while back.

. . .

from all the insanity I see on Phoenix's freeways - which is a major thoroughfare from California to many parts east and parts east to California.

. . .

I was tempted to call Highway Patrol.

Originally Posted by Colotow

i used to fill out logs in his name when i ran out of hours, and tape them to his office door, with a magic marker note, "here, sign these, i'm out of hours again" (and his door was in the main lobby, where customers, cops, and everyone else came in)

Originally Posted by TrooperRat

Mr. or Mrs. Logs:
here's the rest of the story: I was somewhere in Mississippi, and realized that I had driven a LOT of hours without stopping, going pee, eating, refueling, ANYTHING. I was a driving madman, the load had to get there, and I didn't care what it took.

I pulled off at the next exit after realizing that, and pulling up to the red light and stopping, the truck died. I had run the tanks out of fuel. I had to turn the valves off to the crosslines (don't think they have THOSE anymore, not like that anyway), find a suitable container, drain out the tank that wasn't the feeder, dump all that fuel in the other tank, pull off the fuel filter and fill that up - a couple of times actually before it would start - and get it to the truckstop that was 2 blocks away.

Is that the end of this story? I was dehydrated and hungry, I decided to park the truck and go into the restaurant to get something to eat. I sat down, the waitress came, I tried to ask for water - the only thing that came out of my mouth was a croaking sound - I had not talked all day long, actually since the day before, I hadn't eaten or drank anything - since the day before, my throat was so dry I couldn't speak.

The waitress "gathered" that I was thirsty and brought a large glass of ice water. I drank it dry in - something like a huge gulp. She brought another one, same thing. Next thing she brought was an entire pitcher of water...........

To be honest, I loved those days. It was a different time in trucking, and I can't say that I have much of anything but fond memories. Maybe just because it was SO insane - things I wouldn't DREAM of doing now. These weren't flukes, I was living this kind of life on a daily basis. As I said, the stories are probably unbelievable to most people. Regardless, I lived them and that's the only thing I can say about it.

Originally Posted by tuckerndfw

Thanks for the memory.

One of AZ's finest stopped me just west of Phoenix for a DOT check.

He claimed I had changed lanes without giving a signal despite the fact he was the reason I changed lanes when he got onto the freeway. He couldn't have possibly seen my left turn signal. Which I had used when I changed lanes, as I always do.

I got to sit in his patrol car for nearly 30 minutes when I could not produce my (phantom) co-driver. She was at home taking care of the kids the same as she always was when we were running team.

He finally let me go when he couldn't badger me into admitting I was running a phony log book.

That was a close one. . .