Amusing factual stories - real life experiences in trucking

[Doctor Who]

Jan 1 2005: Hey Magician, we did what they said couldn't be done...

23,607 views at 8:35pm.... Not to mention 32 pages..

Hopefully, 2005 will see more stories from the road by the ever growing CAD population...

I was wrong 33 pages

[Doctor Who]

YOU'VE PICKED A FINE TIME TO LEAVE ME LOOSE WHEEL

A few weeks back I was pulling the routine 25 tons of sand towards the company?s Zebulon concrete plant. I eased into the left lane to pass a very slow moving Ford van, I guess I pissed the van driver off cause he started to speed up as the trailer passed him. Of course I didn?t pay much attention to the stunt it happens to just about every professional driver.
What I did notice was a black object shoot out from under the left side of the trailer, my first thought was I ran over something in the road but when I saw the left side tag wheel tuck in I knew something was wrong. I then looked out the right mirror and saw a **** load of little rubber pieces flying everywhere, I didn?t hear the BOOM but the right side tag tyre had let go with a vengeance and as for the van I think the driver had second thoughts about racing me. I lifted the tag axle and proceeded to the concrete plant and dumped the load.

While at the plant I showed the tyre to the foreman and discussed the future of the remains when a Good Samaritan pulled up and handed me the trailer side turn signal. I put the parts in the truck and eased back to the home domicile.
The mechanics gave me less than a warm reception as I pulled up to the shop. Thirty minutes later I was on my way back to the sand pit for the next routine 25 ton sand load back to Zebulon.

Trailer loaded and tarped I trucked my way back up the very tiresome Hwy 264. I had just passed the I-95 interchange and noticed a driver from The Waggoners pulling onto 264 I eased passed the truck with no problem. I then noticed that the driver of the car carrier was not happy that I passed him and he immediately swung into the left lane, I guessed he was going to try to impress me.
I had just passed the exit for my domicile when a per chance glance in the left mirror showed me the left tag wheel tucking in again, then a quick look to the right showed me the NEW right tag tyre rolling along side the trailer bouncing once on the shoulder and rolling onto the highway and of course in front of the Waggoners truck.
?Oh ****!!? I thought ?Not again!?
I raised the tag axle and this time pulled off onto the exit ramp to try to remove the tyre from the road, the Waggoners driver flipped me off like it was my fault the tyre came off. I let him know he was #1 in my book also. I did call the Highway Patrol letting them know about the tyre, I then called Waggoners and asked the safety guy if it was common practice for their drivers to run ?Left Lane Roadblocks?.
I did get the tyre out of the lane of travel and eased on towards Zebulon.

Arriving at the concrete plant the foreman noticed the bare wheel and yelled at me for not getting the tyre repaired, I told him the tyre was repaired and the new one is lying on the side of west bound 264.
Yes the domicile mechanics were not very happy when I came back with a bare aluminum right tag wheel, I did tell them the tyre was right at the exit ramp if they wanted to go get it.

Two tyres, same wheel and the new one lasted all of about 50 miles?
Just another fun day as a "Dirty Old Rock Hauler" or "Rocky Old Dirt Hauler"

Just a brief note: I was offered a postion with a local newspaper as a reporter, hmmm I wonder....

Ah Doc one minor correction to that story. Dirty old sand hauler! :P

[Lady18wheels]

:shock: This is what I'd call a bad day :?

[farmaller]

In the 15 years I drove truck I have had 3 tires & rims pass me up with one rolling down along the ditch and completely clearing a 2 lane state highway intersection and after landing rolling along for another 500 or so feet before it got tired and layed down
During my time pulling containers I lost track of how many times I looked in the mirror just in time to see a tire shred to pieces but one of the few I remember best was running on I55 in IL and noticing smoke from a right side trailer tire and pulling over and found the tube smoldering\burning in the tire, I grabbed my thermos and emptied what amounted to a cup of coffee into the tire and after pulling ahead to try and put the tube out I knew I needed more water and didn't have any, yes I know we are required to carry an extinguisher but for some reason I forgot about it but being a male and having a full bladder I went about putting out the fire in the best way I could think of at the time.
One tire on the way there wasn't enough because after getting to the rail yard and waiting in line for a while I heard a loud bang, knew the sound well enough to know it was a tire letting loss just didn't know it was the other tire next to the burnt tube tire, to this day I wonder if the tire guys figured out the smell in that one tire???

