trucking handicap parking....

Lol...it sure happens. I'm missing a leg and bought a super nice Blazer 4x4 big Ol Micky Thompson mud tires, lift had a nasty 355 in it. Would pull the front tires off the ground. Came out a 7/11 female trooper was writing me a ticket had a placard on mirror parked in handicapp. She said I know damd well your not handicapped. Pulled my pant leg up showed her my leg she just shook her head and tore the ticket up. Made my day.

 

Came across a driver here in Australia who lost his arm just below the elbow, by Australian law that entitles him to a disabled permit.

 

Friend, i salute you. I like to see people do things that are unexpected. Like a female auto mechanic. A young owner operator. A professional trucker. A biker chic. Those tough, weather beaten old hands. You know they have to be good at what they do.

 

As a society in general we tend to think that people with disabilities are feeble/weak individuals. That's why I thought it was pretty cool to see someone with a jacked up truck. I love it when people do things out of the ordinary.

 

Maybe they are qualified. To me, driving a truck is not sitting in the driver seat and steering the truck safely down the road. It's dealing with everything that comes along with moving freight from point a to point b. In some operations, a person with physical limitations may just be fine, in my operation, not really an option.

If a driver can do everything that needs to be done, load checks, coupling, uncoupling, opening and closing doors, necessary maintenance, crawling under the truck to check what needs checking, I'm all for it. I just have a hard time finding able bodied drivers that can/will do what needs done.

 

I have been driving since 1966, have north of 4 million miles. I only drive part time now but I still enjoy driving, for the most part.
I had severe sciatica, some times I could not walk a truck length with out stopping for a moment. I had back surgery to fix that. I have asthma, for which there is no cure just meds to help with it. Both shoulders need to be replaced from overhead work hauling cars for 25 years. Now my knees are starting to go out.
I have a handicapped plate on my pickup and a hank tag that I use when I don't feel up to a long walk when I'm driving.

I'm still able to go trucking and drive 600-700 miles a day. I don't feel as good as I did 20 years ago after doing that, and I for sure don't need someone to put my trailer in the dock for me.

If you don't think I should park in a handicapped spot when I feel it is necessary, TOO BAD YOUR NOT MY DOCTOR. Get over it.

 

I re-read my original comment and could see how it could be easily misinterpreted. I don't know anyone with a major disability but I know I would have a hard time just sitting around if it happened to me.

 

Walk a mile in someone else's shoes . . .

My eyes have been opened wider after taking on responsibility for a totally incapacitated family member. Many go through this every day.

Respect to you, @Oneleggregg