Old trucker cleans out the garage

...oh wait. Was it the pay phone lines becaue of no cell phones and no quallcom, 2 log books, low HP, 55 mph, bias ply tires, spring ride suspension....?

Ahh the good old days.

You know the really sad part is that some day now will be the good old days.

 

Lot of that is correct,waiting for a payphone usually wasn't an issue,most truckstops had phone rooms and phones at every table and counter.No qualcom,never had one,wouldn't know how to use one.2 log books,yeah,HP issue,NO,when your owned your own truck you never had that problem.Fuel was cheap,and it didn't take much to make an old mechanical engine run,can go into details if needed,lol.I ran the 55mph speed limit era from beginning to end,and I still delivered on the 4th day on a coast to coast trip.You'd get nailed every now and then,but the tickects were cheap,and didn't meananything in most areas.You knew where to behave.Bias tube tires were a huge pita,but we carried spares and tools.Reyco didn't ride bad,Hendrickson rode good when loaded,but I stretched My 77 Eagle in the early 80's and put a New Way air ride set up in it.Would take the old days back in a hearbeat.Made more bottom line money,more friends,and being a trucker really mean't something.Wouldn't sell my memories for a million bucks,truth.

 

I agree with all that you said, right down to the NU Way air ride. I thought it was the greatest think since sliced bread. Then when the air ride seats came out thought I died and went to heaven.

 

Hehehe. I will go out on a limb here driver and say that for 95/100 of today's drivers that is a deal breaker on the time travel back to the good old days.

 

I had one of those C-65's with an air tag axle back then. It ran OK, just turned real hard.
One of the best trucks I ever had was a 1976 C-60 gas burner,single axle-day cab. 427 engine, 5 speed trans with a 2 speed rear. that thing would fly empty. Used it to run around Florida mostly with it, but did take it to Baltimore from Florida with produce .
That truck made me a lot of money.Gas trucks were OK back then.

 

Speaking of no cell phones.... Was heading back from Conn pulling a 45ft dry box, stopped in Penn at a Truckstop to use the phone and see if anything in that area was to be picked up. Dispatcher said....No, you might want to home anyway....we were told your wife went into labor, well I'm sure you know what happened next! 1977 Freightliner (hood) KT450 / 13spd, forced to stop in Big Otter, WV and suck up juice, found out there I had a little girl, that was December 1988. As said in another post, lots of good memories and a lot less electronics.