Amusing factual stories - real life experiences in trucking

[Doctor Who]

Now this is the true sign of PROFESSIONALISM!!!!

After all the paperwork was completed, we went on our way and about a month later, received a 'thank you' card from each of the girls (address was obtained from the CHP officer). The parents of the girls all wrote 'thank you letters' and we rec'd a letter of Commendation from the CHP for our efforts.

Yeah, I said it before and I'll say it again Magician you're my HERO!!!

[Doctor Who]

Then there's this:

Back around the middle 80?s I was cruising along I-40 east and had just crossed into Arkansas. The day was sunny and quite warm, typical for late august. I will add that I was not in any particular hurry, so I was taking in all the beauty Arkansas had to offer, which from I-40 wasn?t much! As Charles Kuralt had once said, ?Interstate 40 is the most boring highway ever designed. A person just sees miles and miles of nothing!?
About 25 miles into the state I came upon several slow moving vehicles and I was ready to step out into the ?Monfort? lane when a, what is now known as, ?Billy Big rigger? came flying past me. I eased out after all the debris had subsided and eased on past the slower vehicles when I noticed a lot of dust and confusion ahead of me. I saw ?Billy? swerve and thought I saw a camper fishtail and turn over on its side. I locked the brakes down pulled to the left and stopped on the median just opposite the camper. I jumped out and ran across the highway to help the victims. Fortunately, there weren?t any serious injuries however, the female, who was driving, was headed into shock. A lady from one of the trailing four wheelers came to assist and she was a RN, good thing, I didn?t know much about CPR or First Aid at that time!!
Mean while, ?Billy? was standing near the front of the Suburban, mumbling to himself about being late for a delivery and stupid things like that. I asked him what had happened and he said that he was just passing the Suburban towing the camper and when he pulled back into the right lane he saw the Suburban go out of control. I couldn?t confirm or deny his statement because all I saw was the swerving and it wasn?t up to me to pass judgment.
While we were conversing another one of the ?slow movers? started yelling that the trucker was to blame and he would swear to it in front of the Highway Patrol officer who, by the way, had just pulled up.
The officer came up to ?Billy? and me asking who drove which truck, of course we told him which is which. I gave the officer my version of the incident and headed back to my truck when all Hell broke loose. I turned around and saw ?Billy and the other witness going at it in front of the officer. Curiosity got the best of me so I walked back to get a better listen. I should mention the incident happened near an over pass crossing a small creek. I wasn?t quite sure what the officer was thinking but he stepped back to his cruiser and when he did ?Billy? grabbed the witness and pushed him to the railing of the bridge, I figured I?d try to break them up and the next thing I knew all three of us went over into the water below.

After all was said and done ?Billy? received several citations for Careless and Reckless, Improper Lane Change, and Speeding, not to mention Assault. The, now very wet, witness received a citation for Assault and Disturbing the Peace and me, all I got was wet and a reprimand from the officer about not getting involved in a street fight. I did tell him my Dad was a Trooper; it didn?t make the chewing out any easier!!!

Flash forward to the present. This past June I was heading back to North Carolina and had just passed through the second of the three toll plazas on the West Virginia Turnpike and started gathering speed down the hill when I noticed a lot of dust and brake lights. I slowed down and eased into the left lane as I got closer to the incident scene I saw a car laying on its roof in the median as I pulled closer a driver from Fed Ex Freight came running up to my truck and asked if I knew CPR, I told him I did and pulled the truck to the side and hobbled across the Interstate. I asked the driver if he had a plastic bag, he asked why and I said it?s for protection from any vomit the victim may spit up. The woman?s daughter, I?m guessing, started yelling that the lady did not have AIDS and all I said was ?Can someone give this chick a rock to gnaw on??
I started the CPR procedure by pushing on the lady?s chest and asked the Fed Ex driver to give a breath every time I counted to five. After the third try we got the lady ?jump started? and thought it was over when I noticed the lady was shaking violently. The younger lady asked what was wrong and I said ?Diabetic Shock? I asked around to see if anyone had orange juice. Fortunately one of the north bound travelers did and we gave the lady a few sips and waited for the OJ to take affect. I was asked about the remedy and I said OJ has natural sugar which will help with diabetic shock. I learned that piece of trivia from the Disaster Relief Chairperson at the Red Cross.
When the Highway Patrol officer finally arrived she asked who performed the CPR and the crowd all pointed to me. I told the officer that the Fed Ex driver helped. She then asked where I had learned it and I told her the Red Cross. She told me she needed to get the training. I thought LEOs had to have CPR training anyway, the EMS arrived and the large lady driving asked me if I wanted a full time job with them and I told her they couldn?t afford me!!!

