47 years ago------ My first load hauled.

Tony4 · Jul 9, 2020

incredible story!!!

jbatmick said: ↑

I first posted this nine years ago, and like to re-post it every few years. It shows how much trucking has changed, but it is still the same old B.S.

38 years ago today I tried to deliver my first load. I was barely 20 years old, sitting in Baltimore at a closed receiver, with a flat tire on my steering, loaded with sweet corn on a dry box [ no reefer ] , needing 3,000 # ice ASAP, on a HOT July 4th holiday.
I live in Florida, was just a kid, but had been around trucks all my life. Dad was a trucker, and in the produce business. The summer I turned 20 years old, we bought a Kenworth for me to learn to truck. Paid $15,500 for a 1970 cab-over. 3 year old truck with a V-8 903 Cummins,13 speed, torsion bar suspension. Nice truck, and as dad said, it would outrun the word of God.Very fast.Bought a 40 foot Great Dane dry box.
Well,I learned to drive it around the county for a few days, and then Dad called me one morning. He was in North Carolina, working a produce deal, and needed a truck for a load the next day.Told me to be there the next morning.
I bought me a new black cowboy hat, cashed a check at the bank for 200 bucks [ fuel was only about 30 cents a gallon ], and left Florida for Eastern North Carolina.
The Interstate was not yet completed, so some of the dead head 650 mile trip was on backroads. Not all 4 lanes.
Got there the next morning, July 3, shipper told me to go to a farm and load 900 boxes sweet corn from a hydo-cooler, then go top-ice it at the ice-house. Remember, no refrigeration unit on my trailer.The shipper said he would usually not load a dry box with perishable sweet corn, but knew me and was OK with it.
Finally got loaded and iced about dark, and he told me to head towards Baltimore, for a 6 am appointment at A & P . And yea tomorrow was a holiday, but they DO receive.Shipper had double checked.
Left out for the 300 mile trip,AC quit, all on back-roads, finally found place about 5 am in downtown Baltimore.Very bad area. Remember, no cell phones, no GPS,very few CB,s. Hard to get info.
Anyway, get there and the guard laughs and says no receiving until tomorrow, today is a holiday. I knew that was going to happen.
Walk back to truck, flat on steering on drivers side.
Still had about 100 bucks left, but finding a tire repair shop that made road calls on a holiday in downtown Baltimore ? Finally found one, got new tube put in for only $45. Remember this was 1973.
Well, produce buyer had screwed up,and I was sitting with a load of VERY perishable sweet corn that required ice.Needed at least a ton blown on top.
Dad finally found an open ice house in Wilmington, Delaware,and they sent me there. But they were closing early so I had to hammer down. Finally get there,the workers were mad because they had to wait on me.Anyway,blew ice on the corn, and headed back to Baltimore. I was getting tired, but knew if I screwed up there would be trouble. At 20 years old, I still had to prove myself.
Maryland scale sign said closed, but I saw a cop car at the scale house, so I pulled in. Officer quickly yelled at me the sign said closed, and I had better leave quickly. Yessir, I replied. Do not believe I had ever seen a log book at the time.
Getting back to A&P in Baltimore about midnight, I thought about my cash. Remember, this was before credit cards,fuel cards, ATM's. No way to get more cash. And very hard to communicate with no cell phones. Had to locate a pay phone, and hang around while you got a callback.
Check in at gate next morning at 6 am,new guard tells me I should have been there at midnight,they had a message to give me a door ASAP. Nobody told me.
First time I had to back in a door between trailers. Other drivers helped, and I finally bumped the dock.
Could not afford the $25.00 lumper fee, so started unloading it myself. The forklift operator was slow about keeping the pallets pulled out of the door,and the corn was getting warmer. I gave the operator a dollar [ yes, a WHOLE dollar ] , and he got in a hurry.
That first load taught me a lot.
All of this for a load that paid 350 bucks. Not much even back then.
People will give you wrong information,trucks break down, law enforcement can be a- holes,you get tired, everyone wants money from you,rates are cheap. and things just plain go wrong. Trucking is trucking.
In the past 38 years, I have nearly always been involved with trucking. Either driving, having a driver on one as I farmed, or running several. I was always an independent, never would lease to the big guys.
I posted this long account so newer hands could see trucking has not changed, and never will.

