Anyone have a legit fear of trucking and still did it?

After hitting the ditch (straight in and upright) on my first winter driving day last year, I was terrified to go out on the roads again with any white stuff falling... but I have since overcome that fear and now am decently confident behind the wheel regardless of the weather.

I'm not complacent mind you. I greatly respect how the weather can change and temper my speed and inputs based on the conditions. With confidence comes greater levels of control and less overreaction.

 

Nah. I'm more afraid of homelessness and poverty, which is what drove me to become a driver. When some lady ran a 2-way stop sign at 55 MPH a couple years ago, and drove into my trailer tandems as I was also driving 55 MPH... it didn't stop me. Oh sure, that was an 18-hour day of meeting with every idiot in the safety department and every member of upper management, the Fresno police department, and trying to save a woman's life. I went home, got some sleep, took a few days off, and hit it hard again.

You do this job long enough, and you'll see some horrific stuff. We're getting hammered with flooding and heavy rain tonight, I've seen like 6 cars in the ditch around the Sacramento area, off the side of the freeway.

 

Some of my friends gave me a gift when I was off the road for a week or so on vacation after very long periods going into dangerous places filled with predators, parasites and criminals these friends would arrange me to be around good people and we will see what happens with them. Later in trucking we would not be around such a problem population much. But worked more closely with people who know nothing at all about trucking.

A case in point we loaded Oranges for 4 particular places in Ft Lauradle FLA with FFe and the first stop was literally a house with a two car garage off a two lane in a forest. One of the few times we could run around jersey, interstate vehicle only laws be *&^# As it turned out, these were a number of chuch people buying 40,000 pounds of oranges and had them delivered in a common 4 stop LTL load that I thought was pretty cheap, creative and pretty powerful in raising money for charity, new church roof or whatever. It made for a number of interesting situations, such as having 40 kids come into your trailer in a organized set of lines, one coming and gone and the other stacking. 10,000 pounds poof all out in maybe a minute and change.

Imagine what life would be like if these kids were allowed to lump in our grocery warehouses in the NE and have 100 attack a tractor trailer and have it empty in 10 minutes flat. 550 cases of meat? 48,000 pounds? easy 5 cases per kid moved in 2 minutes each kid. Only they are like 110 pounds each. Good contribution to the President's fitness program I say.

Anyway.

Ive gone from someone who was in need of solitude and quiet to someone who has done relatively well in society without being too damaged. But it is clear Im not like most people. They wander through life fat dumb and happy.

Here is a public gathering protected by some police and gates... The people crowd were right in the way of this man who fit the profile of terrorist attacking.



SOmething to consider when you go enjoy life.

 

If you ever get behind the wheel and are not hyper focused on being safe and fit for duty, it's time to park it and walk away. When you let your guard down and don't pay attention, expensive things that are dangerous happen.

Also, considering how much is riding on the driver to always "do what's right", the pay is largely pathetic if you are solely doing this for the money. Airline pilot expectations and standards, kind of..LOL...but you're getting Walmart pay.

 

I visited the school spent the entire day there talking to instructors, other students looking at the equipment.The director of the college took me for a ride in one of the trks they use and after all that I still had my doubts.But I'm glad I didn't let fear take over because it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and I had a lot of fun.I attended a college 120 miles away and I came home on the weekend's So being away from home also prepared me for OTR My main fear was I thought the trucks were too big.But guess who talked me into giving it a try?a Werner driver.He was parked and I asked him if I could asked you some questions about truck driving.After talking with him I decided to give it a try.I called the college and started a week later.

 

I cannot emphasize enough how important never to be bored or careless or angry etc when on the 18 wheeler. IF that 40 ton gets away from you, it's going to kill people or hurt as many really badly as possible very quickly. And YOU might lose your freedom never to see the sunshine again in prision far from your home.

Some states will arrest company bosses and put them in jail next to you suits and all as a common murderer as well.

If you look over my posts and stories you will find many of them pretty outrageous because it was what it was back before 1994. Drinking? Yes, 110 plus yes, schedules? Forget it. Firing? Sure. But you were in a crappy outfit the following monday. DOT? Forget it. But they were out there. and so on etc etc

These modern times, we value life. And I consider myself a warrior and a lion who will do what I need to do to protect your family next to the 18 wheeler in anyway I can. My life is not that important. Theirs is.

It's just the normal frame of mind in which you have already decided if anything you have to do, no one must die today. That, is always a good thing.

 

I was raised in rural Alaska in the years before statehood-not many people and not much for roads, so heavy traffic in cities made me very nervous because it was something I was not familiar with. I always tried to be as prepared as possible-well rested, alert-windows super clean-mirrors adjusted-map of the city in my head and lights all working and clean. In short, all of the things that I COULD control, to be more prepared for the things that I couldn't.

 

I was super nervous when I had first started going solo. Always had that doubt I forgot to check something. Eventually it diminishes the more confident you get. One time I left a 4" strap on the bed but it rode fine for 30 miles until I stopped and checked the load.

While going through school and after you'll be with someone who's experienced who wont let you mess up. You'll get the basics down enough to get by. However you'll have to learn to get creative to get out of some of the situations you'll get in. Like missing turning into a small gas station with a dirt lot for trucks. Only way to get in is by the diesel pumps because that road right next to it is a dead end. At night and cant see the signs well with 15 min left on your clock. It happens, just cant buckle under the pressure.

 

In 1982 started driving a logger in the Oregon mts during the winter. If that doesn't wet your pannies not much will. These days there is no chance I would drive on any highways. Too many bad drivers.

 

Wow, insane video. But if one of the cops shot the guy, who was clearly endangering people and ignoring repeated warnings from the police, it would be yet another story of a poor, unarmed black man shot by authorities. Cue the riots.