When I got home I told the wife about what I had done and she said that I was the ladies hero whether she knew my name or not.

[magician_73]

People have often asked me how I got into trucking. Well, for what it's worth, this is how it happened. Having returned from the tailend of Korea, I was wondering what to do with my life. I tried a printing plant, warehouse, door to door sales, car salesman - nothing suited my fancy. One evening a good friend of the family came over and asked me what I had planned for the summer months? I replied, 'nothing' - 'just doing odds and ends trying to come up with something I like'. Well this friend of the family, Charlie, looked at me and said, 'tell you what - come with me for the summer and you'll make money, see the country and at the same time work your butt off.' He was a household driver (owner/operator) and was looking for someone to run with him during the summer. He informed me I would work my tail off for five, six days....have about the same amount of days off, then work another five or six or even more. He said he would pay me the going labor rate, pay for my meals and I'd get to see the country and meet all sorts of folks. Needless to say, I didn't hesitate, I said 'when do we leave'? He was a man of his word, for I worked my tail off, rested a few days, then did it all over again. I saw the money this man was making moving people and one night after a hard day when we were sitting at dinner, I asked him if he would teach me everything and anything relating to the household industry because I think I found what I wanted to do with my life.

Putting this in perspective, this was way back before de-regulation and discounts. They had just started working on the interstate system and truckstops were few and far between. Huskies, Skelly's, etc. There were no IRA's, no HMO's etc. Showers were 'community showers' consisting of a bench (to lay clothes on) and about 4 or 5 showerheads. Most truckers back then were either 'wildcats', or operated on their own authority and a Fed. ID # and didn't pay into Social Security. We had absolutely no retirement plans at all and at the time, we didn't think about it because our first priority was our families.

I stayed with Charlie for over a year, he taught me how to drive, load the wagon, the paperwork and little tricks of the trade relating to claims from shippers. At the end of 15 months, I had saved enough money to put a down payment on a '53 Bubblenose KW and we fudged a little on the lease application but I ended up leasing on to the same carrier as Charlie and that's how this character started putting the miles under my belt.

Looking back, it's definitely amusing but there are no complaints for the industry has been good to me. It allowed me to raise my family, put two daughters through college and even though it cost me in the long run (divorce after 27 yrs), I wouldn't change anything for the world. My daughters asked me when I'm going to retire...my response, 'when I crawl in the bunk and don't crawl out'.....to be continued

[Doctor Who]

Huskies, Skelly's, etc. There were no IRA's, no HMO's etc. Showers were 'community showers' consisting of a bench (to lay clothes on) and about 4 or 5 showerheads.

God how I do remember the "Community showers" :shock: :shock:
I did make the mistake once saying something crude about the showers at a stop in PA and the owner of the stop got really indignant and telling me never to come back... Didn't hurt my feelings at all!!!!

[Doctor Who]

This is before I became a driver and for what it's worth driving is not what I had in mind before I left high school....