[Doctor Who]

CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR part 4

Two items:

One I collect "T" shirts mostly with company logos and some with off the wall sayings, ie: I Do All My Own Stunts, etc...

Now the disclaimer: I am not ANTI-UNION, I was proud card carrying member of Local 194 located in Union, NJ...

The turbulent ?80?s not a great time in history for the trucking industry. Deregulation had created a huge mess and caused a few big name companies to go away never to return.
This was also the era when Overnite started their march into Teamster Territory.

Overnite opened a facility in Carteret, NJ which, was once, a Time-DC terminal and it caused a big uproar amongst the teamster outfits in the same area. Never could figure out why this move would cause such distress, hate and discontent but I digress?
I had met an Overnite driver and he was wearing a really cool ?T? shirt emblazoned with the Big ?O? anniversary and I asked if the shirts were for sale to non-employees, they were so; I drove to the terminal and bought two. When I got back the boss?s yard the other drivers asked about the shirts and the next thing I knew 10 drivers went and bought shirts. Nothing like advertising for a competitor!!!

Several weeks later 10 of us were at a consolidating warehouse in South Hackensack which, the boss, had half interest in when we got a call from the boss telling us that Pilot Freight had closed their doors and be ready for the back lash from an angry mob. We kind of blew it off and went about our business when, Jose the yard man, came running in yelling there was a lot of trouble in the yard.
Big Ben was the first out the door and confirmed Jose?s suspicion as he saw five trucks surrounding an Overnite truck and five drivers yelling and threatening the hapless driver.
The rest of us followed Ben out into the yard and towards the gang of 5. I took notice of the trucks: one from Roadway, one from Yellow, one from a non-descript company and two from Red Star. In all the commotion someone yelled out there were 10 more Overnite drivers coming out of the building. As if it were planned we all had the Overnite shirts on that day!
The Roadway driver told me that he was going to tear the Overnite driver apart and I asked why. I was told that Pilot had closed and it was Overnite?s fault. I looked at the Big ?R? driver, shook my head and told him that he?d better find another place to be since the warehouse manager called the police plus, I asked if the one driver caused the shutdown of an ailing company. I didn?t get any response; I knew none was coming either?

Meanwhile, Ben?s deep voice caught my attention as he confronted the leader of the ?pack?, one of the Red Star drivers. I wandered a little closer to the fracas and realized the guy in question was the same one I had a run in with after McLean had closed.
The Gem of Red Star kept cursing at Ben and threatening the Overnite driver at the same time. Ben was about the most gentle person anyone would ever meet but this day I can attest to the fact that he lost his cool, he picked the driver up, set him on the fender of the Red Star Ford and told him in no uncertain terms that he should leave before someone would have to come and claim the remains.
The entire yard grew eerily quiet and as if summoned by a ?Higher Power? the other drivers started leaving, the other Red Star driver told his now, quite humbled, buddy that he wanted nothing more to do with the childish games and wished him all the luck in the world?

When the police arrived Ben let the driver off of the fender and told the officers about the incident, the Red Star driver didn?t make a sound, I guess he was sure the 6?8? Ben would stuff him in the exhaust stack of the Ford.

Not sure what the outcome was concerning this little blotch in trucking history.
Damn, I?m glad the ?80?s are long gone

This is dedicated to Ben, the Gentle Giant...

Little trivia... For those who have seen Central Transport trucks(tank line out of Highpoint, NC) and possibly Colonial Freight trucks from the distant past.
Has anyone noticed the colour scheme for Overnite, Central and Colonial are the same.... Does anyone know why? I do...

[classicxl]

DOC you are always holding us in suspense the trait of a good writer

[Doctor Who]

OK classic for you I'll give away the answer!!!

The gentleman who owned Overnite... Mr. Cochrane and the owner of Central/Colonial Archie Honbarrier are cousins.

Before Central was absorbed by Superior Carriers(Which they are not) the trucks were painted in the grey and blue scheme identical to Overnites' as was Colonials trucks...

[classicxl]

DOC it is amazing the amount of info you have stored in your brain still waiting for that book

[Doctor Who]

....still waiting for that book

Yeah, me too!!!

