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WELL AFTER A FEW DAYS OF RUNNING ON THE EAST COAST I HAD GOTTEN TO MY HOME TIME AND WAS EXCITED TO GET HOME FOR A FEW DAYS. SO STILL STOKED ABOUT MY NEW FOUND LOVE OF THE ROAD I HAD SOME STORIES TO TELL WHEN I GOT HOME SO ME AND THE GUYS WERE OFF TO THE LOCAL HANG OUT FOR A FEW BEERS AND LOTS OS B/S.
WELL MONDAY ROLLED AROUND AGAIN AND LIKE THE WEEK BEFORE I WAS OFF TO EXPLORE NEW TERRITORIES. GOT MY LOAD GOING TO YOU GUESSED IT UP THE EAST COAST THRU MARYLAND AND WINDING UP IN PA. HAVING TWO DROPS IN PA I HAD TO GO FROM SOME LIL TOWN IN SOUTH PA.TO SOME NOT SO LIL TOWN IN PA I THINK IT WAS HARRISBURG? BUT CANT REMEMBER, ALL I DO REMEMBER IS THE HELL I PAID FOR GOING THRU GETTYSBURG!!!
OMG I SEEN A ROAD ON THE TRUCKERS MAP BOOK THAT LOOKED LIKE A GOOD ROUTE FOR ME TO GO SO I TOOK OFF I BELIEVE IT WAS..... AHHH HELL I DONT REMEMBER THE RD NUMBER BUT IT WENT RIGHT THRU THE MIDDLE OF GETTYSBURG! NOW BEING FROM THE SOUTH I WAS EXCITED TO FINALLY GET TO SEE THE FAMOUS TOWN OF WHICH A MAJOR CIVIL WAR BATTLE HAD TAKEN PLACE. I THOUGHT THIS WAS GONNA BE GREAT, WELL I TRAVELED DOWN THIS ROAD FOR WHAT SEEMED TO BE A LONG WHILE UNTIL I FINALLY SEEN THE SIGN SAYING GETTYSBURG.
AS I GOT CLOSER I SAW A SIGN SAYING NO JAKE BRAKES IN THE TOWN LIMITS OF GETTYSBURG SO I THOUGHT OK NO PROBLEM,AND TURNED THEM OFF. WELL HERE IS WHERE THE PROBLEM BEGAN.....I CAME TO A RED LIGHT THAT FOR ME BEING IN A LARGE CAR WITH A 53X102 TRAILER THE ONLY DIRECTION I COULD GO IS RIGHT THRU THE MIDDLE OF DOWN TOWN GETTYSBURG WHICH STILL SEEMED LIKE NO PROBLEM TILL I TOPPED THE HILL AND SEEN "THE SIGN" THAT STATED NO TRAILERS LARGER THAN A 48X96!!
ALL THE BUILDINGS IN GETTYSBURG ARE BUILT ALONG THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH PARKING IN THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING IN THE ROAD,SO I HAVE CARS ON THE LEFT OF ME AND CARS ON THE RIGHT OF ME AND JUST THIS LITTLE STRIP ON ROAD BETWEEN THEM. HMMMM? I THOUGHT NOW WHAT, AH I KNOW ILL JUST RIDE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET THIS WORKED WELL TILL TRAFFIC STARTED COMING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION!! YEAH CAN WE SAY TIGHT??!!!!
THAT WAS TIGHTER THAN A FISHES RECTUM AND THOSE ARE WATER TIGHT!! SLOWLY MAKING MY WAY DOWN THE STREETS OF GETTYSBURG BARELY MISSING THE CARS I WAS MEETING AND THE CARS THAT WERE PARKED ALONG SIDE OF THE ROAD,I MEAN I HAD JUST INCHES BETWEEN ME AND A MAJOR FINANCIAL TRIP TO THE BODY SHOP FOR ME AND QUITE A FEW OTHERS,I THINK I SMOKED LIKE A HALF OF A PACK OF CIGARETTES TRYING TO MAKE THIS SHORT TRIP THRU TOWN.
