"On the Road with the original florida kid" Week 50
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 50 and....
....you're on the road with the original florida kid....
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog, Tommy Boy, JT, Neil Ray and the whole gang here at the ranch want to give a big cowboy howdy "HEY " and wish one and all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Come on in! Hang up your coat by the door - and close the damn door! Looks like winter is here in a big way! This time of year we kind of hold our breath around here when we think about all you drivers out there on the road...all of us here want you to know you're in our prayers...day and night.
Grandma's been a bakin' fool all week, she gets in the mood every year...she's doin' her best to keep her spirit's and her chin up...Barbie and me too! How 'bout you?
I was thinkin'....about everything goin' on in our country, the economy, work and all that, and something dawned on me that I want to tell you about.
It was somethin' Grandma said the other day...she was talkin' about how things were when she was a little girl in the days after the "great depression", and how the headlines seem the same in a lot of ways, now, like they did then. Lots of folks were out of work, businesses shuttin' down, that kind of stuff. Hard times.
I was sitting in my chair totally bummed out about my bad knees(the UPS thing didn't work out, I blew out both my knees on day 7, they crunch when I try to walk..), wonderin' what I'm going to do NOW......Barbie's workin' 2 jobs killin' herself...things are tight...real tight...
She sat down next to me, runnin' her fingers through my hair like she used to do when I was little, knowin' I was upset about somethin'...
"Even in those days, people were still people. We had the same hopes and dreams and we wanted the same kinds of things. It was so easy to get caught up in the struggles of life tryin' to keep our land under our feet, clothes on our backs and food on the table. For your Grandpa and me it wasn't about cars, credit cards and keepin' up with the Jones's, we had no choice but to try and learn to be Thankful for what we had. Each other. When the smoke clears at the end of the day, the things that really matter...God willin'.....will still be there."
She told me the story of her and Grandpa's first Christmas together, as man and wife, and how Grandpa had to hike out to the road in the snow to catch a ride with Tommy Boy's Grandad to the mill over in the next county every morning, and how they were havin' a bad winter that year. She would take care of the animals on the ranch, keep the house clean(which she's still doin'...almost 70 years later...) and make sure supper was on the table when he got home.
"Well, Christmas was right around the corner and times bein' what they were I knew it would be, well, kind of a 'poor folks' Christmas. So, on Christmas Eve, I cut an extra load of firewood, got supper ready and while Grandpa was eatin' and I went into the bedroom, lit a few candles, dolled myself up, got buck naked, tied a red satin ribbon around my waist and waited for him. Wonderin' where I had got off to, and why I wasn't answerin' him, he eventually made his way through the house lookin' for me. He gets to the bedroom door and stops cold in his tracks when he sees me layin' there."
Laughin' like a school girl she said, "You would have needed a shovel and a block 'n' tackle to get his jaw up from off the floor! Grandpa couldn't get his clothes off fast enough and of course fell right on his face with his pants down around his ankles, tryin' to get his boots off. I thought he knocked himself out cold, he just lay there! So, I jump out of bed to help him, and playin' possum the whole time, he reaches up and grabs me, and, well, we spent the night, Christmas Eve, on the floor in front of the fireplace."
(She was lookin' at Grandpa's picture over the fireplace while she's tellin' me this.)
"I'll never forget that Christmas! Love, the greatest gift of all...was all we had to give each other, and so we did.
Love gives birth to faith and faith gives birth to hope....and nine months later I gave birth to your Daddy!"
We were laughin and cryin', both of us, by now, and truckstars, I wish you were here to see the light in Grandma's eyes while she's tellin' me this story...pure love...and nothin else...
I'm kind of thick headed when it comes to learnin' "life" lessons....but.. Thank God I've got enough sense to look around myself and see the true blessings I have. And no matter what's goin' on in this crazy ass world, when the smoke clears at the end of the day, the things that really matter...God willin'.....will still be there....
....and I'll be Thankful for them!
We’ll be on our knees in prayer and thanks!
So truckstars........from our house to yours..from our hearts to yours.......
Don’t forget the reason for the season!
MERRY CHRISTMAS !
Monday, December 22, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
"On the Road with the original florida kid"week 49
"On the Road with the original florida kid" Week49
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's week 49 and....
..."you're on the road with the original florida kid "...
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog, JT, Tommy Boy and Neil Ray all give a big cowboy howdy "HEY !"
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Alright come on in, you know the drill....grab a cup of grandma's famous cowboy coffee and a chair....let's get her rollin'...
