A few weeks ago when I went to pick up my loaded trailer I run into a driver I have known for some time. He is a company driver for one of the accounts I haul for. He has always been fun to talk to, so of coarse when I walked into the guard shack we gave each other a bit of shit, told a story or two and caught up on where we have been. Finally as I was going to walk out the door to go get my trailer I asked him if he was going out or coming back in, to which he replied that he wouldn’t be driving for the next two
Driver Accountability
May. 06 2011
I have been following this story since February and honestly it makes me sick. A driver new to the trucking industry flipped over a CRST truck. I will say right off I do not personally know him, just of him and that is where I am writing this story from. He came to me last fall via Twitter asking if I would help him get a job driving. Below is his message he sent me. For the record, I declined. Hey Bethany can I ask a favor? Could you go to bat for me a lil with schnider_Ben? He's going to bat for me with
Not For The Faint of Heart
Oct. 25 2010
So. The last two weeks have been busy which is part of the reason I've been MIA around here, the other is my wireless connection has been crap. Every time I have hooked up, if I burped, sneezed or blinked I was immediately kicked off. Finally, after having visions of using both my computer & wireless card as a wheel chock, I gave up trying. Luckily my new wireless doohickey has arrived and I should be good to go from here on out when on the road! I've run two trips to Arizona back to back, and had so many bad
The Easy Way Out
Apr. 11 2010
A few weeks ago when I was waiting to check in at a produce shed, a younger driver asked me two questions while standing there. The first was where he could get a permit to go into New Mexico. The second was, where are the weigh stations at? I told him most of the bigger truck stops should be able to help him with permits, and if he looked in the front of his map book, he could find all the contact information he should need on any state for permitting and/or weigh stations.... He looked at me confused and told me he
I’ll Be Back
Mar. 23 2010
Last night I had a bit of a mishap while dropping my trailer. I'm okay, but I ended up smashing my finger and knuckle against my trailer because I wasn't probably paying as good of attention as I should have been. I ended up with a very slight fracture so I'm very slow on the keyboard. Just thought I'd let you know I'll be back in a few days! I'll leave you with a view from a sunny Sunday in Minnesota...
Eye Opener
Mar. 02 2010
First off, I want to thank every one of you for all the kind, thoughtful comments you have made in the last few days on my Alive and Unscathed post. You people are wonderful! I posted "alive and unscathed" for a number of reasons. First, to get it off my chest, I knew if I kept driving it would do me no good or anyone around me. There are times you just don't belong behind the wheel and I knew I needed to be off the road. Secondly, I posted this to show readers what truck drivers deal with more than not... Usually
Alive and Unscathed
Feb. 24 2010
This may ramble. At this point I'm so shook up I don't know if I should shit or go blind, but I want to write this while it's fresh in my mind, and right now I don't belong behind the wheel. 20 minutes ago I was going north on HWY 83 in Kansas. I was all alone, no one in front of, or behind me. This part of Kansas is very desolate, with not much traffic, which is why I love it. It's a road I'm very familiar with, as I have traveled it for years now. I was heading north bound on HWY 83 just south of Oakley Kansas. The
Worn Out
Dec. 11 2009
One thing a lot of people don't understand about trucking is that when a storm hits, unless the roads are closed, you still have to go. You still have to get to your destination, preferably on time. People are waiting on their food, livestock, beds, carpet, and toilet paper. That means rain or snow and every weather condition in between makes driving truck a challenge. Flagstaff Arizona Winter is here. I left Minnesota on Monday morning hoping for the best, as usual. By the time Rosie and I crossed the South Dakota
Don’t Drive Drunk! Unless….
Nov. 24 2009
Your on HWY 10 in Minnesota. At night.... So last night I ended up going to Wadena MN first before going out to Merrill WI which is fine, more miles, more money. I left Wadena around 8:15 p.m. and had a 6 hour trip ahead of me. I figured I'd be sitting in WI around 2:30 am. I wasn't thrilled with the weather since the air was heavy and it was raining now and then. It never helps me truck that way, as I always love it when it's nice and clear with a ton of stars in the sky. Last night I would have rather been tucked in
Life 101
Sep. 09 2009
Well. It's been one of those weeks and I keep hoping I'll wake up from a bad dream. Last Saturday hubs fell about 15 feet from our truck shed. Luckily, he is alive. Luckily he will walk again. Unfortunately, he broke his femur on his right leg ending up with a steel rod and pins in his leg as well as crushing both of his heels... The femur is on it's way to recovery but the heels will have to have surgery in the coming weeks. We are just hoping the tissue swelling is down soon so they can go ahead with the surgery. The