I wonder if there's a site for Transit Bus Operators or, Greyhound/Trailways drivers. I bet they would have some tales to tell.

Driving a bus: The only driving job(with the exception of livestock) where the freight talks back!!!

Back around 1990 I had a spat with the boss and tried to "broaden" my horizons by hiring on with the local transit company in Raleigh. The company, Capital Area Transit, hired me(what a shock) and I went through the obligatory training. To say the job was extremely interesting would be an understatement. I used my POV to learn each and every route the system had which made my solo appearance on the streets much less painful, not so sure about the passengers though!
One strict rule was enforced, DO NOT TOUCH THE PASSENGERS!

Well, all was going swimmingly for about a month or so, I landed a steady run and managed to keep the commuting Raleigh people happy with the exception of the select few that no one could ever please.
One particular morning run was just winding down when a lady passenger got on and sat behind me. I will add here that the partition between the driver and the first passenger seat was missing. Just as we approached the downtown area I felt something in my hair which was shoulder length. I looked up in the mirror and asked the lady what she was doing. She told me she loved my hair and then asked if I was single. I was shocked by the question and did tell her that I was not single and the hair was not mine either!!!
Needless to say I gassed on the throttle to make a quick ride to the downtown depot.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that driving a city bus in a college town(NC State) can be a real eye opening adventure as some of the late night runs had proven, especially on Friday night!! :shock:

A wise person had once coined the phrase "All good things must come to an end" The person was wise beyond their years. The bus gig came to an abrupt end on a Thursday morning when a dude boarded the bus and proceeded to give me a rash of **** over the fare, I tried real hard to avoid a confrontation with this person but when he spit on me the "golden" rule went out the window, unfortunately a supervisor was at the stop when the dude flew back out the door.
I just stepped off the bus handed the supervisor my load count, wandered to a pay phone, called the wife then the boss and went back on the road.
I did have to answer to a commision set up by the Mayor of Raleigh, I stood my ground explaining that I will tolerate alot of stuff but someone spitting on me was not on the tolerence list.

So much for the career change!

[Doctor Who]

A RAINY NIGHT ON THE ISLAND... Long Island that is!

Quite a few years back on a rainy Thursday night another company driver and I were on the return trip from Deer Park to New Jersey. We were heading towards the L.I.E. when a BMW came flying out of a parking lot and into the lead trucks right side first axle drive wheel causing it to go flat. Terry, the company driver, got out of his Mack and surveyed the damage and went to confront the BMW driver. I stepped out of my KW to keep him from ripping the BMW driver apart.

The driver of the BMW was already out of the car checking the damage, Terry and I approached the driver and found a somewhat attractive blond in a fit of hysterics and mumbling things about her husband was going to kill her for damaging the car which, by the way, was not equipped with airbags.
Terry tried to get the Lady's information for insurance purposes and for the law if and when they showed up. She refused stating that she wasn't supposed to be there and her husband would kill her if he found out where she was.
Yes, there was definite underhanded things afoot with this scenario all the while the rain just poured down which, in turn, caused the woman's makeup to run...

After 20 minutes of getting nowhere the woman jumped back in the BMW and took off, Terry stood there in disbelief as the tail lights disappeared into the rain.
The law finally did arrive and took our statements the officer asked us to give a description of the lady, Terry told the officer that the woman's makeup was so bad he probably wouldn't recognize her again. I told the officer with the mascara running down the chicks face she looked like Alice Cooper. The officer did make that note in his report.

Two hours later Terry's wheel was fixed and we where on our way home. As we rode along the L.I.E. we conversed on the CB and out of the blue he asked me who Alice Cooper was.
I was surprised by the question but took it all in stride I just told him that Alice was a ministers son and he sang for band...

I really wonder if the "Rendezvous" was worth all the trouble on a "Rainy Night on the Island"

[kreeper01]

Wow Doc Boy, you tell them stories good. I hope that idiot learned his lesson, or the lack there of.

[Doctor Who]

HEY, WHERE DID THE SNOW COME FROM????
Or, this was supposed to be flurries!!!

All morning long the weather prognosticators kept saying a brief episode of flurries would occur today.
Well, the flurries turned into a quick moving storm that totally screwed up the entire Coastal Plain area...

