Back At Heavy Haul

As some of the older members of this particular subforum may know, I'm one of the young guys on the board, but, I have a history in heavy haul and oversize.

Over the last year and a half or so I've been out and about running other freight, whatever keeps my bills paid and puts money in my pocket (rule 1 in being an owner-op, it doesn't matter what the trailer is, if it pays you well enough you should be towing it down the road). Food grade tanker, refrigerated, whatever was putting my best money in my pocket for what it cost to operate. I actually just finished up a refrigerated contract I had been running for some time. Yes, even in reefer there's such a thing as specialized when you're hauling freshpack for 5 star restaurants, not Subway lettuce...

After a bit of a siesta from heavy haul I'll be getting back into it shortly. Primarily during the hot months running local. 3 axle Load King 55 ton with stinger, single, and tandem jeeps available when needed (legal to 165,000 gross on this set up). The old boy I've worked with before, however, wants to keep his big trailer busier, as well. Seeing as most of his company drivers are local guys and want to stay local, I'll also be running his 2-2-2 65-ton 9 wide, primarily regional and OTR, as well. It's a well spec'd Etnyre Blackhawk, modular deck with an 8ft extension when we need to get long, scraper bolsters, etc.

He wants me back in a lot of what I've done before, oddball stuff, we've got a stretch Trail King I'm fairly certain I'll be hooking to on a regular basis, as well. Keep your eyes out for me, I'm sure a couple of you guys remember me.

The Kenworth is old Suzie-Q, as some may remember I bought her a couple years back. She's paid for and owned clean and clear now. And she's stouter than first lets on. With a deep under auxiliary and a 6-speed main in front and 4.44 rears out back, suffice it to say, from previous experience, I've got little concern about startability and pulling 150+ down the highway.

Now... who's buying me lunch?

 

There might be some day that I end up in law school. I've done an LSAT dry run (just a practice test, not a full bore LSAT). This next part is going to sound arrogant, but, I scored higher than the national average without studying. As one of my parents said, who is an attorney, they think I can hit 170's with some studying (180 being a perfect score). I hold a B.A. in English Literature, which is as good as anything as an undergrad degree entering law school. So, I know I can do law school and become an attorney, I just have little interest in it at the moment.

 

26.

I started learning to drive from some veterans at a heavy haul operation in my late teens when I was still in college. By my senior year I had my first driving job hauling oversize, primarily railroad equipment. I graduated while driving for 3 seperate operations hauling oversize, bulk dairy products, and refrigerated goods. A couple years later I bought my first truck, and among other things, did quite a bit of heavy haul with it.

I have a bit of an unusual background in trucking. I didn't come from a trucking family, the largest truck my father ever drove was a two ton dump truck on a sod farm. Both of my parents hold college degrees, including one with a juris doctorate. Academics and intellectualism was stressed in my family growing up. That being said, they were always supportive that I, and my brothers, do what makes us happy, but to excel at it.

We were all told, regardless of profession, we would obtain a 4 year undergraduate degree, which is why I hold a B.A. in English Lit. College was an interesting experience, during the week you'd find me studying Euclid's Elements, studying ancient Greek or reading Virchow and Harvey. During the weekends I'd be at train wrecks loading derailed railcars, pulling a smoothbore tanker loaded with milk, or getting a reefer loaded with beef.

I'm happy I have both. Trucks and trucking are what I loved as a little kid growing up, it's what I wanted to do ever since I knew what a truck was. But, by the same token, having the degree means, if at some point I choose to leave the industry, I'm academically prepared to enter other professions.