Truck Drivers

[Bridger]

The thread about books and truckers got me to wondering:

I have somehow become interested in the trucking industry in the past year or so, and curiosity just begs me to ask- What kind of truck do you drive? I guess the trucks are the most fascinating thing about the profession to me. It just amazes me the size of the engines that go in some of these trucks and the power they produce.

[madman4570]

Ok,Where is that DBW ? "he is the truck driving man"

[3leggedturtle]

In my short work history I have driven 2 new Volvos, Feightliner and an International. Whats amzing is the 1400lbs of torque at 1200rpms

[mescalero1]

I am close friends with a man who has been a truck driver for most of his life, what facinates me is how much I do NOT know about truck driving, it is a science onto itself, and this man condems unruly behaviour of ANY kind; while behind the wheel.

[Griff]

'97 KW T-600, 1.5+ million miles. comin' & goin':

From the side:

From the back:

And a few of the details:

[DBW]

Ok,Where is that DBW ? "he is the truck driving man"

I'm here... just woke up. My company truck... a '97 Kenworth T600 with C15 Cat engine, 13 speed tranny and a bed.



It's nothing fancy like Griff's, but it does what it needs to do... earn me a living and let me see the country. The biggest challenge of driving a truck is simply putting up with four wheelers who have no clue as to how often they come to committing suicide when driving around an object that normally weighs 40 tons and is moving at 65mph. I have yet to be able to stop on a dime and really dislike it when fourwheelers ignorantly cut in front of my rig because they lack patience. If I hit one it's my fault even if it's not. I'm not concerned with hurting or killing such stupid drivers... it's the paperwork I dread.

[AJMD429]

If I hit one it's my fault even if it's not. I'm not concerned with hurting or killing such stupid drivers... it's the paperwork I dread.

When I was a dispatcher for an outfit headquartered in Indy, I did the five northwest states, and had the sad duty of calling a dad to tell him his son (both were company drivers) had actually been killed due to some idiot pulling in front of him and locking up his brakes. A witness told the cops that the trucker then locked his up so as not to slam and kill the idiot, but it was on a cloverleaf corner and by a sheer dropoff, and it didn't work out so well.

Be careful of the idiots out there...

[DBW]

Be careful of the idiots out there...

I'm trying. New England is filled with idiot drivers and in my opinion are the worst. Seems that each idiot up here that cuts in front of me has an Obama sticker on their Prius.

[AJMD429]

Seems that each idiot up here that cuts in front of me has an Obama sticker on their Prius.

They're more 'special' than the rest of us, and the regular rules of law and etiquette don't apply to them. Thomas Sowell explalins it all in his book, 'Vision of the Anointed' - rules and taxes are for the rest of us.

[Chuck 100 yd]

I worked at Freightliner (Portland OR.) for 7 yr. I have 3 BIL`s still there. One of them (Chuck) is a final inspector on the truck line. He said it is not uncommon to see one turn 135 mph on the dino !! Lots of power in some of those trucks!

[awp101]

Whats amzing is the 1400lbs of torque at 1200rpms

How I wish I could have gotten that out of the Chevelle I used to have...

[Griff]

I'll bet ya that's an '07 KW, DBW! One of the lessons I've learned is that, if I expect the stupidest, most inane action outta a four-wheeler, I'm seldom surprised. What's aggravating is that nowadays, it seems as tho' so many 18-wheel drivers are doing the same sorta things... cuttin' over RIGHT after passin', (seemingly just to show off how well they know just where their "***-end" is... IMO, on top their shoulders), driftin' around their lane, trying to read a map, type on their communications device still using a cell w/o a hands-free device, texting and other activities that detract from the attention that simply driving requires. In most companies, after six-months experience drivers are being asked to become trainers. 6-months experience drivin' a 4-wheeler ain't enough to learn to train someone else... let along in an 18-wheeler! Our program used to include 12 miles with a seasoned driver/trainer, then 25,000 miles teamed with another student (theory being that each of you learned something different and could share the experiences) before you were assigned a truck of your own. My own student/partner had never driven outside the Detroit, MI to Laredo, TX corridor. Har... I was expected to sleep while he learned how to drive down mountains in CA (the Grapevine, Donner Pass), CO (too many to name), MT (again, too many), OR (Ashland, Cabbage), WA (Snoqualmie) & WY (the Sister, Elk). (Driving up usually ain't where the problems happen).