In the summer of 1971 I worked in a bakery warehouse I had a 22 piece drum set to take care of plus, I needed money for a car and school clothes since I was still in high school. This warehouse was notorious for lots and lots of overtime.
One particular night everything was running so far behind the first loads did not leave until midnight instead of 2000 like they were supposed to, so much for getting home at a decent hour. About 0500 a supervisor came to me and asked if I would ride with one of the drivers to help him unload and get back in time to go out the next night, stupid me, I agreed.
Well the run had 25 stops and was all in the northern NJ area but it still took a bloody long time to get from stop to stop.
I will say this for ?Ralph? he bought breakfast and lunch and he was an interesting character to know.

I guess I had been on the clock for 21 hours when we were getting close to the last several stops and it was getting hot as hell in the ancient International Loadstar 1700 tractor, of course air conditioning was not an option in this gem of transportation splendor. Ralph took a turn down a one way street in; I think it was East Orange when I spotted several kids playing by an open fire hydrant. Ralph wanted me to close the window but I had a better idea as he drove closer to the spray I opened the door and stepped on the running board and took the full frontal assault of the water and it felt real good. Ralph, on the other hand, was not too happy since the paperwork got wet all he said to me was ?Damn, you?re one insane M***** F*****!!!?
I told him that my parents never did raise me quite right.

We did finally make it back to the warehouse just as the clock ticked the twenty fifth hour. I asked the supervisor if I could stay and do my regular shift and I was immediately sent home. When I did get home all I remember doing is saying hi to Mom and the next thing I knew it was 1000 the next morning.
I?ll say this; the paycheck the next week looked real good. I will add the warehouse paid overtime after 8 hours not 40 like other places.
One other thing to add since I was a minor I was not allowed to work overtime according to NJ?s work laws in regards to minors but the warehouse and the union kind of overlooked that little detail, which made me quite happy and a bit richer than the other guys I went to school with!!!

This incident should have put the fear of God in me regarding trucking but it didn't!!!!

[Doctor Who]

HOT DAMN.... WE MADE 12,000 +

And they said it couldn't be done.... Oh really?!?!?!?

And yes there is more to come!!!!!!

This thread has made page :rock: 20

[magician_73]

Yup, it's there....and with a week left in the month, I'd say we'll be over 13,000 by Sept. 1st.

[Doctor Who]

Well I guess that means I'll have to work overtime in getting all the hand written journals into cyber form....

I'm still trying to put the Fun with RV's tale back together and now the Two Chicks, the ill fitting bikini top and the ragtop MUSTANG!!!

I guess the old addage working hands are happy hands will apply... BULLSH*T!!!!!

More to Come!!!

[magician_73]

Well, an amusing factual event happened this week in Winslow, Az.....a driver (using term loosely) decided to get an attitude and rec'd the whooping of his life from an older driver.......read on........
A white frtlnr was parked in the backside of a two side slot.....his trailer was at least 15 feet over the line and when another driver attempted to back in behind this guy, he found the nose of his tractor sticking way out.......so seeing the other guy was sitting in his truck, he walked up and asked him politely if 'he would mind pulling forward about 15 feet so he could back completely in and not be sticking out'......well, the driver (term used loosely again) got an attitude and told this driver making the request to 'f**k off, find another parking space'.....
The driver, shrugged his shoulders, made a comment to the effect, 'inconsiderate a**hole' and walked back to his truck. Well by the time the requesting driver reached his tractor, he met a friend of his, an older driver (mid-60's) and his wife. He was relating the events which just occurred to him and......right in the middle of the conversation, the other guy had walked back and started insulting both drivers and the one driver's wife....well, needless to say....the older driver stepped right up in this guy's face and told him to apologize...that there was no need for him to cuss him or his wife, etc....the guy took a swing at the older driver and that's all she wrote....
This older driver proceeded to put a whooping on this guy like you wouldn't believe. He pounded him every which way but loose for about ten minutes. In the meantime, someone had called the cops when they say the fight break out. Well, the older driver finished his job on the guy, who got up an staggered back to his truck. The older driver and his wife departed and just about that time in came the ambulance, and two cop cars....To make the story short, when the medics got finished with the character, he looked like a 'mummy'......I wonder how long it will be before he badmouths another driver's request to pull up?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

....While on the subject of drivers.....one of the Redman's drivers, driving a Pete (wannabee T-2000) was coming up the hammerlane as I entered the freeway....As soon as he cleared, I gave him the come over.....however, no 'thank you' or any other acknowledgement was forthcoming. I caught him with him shortly and passed him.....no come over signal, nothing....that must surely be one of those 'real professionals' he spoke of...

