Warning Labels Part 2
Trucking and country music have always been tied together, and no one knows, actually, which came first. And while rock & roll is sub-divided into doo-wop, rockabilly, bubble-gum, and novelty tunes, country music has always been, well, country.
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Everyone has an earliest memory of childhood. Mine was curling up in front of the family’s floor-model Philco radio. A few years later the coolest accessory I could attach to the handlebars of my Schwinn Flyer bicycle was a transistor radio.
Read full storyWhat A Novelty (Song)
WHAT A NOVELTY (SONG, THAT IS) We appreciate a wide variety of music in our home, from the concertos of J.S. Bach to new age of John Tesh, and classic country to rock & roll. For me, it started as a five-year-old, curled up in front of the family’s floor model Philco radio. For Susan, it began at about the same age with hymns from the Mennonite church. It continues today, sixty years later, with a collection of 2000 purchased, burned, borrowed, and stolen recordings.
Read full storyWarning Labels
When I get our lawn mower out, pull the sidearm from a holster, or unpack my wife’s hair curler, I always see the warning labels. I’m not a dummy, of course. I know better than to put my feet near the blades, finger on the trigger, or hand around the curler blades, but warning labels are a good reminder.
Read full storyA Trucking Christmas
Christmas on the road brings challenges to the American trucker, even if the only loved one left at home is a teddy bear. Restaurants are closed, interstates are deserted, weigh stations are empty, and even hitch hikers take a day off. It’s a special kind of desolation, trucking across the Wyoming during the holidays.
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Christmas is a time for peace on earth, goodwill to men, and new gloves with a matching scarf under the Christmas tree. It’s a time for honest reflection, family reunions and, if you’re lucky, a hot rum & coke by the fireplace. And if you’re an OTR driver for a nationwide fleet, the sights and sounds of the holidays include screeching tires, honking horns, and traffic delays caused by bozos who can’t keep their seatbelts on, won’t give up the texting, and don’t drink unless they’re driving.
Read full storyA Likely Story Making God Laugh
February 17, 2009 started out like most other trucking days, with a cold shower and hot breakfast near Abilene, Texas. “Nothing can happen today, Lord”, I prayed, “that you and I can’t handle”. Little did I know how prophetic my prayer would be that day.
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don’t tip some people. In fact, I don’t tip a lot of people. That would include load brokers, funeral directors, flight attendants, or folks standing on the corner of a get-on ramp. I don’t tip the last group in particular, even if they are load brokers, funeral directors, or flight attendants. Nor do I tip police officers, if I appreciate my freedom. But more on them later.
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Truckers learn early in their careers to read every sign they can. Road signs, weather signs, billboards signs, and hand signs that use more than one finger. In the days before GPS, it was many of those signs that pointed us in the correct direction.
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There are dozens of parallels between truckers and pilots. We each have Hours Of Service, Electronic Logging Devices, medical cards, and endorsements. In addition, we share the curse and blessing of dispatchers, managers, Safety Directors, and Compliance departments.
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Not long ago I viewed a security video from a downtown Dallas alley. It showed a young man about 20 years old parking his car on a lightly traveled side street. Emerging from the ten-year-old vehicle, he carefully removed his cellphone, cigarettes, and loose change, then stored it all behind the driver’s seat.
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