Deadhead Miles

I have to confess to something. Nothing that would cause me an embarrassment. No, not even a blush. I love truckin'.

For me, machines of all kinds held special sway over my heart. Cars, trucks, tractors, engines of all types, monster towering buildings, ships, submarines, planes and trains have all fascinated me. Who builds them, who drives them, who maintains them and more importantly, can I do it? Can I play with them too? You betcha!

One memory I cherish is the time I rode with my Dad in this '53 or '54 Chevy pickup I think it was. I stood on the edge of the seat and stretched my little 4 or 5 year old body over the short dash and gripped the air outlet for the defrost with my pudgy 4 or 5 year old fingers. Looking out the right side of the split windshield, I must have been a sight with my wide grin and wide open eyes. Hell, I was in a truck, I was with my Dad, I was in 4 or 5 year old's heaven. I miss my Dad.

I've pursued ways to make sure that I got to play with all kinds of machines. Or at least to be around them. Some jobs was in the oil patch, they have all manner of machines to do all manner of things, both on shore and off. I did heavy industrial electrical installs and remodels and such. Rebuilt generator sets and installed massive solar heating plants. Spent time in submarines and learned to sail. Built chemical plants and other plants and saw cranes, some the biggest in the world, do their jobs. Fascinating I tell ya.

Now, I drive a big truck. Peterbilt. Hauling the same type machines that have fascinated me for years. It just goes to show that if you want to do something bad enough you'll do what it takes to get it done. I hope you have been going after whatever you dream about. Life is just not long enough for to many detours, to many deadhead miles, know what I mean?

Back In The Day

Back in the day when this B-63 Mack was a working truck and not a shiny show truck it has become today fuel was hardly a concern. Heck, life in America was truly one long summer vacation compared to other parts of the world. We had Elvis and Harleys, hot rods and Saturday nights, roller skating bell hops and pixie sticks, Texas ice houses and drive in movies. Brother the things you could do with 5 bucks and a car.

Independence Day was the grandest party of the year. The biggest. Well, second to Christmas for sure but ya didn't shoot fireworks on that day now did ya! Black Cat firecrackers were to be feared and cherry bombs took out any plumbing flushed down a commode, just don't get caught doin it. There was a technique to throwing Black Cats, usually learned by experience. You lit the fuse and did an underhand toss. I threw one once, only once, overhanded. The dern thing blew up just as it was passing my right ear. Man that was loud. Took off my fingernail to boot!

Boys just had to take the family sedan and make it better. Not that moms approved. But what the heck, it was better than getting into trouble in other ways. Girls rolled up their bobby socks and chewed gum and generally drove the boys wild! They got the rest of the money left over from the car.


The music got loud and proud and sometimes crazy. It became the voice of the now generation. And we started misbehavin in all new kinda ways. Long hair. Dope. Protests. Dye tied shirts. Sit ins. Nonsense now. It started the decline of the indulgent American life. I miss it.

What is really bad about today's economy is that our children and grandchildren will never know the America I and some of you grew up in. They'll just have to hear stories from us old timers about the good ole days, much like it was for us when we were growing up. Except our folks left us a legacy to build on. We knew we were going to have a better life than what they had. Not now. Just what are we leaving for our kids? I sure hope we can leave them something better than a sun setting in a rain storm.

From the Road

You may have noticed a new picture. I've decided to use various shots from the road to lead off the article. Something new. Something different. Kinda like rearranging the furniture.

It's now been a year and a half since I started this business of taking product from a manufacturer and delivering it to where a customer could buy it. This business has taught me a great deal and I know that there are more lessons to come. The first lesson is just how challenging driving a truck really is!

A symphony of sound and movement have to be learned and mastered. Getting 80 thousand pounds to role smoothly is just the beginning. Shifting through the gears, listening to the engine as well as keeping an eye on the tach, being mindful of the 4 wheelers and other traffic not inclined to watch out for the 18 wheeler, looking far enough ahead to plan for emergencies, and listening to the radio can tax the most focused of drivers. Every day I'm getting better.

Then there's the maintenance. I've learned to do most of it myself, that is using the simple hand tools that I own. Some items I have to let mechanics do the work, like changing tires. Oil changes I could do but it is better to have that done as well because where would I put all that used oil? Surely not on the ground. Just today I put new shocks on the front end. Took about 20 minutes. Saved a bundle.

Entertainment and relaxation are critical areas as well. I have Sirius Radio for all those hours behind the wheel and a TV/DVD combo for those hours in the bunk. Mostly movies. And of course a good book. I have to have a good book to read. Walking is still the best form of relaxation for me. I like to explore and find those out of the way eateries. I have not been disappointed.

O, the beauty of this great land I cannot put into words. I was once asked where my favorite part of the country is. Well, that is too hard for me to say. I love it all. Every place has its own special kind of beauty. To see a sunrise in a swamp or a sunset in the desert, how could you choose between the two? I can't. Or would you want to choose between the skyline of New York on a crisp autumn day and morning dew on the electrical wires lit up by the morning rays of the sun down a long country road? The real beauty is this; all that this country is or ever was or ever will be belongs to all of us and we don't have to choose. We can enjoy it all.

Which brings me to a final point, the people I meet. The truckers, the warehouse folks, the broker, the equipment drivers, the waitresses, the clients and the all the ones I meet on my walks are by far good and honest folk. Ready to lend a hand. Ready to offer a joke. Ready to be a friend for no other reason than you are there in the here and now. The farmer in the central valley in California is no different that the logger in central Maine. The cow man in Washington state ain't no different than the fisherman in Florida. The small business owner ain't no different than the trucker. We all want the same things for this country. We all want the government to leave us alone. We all love and respect the flag. We are good people.