lack of self confindence/want to be a trucker

I learned to drive a truck at 46. The mechanical transmission was my biggest problem to learn. I was determined to learn to stick shift and I did. Now the transmission does not stress me any more.

Right now backing up is my biggest problem. I think that at 55 it may be too much to get started in trucking if it was me. I am not a hired truck driver, I own a private carrier company that owns a truck. But trucking for someone else is something I know I would not like.

 

Had a young man, early 20s, approach me at the drivers entrance at the Petro in GaryIN with questions about trucking. I invited him inside for lunch. Sat at the lunch counter even. The drivers there were quite accommodating.

 

If you can actually comprehend...
Then you’re ahead of 90%

 

Well, your 54, if not now than when? Some folks have what it takes, and some don't, age has nothing to do with it. I hate to hear about your loss, but trucking just may be the best thing you could do right now, providing your mostly grown kids are grown, or are suppose to be grown.

 

Sometimes a situation finds you. You certainly did not plan to get into it. And there you are.

Now what are we going to do.

What you do determines if anyone gets hurt, killed or suffer some property damage in some form. If you do it right you get out of this scot free. Other times it becomes a story.

One morning near Reading PA in a particular McDonalds at 6 am bright and early. The place had three rows of parking around the building. It's huge. Room for 200 cars. I put my 18 wheeler in the far back row and took.... 20 spots give or take out of the way.

Im eating my food, there is one cook one manager there and quiet. This little lady comes in. You in that big truck? Yes. You're in my spot. Out.

Now mind you I had done battle in the night delivering a mile down the road with a flatbed and into my first coffee in two days which was one of my vices when done right. I tossed the keys on the table and said you want your spot? You move the #### thing then. While sweep of a arm shows 160 more spots she can have. Such temper.

She purpled then barked at the manager in anger so bad that whatever passed for english was mangled and butchered. Manager bagged my food with a little extra and I left while she was at the counter still yelling.

Thankfully that's the last time I would be back.

This is just a minor situation but falls into keeping the public happy.

 

When you're out there in the public eye sometimes you become a magnet for the airheads. What made you quit trucking may I ask?

 

I never did quit. Ive got medical issues where DOT medical cards are not possible. I continued on as a Crew Boss part time herding CDL Temps at a truck auction. I have a number of surgeries pending this year and next fixing wear and tear from trucking.

I was actually briefly working on retreading my CDL under my State's grandfathering until I learned about certain new things that will impact my ability to continue working in the future. On principle I decided it was not worth it. I don't mind rules and laws etc, we all need some. But what is coming to me is too much. Ive been a trucker so long that I am set in my ways. It's all I know.

The future of trucking in terms of overregulation and enforcement of small things as well as continued abuses and low pay does not make it worth staying with for me. I have done very well with a particular type of trucking and that involved high dollar pharmacy loads out of Memphis to various Cities for hospitals, pharmacies etc. Alot of narcotics for example. If done right the money takes care of itself and you are not abused by shipper or receiver.

Being Medically retired through disability is not something we ask for. But you make the best of it and use the time to try and make the repairs that are necessary for the body. Medical changes and procedures exist now that did not exist 20 years ago Im able to fix things that my grand parents could not fix. (Cataracts for example) and restored the eye below 20/40 as required. I consider myself lucky. However some of the medicines I must use has made me a pariah among doctors. They don't want to deal with me because as a Pain Patient the State and US Government (DEA) has a great deal of enforcement against them if they made a mistake. But that's not all of it. There is about 6 issues that have nothing to do with arthritis that make it difficult to be lawful for DOT medical (Blood Pressure for example, we can fix that but it will take a while)

The Arthritis I have eats away the Joints. Eventually I must have replacement joints put in. Ive had one so far. There are 4 more pending. One will be done this year. The more you do something medically the easier it gets. At some point the arthritis will not be a factor in my daily life once certain joints are replaced. Now if they have a replacment spine, that would solve another degenerative problem etc.

Recent wars with America has developed limb technology to where it's not a problem to chop off a bad leg that is not repairable. Drop a new one on and go on with the future. However DOT has recently or is working on a proposal that if you have a fake limb in trucking you must be wearing it while driving etc. Now I can tell you trucking has been 100 years in America without anyone dreaming of such a law requiring people to wear something they don't need to drive push button trucks today.

 

I said this in orientation at my present job.
I’ll ask you too.... Ya mean we don’t Swift it?!

 

To add to this, sometimes when you are in the correct spot you will need assistance.

When I pulled reefer for a month to help a friend out back in 2016 I was pedaling off nursery stock in NH. Turned off the highway and drove 2 miles down a gravel road only to find out they didn’t have room to turn around after we unloaded their trees. So I googled the local police department and called the non emergency number. They were more than happy to come stop traffic so I could back out onto the highway (the road I was on had little traffic so the 2 miles back to the highway was no problem). I backed out and parked on the shoulder, the officer came and thanked me for calling instead of trying to back out on my own and possibly causing an accident.