Son of a Trucker!

Hi all been lurking for awhile. The last 2 or 3 month's I have been watching trucking video's and reading this site. I am not a trucker but my father was. In fact he started at age 15! This was back in 1940 I believe. He had so many stories he told us. Here are a few. Not in any order.

First tanker job. Was filling up a gas station. He had got his first paycheck and bought a new lighter. Big explosion that blew him through a picket fence and burned hair and eyebrows off. Luckily he had also purchased a fuse for inside cab. He told them he was replacing that when it happened. lol.

A woman in a station wagon pulled out in front of him. They were on gravel road. He was thrown from truck and his back and side were pitted from embedded gravel. He also had to have eye put back into place and metal plate. There were 3 children in the car and the youngest would not let go of my dad who had pulled her out of the car.

Last day on the job was in 1982. He got out of his truck and fell. A pick up came by and ran over his already broken leg. He was in a metal rod contraption for over a year then they amputated. It would not heal.

He worked for Carolina Freight back when they were a big Union Company. His last 3 years of trucking he had the Jacksonville Fl to Tampa Fl route. Terminal to Terminal 4 days a week and made very good money.

We moved from Indianapolis to Orlando Fl in 1968 because he got a job running 1965 caterpillar 100 ton dump truck while they were building Walt Disney World.

I rode with him one last time in 1979 from Jacksonville to Miami and back. I always wondered how his body took it. Those old trucks beat the heck out of a body!

A friend let me drive and automatic Volvo last year around the lot. Was pretty cool and comfortable too!

My dad passed in Dec 2013. About a year before he passed I asked him if he missed it. He said not for a second. About the time of his accident I think he had burned out. My dad always left to drive in dress slacks and nice pull over shirt with collar and pocket. Shaved and bathed. I remember him saying how the other guys would get 50 miles from terminal and hit the truck stops for coffee and gossip. He only rarely did that. He liked getting to where he needed to be.

Any way that's my little story. I am enjoying all the chatter here and on youtube. See you on board