Trucking - the quest for a good local job...

Oprah tells me I should be more in touch with the forces of the universe, mother nature and the planets. I should be more in touch with my inner child, my feminine side and my external surrounding energy. Well, I think I am. And all those "folks", think I need to come in off the road and find a good local job. After about 8 years of flatbed driving I'm not only burnt out, I don't want to spent another winter on the road. My health is failing and resuming a "more normal" life will probably save my life. I'm 53 years old. My father died at 55. My younger brother just had bypass surgery.

But now, here's the rub - going "local" has NEVER worked for me. It's going to take several posts to talk about all my "local job" experiences. But for now let's focus on a situation that happened to me about four years ago, before I joined the company I drive for now.

The City Garbage Truck Job

I live near Largo, FL, which made the news last year because its city manager decided to switch sexes and become a women. After his announcement, he showed up for work in hose and heels. He, now she, actually didn't look that bad. But the seniors and the church going citizens of quite conservative Largo voted her out of a job. But while he was there he insisted that the public works department receive the best equipment - and that included garbage trucks.

I went to City Hall and found out they needed garbage truck drivers. Being a semi driver would be a definite plus. It was a union job, started at $10.25 an hour with regular raises, offered great health insurance, other good benefits and a killer 40lK type plan. They wanted me to work Wednesday through Sunday from 7am until about 4pm. I would get an older clean unit until the newer ones arrived in about three months.

I passed the physical and the road test. I was offered the job after two interviews. I did it! I would be at home, working locally and this would be my last job. No more tarping, no more chains, no more foolish shippers, forget directions, forget the DOT, no more weigh stations, no more holidays on the road, no more weekends sitting at the FJ, and no more being stuck in the truck for 3, 4 or 6 weeks at a stretch. I was very excited.

My first day on the job as a rookie. The other men there, some of them had been with the city since the Spanish landed in Florida, ignored me. I was introduced to the safety guy who also was the trainer. We spend my first day together lifting and dropping empty green and brown garbage containers. We got in his car and drove to a local Wendy's for lunch. Then it was back to lifting and dropping. I couldn't wait for 4pm.

The next day was exciting. We spent the day lifting and dropping garbage containers with real garbage. That would be smelly, drippy, disgusting, icky garbage. As you lift the container up and then angle it toward the bucket in the back really disgusting (I'm going to use this word a lot) liquidy "stuff" drips all over the top of your cab and on the windshield. Yes, there is air conditioned, but you really need the drivers side window open to make sure everything is working properly. Some of the junk drips on your work clothes and hair. Everything is controlled with a small job stick that takes some getting used to. I couldn't wait for 4pm.

Day #3. Back with the trainer again. Today we get to go on the road to do a real route. Strip malls, movie theatres, small businesses like Subway, larger restaurants like Chili's and TGI Friday's, RV parks, the post office, etc. I never realize how much garbage there is in the world. Did you ever smell really old popcorn butter sitting in a trash can in the sun? How about the uneaten food, beer and liquor from the local Chinese buffet?

I keep lifting and dumping in the back. Part of the deal here is that you have to remember to compact the trash every once in a while so you can lift and dump more in. Grab, lift, dump, compact - grab, lift, dump, compact - GLDC, GLDC. Hum. Meanwhile (concurrently) you must make sure you watch out for traffic and don't catch any wires about you with the hydraulic teeth that grab, lift, dump and compact.

The highlight of the day was driving across town to the county dump. Wait in line, get an inbound weight, follow the traffic lights to the appropriate dump area. Some days you would be directed to the incenerator, other days to the landfill. Today, we were pointed to the land fill. Have you ever been to a land fill? A land fill in Florida? The stench is unbearable. My trainer said I'd get used to it.

I got to the top of the "hill", backed up and sat there. "Now what", I asked the trainer. "Get out and pull the pins and come back inside." "The pins?" I asked. "Yeah, remove the two large bolts (pins) from either side of the bucket, come back in and we'll lift and dump everything using the joy stick and other controls. "Ok", I said.

I got out. I was stepping on thousands of tons of garbage beneath me. All kinds of birds were flying around my head. The "land" around my feet was squshy. The smell was horrible. I dropped my gloves when I exited the truck. As I walked toward the rear of the truck I began to sink deeper and deeper into the muck. As I looked for the pins I was up my knees in garbage.

Finding and pulling the pins was not easy. Trying to get some footing to pull the pins out while your entire body is sinking can be quite an accomplishment. I hear from the cab "you forgot the hammer!". Motherf..ker, he never mentioned I needed a hammer. I made my way back to the cab, opened the door - the trainer was inside in the air conditioning listening to the radio, drinking his cold Wendy's soda about to make a call on his cell phone. I located the hammer.

Back through the quicksand I went back to the pins. The hammer did the trick. Back to the cab. The trainer points to the right buttons. The bucket lifts and all the garbage is pushed out. We're empty now ready to go and get more garbage. I get out, remembering the hammer this time, and trudge my way back to reinsert the pins.

