Finally got my own truck

I had one .No power steering, had a/c but didn't work. 1980 GMC astro cabover with a 300 big cam cummins 9spd. Learned how to drive in that truck also how to fix it. I was driver and mechanic wouldn't trade the experience for nothing. When you have to fix it you learn how not break it and a pretrip/postrip are of the upmost importance.

 

I'm sure we have met.I also bought my first truck in 1974,had lots of friends with C&H and IT.Knew guys leased to Dealers Transit,too.I never leased to them as I always liked having my own trailer,none of those outfits allowed that,as far as I know,and I also pretty much stayed leased to teamster carriers.I was with Allstates-PIE,Time DC,Consolidated Freightways Special Commodities,retired 2 years ago with Landstar Inway Heavy Haul.
Im from the Baltimore area,but ran the PNW pretty much my whole career.Used to use C&H's yard in Federal Way,Wa. to rearrange freight.Their yard in the east was in North Lima,Ohio,and I believe IT's eastern yard was in Whitehouse,N.J.
My Allstate agent was Fritz in Portland,(Jubitz's),also our CF agent was there,too.Spent way tooo much time in Jubitz back in the old days.

 

Orly? Hm.

I wonder if you made it into the late 80's by chance.

 

I got to drive a 55 KW cabover recently. No power steering of course. Boy was that an experience! I'll tell you what, no wonder guys back in the day had massive arms!

In those times guys would buy a block of ice to set on the dog house to keep cool, then every so often get 1 cup of water to drink, and a 2nd cup of water to pour on the back of your neck.

We are all soft nowadays! I have a TON of respect for the true old timers. We are losing them everyday but there are still a lot of real deal truckers out there. My freakin arms were hurtin after not that long at all. What amazed me is you have to think ahead 10 steps or can get yourself in trouble.

Huge respect to you guys out there, you know who you are.

 

Lol, those GMC Astro's had some huge windshields. You couldn't even scratch your nads without everyone you met on the road seeing you...

 

If you have a flatbed it can be very good if you have pipe stakes, fire resistant clothes, and a connection to a broker that specializes in oil field. You won't generally see those kinds of loads posted on load boards.

 

Not just wow but your very life is endangered.

I had a cabover truck with A/C on recycle one June Night in 76 at spartansburg. 8PM frosty windshield, 95 outside humdity 90% not a good situation to be in but who cares. 58 in the cab. Loll around the bunk watching TV. Wonderful time.

Go to sleep.

A/C fries. But because it's on recycle, it now pumps heat until it's about 150 in the cab inside. And maintains that temperature. Sun rises in the morning. By noon Temps outside is 105 at 75% humdity.

I wake up. I knew I was a dead man from heat stroke unless I am able to hydrate very carefully the rest of the day. I Stagger into the lunch counter, told the staff two things. Keep large pitchers of iced tea coming and If I dropped, they call the ambulance and tell them heat stroke. And we will go from there.

It took from about Noon to roughly 2am the next day leaning on that counter sipping 5 or 6 gallons of iced tea with ice and sugar and lemon.

Then we took the tractor to the shop for a almost 2000 dollar A/C replacement job. Company paid it with alot of yelling. Made sure I got dispatched into and kept inside the midwest and NE after that point (So I don't have to use the A/C...) They are still yelling to this day. But should be grateful Im not dead a week stinking up the whole lot and decomposing etc.

 

Excellent.

If you do get to indy, STAY OUT of that pilot south side 465 I think, exit 4something. It was in my day truly infested with underage girls seeking out a few dollars for services that can land you into prison.

I wonder if any of those loads out of KC have to do with the Cave system where we keep cold storage in certain spots. Those are fun to load.

 

When I first started driving truck, back in 1972, for a company that hauled Refers, two man to a truck..
Truck was a 56 long nose KW with a box on the back you crawled thru, that was a sleeper.. We did not have A/C or power steering.. our trans was a 4/3 twin stick..
When we loaded lettuce, top it off with ice.. We would open the little sleeper doors under the bunk and shoot some ice in there and had a small fan the would blow up thru a crack and that was our A/C.. Only lasted 6 months doing that before getting my first good job hauling cars outa Portland.. Bought my first truck after my first two years driving for them..
I wouldn't call them the good ole days if you saw the places called truck stops back then.. CB radios were our only electronics back then, no cell phones, GPS, computers, etc..
Heck, by the time I retired from trucking, trucks only needed steering wheel holders.. Try changing your tires on the side of the road, Not interstates with rest areas... Interstates started but far from finished, and usually had to get off it and drive thru every small town along the way...
Only thing going for trucking back then, was those old DD 2 banger engines never seem to break down but you could sure leave a smoke screen.. But, sure miss trucking, maybe a little...