The Smokey Bears Saga

It has been awhile since I have had an encounter with a Officer of the Law so I have not had any delightful tales to pass along. However, last week, there was just such an occurrence.

As any of my returning loyal readers may remember, I have very fortunate luck when it comes to encounters with The Men In Blue, and well, I just love them so for that reason. I also have great respect for them and all they do to protect and serve!

So, as I am making my way home through South Carolina, I am engaged into a conversation with one of the local Roadway drivers. After several miles, he brings to my attention that a certain marked automobile has entered the runway and is creeping up behind me. Knowing full well, he might not like my chosen speed, I proceed to slow and watch as he takes his ever loving time to catch me. I had a feeling he may have been watching for my next move. As he cruises past, I notice him looking at me, so I put on my brightest smile and wave.

We proceed to maintain the designated speed for several miles and he eventually enters my lane ahead of me. Ever so slowly he begins to increase his speed.. So, do I! Of course as is when any law enforcement is present the rest of the motorists have slowed, certain this Smokey is hungry. But we continue to motivate until we are about 10 mph above the posted speed limit. I notice in my mirror that there is a car flying up the left lane, so I grab my CB mic and tell the Smokey "You got a customer coming!"

Surprise!! Mr Smokey had his radio on and replied to me that he was feeling generous. The car slowed before reaching the Officer and we continued to roll south. A few miles later, another car was blazing a trail down the left lane and I once again grabbed my mic. "Oh come on, Mr Smokey, you know you wanna!!"

He then asked me to maintain my current speed and position as he dropped off to my right and had me run cover for him. The car blasted past and on came the blue lights!! "Thank you Little Lady" was the last thing I heard as he attended to more pressing business. This absolutely made my day and I wondered if perhaps I should give South Carolina a reprieve from my constant badgering.

Yeah, that probably won't happen!! And in other tales of wrongdoing...

On my way through Georgia, heading to the house, there was a major backup getting to the Watermelon 500 due to construction. I get so tickled at listening to all the whining and misinformation. I tried to alert anyone who would listen that it was normal construction at high traffic volume. It only lasted a few miles, blah, blah, blah. This is a stretch of road that is seven lanes wide and the construction had it reduced to the 3 extreme left lanes, which included the HOV lane. Of course the 3 extreme left lanes are all very restricted where commercial vehicles are concerned. I figured if construction puts us in violation anyways........

So, along with another flatbed and tanker, we hit the dusty trail and made our way through the congestion. Even had an Evil Knievel (officer on a motorcycle) wave as we went by. The radio came alive with folks complaining about what we were doing, but the way I see it is. If I am taking a risk, it is my business. If the only lanes open are restricted, well, all lanes are illegal right? And how often are you going to be able to get a picture like this !!

Funny Thing...

I wrote an entire blogpost on mudflap hangers, and it was really QUARTER FENDERS that were removed.

Shows you how mad I was...hahaha!

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Going Off The Deep End

Bah!!!!!! ARrrrrghhhh!! Eeeekkkkk!!!

You know, it is not often that I lose my cool. Nothing really ever seems to get to me, that I can't dismiss in a matter of minutes. I don't typically blow up at people unless it has been a very long time coming. My outbursts are kept to the confines of my truck while driving through South Carolina and usually result in my laughing hysterically at myself.. Because I am just not convincing in my anger, rage or hostility. I am comedian, not a fighter!

BUT.... Sunday solicited an extreme situation that had my blood boiling in a matter of seconds. I felt the flush in my cheeks and the hint of a tearful rage brewing just beneath the surface. Yes, I CRY when I am truly "angry".

I was walking around my truck checking over the situation when I noticed shiny new bolts attached to the area near my frame.. Awwww, they fixed something. The mechanics actually fixed something... YAY!!! It took about 10 seconds to realize that the shiny new bolts were attached to new black plastic mudflap hangers on my tractor...

That is when I lost it. I know, mudflap hangers? Really Terry? You came unglued over truck parts?

Yes, YES I DID !! and here is the reason why...

I am the only driver at the plant who takes the time to polish the tanks and keep a shiny truck. I was thrilled when I got the aluminum hangers which were issued from one of our shops. We are not allowed to customize out trucks, so the additional look of "chrome" absolutely made my day. I have worked hard and long hours rubbing the aluminum to get a nice result. I am the only driver that takes pride in my ride. Everything that I had done comes out of my pocket and it is not about money or time, it is about having pride in what you do. I claim NYC to be my baby. I take delight in being very good at my job! I am a freaking female flatbedder damn it and I run NYC like it was a small town out in the sticks. I embrace my inner "jersey" girl. I run like a local with a my East Coast Attitude and all I wanted was for my truck to represent who I am ....Countless hours polishing. I was just in the shop 2 weeks ago, all day polishing my truck in front of the mechanics because I wanted to get it done and I couldn't wait. Winter is over, bring on the shine!! They knew how much it meant to me.. They KNEW HOW MUCH IT MEANT TO ME !!

