Magazine / A Likely Story
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SAFER IN BED
Everyone has days they should have stayed in bed. Mine was last Sunday, and it revolved around multiple new technologies drivers love to hate. The first, of course, was the ELD, and the second was something called 'nautomatic deceleration'.Every Last... -
" Dont Answer That"
Lawyers learn never to ask a question unless they already know the answer. Husbands learn just as quickly not to answer, unless they already know the question on. Interrogators often hit pay dirt, not from what they ask, but what people volunteer. Pa... -
Employee Of The Month
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, a... -
A LIKELY STORY - KNIGHTS OF THE ROAD
Truck drivers have a bad reputation, and many have certainly earned it. From speeding to blocking, and drugs to drinking, drivers in the big rigs often become a big story. They are sullen, defensive, obnoxious, and self-centered, becoming more brazen... -
DREAMS OF A TWO-WHEELER
Parked at a small truckstop in Le Mars, Iowa, I was lounging in the driver’s seat, leafing through a magazine. Something caught my eye in the driver’s mirror, and I noticed a strange but wonderful sight. A young boy about eight years of age slowl... -
XM OR TRANSISTER RADIO?
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. I went... -
It’s A Blast
It was a sunny Monday morning, outside Poughkeepsie, New York, and I was just leaving the customer. Stopped at a red light, I noticed the mini-van stopped in front of me had a bumper sticker that said “Honk If You Love Jesus”. It just seemed like... -
Just Another Perfect Day
Monday morning started early one week recently. Breakfast at home was quick, hot, and nutritious, including a thermos for the road. Leaving the house at 7:00 AM sharp, I drove to the terminal using “personal conveyance” on the ELD. This is a grea... -
COPS AND TURNPIKES
Traveling east across the New York Thruway several miles from Newburgh, I saw a state police cruiser stopped on the right-side shoulder. The blue lights were flashing and, as always, I eased over to the left lane, watching intently for the officer. I... -
VALENTINES DAY EXODUS
This will be the fourth consecutive Valentine’s Day my marriage has withstood the withering barrage of advertising. It hasn’t been easy! You would think it’s impossible to survive without chocolate, cards, jewelry or flowers. Who knows? Maybe i... -
Revival Night In Alaska
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Holiday Hauls & Falls
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... -
My Tipping Point
I 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 l... -
TMI
As I sit high above the 4-wheelers, protected by my OVERSIZE flags & banners, the challenge is to process their actions in a coherent flow of information. My objective is to deliver intact, on time, and free of debris. To accomplish this, I am consta... -
Clean Up In Shower 7
Truckstops are a daily fact of life for those of us who measure life in mile markers. A clean, hot shower is a daily reward for an often dirty job. The good news is, there are no CFR rules governing water pressure, elbow room, towel size, or soap dis... -
WHAT’S IN A NAME
Some of our best-known actors, singers, radio entertainers, and politicians don’t use their real name. They do it for any number of reasons including money, spelling, privacy, and notoriety. Some notable examples include Nathan Birnbaum, Virginia H... -
Wedding Day Blues
Shortly after my 50th year on God’s green earth, I decided to get a college education. Not familiar with student loan options, I chose instead to work my way through school. Choosing a major in broadcasting was not the worst thing I could do with $... -
No Rest in The Rest Area
“Not much happens the first few days.” I said to my new student driver. “We’ll mostly just get to know each other.” Easing onto the freeway, floating the gears like an old timer, I drove as if I knew what he needed to learn. I had just met ... -
What The Camera Sees
My mother was a product and survivor of the Depression. Not the kind that has one feeling bad, but the kind of depression that left whole families real hungry and real destitute. The daughter of an alcoholic father and suicidal mother, it was a chil... -
Closer Than A Brother
I was looking at the TV news today, getting agitated with yet another political non-story, and my darling wife was getting increasingly exasperated with me. “Tell me some good news!” she cried impatiently. “Doc is the only good news I’ve hea...