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Originally Posted by gcal
Ash:
Before I forget, what kind of truck do you drive over there?
Specs,
motor?
tranny?
I'm just trying to get a mental picture of what its like in there equipment.
Do you get your own specific truck you drive all the time or is it assigned each trip?
And on another topic, safety:
Have you ever broke down? what happens then to your rig and you? I am sure the army don't do road calls for flats LOL
Have you ever felt this is it for me and it all ends here?
Do you remember the truckers that got left behind and one got shot and the other got taken hostage? It was all over the news a while back last year. What do you think about that? Have you heard of drivers being left behind by the guards?
I watched a show on A&E a while back about some troops that were given cameras for the duration of there tours and all the film they wanted and then turned it in and had it edited for a really compelling show. Any way my point is they showed a convoy driving and they were HAULING MAJOR ASS on these shitty roads and one of the truckers hit a pedestrian and no one stopped, except a hummve with the guys filimg and they pulled the body of to the side after the convoy passed and it was freaking long! Then they just drove off and said the meat wagon will get her up later. Is this common? If you don't mind me asking have you been involved in convoys like that? and what are your thoughts about that?
All my questions are just curiously and you don't have to answer if you don't want, I can imagine it might be personal and don't wanna share on a board but if you do thats cool I understand.
Thanks,
George
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Hello gcal
It all Mercedes n Volvo n such. Look like the same trucks they use in Europe. Some single axles some tandems some military rigs that they call a HET (Heavy Equipment Transport) that are 4 axle tractors and 15 axle trailers that the front n back trailer wheels turn with you when you make a corner. Non of them have a lot of HP . Maybe 300--400 max. That military rig runs a V-6 detroit with a auto and has a top speed of 45 mph. 6 or 9 spd trans and usually a assigned truck.
If you have a tire problem or some-thing 4 or 5 of you get together and change it yourself if your out on the highway. In camp you take it to the shop. If it can't be fixed out on the road they call a wrecker. They have wreckers in every camp. Big 4 axle wreckers !!!! If that does'nt work they ( the military ) destroys it right in front of your eyes.
Yes I felt like this was meant for me . I guess That is why those cold chills ran up n down my back over there in Maryland when they told me I was hired n to get to Houston ASAP. They pay for everything getting you to Houston. They put you in a swanky hotel. Feed you 3 BIG meals a day !! Transport you around ect ect ect !!! It was a errie feeling walking on that plane in Houston and knowing the next stop was Baghdad and knowing I was'nt comeing back in a week or 2 ???
That incident that those drivers got left and shot n captured was because the military went down the wrong road ??? Then it was a dead end and they had to come back and thats when they got ambushed. The military felt they were out numbered and proceded out of the kill zone with out the drivers. The drivers also hesitated when all HELL broke loose . Thats 1 thing you don't do in a cituation like that is hesitate or stop.. You DRIVE even if you haft to get in the floorboard and are trying to stay out of their gunsight you keep the pedal down n DRIVE !!!!
Yes allways HAULING ASS most of the time on shitty roads and allways thinking "" what will I do and where will I go when the next roadside bomb goes off or there is glass flying from my broken windshield ??? "" Yes people die , Yes people walk out in front of you , People of all ages. You don't know who is friend or enemy and you can't take the time or ask . People force their way into the convoy with their vehicles that haft to be taken out.
Yes I've been ""directly"" involved with this. It makes it hard to sleep at night the first few times. I've had them jump on the side of the truck when I would be at a slower pace turning a corner. The military is with us but they don't allways see everything and some-times you haft to take matters into your own hands. You can hear them scream as the truck runs over them . This was mostly dureing the first 2 years . The 3d year it was'nt as bad. Now things are pretty calm as I'm sure you have heard that violence is down over-all .
Sorry adout being so graphic but I want all of you to understand what you could be involved in. Believe me if you have terrorist holding onto your truck on the outside and trying to get that auto weapon pointed at your head your gonna do some-thing to correct that cituation !!! I understand the rules about not stopping and conduct myself accordingly . If you stop for something everyone else behind you stops as well and then they have all of you !!! I don't really care to talk much about this because you try to put the bad stuff behind you .
STAY SAFE YA'LL