[magician_73]

Well Pete, seems as though we have to come up with some ideas as to how to induce some of these other drivers to post here....surely they have encountered some amusing factual happenings over the years..

For instance, the recruiter from Nebraska (the one with the red fleet)....he ought to have a bundle of stories from the recruiting angle, to entertain us.????

What can we do to entice, lure, them to post within.????I would think that almost all of CAD's moderators have stories of an amusing nature? Or perhaps, just let the ole thread die and fade away!!!!!:moose::moose::moose::moose::moose:

[magician_73]

Heck Doc, at the rate exhibited this week, it'll take til New Year 2005 for this to reach another milestone!

[Doctor Who]

Heck Doc, at the rate exhibited this week, it'll take til New Year 2005 for this to reach another milestone!

Well, I, for one, am not in any big hurry to break another record. This thread will get there on its own. As I had once told another driver, when I thought I had seen it all something else comes along and makes me say "Damn, now there's something I have never seen before or have experienced!" Yes this does include the dump wagon test...

Picture if you will, young guy, International day cab, and an attitude from Hell getting a come uppence from a motor grader driver and an old man!
Made for a great morning, not to mention a very humbled driver in the afternoon. It really makes me wonder if I had done something wrong when I had started driving way back when or did my parents really try to raise me right!!!

Yes, the Fun with RVs is coming and so is the Mustang ladies but for now it is sleep, oh precious sleep. I have a defensive driving seminar in the AM. Should be fun, I haven't heckled a Safety Person in quite some time!!!

Almost forgot this:

....While on the subject of drivers.....one of the Redman's drivers, driving a Pete (wannabee T-2000) was coming up the hammerlane as I entered the freeway....As soon as he cleared, I gave him the come over.....however, no 'thank you' or any other acknowledgement was forthcoming. I caught him with him shortly and passed him.....no come over signal, nothing....that must surely be one of those 'real professionals' he spoke of...

Why does this shock you so??? As much as it pains me to say we're from that other generation, even if you do have a few years on me!!!

I believe most of the drivers plying the nations highways are professionals in their own right, sure paid enough money for the privilege!! The above incident happens more than it should because no one has/had taken the time to teach the new drivers all the unique trade secrets of the highway!!!!

[magician_73]

Why does this shock you so??? As much as it pains me to say we're from that other generation, even if you do have a few years on me!!!

It's not so much that it shocks me, as it p*sses me off.

The above incident happens more than it should because no one has/had taken the time to teach the new drivers all the unique trade secrets of the highway!!!!

I sort of disagree in that regard. I think they have been taught this particular 'secret'/'trick' of the trade but are either too lazy to apply it, or just 'don't give a damn'. I can't imagine any student on the highway and being an observant individual, seeing another driver give the 'come back over' or 'thank you'....and not asking 'why did they do that'? So my opinion is they definitely know about it, but as said previously, are either too lazy or just don't give a damn....and I lean towards the latter.

[dodgeman]

Another reason this is happening is because the schools are pushing "you don't signal anyone for anything because of the liabilities if your signal results in an accident". Many students are taking that to heart.

[Doctor Who]

Another reason this is happening is because the schools are pushing "you don't signal anyone for anything because of the liabilities if your signal results in an accident". Many students are taking that to heart.

Yes this is true with the LAWSUIT HAPPY society that has come about!!
Easier to sue for monetary gain then it is to actually work for it!!

All that aside it is still a common courtesy that should be bestowed upon fellow drivers especially in certain circumstances. Although I will lean away from Magician on part of the topic, some of the "older" drivers have gotten lazy also....

