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)