What are your greatest fears?

I don't know about biggest fear but there's a never ending list of small ones...

Did I remember to put the fuel caps back on?
Is my load secure?
Did someone pull my fifth wheel release handle?
Will someone break in and ransack my truck while I go in and shower?
What was that noise?
Is it safe to park here?

I could go on and on...the day I quit having all these fears is probably the day I should quit. I think it's all normal. Or at least that's what I tell myself.

 

watching a swift driver back in next too me.

 

Just about every moment, of every day there is risk of some sort. Minimizing your risk for every situation is what it is all about.

 

"What was that noise" Almost everyday for me

 

I'm with ya ! I don't like heights either ..many times I sat on the NB side of the gwb feeling it shake and wondered if it I was going in the Hudson lol

 

And then it turns into "Is that noise getting worse?"
That goes for the truck and the knees.

 

getting "that" call from home and being on a coast to coast load

 

I cut my teeth on those bridges. It was home. Now a storm almost blew my rig off the westbound span one afternoon and my door was open with a foot on the fuel tank ready to hop down to the decking which may not be a good idea being grid plate that might chop. I say almost. Thinking back, I should have grabbed lunch and waited for that front to blow though before going across.

The one bridge that did it for me is the Norfolk to Eastern Shore, it's almost 30 miles across the rolling atlantic ocean main. That night was a little stormy with rollers almost to the bridge deck, something like what? 30 feet with 10 seconds trough to trough.. whew that was exciting.

Bridges did not bother me too much. Except when crawling across in ice storms when someone get on the downslope side of me with the mini van not knowing my trailer is going to slide sideways and slowly shove them into the barrier. They learn fast, once. But what a waste. Usually someone else got shoved and everyone will back away from our #### trailers.

My instructors discovered I was afraid of mountain work. So that was all I did. Big Savage west of Cumberland with it's massive truck killing wall that was built to save the city from plunging gas tankers (NO Im not kidding) on the old 40 as well before I68 was built. I don't know if any of you realize and appreciate what is to drive on a old national road two lane built a hundred years before there was trucks with 48 foot trailers.

Later in life I specialized in running mountains. I was not happy unless I was tilted in some direction going down with the jake in my ear. If the jake was not present then it becomes a thermal problem turning brakes to glass before you get to the bottom or not. Or melting wheel drums causing them to glaze and crack requiring new ones. Ive done it all. Ive had faded brakes on fire, took about 4 hours and 200 miles of not stopping to cool them off. You don't stop or they burst into fire. Brake fires Ive had. They needed cage bolts or what we called maxis to be backed off once fire put out.

After a certain time I quit being afraid. If someone was being cut in half under a pickup truck crying in agony with a head hanging 3 feet above a highway shoulder upside down needing someone to hold the head up under a dripping gas tank, fine, let's make it happen.

For many years I went into dangerous areas where being fast with a tire thumper or knife was important where necessary. No police or law around except yourself. Those stories I keep off the net. Even the steaming hot coffee is a defensive weapon.

I will never again visit these places around the USA Im pretty sure some of you know where Im talking about. Therefore IM not afraid anymore. I live quietly and being too old to swing a blade faster than the young predators, Im a licensed carry. Something that would have been VERY useful considering some of the narcotics, Computer chips and very high dollar government loads we hauled in our later years. (McKesson, Intel and US Government Depots.)

That is me. A society that is not a good society brings out a problem as far as Im concerned. But fears? Well... I leave you with this thought.

When a child grows up, the night terrors fade and hold no fear unless you are unfortunate later in life to have them. Ive wondered sometimes if there is a future being written for you as you sleep.

Leaving that aside, I consider this with everyone. being scared ####less is ok. Being so scared that all you know is fear raging in your body is ok. what matters is pushing through the developing situation making decisions and acting on those decisions, even if you think yourself, someone else is going to be DEAD or WORSE in a few moments time.

No matter how scared bad, you. must. function. Always. if you cannot, get off the road. Most people in dangerous occupations master the fear as a inconvient body function and continue to do what they need to do when life itself depends on it. We don't always win and sometimes get hurt or killed. But there is nothing to fear. Except freezing and getting taken out doing nothing at all.

 

Having to take a doodie urgently and no rest area anywhere near.

 

{shivers}