the dangers of trucking

yep, mine usually go in the box in Dec or whenever we get the first heavy snow. Coming out, is after the salt has been washed away with a good rain.

I did one year of riding all year. the bike was all I had for a vehicle that year. It was "interesting" to say the least.

 

If you were raped not long ago for a previous post. AND MY QUESTION WHY WOULD YOU START ANOTHER CONTROVERSIAL POST!!! I myself was ignorant to how much skill it takes to drive a truck successfully. Everyone talks about how a truck kills. Every accident I had I been hit by an impatient 4wheeler. I got t-bone by a 4wheeler running a light while texting. I thought this job was easy. But at times I be sweating when I have to dock in nj cars parked everywhere with no room to swing. I commend u for thinking u can drive. How bout u tell me where u stay I will bring u my rig and u drive it successfully.

 

Awful lot of regulations for unskilled labor.

 

Well I had put them into storage in October, due to my legs freezing to death. My upper body I could keep warm, but never my legs. After nearly falling off the bike once, and just once, due to the legs being in a near frozen state, I said, "no way jose`, will I go past October. I should point out too, that I would have on thermal underwear, and I was thinking too like, "I gotta be nuts if I have to dress up like this, just to ride a bike"?

I only "liked" all my bikes and I only "liked" riding. It was never to be a love affair. So I missed out on nothing.

 

Dangerous?

Yes it is.

many of us are used to it or we take it as second nature to avoid things but there is always a danger.

No matter what others thing, the biggest danger isn't animals, debris, tire blowouts or even ice, it is other drivers and many times other truck drivers.

I-94 east is closed going into Detroit because of a tanker wreck - see the pictures here >>>> http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/slideshow-tanker-fire-on-i94-at-wyoming-avenue/31734154 - well I was headed down I-94 east to where it exited off at SouthField rd, it splits into two exits, one for southfield and the other for a surface street. Here is a truck that gets over into the surface street exit lane in front of me and I am starting to pass him as he slows down. All of a sudden his left turn signal comes on and he jerks over back into my lane, I jerk over and get in front of another truck (he was a truck length behind me) with mr. idiot coming back into the lane complete. Not a wave, not a signal of thanks for almost spilling 40k of material - nothing.

This is what I put up with every day.

 

I hear you. I grew up on bikes. spent most of my life riding one or another.

now days I'm just like you, I am not suffering just to go ride longer than someone else. LOL

BTW the pants I used were Tourmaster. I swear it could not get cold enough to make them uncomfortable. I moved to FL for a job a few years back and sold them. The young guy that came to look at them bought them right away saying he had never seen anything that warm. LOL for a jacket I wear a snowmobile jacket with gore tex or turtle fur neck covers. if real cold I wear a snowmobile helmet as well.
worst part for me was the hands. I have a terrible time keeeping them warm. especially the one I messed up. it has some damage nerves etc. goes all gray and goofy when it's cold.

 

don't know if I'd drive that truck Danvitt, sounds like it's been wrecked a lot...

Missjhawk I hope you take that as the humor intended.

I will say I don't remember Danvitt saying the job was easy, he said he could drive a truck. they aren't hard to "drive" anyone who can drive a standard trans car could make a truck move forward and back. it is the day to day obstacles that would make newbies sweat, swear, and wish they hadn't gone in to driving.


I will say he isn't wrong about how driving was in the old days. many years ago I drove for a guy for a short time. my application, interview and road test went like this.

phone call to O/O "hey I saw your ad, I used to be a gun driver in the Army and I drove for a couple commanders, drove 2 1/2 and 5 ton too"
him "so you think you can drive a truck? has 13 speeds, a 1971 Pete with a 40 foot flatbed"
me "sure. I will give it a try"

I go to his house that evening around 8. he puts his 3 year old daughter in the sleeper, starts the truck and drives out and down the road with me in shotgun. shows me a few things about driving it, shift pattern etc.

15 miles or so later he pulls into a truck stop. parks it in there real nice. gets out walks over to me and says "here, I got us here you get us back"

I did, it was the best time of my life honestly. then the road test came. I pulled into his drive and he says, "put it back where it was when you got here and don't hit my f^%$^% house garage or barn!!!"

I did. went to DMV took a test got a chauffer license and went driving. he rode with a few times to give me some guidance but after that, the rules were simple. I don't care where you go, how much you work or what you haul. I want a $1000 every week (for him) if the truck breaks fix it (Within reason) use whatever log books you need to.

I wound up getting recalled and told him I didn't expect him to keep my job for me. his next few drivers were POS's. take the truck to Chi and go get high and bang lizards till they were broke. I always wonder how it would have worked out for me. unfortunately life dealt him a few hands he didn't want to deal with so he took his life a couple years later.

I came back 6 months later and went into construction for a while instead.

 

It's always the other driver who will crash into you and kill themselves. It puts you in a bad situation. As a truck driver, you will become an almost perfect driver. In a split second, somebody will cause an accident you cannot avoid and guess who gets the heat, the police interrogations and the drug test ?

 

Like my ex-wife used to say, "you just sit there and drive, how hard could that be"? ( until she actually rode with me to the Chicago rail yards, she changed her tune in a hurry)