My experience with CB radios has been pretty limited, so I'm certainly not an authority on the subject. However, I will relate my own personal experiences here. In my current job, we don't really use CB's. The main reason is because we don't have assigned equipment, so I don't know what truck/trailer I'll have from one run to the next. That means, if you want to use your CB, you must install it each time you go out, and take it with you each time you leave (otherwise it will "grow legs"). Some guys do this; it's kind of a pain, the wiring, hooking up to the antenna(e),
etc. But it is a useful tool, especially in winter and times of severe weather and traffic. I have just chosen not to deal with the hassle, and go without it - I really don't need it (CB's are for pussies! LOL).
My first experience was during my first job with a major carrier (I was officially a CDL trainee).
Actually, now that I think about it, my dad bought a new car with a CB radio in it in the late 70's.
It's true. Of course, I'd heard C.W. McCall's "Convoy" in the 70's, and seen some trucker movies,
but still didn't really know how to work the thing. I wrecked that '78 Olds 98 Regency a couple
of weeks after my parents bought it (I nearly bought it). They hadn't even made the first payment on it. So, in perspective, the CB radio wasn't really as remarkable as you would think.
But I digress. My driver-trainer taught me some of the lingo, most of which I've since forgotten.
(e.g., "skateboard" is a flatbed, African-American drivers are referred to as "Canadians" by some, etc.) I don't know if these terms are still in use, since the vernacular seems to be an evolving thing. I actually used the phrase "good buddy," again, recalling "Covoy." BUZZER! Wrong! My trainer said "Don't say Good Buddy! It means you're gay! Oops! Others have shown me other phrases: "Baby doll," is a "Lot lizard" (truckstop prostitute, never seen one), etc. Like I said the CB can be a useful tool, although most of the time it's just guys (and gals) jibber-jabbering about nothing. Makes the time go by, I guess.
The one time it came in handy for me was a year or so ago. I was coming back from Iowa, like usual. Another driver had left his CB in the truck by mistake, so I took advantage and used it, turning it off and on at various times in my trip. It must have been about 5 -5:30 in the morning, and I was eastbound on 80, I was approaching Morris, Illinois, just outside of Joliet, when the radio started crackling with excited voices. "You'd better get off here, eastbound, or you'll be sitting here a while." Apparently, a livestock truck had overturned, and was on its side, blocking both lanes of eastbound traffic. I must have been only about ten minutes behind it, because I could see the brakelights ahead of me. Of course, like a ninny, I didn't exit there (I think it's Illinois 41) and creeped up to where the line of vehicles came to standstill. Fortunately,
listening to the other drivers hollering directions over the radio, I was able to get into the left lane, then boldly make a U-turn on a police-strip on the median, and get back to 41 south to US6 eastbound. For those unlucky bastards who were right behind it, or not paying attention, I guess it turned out to be an all-day proposition. There were rumors of pigs/cows running around all over the highway, which I don't think were true, but I was able to circumvent the
whole situation, just because I had the radio. I hope the driver was ok. You never like to see, or hear about someone rolling a big-rig, although it seems to happen every day. But that is for another chapter...
Friday, December 1, 2006
Monday, November 27, 2006
More Impressions
Hello, again!
Well, it's Monday morning, and I go back to work tonight. Today is my running-around day,
trying to get as much done as possible before I leave. Of course, there is never enough time to get everything done, so you do what you can. I try to get to bed by 3:00 or earlier, so I can wake up by 9:30, get ready, and get to the base by about 11:00. There always seems to be something amiss, so I try to get there early, in case I need to fuel the truck/trailer, flat tire,
you name the problem, I've experienced it. Sometimes the truck is hooked to the wrong trailer,
so you have to correct that, but more and more lately the load is not ready, so you just have to wait - grrr! See, I like to just get there, load my shit in the cab, and go!
I was talking before about my general impressions - and I also mentioned smoking. I am a heavy smoker, and I was even before I became a truck driver. It seems to me that a large percentage of drivers are smokers (I hesitate to use the word "most"), and that's ok, I guess.
It's a nasty habit, we all know, but very difficult to quit. In fact, I told my wife that there is no chance of me quitting as long as I'm a trucker. Why? Well, it's one of the only jobs I know of where you can smoke in your workplace without offending anyone, and there's really nothing
to stop you from firing up one after the other...