I would think that almost all of CAD's moderators have stories of an amusing nature?

What makes you say that???? Only one Moderator drives, or makes a very feeble attempt at same!!!!


It's time to get this thread back on track!!!

[Doctor Who]

Finally a woefully fragmented version of Fun With RVs!!!

As must drivers know, people, who drive, RVs and/or tow campers are a nuisance if not out and out dangerous however there is a lighter side to these terrors of the highways:

Teach your children well?

Many years back cruising along I-40 I heard a bunch of excited chatter on the CB, really didn?t pay much attention to it because, most times, a driver had seen a woman flash a little leg and it turned him on. Well, I was wrong, one driver behind me called me on the radio? ?Hey KAM, check out the motor home coming up along side of you!!!?
I looked in the mirror and saw an UGLY Winnebago coming up in the left lane. This was one of those aerodynamically built like a brick type Winnebago, nothing too spectacular. As the RV came along side all I saw was two folks who, for all the world, looked like Ma and Pa Kettle and I thought this was what all the excitement was about?
That was until the RV whipped back in front of me and I saw a young lady, about 15 maybe 16 years old flashing all who were behind the RV.
This definitely shocked me and wondered if the parents had any clue as to what was going on? She really had not much to show a card carrying member of the IBTC at best!!

I asked the driver behind me if that was what all the excitement was about and the guy responded as if I had burst his bubble? ?Well, yeah it was!!!?
All I could say was ?Yes, a real Pedophile?s dream!!!? Then turned off the CB and proceeded down the highway!!!


A rainy night in Georgia?

I pulled into a rest area on I-20 in Georgia and parked next to a very large RV I didn?t pay it much mind as I slipped into the sleeper to grab a few hours rest. The one thing I did notice was the weather was turning nasty and it wasn?t long before the rumble of thunder and the light show began. ?Great!!!? I thought ?I can relax to Mother Natures sound effects!!!?
I?m not sure exactly how long I was asleep but I was rudely awakened by pounding and yelling, I also heard the rain still falling on the roof of the Freightliner. I got up and sat in the drivers seat and saw a woman at the RV next to me pounding on the door and yelling obscenities she was wearing, what I thought, was a negligee and the see through kind at that. I wasn?t close to being wrong; I rolled down the window and asked this extremely wet lady what was wrong. She told me she took the dog out for a potty break and when the dog ran back in the RV some how the door closed and locked and her husband was a very sound sleeper. I told her she could get into the truck and dry off a little, I did realize I was asking for trouble but I couldn?t really ignore this piece of entertainment. I soon discovered that the night gown was definitely one that a woman should not wear in a rain storm. I gave the wet lady a couple of towels while I went and RUDELY awoke her husband.
After she was let back into the RV I left the rest area the last thing I needed was to deal with a very pissed off husband?


I think you lost something?

Back in the last century I was running east bound on I-10 just after sunrise on a Sunday morning when I noticed a Mazda or Mitsubishi sitting up on a guardrail as if some one had placed it there. I scratched my head and started wondering how that had happened. About 10 miles down the road I soon discovered the answer to all the questions I had. My attention was directed towards a very distraught RVer jumping up and down and waving a flag. I pulled in front of his vehicle and walked back to help. The man was pointing to a tow bar and I asked him what the problem was. He said, quite angry, the car he was towing was stolen. I looked at the bar and noticed the bolts were missing and I pointed that fact out to him, he said his wife had tightened everything down. I asked him if he was really sure about that as I described the vehicle sitting up on the guardrail 10 miles back. The guys face turned ashen as he sheepishly admitted that it was his car.
I told him he should go back and reclaim his prize before the Highway Patrol claimed it for him!!!

These are the only pieces I could rescue from the mess!!

[magician_73]

What makes you say that???? Only one Moderator drives, or makes a very feeble attempt at same!!!!