I'm kinda tired and my knees really hurt...Why? Well, I started with UPS last monday and ran 200+ packages a day for 5 days straight, jumping in and out of the truck, up stairs, across parking lots, across streets and intersections. I had no idea these guys work as hard as they do....I like the job, it keeps me close to home where I need to be, for now, and the guy I'm helping, Wayne, is a long time driver of 22 years who really knows what he's doing,....I'm not going to get into a theological debate with anyone about unions right now either....I can tell you one thing, I know a lot of drivers of all kinds and these UPS guys are among the few that can actually pay their bills, and trust me truckstars...they earn their money...
I got hired as a temp for the holiday big bang, a few weeks runnin' packages as a driver helper until Christmas, but they tell me they hire out of this batch of holiday people for the positions in the coming year, the next level up being truck loading, also a part-time gig. I'll let you know what happens. Everyone I've met seems very professional, happy with the company and their job....like I said that's more than I can say for a lot of drivers I know and until now...me included.
I have to tell you....I really miss my F-450....I still catch myself looking in the backyard for it, The Black Beauty, my heart skipping a beat for a second when it's not there....then of course, I remember....I never thought, after all these years of hard work that they, these days I mean, would be marked in my memories this way....yeah it's just stuff, but the blood, sweat and tears, the hopes and dreams behind it all...those things mean something to me and the waste of it all is what breaks my heart.....I look to the left of me, I look to the right of me and I see working people's goodness, rightousness, kindness, and decency stomped down and plowed under every day!
Who do we blame, who do we lash out at, where do we go, what do we do?.....I don't know truckstars, I wish I could answer that for you, I'm just not smart enough to figure this all out, (and Please....spare me that bullcrap session that I'm doin' something wrong here you, uhhh...business experts)..... but I can tell you this....it's the same old story, one that I'm sick to death of hearin'....lying, cheatin' and stealin'.....the sons of bitches we keep electing time after time after time holding hands with the corrupt bosses at these big companies, end up runnin' amuck with our hopes, our dreams AND our money in their dirty little hands....WHY WHY WHY?....WHY are the stories of our lives forever measured against the hopeless ignornace of people who couldn't care less about our welfare?......
The deep dark shadow stretching across this land of ours has been cast by some of the worst things folks can do to each other....and I'm just prayin' for daylight. You?
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT- Salt. Or more specifically - sodium.
The American Medical Association says that 150,000 lives would be, not could be, WOULD BE, saved every year if Americans would cut their salt intake in half....yeah really...
True - lots of companies have lowered the sodium levels in the foods they produce, but others have increased it, fast food french fries, and some of the so-called "low-fat" foods being at the head of the class.
According to a Consumer Reports evaluation of 37 food brands available nationwide including breakfast foods, sweet snacks and low fat foods - the study surprisingly found that even licorice, spaghetti sauce and bagels were found to have much higher levels of sodium than previously thought. Restaurant meals led the sodium "bad boy" list, salt being used not just to add flavor but as a preservative, it's in msg, (which is also linked to cancer), monosodium glutamate, sodium nitrates, and even baking soda.
10% of the sodium we eat occurs in foods naturally. The rest is added!
High blood pressure and related cardio-vascular dieseases are primary results of too much salt in our diets.
What do we do?
Read the labels on the foods you buy! (buy lower sodium foods, just add your own sea salt at home)
Switch to sea salt, (Grandma swears by it.), it's much lower in sodium and tastes better.
Take some on the road with you.
You shouldn't be getting more than 2000 or so milligrams a day, most Americans take in over 4,000 miligrams a day....
Just take it day by day truckstars and train yourself to read labels! Remember - lower fat and sodium foods will take you a long, long way towards better health and keeping the extra weight off!
TRUCKSTAR TECH- Next week I'll show you what to look for in a netbook or a notebook, and what the difference is!
Also - the smart phone match-ups and APU comparisons.
Until then - My buddy - truckingpopeye58 from chickentrucker.com wants anyone with an ACER to have the tech support number -
1-800-816-2237 In case you can't locate it. He's got a netbook and I'll let you know how he likes it.
TRUCKSTAR RADIO - here's the banner links for the players so you can tune into the show and not leave this great site! :
Get a www.Skype.com account, it's free and so are pc to pc calls with Skype! "The Truckstar Live" is our Skype name, so sign up,(it's free) and then Skype In to the show!
I'm usually "on-the-air" nightly from 8:00pm to 11:00pm, sometimes later! Tune in and call-in!
954-603-7561
954-376-8452
New shows coming soon with some of our favorite top trucking sites, like Truck.net, our favorite know-it-all and "seer of all things", (okay well, most things)The Trucking Guru, interviews with cool and interesting people, regional specific weather and directions, a little music sometimes and whatever else we can think of!
And...of course - YOU!
*Check out Dan Little and the OOU at www.owneroperatorsunited.org
The OOU is running a Truckers Toys for Kids Program for the kids a t St. Judes in Memphis, TN. See the site for more info.