Bridger,

Not meaning to be discouraging... but... just this past December, the Federal DOT made rules that allow them to track any electronic devices on-board the truck that have the capability to provide a GPS location (on board communications, cell phones, laptops with GPS mapping) to audit our logs for simple hours of service violations. (Prior rules only allowed them to check such sources in investigation of a fatal accident). As enforcement for these arbritary and sometimes counter-productive regulations increases and becomes more high-tech... the ability to earn a living will become more difficult. Since de-regulation of the industry under President Reagan by then Department of Transportation Sec. Elizabeth Dole, rates for freight dropped dramatically, not rising above levels of almost 40 years ago. This means driver pay while higher than levels seen then... is very unlikely to rise. I.e.: When I owned three trucks, I was trying to earn a living on the other two with a 2-3¢/mile profit margin. Which was quickly eaten up by any unexpected maintenance costs. That's a very different earnings potential than driving a truck for yourself. (As the driver's earning and taxes remain with ME). I can pay myself the max salary earned by a company driver, still keep my equipment maintained and put a little aside for equipment replacement.

Which is why I’m looking to leave the large company my truck is now leased to, and finding one that doesn’t have such on-board equipment… also why I don’t run real time GPS on my laptop & my cell-phone is turned off for large blocks of time. Or, in order to keep my miles up, well over 10,000/mo, I have to drive as close to the speed limit as I can maintain. In a speed regulated truck it is very hard to cover 650 miles in the 14 hours allowed for working, let alone the 11 hours allowed for driving in the majority of the country. (Not hard in MT, ND, SD, NE, WY, CO, KS, NM, AZ, OK, TX… but from there east… dang near impossible. Subtract ANY urban area in those states: Denver, El Paso, Houston, DFW, Kansas City, Omaha, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Tucson; and double the difficulty during peak driving hours for day laborers).

IMO, regulations in the manner of a regulated hours of service, which in significant part means… “all work must be accomplished within a 14-hour ‘window’; driving and on-duty not driving work shall not exceed 11 hours.” Basically I have 14 hours in which to accomplish all the driving and other work I need to do that day. Which leaves me 10 hours to rest & sleep. (The 3 hours left over from the 14 hour “window” are for eating and personal hygiene). Since I seldom sleep for more than 6, maybe 7 hours, I have sometimes as much as four hours in which to sit and twiddle my thumbs. That can be as fatiguing as actual driving. Maybe far more so. It certainly is boring! Just like anyone else getting behind the wheel, there are some days where I can be noddin’ off after just 20-30 minutes, yet I may have to drive for 11 hours that day… that’s where the “professionalism” comes in. Other days, even after 20 hours behind the wheel, I’m still not “tired”. (But, of course, I’d never do THAT).

Recently, the Captain in charge of the Minnesota DOT enforcement division has started a “voluntary questionnaire” that officers are using to determine if a driver is fatigued. Included in their little charade is a “checklist”, some items that you might find in a truck are noted as being “contributory to non-sleep activities”… i.e.: books, tv, game consoles, computers. Apparently it is being assumed that if you have such items in your truck, you’re using these INSTEAD of sleeping during that 10 hour “rest period”.

Draconian, arbitrary enforcement using methods such as this are, IMO, asinine. The expectation that one’s possession of a TV, VCR/DVD player, books, or a game console is automatically or even obliquely contributory to a lack of rest is… well, is STUPID a strong enough word? Retarded is more like it… but is very indicative of the regimented, inflexible mindset of some enforcement or rule makers.

Driving under such rules and authoritative enforcement has become a JOB. Maybe cowboyin’ full time ain’t such a bad idea!

On the plus side, some companies, (like the one DBW & I drive for), they tell you when to be at your p/u and delivery… the rest is left up to you. Other companies tell what route to take, where and how much fuel to buy… The best payin’ jobs are still the LTL P&D (pick up & delivery) or line-haul jobs. They’re also the pickiest employers, and for the non-union companies… the fastest to get fired from. But, for many companies, only a few minimum requirements need to be met… pick up and deliver on time, turn in the required paperwork… somewhat timely, be polite, don’t get into fights with your fellow drivers… (other companies are fair game… just not your fellow employee).

Aw, heck, rank off.

[Grizz]

well, I used to like truckers. I'm CERTAIN I'd be comfortable driving around the truckers posting here. But I gotta say the truck drivers in WA/OR/CA are getting to be some of the biggest PIAs on the road.

