Have you ever met a trucker with over 50 years plus?

Next month will be 55 years, 53 as an O/O. I don't plan on there being a 56 but then again last year I wasn't planning a 55.

 

My father just hung his keys up .he started driving when he was 18 he is 73 now do the math it is 58 years . he has had some heart problems for a few years now and the Doc said no more ether go local or git out of it so he parked his truck and climbed out. now he has 2 trucks up for sale.

 

What is a scratch?

 

Just a missed load?

 

my grandpa did 4 years in the USMC then drove for pepsi locally for 47 years...retired in 2008

and one thing ive learned about old timers including my grandpa, they got a story for everything

 

We do alot of close quarter maneuvering and our trucks have polished aluminum everywhere. So we always look for scratches on the truck where another driver might have hit the famous black poles or anything.

 

You know....A scratch, A mark in the paint or wheels or any other part of the truck that shouldn't have come in contact with anything.

 

To have 50 years experience I would have have to be 71 since I started driving with a class A the day I turned 21. If I counted the time I only drove in Pa with a B I would still have to be 68 since I got that when I was 18.. Two questions - should I count the time with a B as driving experience? That would actually allow me to say I've been a trucker for 11 years instead of 8, and my other question is how could anyone younger than 68 have 50 years? Were regs different back then or something?

 

There's at least one guy on this board that started driving trucks at the tender age of 14 without a license...full time!

 

No doubt - we have a few of those at my terminal and we call them 50/50's.. 50% lies and 50% BS..lol.. Last week the state of Md gave me a special permit to pull 4 trailers at one time down I95 because my cousins freinds sisters boyfriend works at the Md DOT..lol..

At least my info is credible - B at 18 and two months, A at 21 even, and Con-way Freight since two months and 4 days before my 23'rd birthday.. Pathological lier's seem to be prevalent in trucking for whatever reason..