I'm a trucker........ask me anything about truckin'.

[Droopy]

Well, part time trucker and full time college student now. But I've got 7 years experience and around 800,000 miles under my belt. So if there's anything you've ever wanted to know about trucking, here's your chance. Got complaints? I know a lot of people do so check in here and I'll try to explain.

[alphafemale]

1. Where's your log book? n/t

[Droopy]

5. Sorry officer

I left that in that in Idaho.

[Pale Blue Dot]

2. Ok

What's your 10-20, good buddy?

[Droopy]

11. Dayton, Ohio

On the campus of Wright State University. Just did a local turn up to Litchfield, MI and back tonight. Now I'm soaking up a couple of cold ones.

[Catshrink]

3. Did you drive tractor trailers?

I usually call those semis. Is that the correct term?

Have you ever driven a belly dumper? I think those would be cool.... We had one lose it's load in the middle of the interstate here in AZ one year.

[Droopy]

14. I drive tractor trailers

I drive onbe of them big box types. It's a 53' foot van. That's all I've ever driven. I don't think you could get me to drive a hopper or a belly dumper as you say.

[Catshrink]

16. Why? Do they handle differently?

Are they heavier? I guess they're for shorter distances than you usually drive. How long is a typical trip for you?

[Droopy]

40. Vans are the easiest because they don't require

any driver participation in the loading and unloading, usually.

A typical trip for me is around 420 miles.

[Maddy McCall]

4. Ever driven I-55 in south Mississippi? n/t

[Droopy]

17. Been there, done that, my friend

I've been to all the lower 48 and most of Canada.

[Friar]

27. I've been from Tuscon to Tucamcari

Tehachapi to Tonapa
I've driven every kind of rig that's ever been made
Driven the back roads so I wouldn't get weighed

:silly:

[Friar]

6. I was out on the highway late at night

I seen my pretty Alice in every headlight
Alice, Dallas Alice

Should I see an optometrist?

[Catshrink]

10. maybe it's the medication...

[Book Lover]

8. How true are the following stereotypes?

Frequent interactions with sexworkers

Boorish behavior toward females

Most polite drivers on the road

Plaid shirts as a wardrobe mainstay

on edit: spelling

[Friar]

22. on edit: spelling

I see that all the time.

[Maddy McCall]

23. And chronic outbursts of 'roids from sitting for such extended periods?n/t

[Droopy]

28. Well

I think the majority of drivers stay away from prostitutes, but it does happen.

I've witnessed a few drivers who weren't too kind towards the women folk but I don't know how prevalent that is.

The majority of drivers are curteous, in my experience.

No plaid shirts in my wardrobe, but a lot of the old timers seem to like them.

[Rowdyboy]

12. My old man was a longhaul trucker

He carried chickens to California and electric blankets to Chicago for the balance of my childhood.

[alphafemale]

13. What's Sugar Town? n/t

[Droopy]

29. I don't know

[alphafemale]

41. Savannah, GA Because of Sugar refinery. (And Yeah I've had a CDL) n/t

[ProudGerman]

15. Truckers rock

So, how many brownie points do I get because I always let truckers change lanes when their turn signals come on? (mainly because they are the only ones who use them)

How pissed do you get at those who draft really close behind for improved gas mileage?

[Droopy]

31. Major brownie points for letting a driver in

Some drivers are okay with drafting others are not. I think it's kind of cool because it makes me feel like I'm helping somebody out and kind of like we're working together as a team.

[Friar]

32. Do you ever

flash your lights at 'em so they know they have room? I do! But then:

If you give me Weed, Whites and Wine
And show me a sign
I'll be willin'...

[Maddy McCall]

Is it true...

that you guys really veer off on the rocky shoulders of roads so that you will spur up gravel and bust windshields of tailgaters?

A trucker buddy told me this.

[Droopy]

33. That's bullshit

Only an asshole would do something like that. I'd say that rarely if ever happens.

[alphafemale]

19. Why do truckers not enjoy Dead Heading? n/t

[Droopy]

35. If they're getting paid it's easy money

Some drivers don't like to dead head because they don't get paid for it. I used to be in a job like that. It's like working for free.

[Rocinante]

20. Ok I got one

when kids are on the side of the road doing the honk sign do you do it for them?

[Maddy McCall]

25. They ALWAYS do it for my son when I pass trucks and when we aren't

in heavy traffic. My kid adores truckers!

[Droopy]

36. Every time

[Rocinante]

43. Cool

kids love that!

[Friar]

39. lol

Do kids still do that? I loved when we did it and the truck went WHOOOOOOO. I hope truckers still do it and kids still do it.