WELL I FINALLY MADE IT THRU THE TOWN OF GETTYSBURG NOT GETTING TO SEE AS MUCH OF IT AS I WOULD HAVE LIKED BUT I MADE IT UN-SCARRED SO I WAS HAPPY.SO AS I TRAVELED DOWN THIS ROAD,I WISH I KNEW THE NUMBER CAUSE IM SURE ALOT OF YOU WOULD KNOW IT,I WAS THINKING HOW LUCKY I WAS TO HAVE NAVIGATED MY WAY THRU THAT!!
WELL I SEE ON MY MAP I HAVE ONE MORE TURN TO MAKE IN ANOTHER LIL TOWN AND I WOULD HAVE A STRAIGHT SHOT TO MY DESTINATION, EVERYTHING WAS LOOKING GOOD BEAUTIFUL FARM LAND AND OPEN ROAD THEN I GET TO THE POINT MY ROAD MADE A 90DEGREE TURN AT A COURT HOUSE SQUARE.
NEEDLESS TO SAY ALL THESE ROADS AROUND THE COURT HOUSE WERE INFUSED TO ONE ANOTHER AND I HAD TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. THERE WAS A THREE LANES TO MY LEFT WHICH WAS A GOOD THING, THERE WAS A SOUTH BOUND LANE GOING STRAIGHT THRU,A LEFT TURN LANE AND THEN MY LANE GOING NORTH. ALL WAS GREAT TILL SOME JACK ASS PULLS UP IN A MUSTANG IN THE TURN LANE TO THE LEFT OF ME.
WELL MY LIGHT CHANGED SO I STARTED MY TURN AS I PROCEEDED ACROSS THE INTERSECTION I SEEN I WAS NOT GONNA MAKE IT SO I TURNED MY TRUCK UP ONTO THE SIDE WALK(dont worry no one was on it) MADE ABOUT THE LENGTH OF THE TRUCK BEFORE I HAD TO TURN IT BACK INTO THE ROAD TO MISS A STREET LIGHT AND A BENCH!! NEEDLESS TO SAY THE TRAILER WAS NOT MISSING THE MUSTANG I HAD MENTIONED BEFORE SO.....(tune in tomorrow for the next part)
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
A CONTINUING STORY......
WELL I GOT MY TRAILER HOOKED AND CHECKED OUT BEFORE I TOOK OFF AND AS I WAS PULLING UP TO THE OFFICE MY DISPATCHER CAME OUT TO MEET ME..WELL THE GOOD NEWS WAS THAT HE DID HAVE A BETTER PAYING LOAD BUT THE BAD NEWS WAS IT WAS GOING TO NEW JERSEY!! YEAH, AND DID I MENTION IT WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF JANUARY BOUT 25 DEGREES HERE IN GEORGIA SO I WAS ONLY IMAGINING WHAT IT WAS LIKE UP THERE.
SO OFF I WENT TO GET MY LOAD BOUT 10 MILES UP THE ROAD, GOT 9MY LOAD AND STARTED MY JOURNEY INTO NEVER BEFORE TRAVELED TERRITORY FOR A GA.BOY. I HAD BEEN ALL OVER THE SOUTH EAST AND STUFF LIKE THAT WITH MY FAMILY ON VACATIONS BUT NEVER THAT FAR UP IN THE EAST COAST!! BY THE TIME I MADE IT THRU SOUTH CAROLINA AND INTO NORTH CAROLINA IT WAS GETTING LATE AND THE WEATHER WAS INCREASINGLY SUCKING!
LIGHT RAIN AND FREEZING RAIN WAS FALLING AND HERE I WAS OUT HERE ON ICE WITH A TRAILER THAT I HAD ROUGHLY 3-4 HOURS EXPERIENCE WITH. SO I THOUGHT IT TO BE A WISE MOVE TO GET IN A PARKING SPOT FOR THE NIGHT AND WAIT FOR MORNING SO I COULD ATLEAST SEE THE ROAD OR DITCH BEFORE I WENT IN TO IT.LOL, NO I DIDNT WRECK!!