Back inside the cab every part of my body is sweaty. And now I smell like the garbage. The trainer says to drive to the "clean" area. I can't imagine what that is, but away we go. At least I don't have to shift - its an automatic transmission.

About 10 minutes I park in the clean area. The trainer says ok, time to clean out the bucket. He must be kidding. "How do I do that", I ask. "Climb inside" he says. "How do I do that", I ask again. "There is a little door on your side." "Do I need the hammer?" I ask. "No."

I get out of the cab. I see the little sliding door which is just above my head. There is no ladder or anything to assist me getting up there. Apparantly the trainer is watching me in his mirror. He slids down the window, letting some his precious cold air out, and tells me to lift myself up on the tire. "Ok", I said. I was thinking something else.

Up my leg goes and I grab hold of the door handle and struggle to lift myself up. The door does not open. "Use your foot", says the trainer. Following his instruction, I get the door to slide open. A blast of hot putrid air comes blasting out into my face. "Jump inside", I hear.

So, here I am. It is 105 degrees outside. It is probably 135 degrees inside the bin. I'm now standing inside a smelly garbage truck on a county landfill in Florida. And I felt like the biggest asshole on the planet.

"You forgot the hose!", I hear interrupting my thinking. I said to my wife this my last job, I'm gonna really do well and like it. I'll be home now and take care of things. No more OTR trucking for me boy. Moron. Motherf..kr.
I struggle again to climb out and down, get the hose and reverse the whole process.

Well, I've bored you enough. This lasted about two weeks. Obviously I could write a little book about the entire experience. It went from bad to worse. The trainer told me to buy a little broom handle, take it home every night, and practice with it pretended that it was the joy stick that lifts the trash. I wanted to do something else with the wooden stick to the trainer. Motherf..kr.

Every day until I was fired, I became more and more frustrated, angry, tired and sore. After a week on the job, I got a terrible painful (when isn 't it?) case of kidney stones. I had to remain home 2 days to let them pass. The universe, mother nature and the planets were telling me something alright.

It turns out the supervisors there also lied to me about the hours. Someone else with seniority got the better routes and better schedule. I also learned I had to work on holidays - even Christman and Thanksgiving. "The garbage still has to be picked up", they said.

The worst part was thinking I had miserably failed. I wanted so much to have a good local job and live at home. I had promised my wife this was going to work. I wanted to her to be proud of me. I wanted her to have less pressure on her with me finally home. But, I had failed her. My son loved having me at home. I also failed him. God, I was miserable. And there is no happy ending to this story. I had to go back on the road. And here it is and I'm sitting at the FJ in Memphis, TN, again miserable, because all I want is a good local job.

The photo credit is: http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0S020pLzWdIaWMB2DijzbkF/SIG=12kb051tm/EXP=1214848715/**http%3A//www.usaquip.com/trucks/Volvo-Garbage-Truck--668961769.htm

Trucking - There is nothing that...

exemplifies the stupidity of the American trucker more than his or her behavior on the fuel island. Take a typical Pilot. You know their always busy. The fuel solutions of the major carriers generally seem to point their drivers into Pilots. Even with 10 or more islands, in the typical senario, there is a truck fueling at each island with two or three behind them. It takes me about ten minutes at most to fuel. I don't need a receipt and unless I'm in Indiana where they don't understand speed and efficiency and pronto or rapid pay doesn't work, everywhere else I'm in and out. If I need to do anything else I park off the island in the lot. So why would the truck in front of me (finally) complete fueling and decide he needs to wash his windows, check his oil and water and tire pressure and then pull up to take twenty minutes to shop and get something to eat at Arby's? Werner drivers are the worst, but the stupidity is not limited to them. Beyond stupidity, is it arrogance? Is it selfishness? Are these the same people that go 55-60 in the center lane? No, I believe it is just plain dumb stupidity. And there is nothing we can do about it but be patient and hope there is nobody behind you so you can safely back out and get on your way. Damn shame though. The photo credit is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kjirstinb/502714374/

Trucking - Images waiting at the dealership...

1. the peanut machine that for $.25 delivers to you a handful of really salty nuts.
2. the disgusting shower guaranteed to give you athlete's feet or worse.
3. the disgusting bathroom that is, well, disgusting! It reminds me of a public rest room in the NYC subway.

4. where the "brown man"slept - see the previous post.

5. the "vending machines" that never seems to accept dollar bills. I never carry change with me.

6. the "big screen" tv connecting to a satellite service that only delivers the limited channel the dealership grudgingly paid little for - the picture was not very clear and there was no remote.

** All photos by V. Grumpy - and no, you can't use 'em if you don't ask me.

Trucking - Waiting at the dealership...

There is a brown man asleep across from me. He does not look at peace. When he is not loudly snoring, he is talking. I can’t hear exactly what he is saying over Barack Obama on the television. He starts flailing his arm. He wakes up for a moment, then falls back asleep. He seems to have trouble breathing. Sleep apnea, for sure. I don’t know know how long he has been here. I don’t know how long he has been asleep, if you can call it that.