One of my favorite beefs is the racing 18 wheel crowd. You know, the ones who pull into the far left lane to pass the two trucks in lanes 1 & 2. Uphill. Forming a slow roadblock and choking traffic for miles behind. Just because, apparently, they can.

I see lots of weaving, trailers crossing lane boundrys, nearly got hit by a trailer sliding on an icy turn with the rear wheels COMPLETELY ACROSS the double yellow line.... I see lots of stuff like that, and I no longer trust truckers.

By trust, I mean I no longer assume that the driver of the truck I'm passing or leading is reliable enough to remain in his lane, or not cut me off when I approach from behind, or do some other idiotic stunt. I now consider trucks to be lethal opponents rather than professional units. Sorry if that hurts someone's feelings.

I agree that there are a LOT of terrible drivers on the highways, and I chew my gums a lot trying to stay alive. I think nascar has made the highways MUCH more dangerous than they ever were, not to mention the volume of traffic.

Worst drivers in the west IMO are in the Seattle area. There are roll over accidents just about every day, and sometimes multiples on each commute.

It's so easy and relaxing to drive well, it's a wonder that so many drivers can screw it up by plain simple stupidity.

I'm still courteous enough to use my lights to signal overtaking trucks, and some are polite enough to say thanks. But many truckers won't even give that much. It's a jungle out there.

I apologise if I offended any drivers here. I think there are two sides to the issue. If I could wave a magic wand I'd build truck only lanes or seperate roads for long haul rigs. I've waved it around some but no results so far.....

Grizz

[DBW]

I agree that this profession has a ton of issues and that it's not an easy job. But it works for me at the moment until the good Lord provides me with something better. Until then I'll just keep on truckin'.

[Rusty]

I'm with ya Dwayne. Till the Lord puts me in something else. I've been doin this for 30 years now so looks like I'm in it till the end though.

I have a 2001 Freightliner with a Cat and 10 Speed. I'm not a fan of Cats but that's what came in this one. I work for Ryder Logistics and am dedicated ( meaning I only work on this account) to the Save a Lot grocery warehouse in Plant City, Fl. I stay within the state and sleep in my own bed every night. I too turn in some 14 hour days, but we have computer logging to keep us honest, for the most part.

I have determined that I am a moron magnet. If there is a moron anywhere within 20 miles of where I happen to be on a particular day he will find me. Thus far I have only swapped paint with one of these said morons, maybe because this particular moron also happened to be drunk at the time as well. One of the laws of physics says that two objects having mass cannot occupy the same place at the same time. Drunk morons don't pay attention to those rules either. He hit me head on. Totaled out my tractor too. My training as a professional allowed me to anticipate what he was going to do and minimize the damage to innocent bystanders as a result. Sometimes you have to do what doesn't seem natural to come out.

Take your time and be safe out there.

[Old Time Hunter]

Griff, nice post. Guess if I'd get back in the profession, my haul'n LTL "air" freight for second morning delivery from Wisconsin to California as a single O.O. might be frowned upon? Used to pick up my (I owned it) trailer from the dock in Cudahy, WI around 7-8 o'clock in the morning on Saturday, drive all day until I usually petered out somewhere between Elk Mountain to Point of Rocks, Wy (Rawlings was the most predominate place), sleep four to five hours (when the sun would break), and then hammer it in to LA by four or five the next morning. My first log book ran out at Greenwood, Ne., the second at Elk Mtn, the third at Virgin River, Az, and of course the last in Sante Fe, Ca. backed into the dock. At that point, slept without setting an alarm as they unloaded the terminal freight, then usually kicked off the couple of direct stops in the afternoon. Slept like a baby all Monday night in a motel, ran up to Santa Maria (or Bakersfield) for a load of strawberries (or grapes from Bakersfield) on Tuesday. Pointed her east after load'n and tried to make it to Vegas before lay'n down. Thursday night I was against the dock at Jewel Foods in Chicago paying lumpers to off load the goods. By Friday my trailer was dropped in the yard back in Cudahy, WI....with over $5k of revenue for my seven days of effort and of course I sometimes had to wait on my log books to catch up, or I just started new ones. Ran over a million miles in the first seven years, no tickets (lucky), no accidents (always drove ahead of myself with escape routes for the unforseen, whether that be open shoulders or knowing the white knuckler hanging off my mud flap would panic just the right way when I needed an opening). No drugs, just ambition! That was back in the early '80's. Built that little enterprise to 11 of my own trucks, which caused me to drive less and less, with eventually having an additional 26 O.O.'s leased to me and our primary avenues were Wisconsin to the entire west coast back up to Montreal, QP. The Canada thing kept our revenue stream going as you alluded to the depression of freight rates caused by de-regulation. Nafta killed the Canada deal, as Schnieder, JB Hunt, CFI, and the like started run'n up there with cheap rates. In '93 I sold my portion of the company I built.....It is still out there....BEEP! BEEP! your *$$

