38 years ago today I delivered my first load

38 years ago my parents were in the 4th grade...

 

38 years ago today I was stationed at Ft. Gordon, Ga. In fact living only 168 miles from home I spent a lot of weekends there. On July 4th 1973 my lady friend and I were sitting on top of the hill behind 6 Flags watching the fireworks! I had a pass because my sister worked there and her future husband was the head of night security so getting in the back gate was no problem!

My first drop actually went to one of the tourist traps in Helen, Ga! My truck was an International COE Transstar with a 6V92 Detroit. Loud and picky engine! That engine did NOT like the Smokey Mountains and died a horrible death when it blew the turbo and before the engine shut down or died, sucked so much metal into the heads that the boss just pulled the engine, parked the thing and put me in a COE Pete with a 425 Cat! That engine LOVED those mountains! And the sleeper was way bigger than that Transstar. It was a whole 3' wide and almost 3' tall! That was a lot of room for my little arse to get dressed in! Also the electric wipers were nice too! No more listening to that sleep machine as it went hiss,hiss with a flop then hiss hiss and another flop until it quit raining! I won't even go into the spring ride seat! LOLOL!

 

38 yrs ago, I lived on the south side of Chicago, going to 3rd grade. My dad worked for EMD in La Grange as a Millwright and my mom a production worker for Sara Lee in Deerfield. What a life. Another hot HOT Chicago summer.

 

Great Stories,

 

Ah yes, my first highway truck/run (I had about 3 yrs running straight truck, day cab TT) was an R model Mack (no sleeper) with twin stick, camelback springs and a 238 Detroit. Bobtail from NB to PEI to pick up an empty flatbed that had been left there to unload. We were hauling manufactured houses that were delivered in pieces and put together onsite like a jigsaw puzzle. Everything numbered and color coded.

Place was a reservation and the trailer had been "moved" by a guy with a frontend loader who bent the dollies all to H. Sideboards had been "appropriated" by another guy for siding a shed he was building and a third had made off with the tarps. Original consignee wanted to fight me because he figured the trailer was his now and he was gonna sell it.

Of course all this time I was being chewed on by blackflies, gnats, sand fleas and mosquitoes that would scare a vampire bat. Finally got everything assembled and swiped a half pint of gin from dummy's passed out drunk girlfriend. Poured that on my assorted bites and wounds and set out for home.

Delivered those things for about a year and every dang load was an adventure. Loved it.

 

Great Story that's when trucking was real. Thank you so much and god bless.

 

Yeah mate the only thing that'll change trucking is the truckers sometimes there there own worst enemy

 

38 Years ago I was NOT even a twinkle in my dads eye yet. My First OTR load was a Nice little load of Hazmat to Baltimore load of Class 8. However my First load ever hauled was a load of DDG for animal feed.

 

Congratualations, I have something similar of a celebration. Hope life has been good to you.