Don’t forget about abused kids…..they really need heroes….YOU? PLEASE say a prayer for SOMEBODY today!
Pray for our nation, the world and the "lost"…. I was once lost but now am found because someone prayed for me.......
REMEMBER – No load and NO paycheck is worth dyin’ for…..
Don’t ever forget – I love ya…and I’m prayin’ for ya !
Play nice, drive safe and pull it on home………
Saddle up truckstars…..let’s ride……
..you’re "on the road with the original florida kid"…we gown…
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's week 49 and....
..."you're on the road with the original florida kid "...
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog, JT, Tommy Boy and Neil Ray all give a big cowboy howdy "HEY !"
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Alright come on in, you know the drill....grab a cup of grandma's famous cowboy coffee and a chair....let's get her rollin'...
I'm kinda tired and my knees really hurt...Why? Well, I started with UPS last monday and ran 200+ packages a day for 5 days straight, jumping in and out of the truck, up stairs, across parking lots, across streets and intersections. I had no idea these guys work as hard as they do....I like the job, it keeps me close to home where I need to be, for now, and the guy I'm helping, Wayne, is a long time driver of 22 years who really knows what he's doing,....I'm not going to get into a theological debate with anyone about unions right now either....I can tell you one thing, I know a lot of drivers of all kinds and these UPS guys are among the few that can actually pay their bills, and trust me truckstars...they earn their money...
I got hired as a temp for the holiday big bang, a few weeks runnin' packages as a driver helper until Christmas, but they tell me they hire out of this batch of holiday people for the positions in the coming year, the next level up being truck loading, also a part-time gig. I'll let you know what happens. Everyone I've met seems very professional, happy with the company and their job....like I said that's more than I can say for a lot of drivers I know and until now...me included.
I have to tell you....I really miss my F-450....I still catch myself looking in the backyard for it, The Black Beauty, my heart skipping a beat for a second when it's not there....then of course, I remember....I never thought, after all these years of hard work that they, these days I mean, would be marked in my memories this way....yeah it's just stuff, but the blood, sweat and tears, the hopes and dreams behind it all...those things mean something to me and the waste of it all is what breaks my heart.....I look to the left of me, I look to the right of me and I see working people's goodness, rightousness, kindness, and decency stomped down and plowed under every day!
Who do we blame, who do we lash out at, where do we go, what do we do?.....I don't know truckstars, I wish I could answer that for you, I'm just not smart enough to figure this all out, (and Please....spare me that bullcrap session that I'm doin' something wrong here you, uhhh...business experts)..... but I can tell you this....it's the same old story, one that I'm sick to death of hearin'....lying, cheatin' and stealin'.....the sons of bitches we keep electing time after time after time holding hands with the corrupt bosses at these big companies, end up runnin' amuck with our hopes, our dreams AND our money in their dirty little hands....WHY WHY WHY?....WHY are the stories of our lives forever measured against the hopeless ignornace of people who couldn't care less about our welfare?......
The deep dark shadow stretching across this land of ours has been cast by some of the worst things folks can do to each other....and I'm just prayin' for daylight. You?
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT- Salt. Or more specifically - sodium.
The American Medical Association says that 150,000 lives would be, not could be, WOULD BE, saved every year if Americans would cut their salt intake in half....yeah really...
True - lots of companies have lowered the sodium levels in the foods they produce, but others have increased it, fast food french fries, and some of the so-called "low-fat" foods being at the head of the class.
According to a Consumer Reports evaluation of 37 food brands available nationwide including breakfast foods, sweet snacks and low fat foods - the study surprisingly found that even licorice, spaghetti sauce and bagels were found to have much higher levels of sodium than previously thought. Restaurant meals led the sodium "bad boy" list, salt being used not just to add flavor but as a preservative, it's in msg, (which is also linked to cancer), monosodium glutamate, sodium nitrates, and even baking soda.
10% of the sodium we eat occurs in foods naturally. The rest is added!
High blood pressure and related cardio-vascular dieseases are primary results of too much salt in our diets.
What do we do?
Read the labels on the foods you buy! (buy lower sodium foods, just add your own sea salt at home)
Switch to sea salt, (Grandma swears by it.), it's much lower in sodium and tastes better.
Take some on the road with you.
You shouldn't be getting more than 2000 or so milligrams a day, most Americans take in over 4,000 miligrams a day....
Just take it day by day truckstars and train yourself to read labels! Remember - lower fat and sodium foods will take you a long, long way towards better health and keeping the extra weight off!
TRUCKSTAR TECH- Next week I'll show you what to look for in a netbook or a notebook, and what the difference is!
Also - the smart phone match-ups and APU comparisons.