[Griff]

OTH, yep, it's still out there... but freight lanes for 'em are more mid-western than western nowadays. At least I see few of them west. And yep, that's how I drive... not defensively, but offensively... I want open space around me. And will either speed up or slow down to get it. Worst situation I can think of is to be hemmed in with no vision ahead. Those that tailgate me scare me... those that cut so close in front of me that now I'm a tail-gater increase my blood pressure 50 points!

Grizz, yep, it's a jungle. And not always the trucker's fault. Sometimes it's just volume of traffic, and I say when asked, "what's the problem up there?"; "Too many tires, not enough asphalt!" In all three states, driving with a trailer or for (CA, any 3 axle vehicle -except commercial coaches, buses), driving in anything other than the right two lanes, is illegal. Sometimes in CA they'll have "Truck OK" signs for interchanges that require moving into the 3rd or even 4th lane to remain on the thru freeway. In fact, in CA, it is required to remain in the RIGHT lane when towing, with the single exception to pass, (or when posted). But... on long grades, Grapevine, Donner, Tehachapi, you have LOTS of truck traffic, and the differences in load weights can really make driving up them aggravating for the truck driver as well as anyone else. After all, sometimes we have deadlines, and suffer from the same impatience as any one else. Two 40-ton rigs going up the Grapevine, one with 500hp, the other with 475hp, might have a speed differential of say, ½-mph? No along comes me, empty, with a deadline of 1.5 hours to get to Fontana in order to arrive inside my 14 window... I certainly don't wanna wait behind a couple of rigs going 22-½ mph or less when I can do 55, or a lil' more!

In fact, that's just what I came up against a week or so ago. I won't lessen your opinion of me by saying what I did.

[rafter-7]

Thanks to Griff who helped me to stay away from some trucks about a year ago I added one more to the list

87 T-800 kenworth w/425 B cat
2)86 Freightliners w/400 cummins
84 GMC General w/692 detroit

and I am currently in the market for a 260 inch wheelbase whatever to put a 20' box and hoist on it (so I dont half to strech the frame)


Griff... after you helped me I came across the T 800 with 900,000 on it and it only has 35,000 on a fresh overhaul done by cat 9 sp trans 3:55 rears new tires and brakes all the way around... got it bought for 12,500

oohh it has a flat top sit in

thanks again for your time and willing info!!

rafter-7

[J Miller]

In fact, that's just what I came up against a week or so ago. I won't lessen your opinion of me by saying what I did.

Well, it's OK it won't lessen our opinion of you. I'll bet you moved over and blew past them like they was sittin still. Probably didn't even wave at them as you went by.

Joe

[J Miller]

My dad was an in state truck driver. When I was about 5 or 6 he drove a big long chassis MAC pulling a big dump trailer. I've got some pictures of it, him and me. I loved that big MAC. Noisy as all get out, I'm pretty sure it was running straight pipes. He was driving for Harman Sand and Gravel at the time. We were living in Farmington, NM. Lots of fun for me. We used to play games to help the time pass. We'd try to guess what nameplate was on each 18 wheeler we passed.

Too much government, too many rules. Eventually we're all gonna drown in them.

Joe

[Griff]

rafter-7,

For the inveterate gear-head in me... PICTURES????

[Blaine]

I'll bet the drivers here are gentlemen and do not do the things that concern me. I will put out as fact that I don't think drivers can see motorcycles. When or if I buy the farm on the scoot, it will be a truck that came over in my lane and I didn't have anyplace to go or enough time to get out of the way.... I drove for awhile back in '95 and it's the hardest work I ever did, except maybe brushing line surveying.... Let's be careful out there

[Griff]

I'll bet the drivers here are gentlemen and do not do the things that concern me. I will put out as fact that I don't think drivers can see motorcycles. When or if I buy the farm on the scoot, it will be a truck that came over in my lane and I didn't have anyplace to go or enough time to get out of the way.... I drove for awhile back in '95 and it's the hardest work I ever did, except maybe brushing line surveying.... Let's be careful out there

Blaine, I'd like to think I don't... but I've been surprised a couple of times.