[alphafemale]

24. What's a Pre-Trip?

[Droopy]

37. That's an inspection that you do

before you hit the road. It's required by law. You have to check your equipment and log it.

[arwalden]

30. Does It Help For Me To Blink My Highbeams...

... to let you know you've cleared passing me and that you can change lanes?

[JackSwift]

34. In the Grateful Dead song Truckin', what's a doodah man?

.

And you thought you know everything.

[FDRrocks]

38. Does your truck have those odd little half-gears?

My construction buddy told me alot of larger trucks have half-gears.

Oh... how about.... I dunno, you happy? How's the college? You truckers help our economy run, I salute you.

Oh yea, I heard something about truckers meth, like big buckets of meth... every heard of that? :)

You ever take the black beauties etc... they sell at truck stops?

You said anything :)

[Droopy]

44. I'm all natural

No dope for me. It does happen but I don't think it's as prevalent as most people think. The majority of truckers are clean. It's federal law that companies have to drug test a certain number of their drivers a year.

I went back to college to get out of trucking. I felt like I had more potential in me than just driving that old truck. I'll always have respect for truckers when I start my new career. For the over the road guys especially. That's a hard life.

[FDRrocks]

47. You obviously do.

You can do anything you want dude.

I listen to IE America shows and alot of Truckers call into Hartmann and Malloy to a larger extent. I find thier comments very insightful, as I imagine they have alot of time to think about things.

Unfortunately, theres seems to be a negative imbred idea about truckers. I utterly respect you guys, it almost seems like an oddly romantic lifestyle. My great grand pops was a trucker.

What are you in college for?

[Droopy]

55. In college for psychology n/t

[FDRrocks]

57. Same with my GF

I can never understand, I'm going for History precisely for my disdain of theory, but to each thier own! Good luck trucking dude.

[Maddy McCall]

61. I'm finishing my PhD in history...

don't worry, you will have PLENTY of theory to learn--it's called historiography/methodology, and it is every bit as cumbersome as theory in any other discipline.

Trust me, history is no "easy-way-out" discipline, at least not if you plan on going beyond your BA (and hopefully you are going the BA, not the BS, route.)

Best wishes :hi:

[FDRrocks]

66. Well....

That saddens me... I am definately intersted in History above everything. I believe in both "History repeats itself" and "Those who seek the key to history seek the key to the future".

I am going to look into what you said about the theory part. GODDAMN! I just want some hard shit :( My mind is conservative in that aspect, I guess :(

[Maddy McCall]

68. You will learn plenty of good, solid history...

You will have to know what happened before you can understand different historians' interpretations of those events, and into which methodological school they fall.

You'll do fine...but as for just learning about events, I would say that is 10% of the discipline. The other 90%, at least after your BA, will be mostly methodology and historiography, as well it should be, because this forces you to stay current with what is being written in the field.

[Friar]

69. If I had to write a doctoral thesis in history

I think I would just shoot myself after reading Umberto Ecco. He's not even a history guy!
Actually, if I had to write a doctoral thesis it would mean I was on my way to a PH.D. Like that could happen...

[Maddy McCall]

71. But you progress incrementally to that point...

When I was working on my BA, I NEVER thought I would attain an MA. When I was working on my MA, I never thought I would finish my thesis and pass my comps, much less go on for my PhD. Now that I am working on my PhD, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel--light that I was unable to see when I began a little over six years ago.

[Friar]

9. I wish you well on your paper.

I hope you post your thesis somewhere. I'm not an educated man so I love to read what the educated have learned. Part of my unsung autodidactism.
Many times I have been sent to Ph.D. papers through hyperlinks. I will always read the synopsis, if not the entire paper. There's too much information to assimilate sometimes, but what the hell, you can't know too much.

[Maddy McCall]

26. I hope I don't sound elitist...

I have guy friends who have a much better working knowledge of some wars, events, etc. than I have. PhDs don't guarantee wisdom, that's for sure.

My pop hasn't had a day in college, but he is the most knowledgeable man I know. Wisest, too. He would have been a GENIUS if he would have been able to go to college. He, too, was autodidactic. He continues to be a voracious reader.

If there is anything I don't like about college, it is the elitist attitude it creates in some people. Some people get a "Dr." in front of their names, and they turn into buttholes.

My masters thesis is bound and in the college's library and departmental library, but I haven't even checked to see if it is available on one of those sites where you can order theses.

My dissertation will be on southeast Indians. Got lots of research time ahead of me.