Until then - My buddy - truckingpopeye58 from chickentrucker.com wants anyone with an ACER to have the tech support number -
1-800-816-2237 In case you can't locate it. He's got a netbook and I'll let you know how he likes it.
TRUCKSTAR RADIO - here's the banner links for the players so you can tune into the show and not leave this great site! :
Get a www.Skype.com account, it's free and so are pc to pc calls with Skype! "The Truckstar Live" is our Skype name, so sign up,(it's free) and then Skype In to the show!
I'm usually "on-the-air" nightly from 8:00pm to 11:00pm, sometimes later! Tune in and call-in!
954-603-7561
954-376-8452
New shows coming soon with some of our favorite top trucking sites, like Truck.net, our favorite know-it-all and "seer of all things", (okay well, most things)The Trucking Guru, interviews with cool and interesting people, regional specific weather and directions, a little music sometimes and whatever else we can think of!
And...of course - YOU!
*Check out Dan Little and the OOU at www.owneroperatorsunited.org
The OOU is running a Truckers Toys for Kids Program for the kids a t St. Judes in Memphis, TN. See the site for more info.
Don’t forget about abused kids…..they really need heroes….YOU? PLEASE say a prayer for SOMEBODY today!
Pray for our nation, the world and the "lost"…. I was once lost but now am found because someone prayed for me.......
REMEMBER – No load and NO paycheck is worth dyin’ for…..
Don’t ever forget – I love ya…and I’m prayin’ for ya !
Play nice, drive safe and pull it on home………
Saddle up truckstars…..let’s ride……
..you’re "on the road with the original florida kid"…we gown…
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
"On the Road with the original florida kid" week 47
"On the Road with the original florida kid" Week47
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 47 and …..you’re on the road with the original florida kid….
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog, Tommy, JT and the whole gang here at the ranch say a big cowboy howdy "HEY! "
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Well come on in, check your boots, hang up your coats and grab a chair! Grandma has a fresh pot of her famous cowboy coffee goin'...a second pot..maybe I can get her to bake us up a batch of them extra large chocolate chip muffins of hers...come on boys back me up here...
Ain't it funny how hard times make some of the little things in life seem so big...and maybe even special? I don't know about you truckstars, but I'm one of those who tends to get caught up in the day to day bump and grind of life...Barbie says, sometimes, that I take things too seriously and I know she's right...I do. Hard times, I'm finding out, also have a way of showin' ya what you're made of...in more ways than one......tellin' ya..Hard times bring out the worst in people...but, they can also bring out the best....too.
The other day Barbie brought home this little bag from the animal hospital she works at over in the next town, so I asked her what was in the bag and she says "Never mind, just grab a chair out on the porch and sit down"...so I did, and here she comes walkin' out with this giant electric dog hair clipper in her hand, has it already plugged in, says she's cuttin' my hair, ( I’m thinkin’ “Okay save the twenty bucks…right?....the ol’ mop was getting’ a little bushy anyway…so..) ) then she wraps a big towel around my shoulders, barber style, and proceeds to givin' me a haircut....uhh...what ? wait a minute… dog clippers ?......I've never had a "home" haircut before...didn't know my darling wife of several decades had such a skill either(turns out she didn’t…so…at this point truckstars I need to be careful what I say because I know she'll end up readin' this....get me?), so there I am sittin' in this chair , kinda cold out too, Barbie's choppin'...I mean...cuttin' away on me...the hair starts flyin'...keep in mind it was just her and I home at the time(I had no back-up and Grandma and Pup are almost always on her side anyway...so..). Truckstars, sadly, but honestly, I can't remember the last time, years maybe, we had so much fun together...laughin'(and I'm still not sure what about...)and just plain havin' fun(she even sat on my lap and kissed me…wohoo!).... but both of us realized, without sayin' anything, that we really needed that...her and I...and that we both still truly love each other....just for a few moments it seemed like God turned the clock back thirty years and there was this bitty little woman who loved me so much it scared me, standin' here in front of me...still…tellin' me not to move…..fussin' over me with such a “one of a kind” love in her eyes...just for a little while the world and all it’s problems were gone....I’ll take a couple of shaved bald spots for an afternoon like that anytime….
Truckstars, I know times are hard for a lot of us, but the other day taught me somethin' about what really matters in this life we live, and however tough it gets, the things in this world that really matter - will still matter - and will always matter more than any trial or trouble we might be going through...I only hope I never forget that again...the things that are right in this life mean so much more than the things that are wrong.....and, what you're made of, today, is who you're going to wake up being tomorrow.
