If You Got It - A Trucker Brought It!

Think about it... Look around you and try to find something that wasn't in some way involved in a truck.
I've had people tell me that all those trucks don't need to be on the road, we could move things just as well by rail. Well, folks, the sad truth is the railroad tracks don't come to my local grocery stores here in Gloversville, NY.
And, come to think of it, if they did, the same people would probably complain about the train whistle at 2 a.m.

My Soap Box

As it says in the about me section, I am an OTR(Over The Road) Truck Driver. Many people forget that Truckers are people too. We have families waiting patiently (and not so patiently) at home for us. It's just as hard for the family at home to be away from us as it is for us on the road.

Driving is NOT a game, yet many times it feels to me like people in cars want to see if they can play "Chicken" with me. I guess they just don't comprehend what would happen to their lives and mine if they lost. I have been lucky and never hit anyone, but there were times I know God was driving that rig, not me.

I know how impatient people can be while trying to get 80,000 pounds of iron rolling. I have had people STUPID enough to pass me on a two-lane road coming through the intersection. I wonder how much time they would have saved if there had been another truck coming the other way and made a flattened tin and oil spot out of their car?

If you are a driver then you should understand the following points. They're by no means a comprehensive list of driving tips, but they're some of my pet peeves:

• Be aware of your surroundings on the highway.
• Don't worry about the idiot behind you - it's the idiot in front of you you're more likely to hit.
• Give yourself plenty of following space behind the vehicle in front of you. The distance between you and the vehicle in front of you can determine whether or not you will stop in time to avoid a collision.
  The Four Second Rule will help you establish a safe following distance.
  Just leave at least 4 seconds between you and the vehicle in front of you.

  You can determine this by selecting a fixed object on the road side, say a sign post, or tree, at least make sure it's not moving!
  Then when the vehicle in front of you passes the object, start counting ..
  1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, 3 Mississippi, 4 Mississippi.
  If you pass the object before you've been through Mississippi 4 times, you're too close (slow down and maybe go through Alabama)

• That's NOT a phone booth your driving. Hang up and drive!
• When passing a big rig - Get out, get around, and get back in. Don't spend any more time along side a truck than you have to.
  If the Trucker has to swerve or has a tire blow, you and your 3000 pound car lose when it's an 80,000 pound truck coming over.
• Never pass a big rig glued to the bumper of the car in front of you.
  I have times where there were 2 and even 3 cars in the length of my truck.
  A standard big rig is about 75 feet long. Most cars are less than 20 feet long.
  If you have 3 cars in a space of 75 feet travelling at 65 mile per hour, with a big rig on one side and a grass median (if your lucky) on the other side, there's no place for cars two and three to go is something causes car one to slow down.
  If something had happened, there would have been at least 3 vehicles involved in the wreck.
• So there's a wreck(fire, riot, good looking person of the opposite gender, whatever) on the other side of the highway, don't slow down and gawk.
  You could be the first one to the next accident when you hit the car in front of you while not paying attention.
• Don't tuck up close behind that Truck. You're not saving any time, and the few cents worth of gas you save isn't much compared to what the medical bills could be if he/she (Yep, Lady Truckers - some of the finest people I've had the pleasure to know) has to stop in a hurry.
• The most important rules of driving are they same ones you learned in kindergarten: SHARE.

Ok, I had to get some of that out of my system. Now here are some links to Trucker's home pages, Trucking Family support groups, and Trucking Stuff.

Nice pictures of trucks can be seen at BadgerOutlaw's Truckers Page

Another trucker from New York Pound Puppy's Dog House

Walt Hillman's Collection of some of the best trucking linksThe Big WOW BABY Winners List

Ed has put up an excellent CW McCall site - looking for info? Check There First!

On this page you will find a couple of audio files featuring Bill Fries a.k.a CW McCall.

These links are presented in no particular order. I am not associated in any way with any commercial links except for the three immediately below this section. Please note that I WILL NOT allow this page to be used by recruiters and headhunters for any company I have not personally worked for. The four trucking companies I will recommend are listed here:

1. Schneider National Carriers Took a chance on me and gave me the chance to learn the business. It is a good place to get your feet wet, and then look around and stick around. I was there for 4 years, and I'm pretty fussy about who I work for. They take a little getting used to, but be patient and loud when necessary and you can make a good living with them. They didn't get to be the Largest Truckload Carrier in the USA by not knowing their business. I'm proud to say that my father also drove for these folks many years ago.
2. Keen Transport Is the second carrier I worked for. If you want to try "Heavy Haul" and be treated as good as any driver can hope for, check them out. I liked them so much, I had my son try it out before he went back to hauling regular freight because the pace in heavy haul was much slower than a twenty-something wanted. I had to leave when my knees started giving me too much grief climbing up and down the machines.
3. I drove for Roehl Transport for seven years. They're a good place for new drivers to consider. They have several different work schedules including some options for drivers who want a little more home time while still running over the road.
4. I'm currently working for S.L.A. Transport. They're a small regional carrier located right here in my hometown. I'm home most nights but still get to run a little distance.

All other links that are of commercial nature are here because I found them interesting and hope you will,too. I will happily accept recommendations for this page but I reserve the right to refuse to list ANY commercial links.

Need truck routing? Go to TruckMiles at layover.com

PATT is a group trying to reduce Trucker fatigue.

A direct link to the layover.com family center is at Homeroad.

Take a look around Keith's site at The Trucker's Page.

Want to be bilingual? (Get your mind out of the gutter - It mean's you can talk two languages.) Check out the Trucker Slang and you'll be comin' in loud n' proud, wall to wall and treetop tall in a short-short! Nowhadamene?

Loved Ones and Driver Support (L.O.A.D.S.) is another support group for Trucker's and their families.

Schneider Trucks are bright Omaha Orange and tend to look a little like Pumpkins. As a driver of these trucks, I was, of course, a Pumpkindriver. Here's a nice place to get to know other driver's minds and get questions answered if you are considering a trucking career.

Want to check on National Traffic and Road Closure Information?

The folks at Intec Video make safety cameras for backing up.