The Good Old Days.....Or Were They?

Last week I dropped in Topeka with 1 1/2 hours to spare and headed toward Tulsa for my next pickup. I couldn't pick up in Tulsa until the next day and I figured that was a good thing since I was starting to run short on hours. Only 16 left for that day and the next so I decided to cut the day short and pulled off into an old, familiar haunt, the BETO Junction truck stop. It's been many years since I spent any time here so I decided to just walk around and check things out. Like most places the old mom and pop truck stop has been bought out and transformed into a chain truck stop. T/A has it now and the old ambiance is gone.

I spent many a night in here grabbing a piece of homemade apple pie and some good old fashioned ice cream. Back in those days in the middle of the night there would always be 5 or 6 tired truckers like me doing the same thing. We'd talk about where we were headed, coming from, going to, or any of a dozen topics. Anything just for conversation. Mostly what you'd see in here back then were bull haulers or meat haulers and everybody had to be somewhere yesterday. I had probably picked up a load of beef out of Liberal or Dodge City, Kansas and headed east. Wasn't anything back then to pick up a load at about 8:00 PM Tuesday night and have to be in Boston, New York, or Rhode Island by 5 or 6 AM on Friday. I'd come out of the truck stop and set the alarm for about 2 hours, get up and roll. You'd pull out of here and kick it up between 80 and a 100 mph and let her roll til you got near Kansas City. The only traffic you'd see on the roads at that time of night were other truckers and they were doing the same thing you were. If you passed the Highway Patrol he'd usually just flash the lights at you to warn you and keep right on going. If you did get stopped you'd just give him one of the "few" driver's licenses you had and keep on rockin'. Once daylight came around you'd keep your speed down to around 75 to 80. Logbooks were just a nightmare and very seldom were they right. I was stopped at the scales 6 times in a period of 5 weeks for them to check my books. I finally asked the scale master in

Truckers Chapel at Beto Junction T/A truck stop

Missouri why did I keep getting checked? He told me the company I was with had the best tractors and trailers on the road and never was there a safety defect found on them, but you could bet 2 out of 3 drivers logbooks were way behind. They knew the companies that had to really roll, mostly because of time sensitive product you were carrying. When you did sleep it was usually about 2 or 3 hours over the wheel. You normally didn't get in the sleeper until they were unloading you. That was good for 4 or 5 hours. Then do it again in the other direction.

Sounds dangerous, huh? Not really. Traffic was virtually non-existent after about 11:00 PM. Weren't nearly as many deer and other animals getting onto the roadways. And the drivers were a different breed back then. They would crash themselves to keep from hitting another vehicle, even if the other vehicle was at fault. We also knew our limits. We knew the roads we were traveling on and could tell you every bump, dip and rock. We knew when we had finally had enough and it was time to shut it down. Dispatchers also knew that we knew and would very seldom argue if you told them, "Enough." The trucks running like this were extremely well maintained. Brakes, tires, springs, shocks everything was top of the line as were the trucks. Back then the freight rates were about the same as they are today. Only then you had fuel prices below a dollar a gallon which left a lot of profit to maintain your equipment or purchase new equipment. New trucks were a fraction of what they cost today. Most people I knew very seldom kept a truck more than 3 years. They could afford to trade.

How does this compare to today. Well for starters we do get a fuel surcharge today. It's in no way enough to keep up with the cost of fuel. Also some shippers, since they are required in their contracts to pay surcharges, will reduce the freight rates so that you don't see a lot of difference in the total rates. You hear drivers hollering about, "Don't pull cheap freight." I do have a limit I won't go under but I also have a family and bills to pay. A lot of owner operators give me a hard time about deadheading 200 miles to pick up a load. If that load is paying good rates and including the deadhead miles and I'm well over my bottom line, yeah I'll go get it.

