Some Be Careful Moments I have run into.....Cautions

I've delivered to some very "rough" places down off of Prospect,Troost in KCMO and Quindaro in KCK.If a bum needs money for a bottle of BoonesFarm,I put him to work.Keeps the other bums away and helps you "fit in a little better".Also offers a degree of protection,especially if you go there 2 or 3 times a week and start to develop a working relationship (if you will).

 

Th really professional ones travel the circuit. I.E. they follow the warm weather. I have seen some scamming in the northern states during the summer and down south during the winter. The exact same people!

 

I've never bought the fake or possibly stolen merchandise from them, but I have tipped the ones that put on such a performance they earned it. Cause some of them can put on one hell of a show.

 

Nothing trucking related, but I've come across scams a few times here in Winnipeg, where people are asking for money because "such and such" happened to them. Unfortunately for a lot of Canadians, we have this issue with being too trusting and nice. I didn't fall for the scam, but I heard in the news about it and people lost a lot of money.

A shame too, because these people falling for the scams are genuinely very good, nice people who don't deserve to be taken advantage of.

The funniest scam I've seen is the panhandler with the "Anything helps, god bless" sign, and refuse the granola bar or piece of fruit you offer them. And the most pathetic one is the person begging for a bus ticket because someone is in the hospital, but then they take it and go across the street and sell it for a buck fifty and go buy a pack of smokes or mickey with the money.

 

Had that happen once in Redding. Dunno how he got there middle of nowehere unless there a big house up there (Shows I know nothing...) I bought him a meal and very carefully allowed him to enjoy a converstation at the table in which we actually taught one another information. Friendship is possible. But one mistake you are shark chum.

 

I'll share a secret. I hope you use this tidbit correctly. Especially those of you with witches for a spouse who pick and bully you for every little thing in the cab with you.

I don't smoke anymore, however there is a qualifer on that. I can pick up a smoke same as a glass of somthing to drink to enjoy a meal a little bit or to be social. But it's not a pull.

With that said, in the Chicago Loop Market for Meat, I had one on my fuel tank who happened to be black and helped me get into a L backed docked situation and did a good job so I fished a pack of menthols out of the denim jacked which also contained a arkansas tooth pick too. Wife gave me the stink eye and yelled at me in her you are now in such big trouble child Ima fixing to do things to you you will be sorry you did that today.

I told her to be quiet and pay attention, this is not a roadside farmers market where everything is nice, I called her to remember her Marine days and go into that mode and learn by watching. I turned into a person she never saw before in our marriage or relationship dealing with the bums while catagorizing them by threat level, motive, needs and so forth etc. and dealing with them on my fuel tank as we got unloaded.

I called dispatch and diplomatically told them spouse is not mentally suited for these dangerous customers and should not be dispatched into markets and so on. Our next dispatch took us back into hunts point. Home for me of sorts and stress for her. I turned her sleeper into a sort of quiet place a nice place to enjoy movies etc while I did what I had to do keeping a big time eye on her.

It is one thing going into Hunts or some other place by yourself. You are mobile, agile, fast on the feet and sometimes violent. But bring a wife into it? Oh ####e. No one writes a lesson plan on that anywhere in life.

 

LA airport has some pros that would have made darn good actors.One guy says"I'm double parked out front ,have my pregnant wife in the car,need money or something,don't remember.Good story,except I had a 4 hour layover and here he is with his speel 3 hours later at a different gate.Had a guy say I'm a soldier just got Deployed,spent all my cash on leave ,have to get 50 miles back to Fort Lewis.Can you help a fellow soldier out?

 

There are certain very specific identification Soldiers carry when on active. IF they cannot produce this ID they are finished here.

 

He flashed what looked like an old military id,may or may not of been him.He was driving a fancy Toyota Camry! I was waiting at a delivery on the street,and he just appears like a ghost.Don't know if it proves anything but,I should have at least looked at his gas guageSome of these bums literally live in the back of Loves truckstop.