Having served at the scene of more than a few motorcycle vs. other vehicle collisons, (they ain't accidents), I don't believe ANY other driver sees a motorcycle.

No matter what you're driving... if you can't get eye contact, or even see the other driver's eyes... you're gambling against a stacked deck that they can see YOU.

[Terry Murbach]

MY DADDY DROVE TRUCK FOR OVER 2,500,000 MILES. HE WAS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL TEAMSTERS, KNEW HOFFA WELL, WELL ENOUGH TO NEVER EVER TRUST HIM, AND TO HATE HIM LIKE A CASE OF ULCERATED HEMORRHOIDS.. MY DADDY WAS IN A LOCAL IN CHICAGO AND A LOCAL IN PITTSBURGH. IN THE LATTER TOWN THE UNION BOSS WAS A THUG FROM CHICAGO, FROM THE AL CAPONE OUTFIT ACTUALLY, AND THE RANK AND FILE IN PITTSBURGH DREW STRAWS TO PICK SOMEONE TO GET RID OF HIM. MY DADDY WAS ONE OF THE FIVE PICKED. THEY GOT A THUG FROM THE PURPLE GANG [ DETROIT ] WHO HATED ANYONE FROM THE CHICAGO OUTFIT TO DO THE JOB. IN NO TIME FLAT, WORD GOT BACK TO THE UNION BOSS THAT HIS TIME WAS NUMBERED IN MINUTES AND HE SKEDADDLED RIGHT NOW. MY DADDY WAS JUST AS HAPPY IT ENDED THAT WAY BUT THEY TOLD THE PURPLE GANG GUY TO KEEP THE MONEY AS A RETAINER IN CASE THEY NEEDED HIM AGAIN. MY DADDY ALWAYS SAID THE MAN FROM THE PURPLE GANG WAS ONE OF THE BEST DRESSED, MOST WELL SPOKEN MAN HE'D EVER MET, BUT HE WAS ALL BUSINESS.
IN CASE YOU NEVER HEARD OF THE PURPLE GANG FROM DETROIT THEY WERE THE BUNCH EVERY OTHER MAFIA GAND IN THE COUNTRY WAS SCARED SHIQLESS OF IN SPADES !!!! NO GANGSTER FROM CHICAGO, NEW YORK, PITTSBURGH, CLEVELAND ETC ETC EVER MESSED WITH A PURPLE GANG MEMBER AS MOST ALL OF THOSE OTHER OUTFITS USED PURPLE GANG MEMBERS TO DO MOST OF THE HEAVY WHACKING WORK, INCLUDING THE ST VALENTINES DAY MASSACRE. READ ABOUT FRED MILLER, A PURPLE GANGSTER WHO WAS A FARMER IN SOUTHERN MICHIGAN. HIS THOMPSON WAS FOUND IN THE RAFTERS OF HIS HOUSE AFTER HE DIED AS AN OLD MAN AND THE TOMMY GUN TESTED RIGHT BACK TO BULLETS RECOVERED AT THE FEBRUARY 14 FESTIVITIES.
AHHHH FOR THE GOOD OLD DAYS WHEN THE GANGSTERS WHACKED OTHER GANGSTERS AND ALL WAS RIGHT WITH THE WORLD.

[rafter-7]

rafter-7,

For the inveterate gear-head in me... PICTURES????

yea sure I will when I get over to the farm I'll take a pic for ya. that was a perty good deal was it not?????

^
7



here is one of my freightliner set ups it hauls 1200 bu. of wheat at 105,500 lbs. empty weight of 32,200 lbs.

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

I hear JB Hunt has a wonderful training program. They give you a truck for 2 weeks and if you don't jack-knife it they give you a trailer.

I still have my CDL but I haven't been in a truck in 20 years. One of the stupid 4 wheeler things that drove me nuts was when driving in the rain the idjuts would be following or along side without their light on. A white or silver car is totally invisible in the spray coming off the tandem's like that.

[Bridger]

Thanks for the posts guys. Very interesting read. Makes me wonder how many of yall I have seen and didn't realize it.