BUT AS I SET THERE IN THAT LITTLE TRUCK STOP NEAR I BELIEVE IT WAS BLACK MTN N.C. I GOT MY FIRST VIEW OF THE DREADED TRUCK STOP PESTS, THE LOT LIZARDS !! YUKKK!! DOING MY PAPER WORK GETTING READY TO HIT THE SACK FOR THE NIGHT LISTENING TO THEM ADVERTISE THEIR COMPANY ON THE RADIO WAVES AND WATCHING THEM CRAWL IN AND OUT OF MANY DIFFERENT TRUCKS(mine not being one of them either.) I WAS AMAZED TO SEE HOW MANY TRUCK DRIVERS ACTUALLY LET THEM IN THEIR TRUCKS!!
WELL TIME FOR ME TO HIT THE HAY SO I LOCKED MYSELF IN MY TRUCK AND TURNED OUT MY LIGHTS. THE NEXT MORNING IT WAS NOT AS BAD AS I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE, THE ROADS WERE CLEAR AND MADE VERY GOOD TIME ON UP THE HWY. TRAVELED THRU PARTS THAT I HAD NEVER SEEN BEFORE AND WHEN I PASSED THRU BALTIMORE IT WAS GREAT, A VERY BEAUTIFUL CITY(esp. at night)
AND MADE MY WAY ON INTO NEW JERSEY.
AND YEAH WHEN I GOT THERE IT WAS JUST AS COLD AS I HAD IMAGINED IT WOULD BE AND THERE WAS FRIGGING ICE AND SNOW EVERY WHERE,BUT BY THIS TIME I WAS FEELING PRETTY GOOD BEHIND THE WHEEL OF MY LARGE CAR! GOT TO MY DESTINATION IT WAS JUST OUT SIDE OF CAMDEN NJ. IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN THERE YOU KNOW WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT, ROADS ROUGH AS DIRT ROADS I TRAVELED BACK HOME IN GA. AND JUST NOT A VERY NICE NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT MADE IT IN AND OUT ALIVE JUST A LIL BIT BROKER THAN I WAS BEFORE I GOT THERE THANKS TO ALL OF THE NORTH EAST COAST TOLL ROADS!! WELL GOT MY LOAD OF AND I WAS OFF TO ANOTHER FUN PLACE THAT I AS A GA. BOY HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS GETTING IN TO.
BUT MORE ON THAT TOMORROW......
SO OFF I WENT TO GET MY LOAD BOUT 10 MILES UP THE ROAD, GOT 9MY LOAD AND STARTED MY JOURNEY INTO NEVER BEFORE TRAVELED TERRITORY FOR A GA.BOY. I HAD BEEN ALL OVER THE SOUTH EAST AND STUFF LIKE THAT WITH MY FAMILY ON VACATIONS BUT NEVER THAT FAR UP IN THE EAST COAST!! BY THE TIME I MADE IT THRU SOUTH CAROLINA AND INTO NORTH CAROLINA IT WAS GETTING LATE AND THE WEATHER WAS INCREASINGLY SUCKING!
LIGHT RAIN AND FREEZING RAIN WAS FALLING AND HERE I WAS OUT HERE ON ICE WITH A TRAILER THAT I HAD ROUGHLY 3-4 HOURS EXPERIENCE WITH. SO I THOUGHT IT TO BE A WISE MOVE TO GET IN A PARKING SPOT FOR THE NIGHT AND WAIT FOR MORNING SO I COULD ATLEAST SEE THE ROAD OR DITCH BEFORE I WENT IN TO IT.LOL, NO I DIDNT WRECK!!
BUT AS I SET THERE IN THAT LITTLE TRUCK STOP NEAR I BELIEVE IT WAS BLACK MTN N.C. I GOT MY FIRST VIEW OF THE DREADED TRUCK STOP PESTS, THE LOT LIZARDS !! YUKKK!! DOING MY PAPER WORK GETTING READY TO HIT THE SACK FOR THE NIGHT LISTENING TO THEM ADVERTISE THEIR COMPANY ON THE RADIO WAVES AND WATCHING THEM CRAWL IN AND OUT OF MANY DIFFERENT TRUCKS(mine not being one of them either.) I WAS AMAZED TO SEE HOW MANY TRUCK DRIVERS ACTUALLY LET THEM IN THEIR TRUCKS!!