Fifteen minutes later he wakes up. He is completely disoriented - his face and clothes all wrinkled. After sitting up - then struggling to stand upright -he heads straight to the nut dispenser, puts in a quarter, and receives a palm full of little salty nuts. He opens the door to the waiting area, goes outside and lights up a cigarette.

I later learn he drives for an owner-operator, who is, at the moment, out on his boat somewhere - fishing. He does not answer his cell. The driver has been here since yesterday, out of money, truck broken down and he can’t get a hold of this owner to get the funds to get the repairs started. Welcome to the world of waiting at the truck dealership.

Did you know what every service writer is told to say when you ask them how the repair is going? “They're just finishing it up.” They say that no matter what is going on. And "finishing it up" could take days. And then there is “hey, we were just finishing it up, but we found…or we’re done, but..." When they say “he’s” working on it", its time to get a motel room.

If you don't "check in" on "them" and ask what is happening, I guarantee "they" will forget you, finish the repair, park your truck somewhere and never tell you. You will sit forever in the waiting area until you have cob webs on your shoulders and nobody will know where you are until someone files a missing person report on you. That's how dealerships work.

The waiting room here in Memphis varies only slightly from other dealerships around the country. It doesn't matter if its a Mack, International, Freightliner, KW or Volvo dealer - they're all equally horrible. Effective communications are not a priority at any of these locations. Diesel mechanics are in a world unto themselves. Men are from Mars, females from Venus and mechanics are from Pluto.

Here there is no Internet service. Pizza box esand McDonald's wrappers fill the overflowing (too small) garbage cans. The shower and bathroom hasn’t been cleaned. The microwave is dirty. The snacks unhealthy. The plastic trees and bushes are grayish color from dust and exhaust and do nothing to add to the booking room atmosphere of the room. Germs and bacteria surely feel right at home here. You want to take a shower after spending any time in one of the (almost always & typical) broken lounge chairs. You would need a gallon of Pine Soil to clean the place.

And then the brown man comes back into the room. I had switched the channel from CNN to women's tennis. The tv is hooked up to a dish satellite system, but you can only get 5 channels. That's all the dealership elected to provide its customers. Sarena Williams is prancing around the court in a traditional women tennis dress with balls stuck in pockets of her panties. The brown man is still smoking a cigarette, which pisses me off, and his eye balls are popping out looking at Sarena. I can feel myself getting sick from the stench. Williams wins the match, barely shakes hands with her opponent and the brown man decides to change the channel.

He seems to think he is the only human in the room. Maybe because I’m typing on my laptop he thinks I don’t care if he smokes and watches crap on tv. He decides to switch over to some "reality crime" show tracking a serial killer of 17 women. Just what I want to listen to - watching retired cops with bad teeth and great pensions talk about the one big arrest they made after being on some local force in Indiana for 30 years. Hey, at least it's not wrestling or the Simpson's.

I’m becoming more and more like the (OCD) character Monk. I'm watching crap tv and sitting in a germ infested brown fake plastic lounge chair. God knows who was sitting here before me. I wish I had brought in some Clorox wipes before I sat down. I’m falling asleep. Thank goodness the smoke has cleared. I wonder when the air conditioning filter was changed. I’m sitting right under the vent. I hope I’m out of here soon.

The brown man is sitting outside - smoking again - I think it's his 3rd cigarette. since he gained conciousness. There is a Viagra commercial on tv. A pre-seniorish couple is on a motorcycle riding somewhere with fresh air and a clean motorcycle seat. They’re thinking about sex or how many residuals they will get from doing the commercials. My wife is driving to Orlando. I wish I were home. I’m going to take a nap.

Post script - while I was asleep a couple with a slobbery bulldog arrived. The yucky dog was licking my hand and I woke up. The brown man was a former mortgage broker, who apparently made $100K a year and lost his job when the mortgage crisis began two years ago. At least that's what he told the bulldog couple. After making several queries as to what the hell is going on with my truck it magically was finished. They didn't come and get me. I saw the truck parked out in the lot. I went and got them. I asked them what happened with the clutch. Ronnie, the shop foreman, said it was because of a "lack of maintenance - no regular lubrication." Seems the thing "just dried up and cracked." Because of that the company voided the warranty. Well, how about that.

Shit, Piss, F..k, C.nt, Cock...ker, MF and Tits, those

are the heavy seven. Those are the ones that'll curve your spine, warp your mind, and keep the country from winning the war." George Denis Patrick Carlin 1937-2008. From radar technician in the USAF to DJ to Ed Sullivan to hosting the Tonight Show and the best HBO specials. Master showman and comedian. Thousands of hours of laughs to million of people over many years. Seems the Gods needed some laughs too, and so the call went out. Thank you Sir, rest in peace.

Goodbye OOIDA, hello AARP...