Well now, that is mind bogling - one of the top truckers' sites on the internet and only one moderator is a driver! I see nine listed and of course two are the powers that be...and one a recruiter....and of course. the good DoctorWho.....if the other five aren't drivers, how in the world can they comment on/deal with trucker's issues, new companies, HOS, maintenance, etc. Yea, I know, I can feel the noose tightening but what the hell? Seems to me, and I know my memory may be slipping in my ripe ole age...but wasn't 'heavenbound' finishing school and about to drive way back when?
I better leave well enough alone and get the thread back on track - but it still blows the mind that only one moderator drives! Thank God for that anyway.

[magician_73]

I've got to relate this one - it's only the second time I've seen a Swift truck being a 'front door'....several months ago heading west on I-40 in eastern Oklahoma....I came upon what looked to be a convoy of trucks. I had the CB turned off at the time, so I reached up and turned it on....seems this Swift driver (a middle age lady) was driving topless....Yes, topless....and naturally everyone would hammerdown to catch up with her, pass her and then back out of it and allow her to pass them. This, apparently had been going on for several miles and of course, I naturally had to see what was what....When everyone made the pass again, I fell into line and proceeded to pass....sure enough there was this Swift driver sitting comfortably behind the wheel, driving topless (no comment on condition of unmentionables)......Everyone started to back out of it again and allow her to pass them, but I had miles to cover and proceeded...besides, one look was enough!

The only other time I witnessed a Swift truck running the front door was in a construction site in Arizona....I happened to fall in behind a Swift and he was barely doing the speed limit for the construction zone. I grabbed the mike and asked him to grab his computer and asked his company to turn the truck up a couple of miles faster (jokingly)....and he quipped back....'heck no, I can go home tonight and tell the old lady I ran the front door for a bunch of large cars'......

[Doctor Who]

but it still blows the mind that only one moderator drives! Thank God for that anyway.

I was in error there is another Mod who drives but you don't see him on the board much!

Back to typing........
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[Doctor Who]

Modern day story based upon an old fable!!!

Just remember attitude is everything!!

The young driver, bad attitude, day cab International??

A couple of days ago in the Red Clay Hell in Sanford NC, the powers that be, in their finite wisdom had all the loaded dump wagons exit out of the pit up a rather steep and slick grade. The multi axle straight dumps had problems but the tractor trailer dump wagons had major problems trying to exit the pit.
On my return trip for the 5th load I was stopped by the motor grader driver and he asked me if I could help the driver stuck on the hill. At first I told him I didn?t want the responsibility if something was to break. The grader driver insisted by saying that no one was going to get out with the truck stuck in that position. The supervisor came to me and asked if I would and he would take all responsibility. I half heartedly agreed and walked over to the International. The kid that was driving automatically copped a huge attitude, which was not surprising because he was a ***** to deal with most of the week. The supervisor told him in no uncertain terms he would be thrown off the job if he did not cooperate. Nothing like hitting him where it hurts in the pay check!!!

I climbed in the day cab and the kid asked me how long have I been a driver and I told him longer than he had been on the planet. He really took offense to that and said he was 26 and I reiterated my statement I have been driving longer than he has been on the planet!!!
Then I told him to listen and observe how the truck will make it up the slick hill. I backed the entire rig over the narrow bridge to get a good run at the hill plus, this truck had the right type of transmission to accomplish the task, too bad the ?expert? didn?t know how to use it.
I put the Trans in 2nd locked the power divider in and stood on the fuel grabbing two more gears as we approached the narrow bridge. The kid grabbed hold of the dash as the truck lifted itself over the hill; I watched the right mirror and watched the smoke just pour out as the truck rolled to the access road. I stopped the truck got out and told the kid to have a fun day.

The grader driver came up to me and told me that he had never seen anyone run the hill like that. I just smiled and told him that it was nothing; it was just like mud bog racing!!!
For what it?s worth the kid?s attitude changed dramatically but I can?t understand why!!!!

All in a days work!!!