I was cruising up my favourite highway US 264 towards Zebulon when a big wall of white critters swarmed the truck, yeah the flurries were attacking with a vengeance.
"Flurries my ass!!" I said to myself. "This is going to get ugly!"
I dumped the load of rocks and headed back towards the quarry all the while noticing the "flurries" where getting more organized and a lot bigger.

After loading the next load I noticed the "flurries" had just reached the quarry. I weighed the wagon and headed off back to Zebulon.
I dropped down on to 264 and drove west and ran into a pure white highway which was becoming extremely slick. The truck seemed to do OK with the 23 tons until I got off the highway and tried to turn onto the NC highway. The CH-600 slid to the right towards the bridge rail, I punched the throttle and managed to snap the truck back in line at the same time I noticed a dude in a Dodge Intrepid tailgating me lost his composure and slid into the bridge rail. I stopped to check on the driver asking him if he was all right and just what he was thinking. I did call 911 and the operator told me the guy would have quite a wait, I did relay the message and rolled on to the concrete plant.

Trailer emptied I was dreading the ride back I actually started to shake which is something that normally doesn't happen. I told the plant loader operator I guessed it's a sign that I need to give up the wheel...

I took the slow ride back to the domicile noticing the vehicles spinning off the highway in vain attempts at breaking land speed records in the snow.
When I finally did pull into the yard I was shocked to see all the other trucks in and all the drivers gone. The foreman laughed telling me he had no doubt I would be the one he would have to wait for. I asked him why he felt that way, all he said was "You're a Damn Yankee!!!"
I told him that may be true but it had more to do with "Lack of SENSE!!!"

As of this hour 2045 there are still people stuck on I-40 from 1400 this afternoon.

One more thing I just had a short conversation on the Ham Radio and made a rude comment about some of the Hams who are now stuck where the same who made fun of the drivers stuck on I-70 a few weeks back!

[Lady18wheels]

I told the officer with the mascara running down the chicks face she looked like Alice Cooper. The officer did make that note in his report.

What a hoot!

[Twilight Flyer]

All right, Doc. I will acquiesce and give in to the story bug, but only because you gave me a good opening with the snow story.

I live in the midwest, born in Ohio, grew up in Iowa, so am quite used to driving in adverse weather conditions. I made the move to Greensboro, NC, a number of years back and existed there for about 7 years total. One thing I really noticed about the south? Southern drivers can't drive a lick in rain, much less ice and snow. Another thing I noticed about the south? If the weather turns bad, grocery stores end up with a 3 for 2 stock split the next day.

So, to set the story, in the 7 years I was there, I saw snow once (10 inches, shut the city down for 3 days, even though the snow melted in less than 2) and ice once. While the snow incident allowed me to witness 5 accidents happen on my normally 9, this time 45 minute trip home, the ice incident was without a doubt, one of the more entertaining times I had at the expense of my southern neighbors.

As our story begins, the ice storm is moving in and giving us a misty rain at first. Seeing as I'm in need of picking up a couple gallons of milk at the store, I figure I better get there before all hell breaks loose. Afterall, when we got the 10 inches of snow in my first year there, I got to see a Kroger store stripped down to bare shelves. Even the dog food aisle was cleaned out.

So I hop in the car and hit the interstate on my way into town. Traffic on the interstate is restricted to the right lane with a top speed of about 15 mph...and the pavement is still dry. So, I get in the empy left lane and tool on down the road at a comfy 55 mph and quickly attract a highway patrol car. Needless to say, I get pulled over and the officer begins to lecture me about the dangers of driving in adverse conditions. When I pointed out the road was still dry, he hesitated a moment, before continuing. But when I told him I grew up in Iowa, he laughed, we chatted and he sent me on my way. It was that simple, since the officer, too, had grown up in the midwest.

During the time I was on the side of the road, though, the ice began to make it's presence known and by the time I got into town, it was starting to get pretty slick. I get down to the bottom of the dip in Cone Blvd and notice that at the very bottom of the hill, there is a little foreign car sitting dead smack in the middle of the road, straddling the centerline. I begin to make my way around him on the shoulder and notice that his windows are down and this little old Korean driver is hunched over the steering wheel, his knuckles white and his teeth clenched, completely oblivious to the outside world. He ignored my questions concerning his well-being and didn't respond when I asked him if he had any Grey Poupon (mustard), so I went on my merry way.

