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.