Hauling coal now

Ha, know that road, Previous employer had a scrap dumpster near the mechanical shop, drove that road every third tuesday of each month. Winter was no doubt a adventure.

 

Is old man skunky still running the shop? If so, relay this message. No i won't introduce my mother to him. - dude in blue mack roll off from pa -lol

 

Ah, ole timer probably retired, Great guy.

 

last time i did that dirt road crap. i hated it. sucks having to hold the gas pedal down. LOL.

 

Back during my days of driving a ready-mix truck a timber company that had many of their own company dirt roads back up though the mountain forest country built several bridges, most were low water bridges, & we supplied the ready-mix. During that period of time we ready-mix truck drivers had some excitement. Some of the mountains were so steep that going up them the ready-mix would pour out the back of the mixer. And of course we would only be creeping up the mountains in a very low gear, they had a 5 speed main box with the 3 speed brownlite, them there was the going down on the other side which was a bit touchy too, & off to one side it was a long way to the bottom. I was a bit surprised that none of us had some sort of accident, for none of us had any such experience driving on such roads, ugh, trails.

I recall creeping up some mountain sides thinking, hope the u-joints do not go out, hope the engine does not suddenly stop running.

Some of the roads were one lane with a wide place cut out every so often in case two trucks met each other, & of course sometimes one of the trucks would have to back up to the wide spot, that added a bit of excitement too.

 

It just hit me the roads I was speaking about driving on in the backwoods the 1st truck driver I ever knew got killed on one of them.

I grew up at a small country store. This man I spoke of above would stop in once in a while & if I was around he always had something to say to me, he drove a log truck for the timber company. I was about 5 to 6 years of age & I really like those trucks. I called them 'Bigger-trucks' when ever I spoke of them.

If I was in the store when he stopped I would always ask him were his 'Bigger-truck" was. I believe I got the want to drive trucks from him being so friendly to me. I spoke of him before on this forum, he was on one of those roads going down a very steep hill with a load of logs & when over the edge. They claimed something happened to the steering. His name was Ollie C. Jacques born 1914 & died in 1951.

Later on I remember my father teasing me about calling those large trucks, 'Bigger-trucks,' yet to me at that age that is exactly what they seemed to be!