$45 to renew OOIDA, $12.50 to join AARP, $45 to renew OOIDA, $12.50 to join AARP - hum, oh, uh, um, ah, well no contest here...AARP wins! Wrote out the check and mailed it yesterday. Mrs. Grumpy gets a free membership by my joining up. We ain't gett'n any younger, that's for darn sure. Now I like OOIDA. I called them up and they rushed me those really nice round gold stickers when I switched trucks. Ok, so they couldn't care less about my angst over those stupid FL agricultural "inspection" stops. Never got an answer about that. They don't seem willing to change that outdated name from owner-operator to professional driver association. And, well, if they truly have 165K members, I for one don't see how the majority of them can "swing" $45 to re-up. That's just about a tank a gas these days. That AARP $12.50 membership card goes a long way. Bottom line is, nobody knows who or what the hell OOIDA is anyway, including most of the members of the Congress. They sure as all heck know who and what AARP is.

Trucker commentary...without the flags

Have you noticed some of these symbols when you're in the store? They seem to be appearing on products everywhere. "Green" is certainly in. Just this morning I saw an ad on television for SC Johnson. They showed just how "green" their manufacturing is by making Windex bottles out of recycled garbage. Or something like that. Simply amazing! I thought it was kind of "ballsy" to admit that. I certainly will look at a bottle of window cleaner differently now. Every corporation wants to have a "green" image nowadays. How nice. But, I really don't care how "green" these products are. Actually I don't believe how "green" these products are. Suzy housewife or Stan the stay at home mom might be influenced by these symbols, but not me. What I really want to know is whether or not the item was manufactured in communist China, or someplace else that pays their workers $3 a week and denies them free of speech or the right to have more than 1 child. If it's imported in from communist China there should be a little (red) Chinese flag on it. I don't think you'll find too many of those "green" symbols along side the communist Chinese flag. Why an entire Wal-Mart "super center" would be filled with stuff displaying little red communist flags. Target, those dollar stores, Home Depot, Lowe's and other's shelves would have thousands of things with little red communist Chinese flags on them. Maybe Wal-Mart should start flying the red communist Chinese flag right next to 'Ole Glory. I think there are far more imported products from communist China than "green" ones. How about Mexican products with a little Mexican flag? Or is that products that used to be made here by an American company that is now a "global" company making products in Mexico formerly by US workers now made by Mexican for sale in the US and China! Holy smokes! Slap a Mexican flag on that puppy! I wonder just how fast we all would be to walk out of a Wal-Mart with a shopping cart full of stuff with communist Chinese and Mexican flags on them. But then we all are doing that already without the flags, aren't we?

At least they have a pool....

This is a clutch. They wear out. I'm here in the Best Western across the street from the Kenworth dealership in Memphis, TN. I just made it to the Nucor plant about 80 miles north to MT out before driving south. I have about 259k miles on my T600. I'm the second driver, having "inherited" the double bunk studio unit about a year ago. As any truck driver knows, when you're "stuck" at any dealership for repairs you have no idea when it's going to be complete. I could be here until tomorrow, Sunday or next Wednesday. The daily room rate with the Kenworth discount is $80. At least they have a pool.

So what exactly is the problem here?

Can the FDA be that stupid that they can't figure out where the bad tomatoes are coming from? The tomatoes pictured here are good to go - nothing wrong with them. I love tomatoes. I never ate them until I met Mrs. Grumpy. She uses tomatoes in and on just about everything. And she's not even Italian - she's Dutch. My favorite is Jewish seeded rye (not Dutch) with a little salt "schmeered" with Miracle Whip and big, perfectly round wet, juicy tomato slices. Lots of people are getting sick from salmonella. Seems to me if I was on the case, it wouldn't take me long to find where the bad ones came from. Maybe the FDA should hire Colombo or Monk. The FDA has the entire US government behind it. They have millions of dollars of our tax money. The have unlimited resources. It's been about three weeks. They still don't have any clue. What is the problem? Can't this Bush administration do anything right? I'm not going to stop eating tomatoes. I'm going to rely on the establishments I go to like Subway to make sure what they put on my sandwich is safe. Because the FDA doesn't seem to be able to do the job. The photo credit is http://www.flickr.com/photos/64985383@N00/588108849/ The FDA's website is at http://www.fda.gov/

The answer to all our problems?

Huh? What? You gotta be kidding. I've got to be honest with you. I don't care whether we drill offshore or not - AS LONG AS I DON'T SEE IT! I don't want to look out into the Gulf of Mexico and see one of these things. Ever been in Los Angeles and drive down to their (ugly) beach? You stand on the dirty sand and out look into the Pacific horizon. And guess what you see? Ugly oil rigs popping out of the water like pimples on a teenager's face! Shame, shame and double shame. It takes about 5 years and a millions of dollars to build one of these things. And you think when they "float" a bunch of 'em out into the Gulf, Atlantic, Pacific or into the pure untouched waters of Alaska, our problems will be solved? I don't think so. What will gas/diesel cost when these "rigs" are operational - $9 a gallon? $11 a gallon? $15 a gallon? These "things" should have been in place and pumping decades ago. The Hibernia "platform" up in Canada produces 50,000 barrel of oil a day! Production began back in 1997, but it took 20 years to develop the project. Our government and the oil industry are morons. The word proactive does not exist in their vocabulary. And that's why we are where we are.

The end of trucking as we know it...