Yeah, unless a bag of money falls out of the sky, I'm losin' one of my trucks this week, I've got thousands of dollars worth of bills on my desk I can't pay...don't know when I'll work again, Barbie's health is takin' a little turn for the worse, I think we have termites in the roof....the economy seems more like the “great depression” every day....These things too, shall pass....but..God's grace and the look in my wife's eyes...never will...and I count on them both…. (and Please - don’t anyone think I’m sittin’ here thinkin’ I’ve just passed on this great and profound piece of wisdom, the fact of the matter is that I’m really not the sharpest knife in the drawer but I am a lucky son of a bitch and sometimes I even get to realize that…)
Oh right...the hair...Grandma says “It'll grow back”....Tommy and JT just point...and laugh. I think I even heard Pup snickerin' behind the couch.......damn dog....
TRUCKSTAR RADIO: I’m tryin’ to ramp up my broadcast hours to 24/7 so I’m still lookin’ for mobile internet active drivers who have a laptop, headset and http://www.skype.com/ installed(it’s free) or a cell phone or landline they can call into the station on to host their own show!(I also recommend for you mobile cell phone users to get a “hands free blue tooth, or a regular corded headset) Truckstar O/Owners of some of our favorite trucking sites are on board but we need everyday men and women drivers too….I’m usually on the air from 8:00 – 11:00pm most nights.
If you’re interested here’s the call-in numbers and the player links to Truckstar Radio:
954-603-7561 - or – 954-376-8452( cell or landline phone)
Just click on the player, below, that you use in your computer to play music and Truckstar Radio will start playing, “click” us into your playlist, reduce the screen and you can stay on this great site while you’re listening in the background to “The Truckstar Live”, if they're not here just go to http://thetruckstar.com/ and click on "truckstaradio" to find your banner link to your player! Okay?
Windows Media Player: Real Audio(RealPlayer):
I Tunes & Winamp( for Mac users):
(Also, don't forget! If you have http://www.skype.com/ search "the truckstar live", add us as a contact and “Skype-in” whenever you want!)
TRUCKSTAR TECH- My dream laptop? The new Sony VAIO Z Series Ultra-portable, or if I’m really in fantasyland the “AREA 51” by Alienware…Okay now with this class of laptop we’re talking serious money the Sony being way cheaper of the two….(shhh…don’t wake me I’m dreaming….) Most of us will end up with one of the mid-range models, maybe even a “mini”..I really do like the new VAIO Z Series(#1 on my wish list…hint hint…), but I’ll take an HP Business Class anytime too…or the “mini” MSI Wind NB. For us “sound junkies” the new ACER Aspire 8920G is “the beast”(6-speakers a subwoofer and Blue-Ray baby, Blue Ray…) and so is the VAIO FW Series(both are “big screen laptops). DO NOT forget to ask about service, parts/labor warranties!
The Big 4 – AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile - all have high speed for both mobile internet “smart phones” and mobile broadband laptops, it’s just a matter of what you need and want to do with the mobile technology. I may end up with just a mini-laptop but it’ll be 3G speed and as high def. as I can get it. Blue Ray, hopefully….
Smart phones definitely “rock” but they’re not nearly as versatile as a laptop, even a “mini” and the monthly is more expensive when you’re talking about “unlimited” web use per month and using different applications available for each model and carrier. Keep in mind if you want to stream MP3 music, watch video or films over the web,(and most of the cool new applications can do it) you need the 3G speeds. Also a little tip - if you’re a GPS person, look for a notebook with GPS “built-in” then all you need is a software program like Garmin MobilePC, one of the highest rated, is only $59.99 ! Think power adapters too! You’ll need one so you can charge your battery. Don’t forget to ask or check to see if the laptop you want comes with one. I highly recommend making a list of features you need, and want, in a laptop and use it when you shop!
Shop both online and walking at an AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint or Verizon store to ask about prices and service, then compare, remember to ask about rebates and discounts for different computer models BEFORE you buy! Air card models work great and so do the new Gobi(built in modem) models. Need help? Contact me through this website or call into Truckstar Radio and I’ll be happy to talk it over with you! I’ll be doing a weekly “Truckstar Tech” show “on the air”, but I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have, anytime. Okay?
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT- Winter time is also “germ” time….I always bring a container of “dis-infectant” wipes and a container of “moisturizing” wipes with me, I even use them here in my office to wipe down my keyboard every night when I shut er’ down, the dis-infectant ones that is, but particularly, when on the road I wipe down my door handles, shifter, steering wheel, toilet seats, pay phones, and lastly – my hands - before I touch my food or anything else, (like my phone), because winter time is also “cold and flu” season and it’s all the more important to do a little germ control. People who have colds and other issues are always touching themselves and then touching everything else in public places and some don’t wash their hands after using the restroom either….just keep that in mind this winter….and spring and summer and next fall too!
