Any place for a former trucker here?

That’s awesome! The article even mentions the bumper sticker…

 

The only thing you had to listen to then were:


AM clear channel stations. WLW Cincinnati, WSB Atlanta, WABC New York, WSM Nashville, WBBM Chicago, etc
Keeping in mind the radio was probably roof mounted, you spent half the time either shifting, or arm up in the air tuning to a stronger station.
or
You could ask for the Gene Tracy 8 track tapes (usually behind the counter) and play them until they wore out.
This is about the cleanest one I could find:

 

That sure figures, now the pieces are starting to fit,,
Hi Alex, welcome aboard, you'll find we're all bozos on this bus. A word of caution, many here are what I call,,um, well, can't say that, just, many are so used to "new" trucking, our vintage views are just that. Many have no connection to 318 Detroits, or Mack 237s, and are truly a different breed today. The industry cut its own throats, by making up foolish rules, and due to the modern vehicles, the industry has attracted most that trucking is the last game in town, and are grossly misinformed , and THAT is frustrating to us "experts". I enjoy hearing stories of yore, when truckers were truckers, not web designers that lost their job. The questions will have you chuckling, but in a more serious manner, this is what replaced us. I try and offer advice, but its also dated, and I'm way out of the loop, and couldn't be happier.

 

Art Bell kept me awake late at night,,

 

Yo, Ex-Trucker Alex, don't sell yourself short, the knowledge & experience you possess may still help younger hands here at this website... I'll be throwin' down some pics & pointers myself, despite the fact that it has been years since I drove a big rig. When it comes to road safety, some things never change, and I'm gonna focus upon those things... might just keep some younger hand out of trouble, or out of the ditch, lol.

 

I thought so too, but us old timers are basically "preaching to the choir". If younger drivers DID listen to us, they wouldn't be in the ditches. They don't listen to us, it's the equivalent of us turning off our CB radios.

 

Welcome to TTR. How many years has it been since you've driven a truck?

 

Over a decade, I guess... I've been busy flipping houses in recent years, though that was never my intention, and I dodged the capital gains tax by living in each home for at least 2 years, lol. And I realize that the trucking industry has changed, and not for the better, but if my observations can help just one new hand in this Brave New Fraudulent Third World, then I reckon it's worth my time to post those observations.

Moi, I was all about the lifestyle back in the day, so I was fully committed, ya know? I ate it up, and I also never stopped learning... not a bad philosophy to have, keeping an open mind and learning whatever one can about the industry. The day a driver thinks he knows it all, that's the day when he should park the rig and walk the f#% away from it... before bad karma catches up to him and the worst happens.

Funny thing about truck driving: age is not necessarily an indicator of knowledge or experience. My trainer at USX was a younger hand, but he hailed from a long lineage of truck drivers, and he started driving a hay truck on the family ranch when he was just a youngster. He was also ex-military, same way I am (USA INF), so that helped us to get along. I'm glad I had him as an OTR trainer, as I learned things I never would've learned from the average trainer.

I also recall a younger hand who clued me in to using the trolley valve to work the slider on the trailer when there was snow and ice on the pavement... a hand can roll forward (or backward) at low speed and hit that trolley valve to help the slider break free and move the tandems to where they need to be. A useful tip, that's for sure, and one to file away in the ol' memory banks for when it's needed. In much the same manner, I learned from older hands as well...

I think that's a big part of being "successful" in the transportation industry... keeping an open mind and learning whatever you can about that separate reality known as OTR Truck Driving, lol. Talking to experienced hands also helps, and p!$$ on the CB Rambos... a hand who has a good understanding of the job and is open to further learning will never feel the need to denigrate any other driver. Not that there aren't bad drivers out there, lol...