I literally stewed on it all day Sunday. I was anxious to talk to the shop foreman to get an answer... THEY KNEW HOW MUCH IT MEANT TO ME.

Monday morning, 6:58 AM. I am on the phone..

" Where are my mudflap hangers?" and in his best ( I am a dumbass voice) the shop supervisor responds, "Now that is a good question!"

Seriously dude... where the hell are my mudflap hangers ??

I was distinctly told that while servicing the APU they had to literally CUT the hangers in half to get them off of my truck... While servicing an APU that I refuse to use because it makes my lungs burn, gives me headaches and dries out my eyes. Don't think the damn thing has been serviced in over a year! I don't use the freaking APU.. I do polish my aluminum!! After his asinine explanation, I politely thanked him for answering my question and hung up on him. It would have done me no good to curse at him because the hangers were already destroyed. I did not write up the APU for service... Why is it I cannot get the things I needed repaired, but I am always unpleasantly surprised by some other form of bullshit..

Yes, I am angry over silly little mudflap hangers.... My truck stood out! My pride showed though. Now all I want to do is find a big mud hole to drive through and hang out in the middle lane with all the other non descript company trucks.... BLECH !!

But wait, there is more. I shall leave you with a touch of humor to make up for my hostility. While unloading at my first stop, the lift driver comes up to me and asks if I had a blowout on my drives. "No, why would you ask that?"

Because you have new mudflap hangers..

ARRRGHHHHHHHH !!

Another Tragedy

It is not often that I see tragedy, and after the previous experience watching the car flip out of control, I was sincerely hoping I would not see another for a long while.

Eight days later was just not long enough.

This time I am heading north on the New Jersey Turnpike when I noticed a tractor trailer parked on the shoulder. Immediately behind him was a automobile wrecker. My first thought was that the driver had been involved in an accident and perhaps a car was located in the ditch. It then hit me that there was NO traffic.

Another tenth of a mile down the road, I saw something...

I stared intently trying to figure out what I was looking at...

Just as I passed it, I realized that is was a body...

Not sure what truly happened, but my guess was suicide, and the reason I believe this is that the word on the radio was a pedestrian was trying to cross the Interstate. I have seen several instances where a pedestrian has been hit while crossing and I cannot figure out why anyone would choose to do this. But the illogical part of the equation is as follows. There was an overpass no more than a few hundred yards away. It just makes sense that the individual jumped to his death in front of the truck due to location of his final resting place. Sorry if this seems a bit morbid, but it is easier for me to deal with this type of imagery if I associate it with logic and reason. If he was truly just crossing, would he not have chosen the overpass...

You never know what each day brings! My heart goes out to that Truck Driver, because I am positive his life will be changed forever by this. And I am also positive he never knew what hit him.

Fiery Competition

Just a little challenge amongst friends...

Tragic Reminders

Not exactly the best week to be blogging about. Oh, there was nothing wrong with the work week itself, but I was reminded to take time and consider all that is important to me. We should all do this more often than we probably do, but life gets busy sometimes.

On Sunday evening while I was making my way towards the Carolina Coast, I witnessed a tragic accident.

As I was progressing eastbound, nearing an entrance ramp, I merged to the left lane to accommodate for oncoming traffic. It was then, as I looked into my mirror that I noticed a huge cloud of dust and debris. As I continued to stare at it, a car came tumbling out of the haze. It was literally doing a barrel roll about 10 foot off of the ground. I watched as it slammed onto the pavement and began to roll again. It finally came to rest in a runoff ditch full of water, sending a spray of liquid nearly 20 feet in the air. This all took place just a few hundred yards behind me in a matter of seconds, but I was still able to see "objects" ejected from the vehicle. I hope and pray those objects were not the occupants of the vehicle. I was shocked into a silence... Immediately I dialed 911 to report the scene and after speaking with the emergency operator, I continued my evening in a quiet contemplative mood.

This for me, is the hardest part about being a truck driver. Facing mortality. I did not know these people, but with the assumption that a life has literally just ended before my eyes, my heart is ripped apart. I grieve for the victims, I grieve for the families, I even grieve for any witnesses who are left with mental scars of what they have just witnessed...

Gratefully, I have not witnessed an excess of fatalities, but then again, isn't even one an excess!

Cruisin'

What is even better than having your day finish off back on track after all hope is lost?

That would be Day Two. Tuesday's deliveries had me beating a trail through Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York. I realize that this probably seems to be a much repetitive post, but with all the complaining I hear over the traffic and whatnot in these areas, I kind of feel obligated to enlighten you splendid readers that such is not the case. At least not for me.

Wide open to The George Washington Bridge

Westbound ~ Long Island Expressway heading

towards the Queen Midtown Tunnel.

Major Deegan Expressway

Heading back to GWB.

Crossing the Hudson one more time.