The point that we all feared is now here...$5 gal diesel. I just got off the phone with our former log book administrator who now works in the newly created "fuel management - driver counseling" department. Just before that, I hung up on one the other "member" of that same department. I was that frustrated over what he was proposing. Here's the deal in no particular order. Slow down to 60-62 miles per hour. Last year "we" were running 68 mph. My idle time of approx. 65% must be below 30%! "They" want me to buy a large fan for the bunk. Put styrofoam in between the skylight curtains and the windows. "We" want all trucks to have an APU, but it's not possible right now because of the $8000 cost. Last month my average miles per day was about 383. Almost 750 trucks in our fleet had the same average. I was told that my job is in jeopardy if I don't comply. I am sitting here without a load in Davie, FL. It is 102 degrees outside. A fan ain't gonna cut it. The fuel "management" guy said (to me) "I guess you just can't catch a breeze." I almost lost it. This is what it's come to. I'm making $10K a year less than I was 15 years ago. It sounds like they think they're employing me as some big favor. They "tell" me I need to be "retrained" as a more "conservative" driver. I don't know how much longer I can take this. The photo credit is
http://www.flickr.com/photos/87858192@N00/2494763497/

Call me stupid, but I (MP3's and XM/Sirius Merger)

have no freak'n clue what an MP3 is. For whatever reason, I cannot grasp the concept. Months ago, I reached my technological knowledge limit. I am no longer a first adapter. I hear about MP3's, read about them, my cell phone, I think, plays them, the truck "stereo" probably can play them and I'm sure something else I own can do something with them. My wife, has explained to me what they are - but it simply does not compute. She also keeps telling me to insert something into my phone for downloading photos so I can "develop" them at CVS or Walgreens, but nothing else seems to be able to fit into what is an already too small device. Is that an MP3 or a "memory device." I don't know. No help to me is the Wikipedia definition of what an MP3 is: "MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression. It is a common audio format for consumer audio storage, as well as a de facto standard encoding for the transfer and playback of music on digital audio players. This makes absolutely no sense to me. And, I never see a photo of an actual MP3, just thousands of those little stupid MP3 players. I'm confused, but I don't care. Now related to what I'm saying - follow me here - is the latest update on the Sirius/XM merger. According to Reuters, the investment folks at Goldman Sachs are saying "That the (two) companies declining cash flow is insufficient to justify valuations even giving credit for merger synergies - with core demand for satellite radio falling amongst the younger demographics, versus rapid increases for MP3 players and other new technologies ... we see long-term risk to the outlook." Well I'm not sure what that means either, again, I don't care. It's useless corporate I have a useless MBA with mega student loans double speak. As a OTR trucker, terrestrial radio is useless to me. We all know what it was like before XM & Sirius - bad reception, constantly changing stations, stupid commercials, lousy DJ's and no adequate news or weather. I need satellite radio whether it is Sirius or XM or a combined company. And, please don't even ask me what an IPod is, for goodness sakes. The stupid MP3 "bear" player photo credit is http://www.tranism.com/weblog/archives/2006/02/bear_does_mp3.html

BREAKING NEWS - FCC CHAIR SUPPORTS...

the Sirius/XM merger. As reported by the AP (Associated Press) and The New York Times early this morning - "The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission is recommending approval of the $5 billion merger between the nation's two satellite radio broadcasters in exchange for concessions that include turning over 24 channels to noncommercial and minority programming. That condition -- along with others, including a three-year price freeze for consumers -- convinced FCC Chairman Kevin Martin on Sunday to recommend approval for Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.'s buyout of rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. The deal affects millions of subscribers who pay to hear music, news, sports and talk programming, largely free from advertising, in homes and vehicles. Martin's recommendation sets the stage for a final vote on the closely watched merger, which could occur any time after his recommendation is circulated among his fellow commissioners." The link to the story is http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-FCC-XM-Sirius.html?hp also on C/Net http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9969202-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20 and on the Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/15/AR2008061502149.html

U say u want a revolution?

It seems to me that as cell phones get more and more sophisticated it does not get any easier to get a hold of someone. My son just purchased the iPhone from Apple. This, I'm told, is the best of the best, the ultimate, the answer, the top of the line, the coolest, the razor's edge, the "bomb" (?), just absolutely something you must have. His Blackberry had just stopped "berrying" and it served as the perfect excuse for spending $400 on something new on the technology food chain.

So, he's had the thing about two weeks and I can't get him. I've tried to call him, text him and e-mail him. He tells me that because he doesn't want to "hurt" it, he puts it in his precious very high priced Matco tool box. Actually this tool box looks like a high tech amioire with enough space to fit his equally over priced tools. Anyway, so there it sits all day and if I'm lucky he'll look at it, see that I've called and call me back.

Now I could easily get a hold of him if I used the ancient land line telephone, but nobody seems to do that anymore. "Never do that", he tell me. My wife has made an exception for me at her workplace, but that's me using my cell to call her land line phone. And that's only if I can't reach her on her cell phone. This is all becoming too tedious for me.