We also don't drive nearly as fast today. Too much traffic and too many idiots on the road. Also too many truck drivers that don't have the common sense and/or experience to get out of the rain. Back in those days cars respected trucks. It seems back then everyone knew what it took to control and stop a truck. Today that respect is gone. I run quite a few short runs through the back roads and at least two to three times a day I have people run stop signs, pull out of driveways, pass on yellow lines on hills and curves, anything you can imagine just to get ahead of the truck. Most of the time just to go a half mile and turn left. People don't have a clue what it takes to get this truck stopped, not to mention what it can do to the product you're hauling when you have to brake hard. I put a dash cam in my truck just for these idiots. If I ruin a load to keep from running over you, expect to get a piece of paper delivered where I'm suing you to recoup damages. My insurance deductible is $1000 and I will not take that hit alone. Remember I now have your vehicle description and usually your license plate, along with the time and date the incident occurred. A lot of drivers are going to these systems now. You want to sue me because a rock came up off the road and hit your windshield? Pay back is hell. Keep in mind that about 10% of the trucks on the road are now installing cameras for their protection. This number is rising quickly as the costs associated with the cameras has come down. It is a small price to pay for our peace of mind. Trucks were easy pickins' for ambulance chasing lawyers who knew it was cheaper for the truck to settle without going into court and fighting, even when the driver was in the right.

Now days I keep my cruise control set at about 63 mph. I do this mainly because that is where the "sweet spot" is and my engine is most efficient. I'm saving fuel. Some companies have speed limiters where their trucks are limited to 60 with the cruise on and 63 standing on the accelerator to override it. Most over the road trucks also run electronic logging devices which makes sure we are running our legal hours. Some people (mostly old timers) don't like it. Sure there are times when I wish I could throw it out the window but, for the most part I have no problem with it. Some companies are using it to harass their drivers by knowing exactly when they can come back on duty after their 10 hour break and call them with loads that have to be "picked up right now." It doesn't matter that the driver had nothing scheduled so he sat around the truck stop bs'ing til the wee hours of the morning and has only been asleep a couple of hours. Your log says you can go, so go.

Drivers are also shoved through schools so fast now just so the company can put a butt in the seat they're not really getting the over the road training they need. Most "at fault" crashes drivers are involved in happen within the first two years of driving. It takes years to get comfortable with the differences in a truck and a car. Just because you think you're Earnheart Jr behind the wheel of your 4 wheeler doesn't even begin to translate into safely hauling 80,000 pounds down the highway. There is too much time in the classroom and not enough time behind the wheel at these schools. Yeah we all had to learn someway but, the schools are there taking good money from these kids to teach them, so teach them what the road is all about. Most companies have over a 100% turnover each year. A lot of this is because these people just don't realize what it is like to live as a rambler with little home time.

I've never been one to sit in an office all day or work in a factory somewhere. Sure I could have probably made more money elsewhere but this country is wide open and I enjoy seeing it. Yes I do miss my wife and now that the truck is mine I do get to spend a lot more time at home with her.

So which were the better days, yesterday or today. I guess it's really a trade off. There are a lot of things I miss about the old days on the road, mostly the camaraderie with others that you don't have today. But today I enjoy the easier lifestyle. Not having to always be somewhere yesterday. Not having to be wide open everywhere you go. I mostly enjoy the fact I do get my rest these days. Maybe that's from old age catching up to me. I don't know. I just know that things seem a lot easier these days.

Not A Good Day For A Birthday

It's Tammy's birthday. Her 22nd. Birthdays are days of great cheer. Especially in our younger years. We drink, we eat, we laugh. All our cares are gone for this one day while we ponder a year gone by and another, even brighter year, on the horizon. We celebrate this special day with our family and friends. Tammy is working on this day. She's a bartender at a sports bar outside Dayton, Ohio. Far from home, she is still surrounded by friends. This particular group of friends will jump at any reason to have a celebration. A birthday, Tammy's birthday, is really special for them and now they have a reason to throw the party to end all parties. They love her and she loves them. They are her regular customers. Yes they're her customers, but each is also a dear friend to her. What a great reason, and place, for a party.

Tammy

Not tonight. Not this year. The bar is eerily quiet and somber. There are some silent tears from her customers as they sit nursing their drinks and wondering what the future now holds for each of them, their families, friends, and our country. Even the biggest, baddest, most boisterous is quiet tonight. His eyes wet with tears he doesn't want others seeing. They are quietly crying, reflecting on, some praying for, those lost today. People they don't know. People they've never met and probably never would. Yet people they developed an instant bond with, as did the rest of the world. They are in shock, confused by the sights they've seen today. All eyes continue to be glued to the television tonight as they will be for days to come. Tammy is on the phone with her mother 500 miles away in South Carolina crying, along with her mother, for all those lost. "What a way to celebrate my birthday, and all the rest to come." You see, this birthday is September 11th, 2001. She was young but understood the impact this date will have on the American public for years to come. Hopefully, eternally.