Despite the inroads made by minoritites (African-Americans, women, Hispanics, even Eastern-
Europeans) this is still a "good-ol'-boy" network. I can't tell you how many times I've heard the following, "Imo till yew whuuut!". They are at every truckstop I walk into, which is why I try
to get a booth, and not sit at the counter. Don't get me wrong, these guys are knowlegeable about some things: trucking, for sure; guns (huntin'), cars (the NASCAR effect), etc. But
honestly, I wouldn't even try to carry on an intelligent conversation, because many of them can't. I'm just not interested in anything they have to say, especially regarding the above topics.
And their appearance! OMG! I know it's hard, being out on the road, really, but c'mon! Spend a few bucks on a shower/shave/haircut, for God's sake!
So, now I've offended a large percentage of the "brothers and sisters" I referred to in an earlier post. Does that make me a hypocrite? I dunno. I'm really not trying to be anti-social, just calling it as I see it. Time to get my daughter off to school, then prepare myself for work. Next topic:
CB Radios...
More soon,
Steve
Well, it's Monday morning, and I go back to work tonight. Today is my running-around day,
trying to get as much done as possible before I leave. Of course, there is never enough time to get everything done, so you do what you can. I try to get to bed by 3:00 or earlier, so I can wake up by 9:30, get ready, and get to the base by about 11:00. There always seems to be something amiss, so I try to get there early, in case I need to fuel the truck/trailer, flat tire,
you name the problem, I've experienced it. Sometimes the truck is hooked to the wrong trailer,
so you have to correct that, but more and more lately the load is not ready, so you just have to wait - grrr! See, I like to just get there, load my shit in the cab, and go!
I was talking before about my general impressions - and I also mentioned smoking. I am a heavy smoker, and I was even before I became a truck driver. It seems to me that a large percentage of drivers are smokers (I hesitate to use the word "most"), and that's ok, I guess.
It's a nasty habit, we all know, but very difficult to quit. In fact, I told my wife that there is no chance of me quitting as long as I'm a trucker. Why? Well, it's one of the only jobs I know of where you can smoke in your workplace without offending anyone, and there's really nothing
to stop you from firing up one after the other...
Despite the inroads made by minoritites (African-Americans, women, Hispanics, even Eastern-
Europeans) this is still a "good-ol'-boy" network. I can't tell you how many times I've heard the following, "Imo till yew whuuut!". They are at every truckstop I walk into, which is why I try
to get a booth, and not sit at the counter. Don't get me wrong, these guys are knowlegeable about some things: trucking, for sure; guns (huntin'), cars (the NASCAR effect), etc. But
honestly, I wouldn't even try to carry on an intelligent conversation, because many of them can't. I'm just not interested in anything they have to say, especially regarding the above topics.
And their appearance! OMG! I know it's hard, being out on the road, really, but c'mon! Spend a few bucks on a shower/shave/haircut, for God's sake!
So, now I've offended a large percentage of the "brothers and sisters" I referred to in an earlier post. Does that make me a hypocrite? I dunno. I'm really not trying to be anti-social, just calling it as I see it. Time to get my daughter off to school, then prepare myself for work. Next topic:
CB Radios...
More soon,
Steve
Friday, November 24, 2006
General Impressions
Hello! The Thanksgiving turkey is finally making it's way out of my system. It was a successful holiday; we got the dinner done, and it turned out fantastic, and I also got hold of my two no-good brothers (just kidding, guys!) It was a beautiful day, and a wonderful time was had by all.
Let me just throw some disclaimers at you folks: Yes, I am a professional truck driver, but by no means am I an expert authority on the trucking industry, or food service business. In fact, I
would say, since I've been driving less than five years, that I know less than most drivers out there. I know as much as I need to know to get my job done effectively, no more, no less. See, this is not my lifestyle, this is something I do to put food on the table - I drive a truck, and make food service deliveries. My point? Please don't take these postings as Gospel. These are just my general impressions, opinions, etc. of the business, and I am only one of many. And please feel free to correct, criticize, or praise me as you see fit - I welcome any and all feedback!
Another point: I can be a vulgar person at times. I think you have to have some of that in you to be effective at this line of work. It requires a rugged, sometimes gruff constitution (I'm not even
"gruff enough") We are not business people sitting around a conference table in our Armani suits, sipping lattes. We are truckers: vulgar, crude, sometimes even animalistic in our behavior and talk (e.g you have to pee, go behind a tree, dumpster, etc., whip it out and let it fly)
I promise to try to limit the amount of curse words that make it into these postings. However, they'll be there, so be prepared. Now, let me fire up a smoke and tell you all
about it...