I called my new doctor on my cell (phone) to get the results of my blood work. The receptionist, or whatever they call the person answering the not cell phone is, said she would e-mail the doctor on his PA to let him know I called. E-mail his PA? Is he not standing 5 or 10 feet from you in his office or in some examining room examining something or someone? Can't you just buzz him like they did in the old days or even just shout "hey doc, Mr. Grumpy's on the phone?"

Just like computers were supposed to make out lives better, more efficient and paperless and didn't - cell phones don't do anything to improve our lives. Today, I waged my private little revolution against the whole cell phone, wireless, laptop establishment and left home without them.

Why do the good die young?

Tim Russert dead at 58 years old. I was just watching him the other day on the news and noticed that he was not looking good. His death has given me much pause. I use to work at NBC many years ago. I did not personally know him, but he is leaving this world far too early. My father died at age 55 similar to him -suddenly and without warning. My dad was in the hospital for a hernia operation when he had a heart attack. Russert had just spend time in Italy with his only son. It was a graduation present. Before my father passed, we had spend a few days together in Phoenix. He helped me when I had relocated there to start a new job. I remember hugging my father before he boarded the plane back to New York. That was a rare thing in our relationship - I don't think we ever said we loved each other, ever. It would be the last time I would see him. Months later I received a call from someone that worked for my father telling me my father was dead. I can truly empathize when Russert's son, Luke, got a similar call.

What also makes me reflect on Russert's sudden death are my experiences these past three weeks trying to pass the damn DOT physical. I was almost hospitalized twice, have had both very negative and extremely positive "meetings" with 4 doctors, had my blood pressure taken too many times and have pissed in more little Dixie cups than anyone should have to do. I have been this close (picture my thumb and index finger about 1/2 an inch apart) to giving up being a truck driver. I was placed on a series of very powerful meds to prevent a heart attack and stroke. I have spent too much time thinking about my possible demise on the road away from home.

And so, Russert, a hard working aggressive competitive 58 year old man with a son and a wife dies suddenly of a heart attack in his office. I have to wonder what his medical history was. Did he not take his meds? Were they the right ones? Did he see his doctor regularly? What was his blood pressure and cholesterol? Did some moron of doctor call him morbidly obese and he chose not to act on it? Did he exercise? What was his diet? Why couldn't his doctor see this coming? Was Russert too much of an "A" type personality?

We probably will never know the answers to these questions. But, as I drove to pick up my wife from work today, and heard the special report about Russert's death, it really hit home. Maybe there is a some reason for good people dying young, but right now, I don't know what it is. I have never felt the religion folks - priests, rabbis, etc. ever have given us a good explanation for it.

My personal jury is still out on whether or not to remain in trucking. It has for sure, not made me any healthier, but it pays the bills. At least while I'm still alive.

The photo credit is http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A9G_bF7XKVNI80AAsUKjzbkF/SIG=11ng2knj4/EXP=1213496151/**http%3A//www.fjg.com/fssp/tim_russert

So, fatso, what's ur waist line measure?

because over in Japan, as reported in today's The New York Times by Norimitsu Onishi, "the new state-prescribed limit for male waistlines is a strict 33.5 inches." I don't know about the rest of you truck drivers, but I don't think I've ever had a 33.5 inch waist line. I went from cloth diapers to a 40 inch pair of pants, and ever since I've hovered at a 3XL. I don't wear anything that does not have an elastic waist, as my girth expands as the day goes on. In Japan, I would be called METABO, the PC word for overweight.

The Times continues: "Under a national law that came into effect two months ago, companies and local governments must now measure the waistlines of Japanese people between the ages of 40 and 74 as part of their annual checkups. That represents more than 56 million waistlines, or about 44 percent of the entire population. To reach its goals of shrinking the overweight population by 10 percent over the next four years and 25 percent over the next seven years, the government will impose financial penalties on companies and local governments that fail to meet specific targets.

The country’s Ministry of Health argues that the campaign will keep the spread of diseases like diabetes and strokes in check. The ministry also says that curbing widening waistlines will rein in a rapidly aging society’s ballooning health care costs, one of the most serious and politically delicate problems facing Japan today."

You can read the entire story by clicking here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/13/world/asia/13fat.html?no_interstitial I guess they're going to have to make an exception for our friends the SUMO wrestlers. No 33 inch waists there, for sure. The photo credit is http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/Japan/photo283548.htm

Holy Homeland Security Update...

My new passport has my name spelled incorrectly and shows that I was born in New Zealand, not New York. My old passport, which was supposed to be mailed back to me, is apparently is lost in the mail, because the State Dept. wrote the wrong address on the envelope. The new one got to me because a smart local postal employee corrected the address.

I went back to the passport office. The first time I went, there was nobody waiting. The second time there was also nobody waiting. There were about 5 clerks seemingly not doing much. I went up to the middle desk. The woman asked me if I had a number? THERE IS NOBODY HERE!! I went to the small red machine (remember going into a bakery?) and took a number. It was 15. I went back to the same desk. She takes the number. Her world was ok now. Now her brain can function and answer my questions.

I explained to her my passport problem. She said it was not "their" problem - the Dept. of State screwed up. So, I asked, "what do I do?" "Well"?, she said, "you have to get new passport photos taken and send them back with the incorrect passport, a certified copy of your birth certificate and FORM DS-5504 02-2008 - Application for a U.S. Passport - Name Change, Data Correction and Limited Book Replacement.

