Hitch Hikers

Which country?

 

Another great movie!!

 

Trucker rule #14: What happens on the road stays on the road.

 

For all the reasons mentioned, I never have. Even if it's a stacked young woman. I know very well she's going to have her boyfriend with her. When asked, and of course they usually say " are you heading that way?," I tell them I got a kid with me.

I know some drivers who have taken them. One pal told me about enjoying a young ladies favors for his generosity. And on the less steamy side, another friend took an elderly couple about five hundred miles. The lady sat in the back and asked if she could lay on the bunk. The gentleman sat in the passenger seat and they both nodded out. When they got to their destination they called my friend a Godsend.

 

Nope and you wont either.

We quit helping anyone years ago. Decades ago even.

My parent gave one of the more well known bums a lift. That bum did not have her shower as usual. The car got her smell into the seat fabric and floor rugs, mat and side door handle where she rested her dirty arm during the lift.

It took 5 weeks to get that stinky dirty woman smell out of that car.

A long time ago I used to give people a ride now and then out of bad places and then drop em off into where it's safe. The last one I did this was a trucker lost his engine block in front of me on 81 near syracuse. I pulled in on the shoulder near him, made sure he was safe, took him with me, dropped my trailer in a small tiny truckstop not far down the road. Bobtailed back to get his hazmat trailer. (Class A license in those days not a endorsement in sight anywhere for that or anything those were the days...) late 80's was advised due to my spring suspension only and no shocks etc I had to try and drive a certain smooth because the load in the trailer is a kaboom one.

He and his load made it to the truckstop. I bought him coffee. I don't know him from adam. But it's only right to do a little bit for him who suffered a massive engine failure in his poor tractor. (It was a nice KW I think it was...) then took off after I recovered my own trailer.

I checked map, I think 81 is smaller or less long than it used to be in that area. New interstates have been built around there. I wouldnt know if that old truckstop is still there. There was also a diner with good truckparking up there too, that one burned back in 1998 sadly. All the good stops go away in my life time.

I may have helped two or three more souls here and there, but frankly nothing bad happened and all was well. One was fetched out of Lombardi Rest area one night, I dropped him off near the Deegan Expressway where there is a chance he will get a lift but that particular area was not that good. I hope he made it back to Canada where he should have stayed. Ive wondered about him. No passport etc. He did have a Ontario license with him. shrugs.

Anyhow.

There was one in Chattanooga TN at a little diner downtown, I would not know where it was now but it had room for 10 trucks and it was a place to eat.

That particular one was a parasite in every way, once he attached himself talking to you you cannot get rid of him. During my lunch he hung outside of my plate glass window watching me eat the meal at my table. Followed me back to my rig. I finally resorted some violence to get rid of him. Fortunately he was soft and not much of a fighter being twice my age at the time. He got away clean with at least a knot and a coffee burn. It was a nice medicine for me to explode and get rid of him. I had a feeling you could hand him a million dollars and he will still be a parasite pestering drivers in that diner.

The most dangerous was two in Calumet in the 76 there (Probably TA or razed by now) off I-55 in chicago. My tire thumper and coffee came into the game at this point. I don't remember the details of the donnybrook, but it was fast, vicious and a near thing for me. Anyhow, knots delivered, coffee burns delivered and a couple loosened tooth on both of them at least. I heard one choke or gag after he ate a jawful of tire thumper. two inches lower it could potentially have busted his C spine in the neck among any number of interesting ways to die. (That would have been at least involunary manslaughter for me...)

I love my tire thumper. Knots delivered. Thump, tap, thwack, clank.

If those two were any bigger or stronger than they were I would not be here. I was a little thing back then. Maybe 130 wet. That's not good. What I was was fit and really fast especially when I can allow my mind to think in signlanguage processing the problem faster than thinking in english. Sometimes you don't think at all. It will get you hurt or worse.

Im sorry that is all I have. We had a pretty strong policy of not picking up anyone. But once in a while a stranger with children would be in the shop bay curious about the cab, sleeper etc. So I'll show it to them while keeping a eagle eye on everything and their hands. You cannot know their motive and you cannot trust them. Ever. But Im happy to be a good ambassador and show them a nice working truck that is fairly clean, television, computer and papers etc.

 

Picked up quite a few. One comes to mind who was very nice,, she trucked around with me a few weeks. My friend met her, asked me where I found her so he picks one up. He later relates to me how about 2 hours into Minnesota her medication starts wearing off and she tells him she's a devil worshipper, he put up with her for a few days because she had some "redeeming qualities"

 

I've talked to truck drivers about picking up hitchhikers. Because of federal regulations, they will not pick up hitchhikers, however, they will call for help for that hitchhiker to be picked up, usually by a law enforcement officer. The truck driver is safe, the hitchhiker is not stranded out in the middle of nowhere.

God bless every American and their families! God bless the U.S.A.!

 

That's funny lol

 

Okay, will try to clean this one up as much as I can...

First trip OTR, running team pulling reefer. Running with this hand called Hacksaw cuz there wasn't a woman around he wouldn't cut. We're riding along one winter day through Louisiana in an old International COE. Hacksaw picked this girl up. He asked me if I could drive. Sure. I get behind the wheel of a road tractor for the very first time. Hacksaw and his guest went into the sleeper.

The Stench came out.

(MY GOD! WHY HATH THOU FORSAKEN ME???????)

Inhuman! I rolled down the windows, breathing only when it was absolutely necessary. Hacksaw came flying out the sleeper, "PULL OVER!!!!!!"

Dude! You're nasty!

"I can't take it no more!"

You can't just drop her in the middle of nowhere!

Well, we swore and called down evil upon each other, but dropped the passenger at a truck stop. I knew right then and there that I couldn't handle running team. We got back to the yard, I was prepared to quit, but the boss gave me a solo gig in a 2 stick Mack.

A couple years later, I had graduated and was driving a full on large car. Was sitting at a truck stop in VeroBeach, polishing the chrome and waxing the paint and dressing the tires up...waiting for the sun to set.

Some guy in a car had a spat with his lady and abandoned her. Even took her luggage out the trunk. Nice looking woman. But after that initial story, I was still having flashbacks to the stench and wanted no part of nothing to do with anyone in my truck with me.

I heard her ask for a ride and the guy she asked wanted a service. She declined. Hours later, the sun was going down, I ease out of the parking lot. I turn on the on ramp to 95. I see that woman sitting on her luggage at the tree line.

Hey! Do you need a ride?

"I'm not having sex with you!"

I didn't ask for sex. I asked if you needed a ride. If you do, let's go. If not, I gotta ease on.

She walks up to the truck and gets inside. She's scared and clutching her bags tightly. I ease through the gears, ease through the gears, ease through the gears...ever so easily. Get to 60 mph. I grab the radio and make an announcement, 'Everybody going northbound and can hammer down, let's go. This is TripleSix and I'm about to put the hammer down.'

(back in the day, before you took off, you would tell everyone. That way, everyone who couldn't run triple digit could get into the right lane. I stand put the hammer down and we started blowing by cars and trucks as if they were standing still. The lady quit breathing. 'Ma'am, I'm gonna drive until the sun starts back up. Go ahead and get some sleep.' She lived in DaytonOH. I was heading to Detroit. She lucked out.
The next morning, I woke her up. Topped off the fuel and got some showers. She got showered and then she met me in the restaurant for breakfast. After some sleep and a shower and breakfast, she was my new best friend.

Called her dad when we got to Dayton. Before she left, she asked me why I didn't to get a service.

'I'm going to Hell, but not for taking advantage of a woman in her time of need.'