But I still enjoy it.

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G13Tomcat · Jul 11, 2020

Opus said: ↑

Sitting here idling because its just too hot for me.
I always wondered how awful it was in those trucks without AC.

You fellas are 10X the man I'll ever be.

God bless you all.

Where is X1 when you need him?
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Ya know, I'm just bored and slept for 4 hours upon arrival from my 'one and done' shift....and just 'reading' because nobody is 'really' on atm....

....And I saw this post, and I literally had a quick man cry. I wish I'd have gotten to know him better. We pm'd once, awhile back....wall of text he was correcting me about something (of course..) but it meant a LOT to me.

God Bless you, as well. You're a tough cookie to crack; I've noticed. Not a bad thing, jsyk.

G13Tomcat · Jul 11, 2020

Mohtrucker said: ↑

First load was February of 2018 still got a lot to learn
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Hang around HERE, and follow the right people. Not 'naming' names.. you'll figure it out.

Wish you the best, Moh.

Powder Joints · Jul 12, 2020

My first load was in a 1980 Ford CL 9000 3406 CAT Diesel 13 speed. No A/C just fans. I drove with my Dad a couple of years before he put me running solo. His tractor was a KDubb 900, but the driver of his second truck left I took it over. First Solo Load went from Los Angeles Produce Market to Hunts Point, All I will say is you remember your first load. That was about 1980 I think.

50WT · Jul 12, 2020

Early April 1974 , 1968 White 4000 with 250 Cummins 10 spd.
Driving for my dad hauling precast concrete, told him I'm not so sure about this and his favorite saying was "you aren't going to learn any younger" ,always heavy Georgia to Tennessee.
Had to go around Manchester scales, over Mt Eagle with no Jake's.
Young and hungry.
Still OTR now , not much I would have changed, been a good living and a great life.

jbatmick · Jul 12, 2020

That was back when MT. Eagle was a lot harder to navigate, before they re-made it.

Badmon · Jul 13, 2020

G13Tomcat said: ↑

....And I saw this post, and I literally had a quick man cry. I wish I'd have gotten to know him better. We pm'd once, awhile back....wall of text he was correcting me about something (of course..) but it meant a LOT to me.
Click to expand...

I havent been on the forums much lately with all the madness going on in the world lately.. Whats going on with 1x ?

Rideandrepair · Jul 13, 2020

He said catch you on the flip side, my time on ttr is finished by choice. Back on May 7th. On Dave’s thread, what if it snows.Thats it, he’s gone. It reminds me of the old Woody Allen movie. Guy jumps out a window, leaves a note, all it says is “out the window”. Leaves everyone wondering what happened, why, and what does it all mean.

G13Tomcat · Jul 13, 2020

Rideandrepair said: ↑

He said catch you on the flip side, my time on ttr is finished by choice. Back on May 7th. On Dave’s thread, what if it snows.Thats it, he’s gone. It reminds me of the old Woody Allen movie. Guy jumps out a window, leaves a note, all it says is “out the window”. Leaves everyone wondering what happened, why, and what does it all mean.
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I know, I recall. I was literally 'there' on that thread, posting away, the moment he wrote that. I sure hope he didn't ... well just.... dangit. I actually MISS HIS LONG WIND. I TRULY DO.

RIP, @x1, wherever you are.

G13Tomcat · Jul 13, 2020

Badmon said: ↑

I havent been on the forums much lately with all the madness going on in the world lately.. Whats going on with 1x ?
Click to expand...

Yep, @Rideandrepair summed it up, above. Who knows. Just dang. I miss the long winded guy, I really do.

Good to see YOU around, tho~!

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