What happened to old school trucking?

Ditto. But if I stopped every time I don't get a response, I'd never get anywhere......

 

True,. but I'm OCD when it comes to things like that. I'm so bad,.. I'll think about someone I passed 2 days before and look on different forums to see if he posted anywhere, just to see if I can find out he was ok.

Hurst

 

I've only been in this game for 9 years, but I can say beyond any shadow of a doubt that things are a LOT different now than they were when I started. Used to be able to start up a conversation with someone headed the same direction and keep ratchet jawin' for 300 miles or more. Met some good folks that way, and still stay in touch with some of them. Now, try to even get a come back. My uncle has said that back in the good old days, if you blew a tire and got it to the shoulder, there'd be three other trucks pulling over with you just to see if they can lend a hand. These days if someone pulls over to check on you you're more likely to get suspicious than to accept the help. To anyone coming into the industry, my advice is always to learn all you can from the old hands and greybeards, because there are more of them getting out every day than there are new guys coming in, and it won't be long before ALL the old timers are gone. With them gone, so goes their wealth of knowledge and experience.

 

I can attest to that because thats exactly what happened to me.

I was in my companies old Mack pulling their home made 45' RGN with a 225 CAT excavator on the back,.. my front outside drive tire exploded and I got scared when the guy pulled in behind me as I thought maybe the rubber took out his windshield or damaged his truck.

I'm sitting in the driver seat still when he came up to my door,.. he said are you alright? I said yes sir. He asked if I had a spare? I said yes sir,.. he said well lets get that bugger on there. As he was going back to his truck another pulled over in front of us. I'm breaking out my bottle jack and here the other guy is coming back with 2 big tire irons. He and the other guy were running buddies. They had me back on the road in under 20 mins. Showed me how to break the tire off and get the new one back on with out even taking the rim off. WD40 and a lighter,.. poof the tire sealed up,.. aired it up and good to go. Took longer to put my boards and bottle jack away.

That was summer in 1989.. I was up off 68 not far from Hagarstown. No cell phones back then,.. all I was thinking when it happened was how far I was going to have to walk to find a payphone.

I look back on things like that,.. man I was so young and naive. But so eager to learn and soak up what ever anyone was willing to teach me.

Hurst

 

At that time 68 was still 40 / 48, 4 lane and 2 lane. Daughter was born in 88, use to run it all the time heading to Mass. Man we called Daddy Ray was a mentor of sorts for me, sure learned me a lot.

 

I think @TripleSix said it best,

I got started driving around the family farm in some very old and extremely worn out equipment. My father taught all of us to do the best you can with what you have to work with.

In this modern era of Mega's hiring anyone that is unemployed but able to pass a physical has definitely changed the industry and not necessarily in a good way. However in this modern global market economy all the stuff we consume has to get moved somehow and that somehow is the "new breed" of drivers. It's a fact of life that like it or not, we will have to live with it.

I made a conscious decision a day or two ago to do something different than the rest. I got little to no satisfaction bumping docks with a reefer. I will admit though that some friends and I who all ran together years ago like to reminisce about the produce days and chasing the produce run from Yuma, AZ to Salinas, CA.

I start the truck each morning and as I walk around it doing my pre-trip (yes I actually do a full pre-trip EVERY day) I take pride in what I'm hauling, what I'm pulling and what I'm pulling it with. Then when I push those air valves on the dash I treat that just like an airline captain pushing the go sticks to the firewall, I do it 100% professional 100% of the day. The overall status of the driver may be on the decline in the eyes of the rest of the world but I still strive to give 100% every day.

 

everyday i say i am just an average driver
but they grade on the curve

 

I can fully understand the wants and wishes of Old School attitude and personality, but to the OP #1 post, what in the hell does having "no hood" ( I am assuming short hood truck) have to do with Old School trucking?

To be completely honest, if you want REAL Old School, their were NO HOODS!!!

Just petty, but I have to take offense since I drive a short hood truck and consider myself at least as courteous as most out there.

 

the trouble is Stan as courteous as most ain't sayin much
it would still got us the switch from grandpa

 

I think I'm going to put that on my bunk