[Friar]

42. My Favorite Trucker tune

Truck Stop Girl (George/Payne)

His tail lights flickering as he pulled up to the truck stop
The same old crowd was hanging out again tonight
He said fill up my tank while I go check my load
It feels like it´s shifting all around

He was the kind of man, do all he could
Above all he had integrity
But he was so young and on a ten city run
In love with a truck stop girl

As he went inside he was memorily greeted
By the girl with whom he was in love
She held out a glass and said have another
This is the last time we can meet

With her hair piled up high and a look in her eye
That would turn any good man´s blood to wine
All his eyes could see, all his eyes could see
Was the stares from all these around him

He ran out to the lot and climbed into his rig
And drove off without tightening down
It was a terrible thing to see what remained
Of the rig that poor Danny was in

He was young and on a ten city run
In love with a truck stop girl

Copyright 1970 Abraham Music (ASCAP)
The Byrds "Untitled"
Columbia Records 1970

[Girlfriday]

45. What state has the worst roads?

We in PA always think it's ours. True?

[Droopy]

49. Louisianna has the worst roads

Tennesee has the best.

[alphafemale]

46. What are glad hands? n/t

[Droopy]

52. trucks have air brakes

so when you hook a tractor up to a trailer you have these lines that you have to connect and the connectors are called glad hands. They make the whole process easier because all you have to do is slip them into a slot. It used to be that connecting trailers required tools, I think, hence the name glad hands.

[alphafemale]

48. What is Jake Braking and why do some find it annoying? n/t

[Droopy]

53. A jake break is an engine break

It creates more back pressure in the engine to help slow the truck down. You know how when you drive a car with a manual transmnission and when you let off the gas at high rpm it has a breaking effect? Well Jake breaks magnify that effect to help slow the truck down. Jake breaks are typically use on down grades hen you are carrying a heavy load.

Some trucks have a straight pipe (no muffler) for their exhaust and the jake break creates a lot of noise when they are used in such a system.

[alphafemale]

50. What's a parking lot?

[Maddy McCall]

51. What is this? A CDL exam?

Sounds like you are "testing" him.

[alphafemale]

54. Not really. Just the fun jargon and slang. I tried the CDL life myself..

for awhile. There's some great people out there. They don't mind real questions.

[Maddy McCall]

56. Where all did you drive?

Don't mean to hijack the thread, tho. :-)

[alphafemale]

72. SE US Mostly - I wasn't up to it. n/t Way too much regulation.

[Maddy McCall]

7. You've probably been through my area then, since I live near a major

highway hub. Cool.

[Droopy]

59. A traffic jam

[alexwcovington]

58. Been through the Dakotas?

Stop there? Any opinion?

[Droopy]

63. I've been through both Dakotas

Lots of country up that way. I always enjoyed going out west (I'm from Ohio). I liked the wide open country and light traffic. I never had time to stop for much other than getting some fuel and a shower so I didn't get to stop into any of the tourist type stuff or get to know the locals.

[alphafemale]

60. Does the word Reefer mean something different to truckers than Mary Jane?

[Maddy McCall]

62. LOL!

I know the answer to that one, and I'm not a trucker. ;-)

[Friar]

64. Yes

Mary Jane thinks "reefer" means some guy who hangs out by the reef. To Truckers it means pot.

I hope this clears up any confusion.

[Droopy]

67. Yes ma'am

A reefer is a refrigerated trailer

[Girlfriday]

65. Thanks Droopy!

A fun thread :)

[Maddy McCall]

70. I second that...

very fun and informative. :-)

[Friar]

73. funny thread

You'd think it be some boring shit about truck drivers but there're some funny posts here.

Gawd, I love DU.

[ProudGerman]

74. Just how scary is jack knifing?

If its happened to you of course.

Where can I get a Jake brake installed on my car?

Why is it I rarely see truckers pulled over by troopers? Is it the CB network?

Do we delivery van drivers frighten you?

Ever enter an arm wrestling tournament to win a new rig?:P

[Droopy]

18. I jack-knifed once

It's the one blemish I have on my record. It's sort of a long story, to make it short I didn't hurt anybody (single vehicle accident) and it is probably one of the worst experiences of my life.

I don't think you can get a jake brake on your car. There's no need for one.

CBs help avoid speed traps. We can radio to each other the location of the cops. Nevertheless, truckers still get pulled over. Them bears can be sneaky.

Delivery van drivers only frighten us at the docks. They can back up a lot quicker than we can.

No on the arm wrestling. I'm not a tough guy.

[aquaman]

75. Do many truckers take stimulants?

That's a stereotype too.

[Droopy]

21. Only caffiene

Lots of drivers drink coffee. I prefer diet coke myself.