A cool thing about trucking that I never heard anyone else mention

Have any of you watched the Television show based at the Midway Truckstop outside of Columbia, MO on I 70?

 

**You left off one cool state in your post though, Illinois! Heheee**

(You REALLY need to get out more.)

 

I'm from Michigan. Trucking sure does seem to make the country a smaller place. It used to be "Texas is so far away, you have to pack a whole camper to go down there and it will take a week." And now it's more like "Texas? That's just down the road, I'll be there tomorrow afternoon."

What's also interesting is how the miles seem to fly by at times. You get to thinking about stuff, or having a conversation on the phone (hands free, of course), and before you know it, a couple hundred miles are gone.

It's also pretty cool how when you been around everywhere so much that you just know how to get to a certain area without having to look at the map. I have spent countless hours just studying my atlas, I could probably draw the entire interstate system on a blank US map if I had one, and come pretty accurate to it, along with key cities.

When I was 5 or 6 years old, I had this puzzle where each piece was a US State and I had to put all the states together where they belonged, and each state also had the capitol city on it, so I knew each state's capitol. I guess trucking was a good career choice given that maps and geography have always interested me.

It's also fun to memorize how many miles are on any given road, and being able to count in your head how many more miles you have to go, or what city you might end up at at the end of your 11 hours / 700 miles.

Another thing is that I've made a small handful of friends on the internet and have been able to meet them in person while out on the road.

 

I guess I never thought about it because I'd been everywhere pretty much before ever getting in a truck. I'd been to 45 of the 48 continental states by the time I was 17.

See parents what happens when you take your kids on trips everywhere? They never get excited when they turn into a truck driver... hehe.

 

Oh, I just LOVE rush hour! Especially when you throw in a construction zone or a wreck!!...

But seriously, interstates are good fer gittin' there; but I very much prefer the side roads. Had a load from Macon, GA, to Dallas, and a good majority of that was routed over back highways. Good run. Not so good for the fuel mileage, but at least I'm not paying for the fuel yet...

 

I have been all over the world by boat but never saw the USA until 6 months ago
I dont need to see the 405 in LA again but driving thru NM and Arizona was breathtaking
kept waiting for John wayne and the calvary to come across the mesa
or singing show tunes as i drive thru OK
I LOL as I drive thru lil towns in CO that post elevation instead of population
and am amazed as I have to take off my sunglasses at the bottom of a gorge in Utah at 2 pm because the sun is behind the mountain
people complain about driving the northeast but Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago and La are no picnic either

I watch so much Law and Order I think I know NYC but never get off the Cross Bronk LOL

 

I'm interested to know how to make the traveling part of trucking work for me. I've got about 3 months experience, so still very much a rookie, but I do have a clue what the day to day life on the road is like. I hear all the downside/negative aspects of the job and this thread brings up a great positive side of trucking, the traveling.

I am a single guy with no children, no house or mortgage and I recently gave up my apartment. I am completely unencumbered. I have family & friends along the East coast. While I do enjoy spending time with them and having a life at home, if I'm going to be on the road for at least the next year anyway, I want to make the most of it. There are many places I've been to, read about or would like to see again across the country. If I'm out running for 4-5 weeks & my company then gives me my 3-6 days of "hometime", I'm pretty sure I could get a load close to anywhere I'd want to go. But from there, how do some of you take advantage of that situation? Is it as simple as parking your truck at a hotel with a big enough parking lot & renting a car? Staying in your truck at the nearest truck stop & calling a cab? What about when you visit friends in different locations? Seems to me we have a great opportunity to see a lot of the country and I want to know how best to take advantage of that opportunity. So how do you make it work? I know from day to day I'll mostly have time for work only, it's the down time or home time I'm wondering about. Thanks for any help.

 

The two most beautiful stretches of road, to me, are US 71 south of Kansas City or I44 east of St. Louis because that means I'm headed HOME!!

I was in Joplin today, headed back for Carthage, and my friend says "Just take 71, it's the fastest way to Walmart" and I couldn't think of where 71 was and then I said "Oh, take exit 18"....LOL

 

A big part of this job is the traveling and exploration part of it. I like to find places to park away from truck stops, use public transit when I can to explore, sometimes a cab (they're very expensive), and sometimes a rental car (about the price of a short'ish one-way cab ride). I also bring my Mt bike along with me, and go on rides when I can. Had an overnight in Truckee the other day, took the bike out and hit some of the great single track trails there... In Missoula, parked near my favorite food store, went walking, and found a rad band playing at the anniversary party of a local brewery (couldn't have a beer, alas). I see these guys just sitting in the trucker's lounge, or watching TV in their trucks, and I wonder how much they get out and see what's around them...

 

I really like the idea of parking away from the truck stops when opportunity knocks. So where do you park that is safe and legal? Especially where you are close enough to use public trans. Is a Wallymart parking lot an option, stuff like that? Do you ask the manager? How long do you leave your truck without worrying about it? I like the mtn bike idea too. Saw a folding one in Men's Health but it was about $600.