[Griff]

rafter-7,
For the inveterate gear-head in me... PICTURES????

yea sure I will when I get over to the farm I'll take a pic for ya. that was a perty good deal was it not?????
^
7

Yep, that sure seems like it. I actually owned the "sister" truck to mine for a while... yep, they have consequetive serial numbers also... It was also a great truck... and in a fit of insanity I traded it off for my old Pete. It had over a million miles on it also... original engine and they still gave me $15K as a trade. Saw it at the dealer a few weeks back... told the dealer to tell the owner to get in touch when he's ready to sell it! I still got some customizing ideas I'd like to try!

[Old Time Hunter]

Griff, ya got me going. Being somewhat of a gear head myself and as time tempered the memories of a different era in my life, I am striving to find visual artifacts of that period. My son says that he still has a bunch of the pictures of various trucks I have owned in the past, but between us we have no idea how to put them into an electronic format. Then again he said it'll take a month of dig'n on his part to locate the actual pictures.

Nate brought up a story of his father being a Teamster, kinda of how I got my start as I worked part time for UPS during my college years. After college I worked as a new product development engineer at a large machine tool manufacture just start'n to make robotic systems. Had to go back to driving line haul on the weekends to make ends meet. The money was so good at the time driving, that when the KT sold out to a company in a different state, I did not follow the job and became a full time line haul driver for what at the time was the 3rd largest LTL carrier in the US. Eventually I became the union steward and saw the inner workings of the Teamsters....guess it is really close to our present government. And yes, there were a few times we needed to "persuade" one or two members into seeing the "real" picture...sometimes influence works in strange ways, but to get the desired result, fingers sometimes need to be stepped on. By '79-'80 I was pulling in over $45k large, a princely sum back then when the average house in the US went for about $40k, and that was just from driving the truck, not the "financial" benefits of being the steward. Well all good things come to an end and by early '81 the "Carter" depression took its toll and the company I worked for closed their doors. By the end of the summer, after not being able to find a lick of work (driving or using my degree), I bought my first truck:

A '79 IH 4070 COE with 3.70 rear ends and a 290 Cummins, transmitting it's weak kneed power thru a Fuller 10 sp. After rolling in a set of bearings, adding an aftercooler, running the rail pressure up 20%, I managed to get 315 HP to the ground. No Jake by the way and back in '81 there were still alot of "interstates" out west that were two lanes coming into towns riding 7% grades. Like coming into Wallace, Id. "Course we still had the 73280 laws so that kinda helped.

Next truck brought me into the big time, A new '82 359 Pete extended hood(127") on a 265" chassis, sporting the "new" at the time 475 twin turbo (two snails fornicating) with a 5 X 4 twin stick and a Browning OD. Thought I was "cool in my stool"! But, the "big" Cat's consistantly out pulled me up long grades, like heading north on Baker grade. With a full load of grapes I'd be pushing 80k in weight and pull'n the hill at between 35MPH and 40MPH, the 1693 Cat's and hopped up 3406's were blowing up the hill at 42-48MPH...So that was my last Cummins.

I had then bought a couple of '84 359's with 3406's 15 overs with 3.70 gears and they worked fine. But the one truck that always stirred me was my '87 Western Star, 3406 425 (stroked to 435hp to the wheels!) 15 over, big rubber, 3.55 gears. Montana State Trooper said I held the record outside Miles City at 113 MPH on the flats (grossing 82k with 21 pallets of apples in the box), cost me a "fuel wasting" fine, but he bought breakfast.

Also had over the years, both W900 and T600 Aerodyne KW's, a Marmon (just for the heck of it), A bunch of 379 Pete's...90% with Cats, until my last "personal" truck (by this time I had 11 of my owned and 26 OO's leased to me) a '92 379 extended hood, Series 60 Detroit 575HP (really wasn't any stoughter than a hopped up A model 3406), putting 477HP to the ground through 3.55 gears and a 17615 Fuller OD. 280" WB with airride back and FRONT suspensions, also had the first 72" factory sleeper. Now to find those pictures

[Bridger]

I enjoyed reading that, OTH. If you've got the time to type more I'd love to read more about the other trucks you've had and your union days.