Now let’s talk vitamins!…Most of us have a “health food” store near where we live or somewhere out on the road we see them occasionally, and next chance you get, if you haven’t already, stick your head in the door and ask about “whole food organic” vitamins, if they have em’, grab a bottle, but check the dosage per day and get the ones that say “1 tablet per day”, some of the brands have you taking 3 or more tablets, or capsules, per day, that’s too much for most of us to screw with, but, they’re also a good way, the best way, to keep the mental and physical “burn” going stronger, longer! THINK protein shakes and bars too! So - it’s your call truckstar! You can also go online and order them, I do…try http://www.luckyvitamin.com/ and http://www.bodybuilding.com/ (protein shakes and bars, these guys rock!) Keep your body’s immunities up with a good diet and “whole food organic” vitamins!
*Next week we’ll talk about the cardio-vascular system in the body, and the subject of arterial and vascular plaque! Problems.Causes and Cures.
Did you know that arterial plaque in the brain has been directly linked to stroke and Alzheimers?
NOW would be a good time to get acquainted with your elected and newly elected officials (like em’ or not)Washington goes back to work in early January! HR6630 – (this is the Mexican trucking pilot program bill) It looks like we’re in for a fight over this thing, (since the President in his infinite wisdom for some reason vetoed it) but the congress(and everyone else)is on our side, this is do-able, and every voice counts! It’s in committee right now getting ready to be voted on by the Senate! Get involved!
www.house.gov – (to find your representative enter your zip code)
www.senate.gov – (scroll to your home state)
Don’t forget about abused kids…..they really need heroes….YOU? PLEASE! Say a prayer for SOMEBODY today, pray for our nation, the world and the “lost”…. I was once lost but now am found because someone prayed for me.......
REMEMBER – No load and NO paycheck is worth dyin’ for…..
Don’t ever forget – I love ya…and I’m prayin’ for ya !
Play nice, drive safe and pull it on home………
Saddle up truckstars…..let’s ride……
..you’re “on the road with the original florida kid”…we gown…..
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 47 and …..you’re on the road with the original florida kid….
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog, Tommy, JT and the whole gang here at the ranch say a big cowboy howdy "HEY! "
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Well come on in, check your boots, hang up your coats and grab a chair! Grandma has a fresh pot of her famous cowboy coffee goin'...a second pot..maybe I can get her to bake us up a batch of them extra large chocolate chip muffins of hers...come on boys back me up here...
Ain't it funny how hard times make some of the little things in life seem so big...and maybe even special? I don't know about you truckstars, but I'm one of those who tends to get caught up in the day to day bump and grind of life...Barbie says, sometimes, that I take things too seriously and I know she's right...I do. Hard times, I'm finding out, also have a way of showin' ya what you're made of...in more ways than one......tellin' ya..Hard times bring out the worst in people...but, they can also bring out the best....too.
The other day Barbie brought home this little bag from the animal hospital she works at over in the next town, so I asked her what was in the bag and she says "Never mind, just grab a chair out on the porch and sit down"...so I did, and here she comes walkin' out with this giant electric dog hair clipper in her hand, has it already plugged in, says she's cuttin' my hair, ( I’m thinkin’ “Okay save the twenty bucks…right?....the ol’ mop was getting’ a little bushy anyway…so..) ) then she wraps a big towel around my shoulders, barber style, and proceeds to givin' me a haircut....uhh...what ? wait a minute… dog clippers ?......I've never had a "home" haircut before...didn't know my darling wife of several decades had such a skill either(turns out she didn’t…so…at this point truckstars I need to be careful what I say because I know she'll end up readin' this....get me?), so there I am sittin' in this chair , kinda cold out too, Barbie's choppin'...I mean...cuttin' away on me...the hair starts flyin'...keep in mind it was just her and I home at the time(I had no back-up and Grandma and Pup are almost always on her side anyway...so..). Truckstars, sadly, but honestly, I can't remember the last time, years maybe, we had so much fun together...laughin'(and I'm still not sure what about...)and just plain havin' fun(she even sat on my lap and kissed me…wohoo!).... but both of us realized, without sayin' anything, that we really needed that...her and I...and that we both still truly love each other....just for a few moments it seemed like God turned the clock back thirty years and there was this bitty little woman who loved me so much it scared me, standin' here in front of me...still…tellin' me not to move…..fussin' over me with such a “one of a kind” love in her eyes...just for a little while the world and all it’s problems were gone....I’ll take a couple of shaved bald spots for an afternoon like that anytime….
Truckstars, I know times are hard for a lot of us, but the other day taught me somethin' about what really matters in this life we live, and however tough it gets, the things in this world that really matter - will still matter - and will always matter more than any trial or trouble we might be going through...I only hope I never forget that again...the things that are right in this life mean so much more than the things that are wrong.....and, what you're made of, today, is who you're going to wake up being tomorrow.