Destination? The Winn Dixie Supermarket.

I get there and pull into the parking lot and I swear, if you saw the scene you would think we were getting nuked. People are whipping their cars into the lot and leaving them wherever they end up, whether across 3 parking spaces or bumper-to-fender with another car. They are running to and from the store, falling on the ice, etc. I mean, they were in a clear panic and I had a feeling it would be quite the entertaining shopping session.

So I parked a safe distance away and made my way carefully across the icy parking lot and into the pandemonium of the store. If people were crazy outside, they were even crazier inside (probably because they had traction), yelling across the store to family members that were apparently on a mission or yelling at each other. A couple of the more memorable moments?

- In the canned food aisle, there was an Indian couple with two carts up against each other, literally pulling armloads of canned goods off the shelves and into their carts.

- I watched a rather large construction worker whip his cart around the end of an aisle and take out an end-cap potato-chip display. Bags of chips went everywhere and he simply steamrolled right over them. And I assume he was a construction worker because he was wearing a hardhat. Either that, or he considered it combat gear.

- In the milk aisle, they were obviously out of milk. There was a lady sitting on the edge of the refrigerated case, completely broke down and crying her eyes out. I swear, she had completely lost it, crying about them not having any milk and what would her children drink? Her husband was standing beside her, patting her back and doing his best to console her. My suggestion that he run her over to Charter (mental hospital) and have her evaluated was met with less than stellar enthusiasm.

So, not having any luck on getting milk, I mosied on out of the store, shaking my head in disbelief and chuckling. I slid my way across the parking lot to the Handy Mart that sat right on the corner and walked in. Sure enough, they had milk. It may have been twice the cost of the grocery store milk, but it was still milk. And apparently, in a fit of weather-insanity, people forget that grocery stores are not the only places you can buy milk. So, I made my purchase and slid my way back out into the parking lot, holding my jugs of milk and watching people running and sliding in and out of the Winn Dixie store.

If you were near me, you would probably have actually seen that little light bulb go on above my head because I got an evil grin, raised the milk above my head and yelled...

"Look everybody! MILK!"

In hindsight, that probably wasn't the smarted thing for me to do. Have you ever watched the movie 'The Lion King'? Do you remember the part where the wildebeests stampeded down the ravine and killed Simba's father?

This was worse.

And it was on ice.

Anyway, I barely made my escape with my milk intact, got myself out of the madness and headed home. I swear, the above story is true and not embellished in any way, other than telling it in a comical light. People literally do completely lose it in the south when the weather turns bad. Makes for some great afternoon entertainment.

And yes, the little Korean guy was still in his car at the bottom of Cone Blvd.

[Lady18wheels]

He ignored my questions concerning his well-being and didn't respond when I asked him if he had any Grey Poupon (mustard), so I went on my merry way.

LMAO! This is great!

People literally do completely lose it in the south when the weather turns bad

In B'ham area even WallyWorld Supercenters are cleaned out at the mention of snow/ice!

[Doctor Who]

All right, Doc. I will acquiesce and give in to the story bug, but only because you gave me a good opening with the snow story.

It's about time!!!!!

Ah SNOW.. The dreaded four letter word that strikes stupidity in the best of drivers....

I made the move to Greensboro, NC, a number of years back and existed there for about 7 years total. One thing I really noticed about the south? Southern drivers can't drive a lick in rain, much less ice and snow. Another thing I noticed about the south? If the weather turns bad, grocery stores end up with a 3 for 2 stock split the next day.

Um the Southern folk keep saying the Yankee drivers don't or, can't drive in Southern snow storms...
As per a conversation last evening on the Ham Radio. I promptly interjected in to the conversation by asking the pontificater how he came by his conclusion. His answer??? Because of the ICE, to which I replied the North gets ICE also, the main reason for the dispute is that when the snow starts falling the stupid get rolling testing their lack of intelligence and causing the semi-sane on the road to avoid the blazing amounts of ignorance... Needless to say I was not rated very high on the popularity scale...

Destination? The Winn Dixie Supermarket.

Hey I know that place!!!

If you were near me, you would probably have actually seen that little light bulb go on above my head because I got an evil grin, raised the milk above my head and yelled...

"Look everybody! MILK!"