It's Tough To Get Old...But It Does Beat The Alternative

Where did this guy go?

I remember when I was young my dad got up one morning complaining about being sore all over. I asked him what happened. He told me, "I must have slept wrong." What? It's sleeping. How can you screw that up? 4 easy steps. 1)You get in the bed. 2)You lay down. 3)You go to sleep. 4)You wake up. It's so easy that a bed doesn't even come with instructions. What's so hard about sleeping that you can't do it right? I've even fallen asleep standing up, in class. And that was after the teacher told me to stand against the wall because I fell asleep at my desk. I've never had trouble falling asleep and I never woke up sore. That was until about a year ago. Now I frequently wake up sore all over. Sometimes being sore is the reason I wake up. How does your neck get sore from sleeping? Or my arm? Or my back? I don't think I'm doing anything different. Even going to sleep is sometimes a pain. My legs get to kicking like I'm running a marathon.

Oh yeah, and where do these bruises come from? I think somebody is beating me up in my sleep. I can get in the shower and get out with bruises. What the ???? The other day I was cooking and felt something wet on my arm. I looked down and it was bleeding! I had a small cut that I have no idea where it came from. This old age thing sucks.

If I were a car I'd be headed for the scrapyard. I can't get started in the morning. I squeak when I move. I have occasional leaks and I make strange noises for no apparent reason. I've had the occasional tune-up but that don't help. My exterior is shot and I really hate to think what the interior is like. As my mom would have said, "I look like I've been rode hard and put up wet." I went to the doctor for a physical and while I was getting dressed he went outside and spoke to the wife. He told her, "I don't like the way your husband looks." She replied, "I don't either but he's handy around the house."

I guess I deserve it. I didn't take care of myself at all when I was young because, to tell the truth, I never figured I'd make it this long. I figured I would be dead by the ripe old age of 35. Anyone who has known me for any amount of time knows what I'm talking about. I had to be right on the ragged edge all the time. I think they call it a "Type A" personality. In fact A plus. Now that I'm older I look back and really do wonder how I made it this long. I believe I was the original, "Hey y'all. Watch this," guy. Fast cars. Faster motorcycles. Crazy women. Even my profession as a cop. I wasn't satisfied to be just a patrol officer, which is dangerous enough. I had to be a Detective, an undercover officer, where I was living on that line all the time. I figured one of these would have gotten me years ago.

When it's my time I don't want people walking up to the casket and saying, "My, don't he look good." No....I want them to walk up, look in, and say, "Oh crap. Did he get hit by a bus?"

Another part of getting older is the loss of my memory. It's bad enough to run into someone and can't think of their name. I'll be working on something, walk to the shed to get a tool, and can't remember what I came for. I'll walk around in there for awhile just looking around thinking if I see it I'll remember what I was there for. Finally I'll give up and go back to whatever I was doing. Eventually I'll need that tool again and make a second stab at going after it.

I still love my fast motorcycles and cars, and well, the wife makes sure I don't have to worry about the crazy women anymore. They still turn my head occasionally and like I tell her, "Just because I'm on a diet don't mean I can't look in the refrigerator." But she's good to me. It don't matter where I get my appetite as long as I eat at the house. Retiring and walking away from my job as a Police Officer was probably the hardest thing I've ever done. To leave something that was ingrained into me, was a part of me, was rough. I still get that adrenalin rush every time a police car goes by lights flashing, balls to the wall. Oh yeah, go git em boys. But I knew I was getting slower. None of us want to admit that we're getting older and slower but police work is a young man's game. If my reflexes are off a fraction of a second it could cost me or, worse yet, someone else their life. I have friends who are as old as me and are still in it and are still great at it. I just wasn't going to risk it.

When the Lord says, "Come on, it's time to go," I'll be glad to leave this old body behind because I know it's all used up anyway.

I will continue refusing to let life pass me by without living every minute of it. It's a little slower now and the things I enjoy are things I didn't pay enough attention to when I was younger. Quiet nights at home with the wife. Time with our Church. Kids, Grand kids. Friends. Family.

I am still learning to appreciate the slower life and finding things that were always there but I never slowed down enough to look at, and enjoy.

It's time for me now to Live, Love, Laugh, and Enjoy life in an all new and amazing way.