If I had any questions, I was to contact the National Passport Information Center (NPIC) at 1-877-487-2778. "Of course", she said, "it would be better if you had your old passport as proof of who you are are and where you were born." Great.

"Well", I ask, "will the Dept. of State refund the extra $10 I have to spend to retake the passport photos?". "No", she replied. So, thank you Homeland Security and my Dept. of State. You screwed up. Is this how you morons are protecting us? Where is my old passport now? Does some guy, who was born in New Zealand, have a new passport with my name, that says he was born in New York?

I really truly don't have time for this.

The photo is from http://www.microframecorp.com/page/M/PROD/TANS/A51201

Will Bush attack Iran?

My son and I were watching the military channel last night. WW2, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq. We love to watch the fighter jets. Over on the news channels President Bush was over in Europe talking to other world leaders about support with the Iran nuclear "problem." On 60 Minutes, there is interesting material about the Isreali Air Force, its leader, pilots, equipment and readiness. There is comparison between Hiltler and Ahmadinejad, Iran's current President. So Bush has about 6 months to go. His legacy right now is Iraq and Katrina. He has failed to capture Bin Laden. So, it is possible that in his mind, assembling some kind of coalition air strike to destroy Iran's nuclear "capability" and saving Isreal and the world, is what he wants his legacy to be? I wonder. Truckers love the military. We want the US to win. I believe truckers would support this move, if it didn't end up as another Bush blunder or a Carter fiasco - when he tried and failed to rescue our hostages from Iran. Are we being told the whole story? Will we wake up before Bush leaves office and learn that this "coalition" force has conducted an attack by air on Iran? If you have some intelligent thoughts on this e-mail me at acourtesyflush@gmail.com. The photo is from http://www.defenselink.mil/ which is the Department of Defense website. And I encourage you to go to http://60minutes.yahoo.com/segment/180/top_guns for videos of the Isreali Air Force.

A trucker fav...

headquartered in St. Louis is having a weee bit of a problem, depending on which side you're on. Budd (pause) weiser, as the famous frog said, has been a family owned "institution" for 148 years. The man with the golden touch, Warren Buffet is their second largest shareholder. Then there is Inbev. You say who? Inbev http://www.inbev.com/ is the world's 2nd largest brewer headquartered in Belgium. Their sales last year were $48 billion. They sell Becks and other brands just about everywhere around the world. Yes, that would include our "favorite" places China and Mexico. Bud is there as well, but not in other key markets - Latin America, Africa or Eastern Europe. And, here in the US, Buds market share among folks like (we) truckers has slipped below 50%. So, here along comes Inbev offering $46.4 billion or $65 a share - that's the initial offer - for Bud. The Gov. of Missouri, Mat Blunt, thinks the deal stinks, not that what he says has that much weight, but being that Bud's in his state, he has to say something. Major media sources report the Busch family is taking a kind of let's wait and see how much Inbev can sweeten the deal before they decide. Perhaps $70 a share might do the trick. Inbev also "promises" not to move Bud from its present home in St. Louis. Inbev's chief says he's looking for a "friendly combination" that would create the #1 world's largest brewer. That position presently being held by SAE Miller www.sabmiller.com/. Truck drivers know that Bud www.budweiser.com/ and Anheiser Busch www.anheuser-busch.com/ are big-time into NASCAR, boat racing - sponsoring a wide range of other sports, and owns Sea-World and Busch Gardens. We'll keep you posted on what happens. For more details, go to www.forbes.com/ And I can guarantee it's going to take a less time to see this deal go down than the proposed Sirius/XM merger. One final note - if you go to Inbev's or SAE Miller's home pages and click on "brands" an "age verification" page comes up - depending on which country you're from you have to enter your birth date to get to the page which lists the brands. At the Bud site http://www.budweiser.com/, an "age verification" authentication comes right up. Now how ridiculous is that?

And on, and on, and on this goes...

The Consumer Coalition for Competition in Satellite Radio (C3SR) has presented another ex parte filing to the FCC to reiterate its call for a hearing to look into the "lack of candor" that XM and Sirius Satellite Radio have offered in their efforts to merge into one satcaster. C3SR says the FCC hearing also must examine whether the merger would be "contrary to the public interest." This from the FMQB website. What is the FMQB? It is the Friday Morning Quarterback: "super-serve's radio programming and management executives, as well as music industry executives, with finely targeted original content delivered in its venerable monthly magazine, or daily via its industry leading Web site. I never heard of it, but a Yahoo search inquiring about the status of the Sirius XM merger has this as the latest news. If you care for additional information go to: http://www.fmqb.com/article.asp?id=741094&spid=1314 Truckers, we can only hope this nonsense comes to an end soon and the merger is approved. The FCC is (hopefully, finally, will quite probably) rule on this (sometime, later) this month, hopefully this year - 2008. The photo/diagram logotype should be the new symbol for the, if approved, merged companies.