WELL TIME FOR ME TO HIT THE HAY SO I LOCKED MYSELF IN MY TRUCK AND TURNED OUT MY LIGHTS. THE NEXT MORNING IT WAS NOT AS BAD AS I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE, THE ROADS WERE CLEAR AND MADE VERY GOOD TIME ON UP THE HWY. TRAVELED THRU PARTS THAT I HAD NEVER SEEN BEFORE AND WHEN I PASSED THRU BALTIMORE IT WAS GREAT, A VERY BEAUTIFUL CITY(esp. at night)
AND MADE MY WAY ON INTO NEW JERSEY.
AND YEAH WHEN I GOT THERE IT WAS JUST AS COLD AS I HAD IMAGINED IT WOULD BE AND THERE WAS FRIGGING ICE AND SNOW EVERY WHERE,BUT BY THIS TIME I WAS FEELING PRETTY GOOD BEHIND THE WHEEL OF MY LARGE CAR! GOT TO MY DESTINATION IT WAS JUST OUT SIDE OF CAMDEN NJ. IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN THERE YOU KNOW WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT, ROADS ROUGH AS DIRT ROADS I TRAVELED BACK HOME IN GA. AND JUST NOT A VERY NICE NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT MADE IT IN AND OUT ALIVE JUST A LIL BIT BROKER THAN I WAS BEFORE I GOT THERE THANKS TO ALL OF THE NORTH EAST COAST TOLL ROADS!! WELL GOT MY LOAD OF AND I WAS OFF TO ANOTHER FUN PLACE THAT I AS A GA. BOY HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS GETTING IN TO.
BUT MORE ON THAT TOMORROW......
Monday, February 22, 2010
THE WAY IT ALL STARTED
SEE WHEN I WAS GROWING UP MY FAMILY WAS INTO TRUCKING AND LOTS OF OUR FRIENDS WERE AS WELL. SO IT WAS VERY EASY TO BE INFLUENCED BY THESE PEOPLE THAT SURROUNDED ME! SEE MY DAD OWNED TRUCKS,AND I WOULD GO WITH HIM TO WORK ON WEEKENDS AND DURING ALL OF MY SCHOOL BREAKS.
AS I GREW OLDER MY INTEREST GREW EVEN MORE, SO WHEN I GOT BIG ENOUGH TO SEE OVER THE WHEEL AND REACH THE PEDALS I STARTED DRIVING HIS TRUCKS AROUND IN THE SUBDIVISIONS,MOVING HIS EQUIPMENT AND HAULING DIRT FOR HIM.
AS TIME PROGRESSED WE(dad &i) WENT IN TO SEVERAL DIFFERENT BUSINESSES BUT MY INTEREST IN TRUCKS WAS STILL THERE SO I TURNED 16 GOT MY LICENSE AND STARTED DRIVING AS ALL TEENAGERS DO WILDLY AND MOST OF THE TIME VERY WRECKLESS LOL.
BUT I GOT TO AN AGE THAT I KNEW I WANTED TO GET MY C.D.L'S SO I HAD TO START CLEANING MY DRIVING RECORD UP SO I COULD GET THEM. IT TOOK A LIL WHILE TO DO THIS SO WHEN I TURNED 25YRS OLD I GOT MY C.D.L'S AND STARTED DRIVING FOR A FRIEND OF MINE THAT I WENT TO SCHOOL WITH ,LIKE ME HIS FAMILY WAS IN TRUCKING TOO,SO HE HAD BOUGHT A TRUCK AND GAVE ME MY FIRST REAL COMMERCIAL DRIVING JOB!
BUT THAT ONE WAS SOON LOST DUE TO BAD WEATHER SO I DECIDED THAT I WOULD GO INTO O.T.R. TRUCKING SO I COULD RUN EVEN WHEN THE WEATHER WAS BAD.
SO I GOT MY CHANCE TO DO JUST THIS AS ANOTHER FRIEND OF MINE HAD RECENTLY BOUGHT A 2001 PETERBILT 379 EXHD,IT WAS THE TRUCK I HAD ALWAYS DREAMED OF IT WAS BEAUTIFUL AND HAD ALL THE LATEST GADGETS,LOTS OF CHROME AND PLENTY OF BIG CAT POWER UNDER THE HOOD.