OH you're the guy who did that?!?!?!?
By the way the manager of that store still has a Bounty on your life...

Page 34

[Twilight Flyer]

OH you're the guy who did that?!?!?!?
By the way the manager of that store still has a Bounty on your life...

Hey now, I should have been able to claim profits off that little fiasco, with all the business I drove to that handimart. But considering 972 people were trying to fit into the equivalent of a 7-11, I thought it better to just leave.

[Doctor Who]

Hey now, I should have been able to claim profits off that little fiasco

You just may have a difficult time trying to collect since Winn Dixie is in extreme dire straits hence the loss of my driving/dispatch postion with the above mentioned company...

Ah yes Winn Dixie---The Beef People soon to be no more!!!

[Doctor Who]

"DO I MISS ANY OF THIS???"

Subtitled: An EX-longhaulers road trip or, driving 535 miles for a Philly Cheese-steak Sandwich....

The trip was supposed to start on December 26 but a slight "dusting" of snow put that plan on hold as I-95 became a path of mangled metal. Monday the 27 was no better as the morning dawned with more mangled metal and the occasional 18 twisted around including one of the Acklie Groups trucks: Shafer, I will say no more...

We left 0500 Tuesday morning, later than I wanted to but left we did three people and a dog in a RED VW New Beetle. First stop though was at the Kangaroo to grab some coffee and Dasani water for the dog, then we were off on to the I-95 mayhem...
We did manage to avoid the Richmond Rush Hour Battle Zone and turned off at exit 104 to run 301 for the rest of the trip North. Before anyone asks, the ride on 301 is not all that bad and there is just one toll to pay on the way up.

Traffic for the most part was tolerable until we rolled into La Plata and Waldorf Maryland. The timing was not good as the dump truck traffic was extremely heavy plus, 301, at this point, is stop light infested, not to mention the hour of the day.
The XYL asked me if I missed all this. I told her not really but I would normally be through that area in the wee hours of the AM just to avoid the foolishness and battles of testosterone...
Once we got to highway 50 the ride was not so bad, paid the (one) toll at the Annapolis Bay Bridge the ride into and through Delaware was not too bad. Did take one detour though, just had to stop at a Dunkin Donuts in Middletown. The dog needed a break plus, the trip would not be complete without a Dunkin Donut...

The ride in to NJ on I-295 was rather torturous if not treacherous. I did tell the XYL that I didn't really miss this part of the country and if she had any thought about moving back she was on her own!!!!
I will state that the Beetle did hold its own against the onslaught of aggression and just plain meanness. I took it all in stride my middle finger worked just as good as the other guys plus, it was fun to see the reactions of the other drivers...

OK where does the cheese-steak come in????

Patience is a virtue...
Wednesday, my dear sister-in-law had planned on a big family dinner (a little insight she can't cook worth a ****).
My daughter and I left my brothers house and headed towards the in laws. As we rode along US 1 she said she was hungry and we realized that we had passed one McDonald's and that was back at the town my brother lives at.
After we got on to I-95 I told her that I'll find a place to eat, I was wrong!!
While we discussed our next move the traffic came to an abrupt stop, didn't really surprise me until I saw what caused the stoppage, a Freightliner garbage hauler was sitting diagonal on the shoulder and one the State Troopers was carrying the drive shaft with a few gears still attached.
With that little crisis out of the way my daughter noticed a mileage sign stating that Philadelphia was 30 miles, she turned to me and asked if she could get a Philly Cheese-steak. I thought about it a moment, mentioned something about her aunts dinner, her response was pretty much what I had expected so, off to Philly we went arriving at Geno's Steaks on 9th Street where, the daughter got the best cheese-steak on the planet.
Needless to say we caught Hell when we finally did arrive at the house of the angry XYL and In Laws!!!

The ride back on Thursday was, to say the least, a pain in the ass. We did take the same route back only difference was two tolls on the way back, Delaware Memorial Bridge and the Potomac River Bridge in Maryland...
The traffic on 95 in Southern Virginia and into NC was really crazy I guess it was all the people trying to get somewhere before the New Year started. My frustration level got to the point that I finally hopped off 95 in Roanoke Rapids and ran 301 back towards home, the blood pressure level returned to normal...

DO I REALLY MISS THIS???

HELL NO!!!!!

For the best cheese-steaks anywhere