military driving

i've never hit a scale in the M984 or M978. we usually have a lead/trail vehicle (chevy malibu) that blitz ahead of us and into the scales to let them know we're coming. i never run more then three vehicles, my HEMTT and two escort trucks. i've gone from Bragg to to Ft. Polk and from Bragg to Myrtle Beach. HOS? ha, once we got tired and we pulled off into the turn around areas between the trees that the state troopers and highway patrols use to do flip backs. And usually when we have our weapons we're in status green, no round in chamber, no mag in well, selector switch on safe

 

if you know what the regs.are why did you bother to go thru the scales .?dot was just tryn to pull ur leg.and they got away with it,

 

It hasn't always been that way and I'm glad they made the change. I used to haul OTR for the Navy with a rented tractor and a Navy trailer pulling specialized heavy equipment used to clear explosive ranges.

Just about 95% of the time I was over loaded and called into the house everytime I scaled. I didn't have to have a CDL (but did) but I did have to have permits, fuel stickers, and cab cards for every state. We didn't have to pay for them but still had to have them.

After a couple of trips I finally got back to my base and I took our base decal and placed it over the big R on Ryder. After that I never got asked to come into the scale house again. It was funny to watch the guys inside leaning over and reading the decal then the green light would come on. That was a few years ago and to be completely exempt you had to be moving for national defense. I'm glad someone got smart and if I was this driver I'd have fun messing with the inexperience inspector.

 

if ur exempt then y did u even stop .... and yes i know it says all commercial vehicles

 

the first time i ever left base in a m916 (military version of a freightliner fld) i got pulled right before i hit SC/NC border. My escort didn't know he was supposed to shoot ahead and let the scale know we were coming (his first time on that detail). And i wont lie, it's pretty intimidating having that many cars surrounding you and that many people yelling. The second time it happened i had my shield on my chest and knew what was going on and stood on the step and yelled at him to get back in his car and wait for my escort. We were taking HIMARS propellers to Ft. Polk and something else that required higher then Secret (which is what i had at the time) to be told what it was. After that incident they assigned me a dedicated team. Two gun trucks and one escort and i've been with these guys for the past three years. They're even the guys i'm on recovery with out here.

 

That sounds fun. Is it a civilian job or Military? I am about to get out and I have a secret clearance and I would love to find a job hauling secret military stuff instead of just regular freight.

O watching a HIMAR come down onto a couple people trying to mortar you is one hell of a show. I can tell you that firsthand.

 

it's a military thing.. i got it after doing recovery operations during hurricane katrina/rita. since i held secret for my primary MOS, when ever my unit needing sensitive stuff move, my name was always thrown up in the air. i wasn't mad cause i wanted to drive anywaze.

only time i ever seen a HIMAR lauch was for training when they were shooting light poles into the impact areas. Seen a JDAM hit a moving truck on my first trip over. that was interesting, didn't know they were that accurate. and so much for the secret clearance, as far as i know, it's not really worth much once you get out. cause military secret is specific for what you got it for in the military.. like if you were an ammo specialist then your secret clearance would only be good (at least from an employers point of view) for explosive type stuff, so if you tried to get a job involving intelligence or communications, then your new employer would have to do the process all over again.. it would just be cheaper and that's the only thing that would help you outside of the military. and if you want to do secret stuff, it would be best to get with landstar, cause alot of the time when i load, there's an o/o from land star being garded (i get free roam) next to me. i wonder what they get paid (since i do it for free)

 

I'm a grunt and I never knew I had it until about 3 months ago right before I got back from Afghnistan.

As for the JDAM yeah those are cool to. Seen a few of those hit a mountain that a sniper and a MG team decided to shoot at us from. Glad to say they didnt make it past the 3rd one. Those dang caves kept them alive through the first 2 though.

 

yeah, the terrian is one reason i wanted to go to Iraq this time instead, but we got the Afghan shaft. Everytime i've been hit it's been on a goat trail going through the mountains. I'm kinda happy my wrecker is a beast though. And i tip my hat to you grunts, i've been sent out to get a few vehicles and get there an hour later and ya'll still be going at it, and i mean hard!!!! it's really the only thing that drives me to roll out with my team. i mean if they're getting hit and a vehicle is down and they need it moved, i'm going, cause ya'll usually can't leave until the vehicles out. i'm not gonna wait till it calms down, that's just being an ### hole.

 

LOL Well I was down in Now Zad a few months ago and did my 7 months there.been hit on foot and 2 times in a truck