BUT YOU SEE THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS THAT WHEN WE GOT IT SIGNED ON TO A COMPANY I HAD NEVER PULLED A 53' TRAILER I HAD PULLED SOME 45&48' TRAILERS BUT THEY WERE ALL IN STATE I HAD NEVER CROSSED THE STATE LINES WITH A LARGE CAR AND WAGON LOL.
I GOT MY FIRST LOAD AND THEY TOLD ME I WOULD BE RUNNING A LOAD TO JUST THE OTHER SIDE OF ATL.TO WHICH I WAS THRILLED ABOUT,THIS WAY I COULD GET USED TO THE BIG TRAILER BEFORE I GOT TOO FAR OUT OF FAMILIAR TERRITORY. WELL MUCH TO MY SURPRISE BEFORE I GOT MY TRAILER HOOKED MY DISPATCHER CAME OUT AND TOLD ME HE HAD A BETTER LOAD FOR ME,AND FOR ME TO STOP IN AND SEE HIM BEFORE I GOT TOOK OFF.......(continued later)
AS I GREW OLDER MY INTEREST GREW EVEN MORE, SO WHEN I GOT BIG ENOUGH TO SEE OVER THE WHEEL AND REACH THE PEDALS I STARTED DRIVING HIS TRUCKS AROUND IN THE SUBDIVISIONS,MOVING HIS EQUIPMENT AND HAULING DIRT FOR HIM.
AS TIME PROGRESSED WE(dad &i) WENT IN TO SEVERAL DIFFERENT BUSINESSES BUT MY INTEREST IN TRUCKS WAS STILL THERE SO I TURNED 16 GOT MY LICENSE AND STARTED DRIVING AS ALL TEENAGERS DO WILDLY AND MOST OF THE TIME VERY WRECKLESS LOL.
BUT I GOT TO AN AGE THAT I KNEW I WANTED TO GET MY C.D.L'S SO I HAD TO START CLEANING MY DRIVING RECORD UP SO I COULD GET THEM. IT TOOK A LIL WHILE TO DO THIS SO WHEN I TURNED 25YRS OLD I GOT MY C.D.L'S AND STARTED DRIVING FOR A FRIEND OF MINE THAT I WENT TO SCHOOL WITH ,LIKE ME HIS FAMILY WAS IN TRUCKING TOO,SO HE HAD BOUGHT A TRUCK AND GAVE ME MY FIRST REAL COMMERCIAL DRIVING JOB!
BUT THAT ONE WAS SOON LOST DUE TO BAD WEATHER SO I DECIDED THAT I WOULD GO INTO O.T.R. TRUCKING SO I COULD RUN EVEN WHEN THE WEATHER WAS BAD.
SO I GOT MY CHANCE TO DO JUST THIS AS ANOTHER FRIEND OF MINE HAD RECENTLY BOUGHT A 2001 PETERBILT 379 EXHD,IT WAS THE TRUCK I HAD ALWAYS DREAMED OF IT WAS BEAUTIFUL AND HAD ALL THE LATEST GADGETS,LOTS OF CHROME AND PLENTY OF BIG CAT POWER UNDER THE HOOD.
BUT YOU SEE THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS THAT WHEN WE GOT IT SIGNED ON TO A COMPANY I HAD NEVER PULLED A 53' TRAILER I HAD PULLED SOME 45&48' TRAILERS BUT THEY WERE ALL IN STATE I HAD NEVER CROSSED THE STATE LINES WITH A LARGE CAR AND WAGON LOL.
I GOT MY FIRST LOAD AND THEY TOLD ME I WOULD BE RUNNING A LOAD TO JUST THE OTHER SIDE OF ATL.TO WHICH I WAS THRILLED ABOUT,THIS WAY I COULD GET USED TO THE BIG TRAILER BEFORE I GOT TOO FAR OUT OF FAMILIAR TERRITORY. WELL MUCH TO MY SURPRISE BEFORE I GOT MY TRAILER HOOKED MY DISPATCHER CAME OUT AND TOLD ME HE HAD A BETTER LOAD FOR ME,AND FOR ME TO STOP IN AND SEE HIM BEFORE I GOT TOOK OFF.......(continued later)
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