Coastie Going O/O at last

Perhaps, but it beats stinking...

 

Yeah, and then in the fine 90's - we were issued kevlar helmets (k-pot). couldn't use those to bathe (or dig with) because there was no liner to remove. Piece of junk helmet, heavy as hell, unable to stop a rifle round (they use the term ballistically resistant - in other words you wind up with pieces of the helmet in your head too), and you couldn't use them for anything but a head ornament. A plastic hard hat will stop almost anything that a kevlar will, (for $15 compared to $185) and the headband usually pops out of those. Gotta love the rocket scientist non-soldier who's designing this stuff anymore.

I use those large cleaning wipes ("mom wipes") that come in the pack with the plastic flap opening on it. Most of the time I can get to a shower every couple days - until the schedule screws up on me. That was a trick I learned to deal with back in the Army - our leadership found it totally acceptable to have us out in the Missouri woods for 2 weeks at a time between showers...... yeah, I'm not kidding. We'd try showering from a jerry can in swim shorts that we brought along for that purpose. Then one trip to be a smart ##### I bought a couple packs of the stinkingest "baby-fresh" baby wipes I could find and used those from head to toe. That got some attention and every time it did I'd tell the CO how it masked the odor everywhere around me! Wonder what it smelled like to him when he was going home every night......

 

My wife got some wipes for when the baby was born that were completely dry, you'd wet them and they would suds up. They work good but can't remember the name of them.

 

Now that's a w.h.o.r.e's bath. Yeah, they work ok, but give me soap and water (even if its not a tubfull) any day!

 

Yep, I totally agree with iron - a shower beats all and works great against fatigue. One of the reasons I usually go through a truck stop during the day to shower is for a wake up after driving the first 7 or 8 hours. After a good hot shower, it's easy to drive to 11 hours and unload or reload after. A few days ago I wound up driving 10+ and then waiting to unload, and having the conveyor break down when I finally got in. Thanks to the scale in/out ticket and toll roads that day, I had to log 19 hours! If it weren't for that shower earlier in the day I woulda been asleep by the time they called me in to unload.

 

I don't know whether to laugh at Coastie...............or to cry for Coastie.

I thought I would "pop in" and see how he was doing at "Garrison" out of Cullman AL (last time I "popped in" that was where he was headed after his Great Wide debacle). Now........he is with some loser dry van operation, working out of New York State.


DUDE! I gotta admit...I have had a tough time the last few months. But I haven't hopped my happy butt around like you have!

Here you are, barely scratching out a living......and you are talking about "Getting your own authority"?? If you are one of those guy's that thinks a couple years driving a truck around makes you able to run your own authority....stop and think twice more!!

Running your own authority is hard work. Selling yourself to customer's who have specific wants, is hard work. Keeping yourself legal with the DOT and each state that you run in......IS HARD WORK! If you think you will do alright holding your own authority and working for Brokers......think long and hard......then think twice more. I could run my own authority.......I should have run my own authority............ back when I had the money to do so. I can tell you this much....if you had $250,0000 in the bank...it wouldn't be enough to take care of yourself running your own authority.......not with your work history!

Why did you not sign on with Garrison? Were they to restrictive?? Or did they find issues with your driving record? Did you ever check out any other companies in the Georgia region??

Since you decided to pull cheap freight pulling dry van...why did you go with an outfit out of New York instead of one out of Georgia or Tennessee?? You could have leased your truck into Old Dominion....UPS....USXpress.....Heartland Express......USA Truck.....JBHunt...or the like, and been far better off than you are now.

I don't get it......Are you unable to keep you temper in check or what??

 

Now that really sucks - if you get through this chapter in decent shape, you might want to look into a 2 pedal (auto) truck. I've never had gout, and don't know much about it - but ibuprofen and granola bars (for the stomach wear) has gotten me through some tough times.

Best to you and stay safe out there!

ps - Running your own authority doesn't cost a quarter mil, but it does cost alot at the worst times! Mine has been doing alright, I paid a service to set me up and deal with alot of the issues. The hardest part is keeping up the records, and still keeping the truck moving. There is no way I could be out chasing accounts right now, and that will have to come much later (if ever). You may want to file and leave it inactive soon if you can, I'd ask an expert about whether this would get you by the "new entry" issues they're trying to start soon.

 

I agree with George, having your own authority is a very large investment. Not in actually getting all the paperwork sorted but in the cash you had better have to operate. Its a big move and does not always come with making more money. I wish you the best but make sure all your ducks are in a row before you jump.