The Trucking Industry

A Few Trucking Statistics for 2011

Feb. 16 2012

So it is tax season once again and during my off time (ha! What off time!) I have been tallying up all the facts and figures that go with this time of year. With tax season, also comes the time to buy new license tags for Rosie which need to be affixed to her by March 1. It all seems to creep up around the same time making January, February & March busy months for me. And with the purchase of my license tags the state of Minnesota wants to know what kind of miles I have run the previous year and in what

Winter Driving Suggestions

Feb. 13 2012

Saturday started out as a good day. Rosie was purring & shining beautifully as we rolled up i15 in Utah and Eastbound into Wyoming. Unfortunately by the time I got to Wamsutter WY the roads went to hell and my worst fears were realized: Rosie was about to get dirty once again. She's actually black right now as I write this. Anyway I came upon this accident that day, and after passing numerous trucks that were bunched up in groups, truck after truck after truck, I thought this would be a good time to broach

Trucking Advocacy Bullshit

Jan. 06 2012

So. Here we go again folks… I was left the below message by someone named Judy who I'm guessing is yet another "Advocate" to the trucking industry. (Yay, just what we need) She thinks she knows trucking, and I guess she also thinks she knows me. Now normally I would not "out" someone and just write about the message I was privately sent. Since she posted this on my public Facebook page (for some reason I just found it a little bit ago) and I thought I would share my thoughts with anyone who cared to read. Judy

What My Day Sounds Like

Jan. 05 2012

I'm finally back out on the road today and of coarse have the tunes cranked WAY up. I thought I would share just a little of what I've been listening to today, since I have over 1600 tunes on my ipod. What do you listen to when you're trucking, heading home from work, or at home? Give me some ideas! I'm always looking for something else to pull me down the highway at a high rate of fuel consumption!

Loneliness, Bad Weather & Hood Shots

Dec. 14 2011

The weather this trip has been far from nice. I had well over 200 miles of fog which really makes for a slow, slow ride. Then the fog turned into a welcomed rain. Until it started to freeze. I guess the weather took my mind off being lonely. It doesn't come round very often, but sometimes it does, even when I'm so use to being alone. Even when I try to push it away. Generally I love it. My time alone, not poor weather. I love my rides across the country and Monday when I left I was so feeling it. But yesterday, I

What is Your Favorite Tool?

Dec. 07 2011

I have Rosie PACKED with tools. I have my grandfathers hammer (which would come in second on my list of favorite tools I use), a couple different sized socket sets, wrenches, screw drivers and too many other items to mention. I have a favorite that I keep very close by though, and I probably use them every day. That would be my side cutters or diagonal cutters. They are a tough little tool that is an all around help when my fingers are not strong enough. I use them for pulling foreign items out of tires

Trucker Quiz Pop Quiz

Nov. 04 2011

I just finally got done for the day and I thought I would do a really quick post on these little do hickeys before I crashed... I carry two of these with me in Rosie at all times. I happened to be looking at them the other day and got to wondering if everyone else carries one with them or if anyone even knows what they are? I have said it a ton of times here on OGT that I carry the kitchen sink with me. I believe the more things that can get me off the side of the road without having to call a wrecker or someone

The View From Here

Oct. 30 2011

So this week has not went off like planned. Actually this week has been a jumble of loading, unloading, reloading, waiting, and I'm still waiting. Originally the plan was for me to unload in Phoenix then head to Nogales to pick some of my load, then go back to Goodyear (just west of Phoenix) to finish loading because they were worried about weight and then head for the hills (Minnesota).... Well, of coarse I wasn't impressed at all with that plan. I don't like making anything harder than it has to, not to mention

Distracted Driving

Oct. 27 2011

A while back I took some “Hood Shots” and posted them up on OGT like I always do. I ended up getting a comment from a fellow whom questioned the fact that I take pictures while driving down the road. I answered him, and I’m not sure if he was happy with my response or just decided he didn’t want to continue the conversation. Our conversation is below. Hi Otis! Otis says: August 1, 2011 at 8:33 pm • How do you take those pics while you’re driving? That doesn’t seem to be what you’d expect of