Indian River

Lol, you're right, I'm a newbie with only 8 months in the game, when I said things must've been hard and stressful back then I was talking about navigation wise, even with a GPS, I still get lost sometimes so I couldn't imagine trucking back then with only a map and pieces papers lol.

 

Me too. I'll take being able to sit down at the counter and BS with other drivers while enjoying a steak dinner over having to eat the same old fast food that all the other truck stops have.

I'll take being able to find a parking spot whenever you get to the truck stop over having to make sure you get there before 4PM local time.

I'll take being able to drive when you're alert and sleep when you're tired (or when you're waiting for rush hour traffic or a wreck to clear) over having to push yourself to beat the 14 hour clock.

I'll take an older truck with no DPF to cause a derate, no nanny tech to annoy me while I'm trying to drive in a stressful situation (or worse, make the truck do something I'm not expecting), and 13 gears that I shift myself over a tupperware torpedo that was designed for fuel economy over more important things like durability and reliability.

And I'll take drivers who actually know how to read maps, trip plan, and back up over those who mindlessly follow their GPS, watch videos and movies while driving, nose into parking spots at the truck stop, and hit others while driving through the parking lot.

 

When I first got behind the wheel of a truck, it was a 1984 Peterbilt Coe that my uncle owned and hauled fuel with. I was 3 and he says that gave me the trucking bug.

I rode with him when I got older, he taught me how to work on the truck, and be a knight of the road out here. I remember watching him trip plan, agonizing whether or not to take me into certain places and areas with him, so he wouldn’t put me in danger.

I remember telling him about my first solo trip, how it was finally doing it on my own. I remember telling him how I taught my “trainer” to read a map and trip plan.

I’m glad he isn’t driving now, he wouldn’t like it. I just tolerate it, because it pays the bills. It quit being fun about 15yrs ago. When all this electronic log stuff really started taking hold.

it’ll never be like it was, the brotherhood is gone. There are no more knights of the road, just a bunch of…..

Anyway if I ever decide to get into and learn food grade tanker yanking, it’ll be at Indian River.

 

Yeah... I don't think I could've been a trucker back then, I guess I would learn how to read maps but I'd get loss lol, especially going through the mountains... And I wouldn't be able to drive a manual truck, one of the hardest things I ever tried to learn.

 

You'd learn how to do those things. They're not brain surgery and everyone who learned to drive a truck back in those days picked up the necessary skills.
If they can do it, you can too.
We didn't think it was anything special, just part of the job.
And yes, I still use maps. I have a whole shoe box full of them.

 

Yeah you guys are right, thanks.

 

Don't let these old farts walk all over you like that! I'm with you! I'm glad to be a trucker in this day and age lol

 

The next person who calls me an old fart is gonna get beaten with my cane. Now pull your dang pants up and get off my lawn!

 

Ya old fart.


Sirscrapntruckalot -