$9 Diesel/European Truckers

This photo is by Robin Townsend of the European Associated Pressphoto Agency. It is from the on-line (front page) edition of The New York Times. It is our trucking colleagues protesting high fuel prices. They are attempting to block the border crossing between France and Spain. For more details go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/10/world/europe/10fuel.html?hp

I know how...

the poor guy feels. Look at the tongue hanging out. He looks like a trucker who just tarped a load in the summer heat. He looks as exasperated as I do waiting for my damn blood pressure to go down so I can get back to work. I'm now on my third round of meds. I also filed a complaint against the doc that did my DOT physical. The photo by Kathy Willens of the Associated Press (AP) is of Big Brown who lost at Belmont. It's the owner who is giving him a big hug. And boy could I use one of those right now.

"God Save the Queen"...

I just got my new passport. It took a little over a week to process. I had a old passport which I hadn't used in years. I've got to hand it to our State Dept. or whomever they have doing our passports. Very efficient and really quick turnaround. Now I can travel. I have no money, but I am free to move about the world. The problem seems to be that for whatever reason my government, good 'ole Uncle Sam, has determined that I was born in New Zealand - not New York. I've never been there, New Zealand that is, but I imagine it's a nice place to be from. I could get into "God Save the Queen" and all that. They also misspelled my name. Or maybe, that is the correct name of the guy who was born in New Zealand and I have his passport. Holy Homeland Security! Hey, if you want to know more about my new birthplace go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand

"The Billionaire's Bidding"

"She sucked in a breath with the exquisite pulse that came to life deep inside her. She slid her own hand down his body, cupping him, controlling him, pulling him toward her to satisfy her growing impatience. Primal passion took over. The birds called in the treetops, the waterfall cooled the raging fever of their skin, and Alex's rhythm matched the pulsating waves taking over their gleaming stretch of beach. Then the world seems to freeze. Her breathing stopped, and the sun disappeared, the trees went silent and she cried his name as the rainbow sensations washed over her again and again and again. His own cry was guttural, and the parrots took flight above them, a cacophony of surprise and confusion." Barbara Dunlop The Billionaire's Bidding, Silhouette Books.

I've now been off the road now for two straight weeks. I'm waiting for my blood pressure to go down so I can get clearance to drive. It has not been a fun week. I've spent some time in a few bookstores reading different things. It is clear to me that I should stop wasting my time writing this truck blog and concentrate publishing on a book or two - about anything other than trucking. These romance novels seem easy enough. I might give that a whirl. In general, I can't believe the crap sold in bookstores. It's not about content, but whether or not you can find a agent to get your crap published. There are some good things. One example is a book about the day (9/ll) the Pentagon was hit. I read some of it, but at $27, I'll wait until it moves over to the $5.95 sale table in a year or so. If you're interested it's Firefight: Inside The Battle To Save The Pentagon on 9/11 by Creed and Newman - Random House.

Today the market dropped 400 points, oil jumped up again, Hillary's status is up in the air, the 4 day nationwide truck inspection deal is over and I went through the week caring about none of it. I got my OOIDA $45 renewal notice in the mail. I also got a request from OOIDA to contribute their PAC. I'm worried about paying my bills while I'm off the road. A commitment to $45 is tough right now. And what still pisses me off is OOIDA's reluctance to get rid of the "owner-operator" in their name. They just seem to want to hold at their current membership numbers, which is not good for me, who, as a company driver, has other issues I want addressed. As I've said before, I might be better diverting that $45 to joining AARP. Whatever, that's going to have to sit on the back burner for now.

Comment/OOIDA/Body Mass Index

Right off, if you're are not an OOIDA member, join. As I've said time and again, I'm a company driver, but decided to join, if nothing else, to be kept informed about the stupidity that clouds our industry. June '06 - Land Line piece by M. Theriault - refers to the FMCSA medical review board possibly tying in a drivers BMI - body mass index - into obtaining a certification to work. Right now, I sitting at home working my way down the honey project list. Tomorrow I have an appointment with a strange doctor attempting to deal with my (apparent) high blood pressure. When I'm not thinking about this bullshit and I'm away from a doctors office, my BP (on my machine) is very much normal. I have terminated relations with my regular family doctor because she refuses to deal with the DOT med card/certification issue. Now the quack who was giving me the DOT physical and "failed" me - did bring up my BMI. When he said it, his attitude toward me was like: "how dare I wear white after Labor Day." Fuck this guy and the FMCSA. Tie the BMI into aircraft pilot's and "vessel masters" - THEY MAKE 2X+ what the typical truck driver makes! They are represented by strong unions! A pilot doesn't fly for 6 weeks straight and sleep in the damn cockpit! Jesus, I'm all for good health, but this BMI thing is off the chart. For more info on BMI go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_mass_index If you want your BMI go here: http://www.consumerfreedom.com/games.cfm/ID/1 I'm obese, along with my friends Mel Gibson, Matt LeBlanc, Steve McNair, The Rock, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Mike Tyson. The photo is of Charles Atlas, overweight according to the BMI - http://www.cmgww.com/news/viewheadline.php?id=2116