Yeah, unless a bag of money falls out of the sky, I'm losin' one of my trucks this week, I've got thousands of dollars worth of bills on my desk I can't pay...don't know when I'll work again, Barbie's health is takin' a little turn for the worse, I think we have termites in the roof....the economy seems more like the “great depression” every day....These things too, shall pass....but..God's grace and the look in my wife's eyes...never will...and I count on them both…. (and Please - don’t anyone think I’m sittin’ here thinkin’ I’ve just passed on this great and profound piece of wisdom, the fact of the matter is that I’m really not the sharpest knife in the drawer but I am a lucky son of a bitch and sometimes I even get to realize that…)
Oh right...the hair...Grandma says “It'll grow back”....Tommy and JT just point...and laugh. I think I even heard Pup snickerin' behind the couch.......damn dog....
TRUCKSTAR RADIO: I’m tryin’ to ramp up my broadcast hours to 24/7 so I’m still lookin’ for mobile internet active drivers who have a laptop, headset and http://www.skype.com/ installed(it’s free) or a cell phone or landline they can call into the station on to host their own show!(I also recommend for you mobile cell phone users to get a “hands free blue tooth, or a regular corded headset) Truckstar O/Owners of some of our favorite trucking sites are on board but we need everyday men and women drivers too….I’m usually on the air from 8:00 – 11:00pm most nights.
If you’re interested here’s the call-in numbers and the player links to Truckstar Radio:
954-603-7561 - or – 954-376-8452( cell or landline phone)
Just click on the player, below, that you use in your computer to play music and Truckstar Radio will start playing, “click” us into your playlist, reduce the screen and you can stay on this great site while you’re listening in the background to “The Truckstar Live”, if they're not here just go to http://thetruckstar.com/ and click on "truckstaradio" to find your banner link to your player! Okay?
Windows Media Player: Real Audio(RealPlayer):
I Tunes & Winamp( for Mac users):
(Also, don't forget! If you have http://www.skype.com/ search "the truckstar live", add us as a contact and “Skype-in” whenever you want!)
TRUCKSTAR TECH- My dream laptop? The new Sony VAIO Z Series Ultra-portable, or if I’m really in fantasyland the “AREA 51” by Alienware…Okay now with this class of laptop we’re talking serious money the Sony being way cheaper of the two….(shhh…don’t wake me I’m dreaming….) Most of us will end up with one of the mid-range models, maybe even a “mini”..I really do like the new VAIO Z Series(#1 on my wish list…hint hint…), but I’ll take an HP Business Class anytime too…or the “mini” MSI Wind NB. For us “sound junkies” the new ACER Aspire 8920G is “the beast”(6-speakers a subwoofer and Blue-Ray baby, Blue Ray…) and so is the VAIO FW Series(both are “big screen laptops). DO NOT forget to ask about service, parts/labor warranties!
The Big 4 – AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile - all have high speed for both mobile internet “smart phones” and mobile broadband laptops, it’s just a matter of what you need and want to do with the mobile technology. I may end up with just a mini-laptop but it’ll be 3G speed and as high def. as I can get it. Blue Ray, hopefully….
Smart phones definitely “rock” but they’re not nearly as versatile as a laptop, even a “mini” and the monthly is more expensive when you’re talking about “unlimited” web use per month and using different applications available for each model and carrier. Keep in mind if you want to stream MP3 music, watch video or films over the web,(and most of the cool new applications can do it) you need the 3G speeds. Also a little tip - if you’re a GPS person, look for a notebook with GPS “built-in” then all you need is a software program like Garmin MobilePC, one of the highest rated, is only $59.99 ! Think power adapters too! You’ll need one so you can charge your battery. Don’t forget to ask or check to see if the laptop you want comes with one. I highly recommend making a list of features you need, and want, in a laptop and use it when you shop!
Shop both online and walking at an AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint or Verizon store to ask about prices and service, then compare, remember to ask about rebates and discounts for different computer models BEFORE you buy! Air card models work great and so do the new Gobi(built in modem) models. Need help? Contact me through this website or call into Truckstar Radio and I’ll be happy to talk it over with you! I’ll be doing a weekly “Truckstar Tech” show “on the air”, but I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have, anytime. Okay?
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT- Winter time is also “germ” time….I always bring a container of “dis-infectant” wipes and a container of “moisturizing” wipes with me, I even use them here in my office to wipe down my keyboard every night when I shut er’ down, the dis-infectant ones that is, but particularly, when on the road I wipe down my door handles, shifter, steering wheel, toilet seats, pay phones, and lastly – my hands - before I touch my food or anything else, (like my phone), because winter time is also “cold and flu” season and it’s all the more important to do a little germ control. People who have colds and other issues are always touching themselves and then touching everything else in public places and some don’t wash their hands after using the restroom either….just keep that in mind this winter….and spring and summer and next fall too!