Total time in New York was 3.5 hours. With 3 stops in Queens and another well out on the Island, I would say I made very good time indeed. But then again, I have been heard boastfully stating that this IS MY CITY. I have also been told that I exude the New York Attitude. I am not too sure about all that. My stop out on Long Island was at the same customer where the Jersey Girl insisted that I had hit her car. I was anticipating a nasty reprisal. Thankfully she was not at work that day, but the boss did make me aware of the fact that this lady wanted to inflict bodily harm to me.. Yikes!! I think the term he used was "beat my ass"! Needless to say, it will be a long time before I head back into this customer without a sense of fear and trepidation simply because, being in a company truck, I have to maintain a demeanor that is respectful to my employer.

Parked at the truck stop by 3:00pm. I enjoyed the rest of the afternoon off duty, with only 7 miles to drive to Wednesday's first customer. Another fabulous day in my fabulous life...

...in My FABULOUS CITY

( searching....)

Another perfect start to a seemingly perfect week.

If you know me at all, you would probably know that from the moment my load is assigned to me on Thursday, the little wheels inside my head begin to turn, churning out numerous options in which I can reroute my trip to save time. From the time I load up my gear on Sunday, I am already thinking about coming home.

Monday morning finds me in Youngsville, NC. After chatting up the customer, I begin my trek towards Evington, VA. Already knowing that because I will remain on the back roads for most of the day, I am inclined to sit back and enjoy the ride. And ride I did... After 4.5 hours of peddling down the lost highway, I am able to arrive at Customer #2, but at this point, I am resigned to the fact that I will not achieve all I have scheduled for the day. It seems that with the coming of Spring, everyone is out and about basking in the glow of warmth. And with this basking, there is surely some sightseeing to be done! Mother Nature is slowly canvassing this part of the world in vibrant colors and there is not a much better spot to take in the beauty than on the back roads. However, I am at work and 35mph in a 55mph zone is not helping my cause, especially when the duration of said impediment lasts for nearly 20 miles. UGH!!!! By 10:30am, I was knew it was a lost cause.

Now don't get me wrong, while I may have grumbled under my breathe for a few miles, I was also soaking up my surroundings. Nothing is more peaceful than tooling around on the back roads. Such serenity!!

The second customer had recently moved and had yet to receive a delivery at the new location, so it was up to me to play Lewis and Clark. You would think with all the fancy technology available, this small feat would have been no problem. First off, I do not use a GPS tracking device. Same routes, same customer... Don't see the need for it. However, when you are riding around in the middle of absolutely freaking nowhere and cannot get more than 2 seconds worth of cellphone service, it tends to start looking bleak rather quickly. Trust me, I have put my Big Truck on many a road I had no business being on, and that is not the most comfortable feeling. So after dozens of numerous attempts I began to get just a little bit antsy. Even the local fellows on the CB had never heard of Happy Home Drive. Could it be because Happy Home Drive is actually just the name of the driveway to the only customer at the end of the Happy Little Road.

But I found it, made the delivery and proceeded back out onto the back roads. Once again settling back to enjoy the country sights, I am in no hurry to get to Maryland. After 6.5 hours of back road trucking at just over 300 miles, I finally reemerged into civilization. I am now racing the clock to beat traffic through DC, because at this point it is go.go.go!!

I arrive at Customer #3 at 4pm. Knowing I was not going to get unloaded, I ventured in to grab some food and let them know I would be waiting on them bright and early in the morning....

Well, it wasn't about 30 minutes later, I was back rolling. Have I ever mentioned how much I love my customers? Oh yeah, right back on track after giving up hope some 6 hours earlier!!

Oh that reminds me, for any of my new readers who have not had the pleasure of indulging in my misadventures or mistaken routes, perhaps you will enjoy this post ----> If I Had A Hammer

Two Birds With One Stone

And in other news....

Lately I have had the pleasure of running into a few friends during my work week. Below are a couple of videos filmed during those visits. Enjoy !!

To Everything.. Turn, Turn, Turn

Spring is in the air, my friends and that would make this an excellent time for new beginnings. I have had the luxury of running the air conditioner in the truck on numerous occasions. I have been watching all the new signs of life as the planet slowly wakes up from its Winter slumber... but I have also woke up freezing several times due to sleeping with the truck turned off... Not quite Spring, but I am soooo ready!

And since I am mentioning life refreshing itself, this seems like a perfect time to also mention the ending of things passed. I have been very preoccupied the past few months with emotional upheaval and perhaps just not in the mood to share. My relationship has ended and it was very bitter for me. Deceit and indifference reigned supreme as deciding factors and while I am so much better off, I will not deny that my heart seemingly was ripped out and tossed aside. So the past few months, I have not exactly been myself. I am no longer mourning the loss of this relationship, but it has once again left me questioning people and their motives. People just suck sometimes, but I am slowly returning to the person that my friends adore. This post was not intended as bitter and it is definitely not bittersweet. It is a post of new hopes and awakenings. My eyes are open and I am ready to dig my heels in. Life is waiting !!