It has been called the BW parkway or the Baltimore Washington Parkway for as long as I can remember. I believe you are confusing it with the Airport. Talk about a baptism by fire :)

Thanks, MDKW!! You're right. I knew that didn't sound right. I MEANT BW Parkway! :oops:

BTW..... are trucks allowed on that parkway??

What do you mean about the baptism by fire? Are you talking about some kind of delivery at the airport? :?

From Baltimore to Rt 175 yes, From Rt 32 (Ft Meade) into DC, Not anymore, But they might have been at some point.

I was speaking of your run into DC. I have been going into DC a couple of times a week for years and hate it with a passion. I can only imagine how much fun it was for you with your level of expertise :)

Oh.... that. Yeah.... I was young and cocky! :lol: I'd had some experience backing the large Uhaul trailers, so I was just too stupid to know how hard it COULD have been! :lol:

But, there were some differences. First, it was late at night and traffic wasn't that bad. Second, it was 30 years ago and traffic wasn't that bad! :lol:

It was the Sheraton Park Hotel, and I don't remember the street, but there wasn't a whole lot of traffic in my way. I had to stop out on the 4 lane (or more) and back into the alley. When I came around the corner onto that street, some pedestrians ran out in front of my truck. I just hit the horn and said (not that they could hear me,) "You guys don't know what a risk you're taking! I don't really know what I'm doing, and MIGHT not be able to stop!" :lol:

Anyway, it was just a straight back down the alley, with a wall on my left, and then a blindside into the dock. Pretty tight, it seemed, but probably roomier than I remember! :wink:

I'm pretty sure we DID come down the BW, but it was along time ago, and I don't even remember exactly where our warehouse was. Might have been I-95. Not sure anymore! That was before CDL's so I GUESS I was "legal." Who knows? :lol:

That old Ford tractor was not much different than a Uhaul truck cab. Come to think of it..... it may have even been a straight truck! I really don't remember those years all that well! But, I'm pretty sure the trailer was about 48 feet. I just know it was different than anything I'd ever driven before.... and MUCH larger! Of course.... if it WAS a straight truck.... then that would have made it much easier. Heck.... straight trucks aren't REALLY considered Truck Driving, ARE they?? :lol:

1948 Diamond Reo Ready Mix Cement Truck, had a 501 Red Diamond engine that had a warped head. At least once a week we had to change the head gasket. Had an electric over air clutch. Clutch "pedal" was a dimmer switch. Clutch was either engaged or disengaged. A real pain to try and pour curb and gutter!

Blew a right front tire on it at about 80 mph, ran out through the bar ditch and a fence, after the tire was replaced I headed to my offload point, turned off the main road and had to cross a curb to get into to deliver. When the front wheels dropped off the curb, the frame broke 1/2 in two right behind the cab. We unloaded it, drove it back with the frame bouncing off the pavement, parked it behind in the back of the yard and never looked at it again :)

Why I outta...... :lol:

:oops: :oops: :oops:

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Re: First truck
 

Touched a nerve huh? :wink: Rookie with 2.8 million miles: no accidents,no claims, no tickets.Guess I'm still wet behind the ears.

Figured that would get a response from you! :roll:

I doubt you'll believe this.... but I meant NOTHING about your driving history or experience. That is something we cannot usually KNOW about new posters on this forum.

I referred only to your limited number of posts, and your recent joining date. On THIS board.... you are a rookie. I don't EXPECT you to have read all my thousands of posts, and they are not all that important. But, they WOULD have given you an idea of what I'm all about. Yes, I can be cocky and PROUD of myself. I don't see that that is a bad thing for a trucker! My constant reference to the fact that trucking is NOT for "wusses" is my way of saying that a GOOD trucker is a CONFIDENT one! You, I would think must have some confidence in YOUR self, and YOUR accomplishments, or you wouldn't HAVE the outstanding record you have!

When it comes to trucking.... I have many times admitted that "I" am a rookie! Not a newbie anymore.... but a rookie still! But that is ONLY a measure of time, and I can't do anything about how late I came to this industry. What I DO know is that I took to driving a truck as easily as I have most OTHER things I"ve done in life! My 50 years of traversing this country, on every major highway that preceded the interstate system, and actually SEEING the interstate system being built, taught me MORE about the road system, and how to read signs, follow directions, etc., than the average person who never left the town they were born in UNTIL they started trucking. I have NEVER started out on a trip with any kind of "anxiety" about where I am going, or what I will encounter. I have not, since the first two weeks of my "team training" when I was left to sink or swim, EVER had a question of whether or not I could "handle" this rig on the road, or at a dock, or in a big city.

I have alot of respect for "old salts" like you, with millions of miles, but I see TOO many of "them" out there who STILL can't drive safely and intelligently, and even SOME who still can't put it in the hole! :shock: Granted, the majority of drivers with these problems are Rookies.... but many have more time than me! SOME people JUST CAN"T DRIVE A TRUCK! I truely believe that MOST of the oldtimers got into this business because they, too, found it EASY to do because of their experiences. But, today.... it seems that every "average" person who can't find a good job thinks they can drive a truck.... and it just isn't true!

MANY of our posters here grew up on a farm and drove all kinds of trucks and equipment. I did not (although I did live on a farm for a short time.) Most of you males grew up working on "engines" or "motors" of one kind or another, and shooting defenseless deer with all types of high powered rifles.... and that is FINE! But, it was not the way I grew up! I know enough about motors to identify the problem, and I HAVE done some major rebuild work under supervision, but that is not my forte. (On the other hand, I taught myself how to repair copiers and laser printers because I understood the "flow" of both electronics and material.) But, I am NOT a mechanic.... I am a DRIVER!

I don't CARE about cubic inches, bore specs, horsepower, or what was a "classic" engine of historical importance. It's just not "IN" me! What I know is the lay of the land, the "feel" of the road, the rhythm of the engine and the timing of the shift for optimal performance. I know the weather patterns based on elevations and the azimuth of the slopes. I know the geometry that dictates where my trailer will go based on the angle of attack of my tractor (both forward and backward.) Consequently, I almost never have to check my mirrors to see if my trailer will "clear" what I am dragging it around. And my "setups" for docking are almost always CLOSE to perfect the first time.

As a team driver, I am constantly yoked to someone who CANNOT! And I see others who were turned out by "training companies" to drive SOLO who haven't got a clue! Between that and the MANY posters on this board who are forever bemoaning the same "difficulties" to driving a truck, it sometimes seems to me that this job must be IMPOSSIBLE to do! :shock:

But, I know that it is NOT! What MOST of these drivers lack is CONFIDENCE! They are so in "AWE" of what they are attempting to do, that they fail to take control of the situation and just "git 'er done!" :lol:

So... forgive me... or not.... for being somewhat proud of the fact that I took the truck by the horns (so to speak) and MASTERED it! I NEVER saw any other outcome as being a possibility! I didn't get into trucking to FAIL!

Did you touch a nerve? Probably so. Not because it IS a crime to be confident and proud.... but because it is not socially acceptable, amongst the sheeple who thrive on mediocrity, to EXPRESS it! And your reply to my post about my first truckdriving experience PROVES it.

First truck you ever drove
 

To DoubleL and site adminstrators: I never intended to "highjack" this thread.To you and anyone following this thread my apologies for the last few posts.
This is not the place for "cyber" sparring as it takes away from the subject of the thread. This is already handled by other participants on this site.
I'm done.