[shdwlkr]

Well I am one of those 4 wheelers that doesn't think because you have 18 wheels that you should be allowed both lanes so you can impress yourself with all the power you have. I see more 18 wheelers doing stupid things then 4 wheelers here in NM and I run I40 the major east west highway and we always have construction going on.
Just to give you an idea while going into Albuquerque just today while I was slowing down for the construction two 18 wheelers flew by me only to have to dance on the air brakes to keep from hitting the police cars in front of them.
During the winter months I have seen more 18 wheelers slide into the vehicle in front of them on the black ice, snow covered roads we get here. Listening to them on the cb they have some of dirtist talk at times I have ever had to hear when traffic stops because another 18 wheeler met another 4 wheeler and did some body and fender work. The 18 wheelers have even been known to use the shoulder as another lane to make it almost impossible for rescue crews get to the accident.
Yea truckers are either good individuals or the worst drivers on the road and age has nothing to do with it. I have seen old and young alike be good and be totally stupid.
I have also seen some really dumb things done by those who are to protect and serve, plain 4 wheelers and the ever nosy sight seers when something bad happens.
I saw enough stupidity of drivers when I worked road construction for 20 years as I was the safety engineer on a lot of projects so when the sh**t hit the fan I was one of first there to take pictures and figure out how to get the traffic moving again and deal with the LEO's, emergency crews and the stupid people who wanted to see and watch as what was a person was pulled out of what was a vehicle. Sometimes you got lucky but most times there was enough red fluid around so standing up was a real challenge. Think of standing on very slippery ice and you get the idea.

[Griff]

OTH, great stuff. 1st truck I ever drove was a '67 Pete, 6-71 DD with a 6x4 box. Pulled horses and cows in CA and AZ. For a 16 year old, what a hoot! Really where I came to enjoy driving and dodgin' the HP! Drivin' across the desert in the middle of the night on some of the dirt back roads to avoid scales and gettin' busted for drivin' under age gave me a real appreciation for law enforcement work. I like to think it made me better at it when I started that phase of my life.

Pictures would be great. Ah, Marmons.... "Road tanks." I don't think there was a stronger truck built. 1st ride I ever took in a truck was back in the very early 50's, it was a Mack, probably a late "A" or early "B", and has remained as a desire to make a light duty hauler (LQ horse trailer outta one with updated power and amenities.

A likely candidate:
http://www.oldmacks.com/OM%20354%20003.JPG

shdwlkr,
I know exactly what you mean...

[mescalero1]

I retired from aircraft after many long years, I know what Rusty is talking about ; I was a moron magnet in aircraft industry.
I was always amazed at how these people got to be the age they were, and had not died from thier own stupidity!

[DBW]

Shdwlkr, I hear you on the CB chatter. I rarely have the CB on as I can't stand the filth or ignorance a lot of drivers spout. Although I've only been driving six years I work hard to be professional. I show courtesy to the customers on both ends of the haul, shower daily (a lot of drivers avoid soap & water), dress in clean, neat clothes, keep a short haircut and stay shaved. On the road I do the speed limit in construction zones which often results in being flipped off by four wheelers. If traffic can handle it and I'm not in a time crunch I'll often drive 5mph under the limit out on the big road as I find it more relaxing and less stressful.

As I said before, it's a tough job at times and definitely requires someone to be off their rocker a bit to do it...but it works for me for the time being. At times I miss the 9 - 5 job I held before I got into trucking, but at the same time it has given me the chance to see the country and meet a wide variety of folks. I got into it as a change of pace when my first wife decided she wanted to be another man's wife and allowed me to escape the hurt and pain of that situation. In a way it provided the means of meeting my new wife which I believe the good Lord kindof had his hands in.

[shdwlkr]

DBW
Right now when I turn the cb on it is to get the weather as mine has weather channels and once in a while to catch what is ahead of me on the road.
On good expressways I don't mind the truckers rolling along. Sad thing is here in most construction areas you roll at 10-20mph over the posted limit to keep from getting run over by others.
My first wife was murdered, second got sick of me after 20 years, third is hanging in there but if this one fails I am moving into the mountains and growing old with my animals and to heck with women.
When I was a kid working on the farm I drove six wheelers loaded, well really over loaded with 200 plus bales of hay, drove a semi loads of hay for awhile but the loading and unloading all that hay just got old too fast. From that I went to construction work as an engineer and did that for 20 years until the work got to stupid then I went into the office where I worked as an Network Admin, programmer, developer, system developer, data base developer and admin, ended up doing engineering for the last few years and got a good deal to leave so I took it 6 years ago and never looked back.
Right now I just hope that I can enjoy shooting targets and some hunting, gardening and enjoying my kids and grandkids until I can leave this life in 4 decades.