What about your best times on the road??

The day I quit knight I was so happy the sun was out and the birds were chirping went and bought me a case of beer and watched tv all day

 

Best day is everyday for me. My employer runs 24/7/365, but has everything split between 3 8hr shifts. There's only 20ish drivers per shift. We have a very low turnover rate, so after a while we get used to eachother and treat eachother like an extended family. We will sit in the drivers lounge for 30 minutes at a time and crack jokes at eachother. Can make for some hilarious moments.

 

Classified/level 7 clearance required.

 

Sunrise. Two occasions come to mind. Kind of grumpy after an 0-dark-thirty start, driving thru OK on US-75 toward Dallas. This sunrise made me forget all about it.



Another early start on a Sunday, rolling toward home thru LA (Lower Alabama). Truck still had just an FM radio and was scanning for a new station. Hit a gospel station that was a perfect match for the sunrise.

 

Picked up a produce load in the central Cali valley heading to OH. Had lots of time on it so I stopped at the CA/AZ state line on I-40 and went swimming in the Colorado river.

 

There are many many stories I can say are my best times, but here is a few short ones.

Making a pickup and a closed Casco Store in Miami Florida. I got there the night before and was waiting for someone to get there in the AM. I do not back into a Dock until I check in but another trucker came in before the Shippers came in. So I went in and checked in and the other driver had went ahead and backed into a Dock. They asked me to go ahead and back in and it was not easyone to do. Even if no trucks there it was tight, but now I had to maneuver around the supertrucker whom had passed me to get in the dock earlier. I made it in and while I was inside talking to their boss the loader open the door and came running over to me shouting Man I am impressed, I got to shake your hand A real Truck Driver, Then he said the ##### who had passed me been there before and could not back in worth crap...

Had a Load of Transformers taking them to Joplin MO. When I got there I had to basicly park in the street and check in. Cars parked on both side inches from both sides of the truck. I ended up having to back in off the street and do several Maneuvers to get into the ramp where they unloaded at. I got in there with ease and went to see how I was to the ramp and I was off 1 inch on the drivers side. I said wait one sec and I get that inch out and be flushed. They laugh and said do not worry, They would move the ramp with pleasure, least they could do. For most drivers they had to move it into the middle of the Parking lot to unload cause they could not make the turns I just made. (Part of the driving test)

To sum it all up I put it this way instead,

Best of times on the road trucking

The best part of trucking is seeing the sun rise over the Smokies on a crisp Fall Morning, or the Sunsetting over the Rockies, Seeing the 4wheeler waving at you as if they knew you in a state far from home, Or seeing a father running to the side of the road with his young son pumping their Arms wanting me to blow my air horn.

When you arrive at a shipper or Receiver and achieved a back in in the hardest backing you had done and did not hit anything and have the Shipper or Receiver complementing you on your skills, Or a customer calling in to your company praising you.

Being out on the Open Road hearing the 18 wheels a humming Homeward bound after being out for weeks at a time, and when you arrive home Alive.

 

After some thought and thinking about all the good times that I have had over the years, especially the years that I was an O/O calling my own shots, I think the best trip that I ever had was from Harrisonburg, Va to Las Vegas. Had a load of cabinets for a hotel that they were remodeling in Las Vegas, not much weight. I had an appointment on a Monday morning to deliver. Left Harrisonburg on Thur. morning and going thru Ok. I realized that I could get there early Sunday morning, so I stopped and called the supervisor of the crew that was doing the work and asked him if they worked on Sunday and he said they sure did and for me to come on in and he would have 15 men there to unload me first thing on Sunday morning and gave me much better directions to the hotel than I had.

Well, got into Las Vegas, got unloaded and I had to take a 34 hour reset and the company told me to get a hotel room and they would try to find me something Monday. The supervisor of the crew that unloaded me told me to go to the Orleans, gave me directions and man, all kinds of room for parking, super place for a trucker. Plenty of things to do, good food, safe. The place even has an Arena and they were having a dog show and I love dogs. Come Monday, I had a load of pallets going to Star, SC, another light load. Delivered in Star on Thur. morning, reloaded in Duncan, SC and was home Thur. night before supper.

Good weather going and coming. No problems at all. Took my time, enjoyed every minute of it and made pretty good money for the week. Coming back thru NM right before I got to Gallup, NM was making all trucks park in the rear and bring their paperwork in. I went in and stood in line for about 15 minutes and when my time came I walked up to the window and the man looked at me and said, "go ahead", never even looked at a thing.

As I look back over the years, I have to say that "good trips" are becoming more and more hard to come by. It was a time when we got out there and enjoyed the trips, but now it is "push, push and push". When I was with Johnson Motor Lines out of Charlotte, running team, if it took us a week to get from Charlotte to Boston, not a word was said. But now you leave Charlotte they want you there the next morning. All the "mom and pop" diners are gone that we used to stop at and socialize. We got to know people out there on the road, but not that way now.

 

Care to elaborate? Sounds intriguing.