Memorable First Year Stories

First snow storm, when I could not see 10 ft ahead of me and had no idea where I am at on the road, where other cars are and where exits are.

 

First lot lizard. Truckstop somewhere in WV, they drove around going from truck to truck talking to drivers. Ignored them plain and simple.

 

lot lizards are sexy

 

first delivery as a solo driver. somewhere in Arkansas, 40,000 lbs of chicken wings to Hunts Point in the Bronx. I never made it east of Ohio in the 3 weeks i was with my trainer. That's where i learned the importance of carrying some cash. cost me $40 for a taxi driver to get out of his cab and stop traffic so i could make a turn as i was trying to get outa of the area. that was the best $40 i spent that year.

 

First week OTR. Ran local for a year or so, and got a gig running reefer team. Driving an old IH COE, spring ride, Armstrong steering. Driver picked this girl up, and asked me if I could drive for a bit. Running throug Louisiana in the winter, driving this cab over. The driver and this girl are in the bunk going at it. Suddenly, the Stench came. POOOOOOOOOM. "Ugh! I'm dying. Can't take it..."
I rolled down the window and stuck my head out." The blanket my grandma made for me...my pillow... They've got to be ruined". The other driver came flying out of the sleeper.

So we're driving down the road having this argument, screaming at each other. That girl was so mad that she couldn't speak. Pulled into the next truckstop and she got out. I knew right then that teaming wasn't for me. Made it back home and told the boss that I couldn't run team. So he gave me a solo truck...a 2stick Mack.

Funny thing, today, I had a driver hand me a business card with his phone number, fax number and pager number. Do you guys remember when companies started issuing pagers? 20 years ago, it was the must have thing for truckers. I had almost forgotten the pagers. We used to call in every morning. Get your load info from your dispatcher, call brokers, shippers receivers...quite a bit of time and money spent at pay phones. Then the pagers came. Then the Sky Pagers, which not only showed phone numbers, but news and sports and trivia. Pagers and calling cards. Seems like ancient history now.

 

Guess it was about the third or fourth time going up mount eagle, not that bad unless it's around midnight and the fog from the papermill is so thick you can't see the end of the hood, stopped at mt eagle truck stop, still could not see 5 ft infront of you, I was walking to the building and heard all kinds of racket.
Next morning I seen that someone tried to back in to a spot blind and mashed the whole driver side of a truck in with a 53' box. Fog lifted around 9 and it was time to travel once more.

 

I learned the importance of using anti-gel in January, and at the same time learned all about Minnesota's brilliant idea to mandate biodiesel. Learned that on US-52 in ND about 35 miles east of Minot. Phone was out of range and didn't have a CB that worked hardly at all. Got really lucky an old timer going other way stopped and got a truck going same way I was going to get me a lift to Minot. It was an expensive lesson for me to learn (at the boss's expense) but I tell ya it won't ever happen to me again.

 

My first time solo I went down cabbage patch for the first time and then went threw yellow stone national forest and hit a bear