More soon,
Steve
Technorati Profile
Let me just throw some disclaimers at you folks: Yes, I am a professional truck driver, but by no means am I an expert authority on the trucking industry, or food service business. In fact, I
would say, since I've been driving less than five years, that I know less than most drivers out there. I know as much as I need to know to get my job done effectively, no more, no less. See, this is not my lifestyle, this is something I do to put food on the table - I drive a truck, and make food service deliveries. My point? Please don't take these postings as Gospel. These are just my general impressions, opinions, etc. of the business, and I am only one of many. And please feel free to correct, criticize, or praise me as you see fit - I welcome any and all feedback!
Another point: I can be a vulgar person at times. I think you have to have some of that in you to be effective at this line of work. It requires a rugged, sometimes gruff constitution (I'm not even
"gruff enough") We are not business people sitting around a conference table in our Armani suits, sipping lattes. We are truckers: vulgar, crude, sometimes even animalistic in our behavior and talk (e.g you have to pee, go behind a tree, dumpster, etc., whip it out and let it fly)
I promise to try to limit the amount of curse words that make it into these postings. However, they'll be there, so be prepared. Now, let me fire up a smoke and tell you all
about it...
More soon,
Steve
Technorati Profile
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Thanksgiving
Good Morning!
Happy Thanksgiving to all! What am I thankful for? Hmmm. Well, I suppose just waking up each day is a good place to start. In fact, I say it out loud every morning,"Thank you, Lord, for this day." I usually follow with, "please help me get through it." I recall long ago, when I was
selling lightbulbs over the phone (one of my many menial previous jobs), a co-worker of mine would say, "I'm breathing and vertical," which I got a kick out of.
I have a family that loves me, we are all reasonably healthy (I have some health issues, which
I'll discuss later, but for the most part, we're all healthy). I am gainfully employed, which is a blessing, I suppose. I mean, putting food on the table has always been a struggle for me. Now, over the past four or five years, I've been able to be a "good provider." I'm grateful for that; it makes me I feel like "a man." The fact that I hate my job doesn't really enter into the equation. I go to work, do my job to the best of my ability, then go home. I try not to whine and compain about every little thing, because it doesn't help matters. If there are serious safety issues, then yes, I'll bring it to the attention of my supervisors, but other than that...
I am also thankful for the world of opportunities to which God has opened my eyes. I am not necessarily a "religious" person, but I truly believe God is present in my daily life, revealing things to me that perhaps others don't see. I don't hear voices, or have visions, or anything like
that, just certain things that happen, for me, are divine intervention. I could use the word "omen," in the positive sense, but I choose to believe they are from God. I try to be aware
of these happenings, and thank God when I realize them. It might be something as simple as a
beautiful, sunny day, perfect driving weather, or light traffic on the expressways in Chicago -(always a blessing, but far too rare!) there's God, working on my behalf.
The world is a big, beautful place, with an endless potential for good. I try real hard to see the good in others, really, but it's becoming more and more difficult. I find that I'm an angry
person when I'm working, when generally I'm not. I mean, I'm constantly cursing other drivers for being idiots (an EXTREME euphemism), and saying to myself "Can you believe this f'ing sh*t, when confronted with a problem or screwup by someone else. I don't know, perhaps I am angry and don't realize it. So again I ask God for help, to be more self-aware, and I thank God
every week for delivering me home safely.
More soon,
Steve
Happy Thanksgiving to all! What am I thankful for? Hmmm. Well, I suppose just waking up each day is a good place to start. In fact, I say it out loud every morning,"Thank you, Lord, for this day." I usually follow with, "please help me get through it." I recall long ago, when I was
selling lightbulbs over the phone (one of my many menial previous jobs), a co-worker of mine would say, "I'm breathing and vertical," which I got a kick out of.
I have a family that loves me, we are all reasonably healthy (I have some health issues, which
I'll discuss later, but for the most part, we're all healthy). I am gainfully employed, which is a blessing, I suppose. I mean, putting food on the table has always been a struggle for me. Now, over the past four or five years, I've been able to be a "good provider." I'm grateful for that; it makes me I feel like "a man." The fact that I hate my job doesn't really enter into the equation. I go to work, do my job to the best of my ability, then go home. I try not to whine and compain about every little thing, because it doesn't help matters. If there are serious safety issues, then yes, I'll bring it to the attention of my supervisors, but other than that...
