Hello everyone

My son just graduated from high school and I find I have some extra time on my hands, so I thought I'd join the Truckers Report, having lurked for years without joining. The community has given me much useful information over the years, and I want to join in, giving some back.

I drove my first diesel engine at age 6, the family tractor, and was hooked. My fascination with machinery has only grown since that day on Vancouver Island, B.C. As a teenager, I spent summer holidays placer mining with my father at Beaver Pass, learning to drive and repair all kinds of equipment, including dozers, loaders, and draglines. Although I put in a couple of years at University of British Columbia, the call of outdoors and being my own boss was too strong. I got my CDL the summer I turned 20, and after leaving university, I got a cab over Kenworth with a 220 Cummins, (and a 4x4 transmission with 2 sticks) from my summer earnings. I drove OTR for about 5 years moving up to newer and better trucks as I went along. I even spent some time hauling logs in the interior of B.C. But, as time passed I found that I was more interested in fixing trucks than driving trucks. So that brought me to the repair business.

I spent a number of years fixing trucks and eventually moved on to other businesses but always something to do with trucks. I tried insurance too. I Learned a lot about that part of trucking too. Now fast forward to 2005 and having grown tired of ice and snow we moved to Texas. I gave up my CDL when I moved to Texas and I don't think I will be returning to the driving part of trucking.

It was somewhat warmer here than what I was used to in Canada. And I learned a few tricks along the way - don't leave your wrenches out in the sun if you plan to use them or if you do leave them out in the sun be sure to have a bucket of water handy to put them in first. Carry drinking water and lots of it.

Which brings me to today, now. I do roadside service and repairs in the Dallas Fort Worth area. I enjoy that every day is usually something different and there are lots of challenges to working out how to get the truck back up and running with the tools and parts at hand. I am looking forward to sharing some of my experience here and hope that I can help out folks the way others have helped me along the way.