Newb's please read.

Last week I woke up in a Love's in Falkville Alabama. Just as I was gettin my head together a big wrecker pulled up to the truck next to me. The driver of the truck gets out and opens his hood. As I got out to get my morning coffee recycled I walked over and asked "truck won't start?". "Oh no", he says, "starts fine. JUST NOTICED I WAS DOWN ON COOLANT". Yup, you're reading this right. This doofus is in a truckstop and calls in a freakin' wrecker service because he's low on antifreeze. Truck is a FL Columbia with a remote-mounted plastic coolant resevoir on the firewall. "Problem" was a loose hose clamp on the hose between resevoir and the radiator. Doofus didn't even have a screwdriver with him and his "answer" was "Hey, I'm a driver not a mechanic".

Wrecker driver tells me he gets these calls all the time. He's been called out to replace headlights, taillights or even a #### fuse.

For God's sake people; wreckers charge a minimum of $100 on a call-out, plus parts, plus labor. That 2 gal of coolant cost the driver's employer $250 bucks.

For heaven's sake people; before you take that truck out spend a hour with the mechanics. Learn how to change a light. Learn where your fuse panel is. Learn what circuit breakers are and how to re-set em. Learn how to replace gladhand rubbers. Get you a basic set of hand tools (screwdriver, pliers, etc) and learn how to use them.

Nobody's expecting you to do an engine or transmission job on the roadside but dayaamm. If nothing else, ask one of us old guys before calling in a towtruck. I don't mind showing a Newb a simple repair process but I expect you to do it, not stand there watching me.

There's a helluva lot more to being a "trucker" than holding the steering wheel. Sometimes ya got to get yer hands a bit dirty.

Oh, and whilst yer in the shop, get the mechanic to cut you a spare key or two. Wire em up someplace like under the hood or the battery box ( not in the cab or side compartment) 'cause at some point you will lock yourself outa the cab. It's a whole lot less enbarassing to pop the hood and grab your spare key than to have road service in or stand there diddling around with a coathanger. Been there, done that, am currently negotiating for the T-shirt franchise.