I am also thankful for the world of opportunities to which God has opened my eyes. I am not necessarily a "religious" person, but I truly believe God is present in my daily life, revealing things to me that perhaps others don't see. I don't hear voices, or have visions, or anything like
that, just certain things that happen, for me, are divine intervention. I could use the word "omen," in the positive sense, but I choose to believe they are from God. I try to be aware
of these happenings, and thank God when I realize them. It might be something as simple as a
beautiful, sunny day, perfect driving weather, or light traffic on the expressways in Chicago -(always a blessing, but far too rare!) there's God, working on my behalf.
The world is a big, beautful place, with an endless potential for good. I try real hard to see the good in others, really, but it's becoming more and more difficult. I find that I'm an angry
person when I'm working, when generally I'm not. I mean, I'm constantly cursing other drivers for being idiots (an EXTREME euphemism), and saying to myself "Can you believe this f'ing sh*t, when confronted with a problem or screwup by someone else. I don't know, perhaps I am angry and don't realize it. So again I ask God for help, to be more self-aware, and I thank God
every week for delivering me home safely.
More soon,
Steve
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Opening Blog
Hello! These are my ramblings/rantings about being a truck driver. By "truck," I mean an 18-wheel tractor-trailer (called a 'semi') by some. Now, those of you who don't know me may find this blog uninteresting or boring, but you might learn something, anyway! It's Sunday morning, and I woke up early (4:00am) like I usually do on my days off. Being the week before Thanksgiving, I have to work one day earlier this week, to be home by Thursday.
Let me start by telling you something about me: I'm 44 years old, married, with a teenage daughter. I love my family dearly, although being away from them for a couple days a week can sometimes be a blessing in disguise. I tend to get moody/ angry at home (I don't know why), and my wife and daughter can sense this, so, going out on the road can sometimes (not always)
be a reprieve from the tension of home life. Lots of issues going on, which I may or may not delve into in later chapters.
I've been a truck driver for almost five years, most of that time with the same company. I work for a large food distribution company, owned by one of the big pizza chains. That's as specific as I'm going to get about my employer, for obvious reasons. My job, basically, is to deliver products to the various company stores and franchises we work for. It is a physically-demanding and stressful job. Don't get me wrong; I respect drivers who go over-the-road for days and weeks on end (how they do it I don't know), but my job is a little more strenuous than just "bumping docks." The OTR driver, that's a different breed, you know? It's a lifestyle, really,
instead of just a "job." So, with all due deference to my brothers and sisters in this crazy line of work, let's just agree that we're different (not better or worse).
Driving a truck ,(or truck-driving as I like to refer to it) is not the romantic myth that some would portray it: On the open road, wind in your hair, sun on your face......is really just that, a myth. In reality, it is (and becoming moreso every day, it seems) a very dangerous profession.
Dealing with other dangerous drivers (you know who you are),severe weather and road conditions, time constraints, complicated mechanical systems on the truck & trailer, all put an enormous amount of stress on the driver, at least from my perspective. I'll expand upon some of these hazards in future postings, but for now, suffice to say, I'm really starting to want out....
Let me start by telling you something about me: I'm 44 years old, married, with a teenage daughter. I love my family dearly, although being away from them for a couple days a week can sometimes be a blessing in disguise. I tend to get moody/ angry at home (I don't know why), and my wife and daughter can sense this, so, going out on the road can sometimes (not always)
be a reprieve from the tension of home life. Lots of issues going on, which I may or may not delve into in later chapters.
I've been a truck driver for almost five years, most of that time with the same company. I work for a large food distribution company, owned by one of the big pizza chains. That's as specific as I'm going to get about my employer, for obvious reasons. My job, basically, is to deliver products to the various company stores and franchises we work for. It is a physically-demanding and stressful job. Don't get me wrong; I respect drivers who go over-the-road for days and weeks on end (how they do it I don't know), but my job is a little more strenuous than just "bumping docks." The OTR driver, that's a different breed, you know? It's a lifestyle, really,
instead of just a "job." So, with all due deference to my brothers and sisters in this crazy line of work, let's just agree that we're different (not better or worse).
Driving a truck ,(or truck-driving as I like to refer to it) is not the romantic myth that some would portray it: On the open road, wind in your hair, sun on your face......is really just that, a myth. In reality, it is (and becoming moreso every day, it seems) a very dangerous profession.
Dealing with other dangerous drivers (you know who you are),severe weather and road conditions, time constraints, complicated mechanical systems on the truck & trailer, all put an enormous amount of stress on the driver, at least from my perspective. I'll expand upon some of these hazards in future postings, but for now, suffice to say, I'm really starting to want out....
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