Now let’s talk vitamins!…Most of us have a “health food” store near where we live or somewhere out on the road we see them occasionally, and next chance you get, if you haven’t already, stick your head in the door and ask about “whole food organic” vitamins, if they have em’, grab a bottle, but check the dosage per day and get the ones that say “1 tablet per day”, some of the brands have you taking 3 or more tablets, or capsules, per day, that’s too much for most of us to screw with, but, they’re also a good way, the best way, to keep the mental and physical “burn” going stronger, longer! THINK protein shakes and bars too! So - it’s your call truckstar! You can also go online and order them, I do…try http://www.luckyvitamin.com/ and http://www.bodybuilding.com/ (protein shakes and bars, these guys rock!) Keep your body’s immunities up with a good diet and “whole food organic” vitamins!
*Next week we’ll talk about the cardio-vascular system in the body, and the subject of arterial and vascular plaque! Problems.Causes and Cures.
Did you know that arterial plaque in the brain has been directly linked to stroke and Alzheimers?
NOW would be a good time to get acquainted with your elected and newly elected officials (like em’ or not)Washington goes back to work in early January! HR6630 – (this is the Mexican trucking pilot program bill) It looks like we’re in for a fight over this thing, (since the President in his infinite wisdom for some reason vetoed it) but the congress(and everyone else)is on our side, this is do-able, and every voice counts! It’s in committee right now getting ready to be voted on by the Senate! Get involved!
www.house.gov – (to find your representative enter your zip code)
www.senate.gov – (scroll to your home state)
Don’t forget about abused kids…..they really need heroes….YOU? PLEASE! Say a prayer for SOMEBODY today, pray for our nation, the world and the “lost”…. I was once lost but now am found because someone prayed for me.......
REMEMBER – No load and NO paycheck is worth dyin’ for…..
Don’t ever forget – I love ya…and I’m prayin’ for ya !
Play nice, drive safe and pull it on home………
Saddle up truckstars…..let’s ride……
..you’re “on the road with the original florida kid”…we gown…..
Sunday, November 9, 2008
"On the Road with the original florida kid"/Week46
"On the Road with the original florida kid"Week 46
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 46 and....
...you're on the road with the original florida kid...
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog and the whole gang here at the ranch say a big cowboy howdy "HEY!"
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Alright, alright, come on in, hang your coats up on the peg there by the door, grab a chair and a cup of Grandma's famous cowboy coffee...she put some extra ashtrays out this week...take a load off...let's get this party started(or is it more like a funeral kind of thing?.....don't know yet....)..whatever it is...we have a lot to talk about....
I may be losin’ one of my trucks if boat haulin’ doesn’t pick up or I can’t find some hot shottin’ work somewhere…anywhere….(I’d be happy to run pipe for the oil drillers..or yank trailers for FEMA)…..what work there is the boat haul brokers are low-ballin’ because they know we’ll take the run….yeah it’s easy to sit around talkin’ hard-ball politics but it ain’t easy wonderin’ if you’re going to be able to make your payments and pay the bills, let alone put food on the table……
…..what the hell man….
Barbie’s health may be takin’ a turn for the worse here again, she’s havin’ serious issues in her abdominal area….she’s got to go in for tests again….somethin’s goin’ on in there and it probably ain’t good…been prayin’ a lot for her lately…
First of all, we need to....I need to...calm down and try to sort this all out...the election, I mean. Maybe this soon afterward isn't the best time to talk about it, but, I'm in if you're in...
I can't get over this feeling of “doom” that came over me when Barbie told me that Obama got elected the next morning, not that it was a surprise or anything, it's just that I felt like we were close to getting conservative focus back in this country and now it seems a million miles away...overnight...I wonder if he's going to shelf the tax cut plan as soon as he takes office, like Clinton did...just wonderin'...
And, unless he has a serious policy change, over 5 million babies will be murdered in the womb during the next 4 years...(we're at 50 million since Rowe v. Wade)...dear God....Grandma is just beside herself over this….”the babies…the babies…” she keeps cryin’….
(How could anyone possibly think that's a good thing by calling the life and death of an un-born infant, a “choice”?....) There's a huge difference between a decision or a choice, and a "right"....murder, and that's what it is, is a decision, not a right....as a nation we keep cursing ourselves with our…uhh... “choices”……yeah we do.....
Conservative America....I'm not sure what happened here ...I guess we'll find out...I can tell you one thing though...the "real" battle isn't over...it's just begun.....again…..and we have 4 years to decide if, and how, we want to be heard next election. 4 years goes by quick….although somethin’ tells me this is going to be a long four, truckstars…..tellin’ ya……
Well - let’s not forget that these people are elected officials and WE still have a voice in government! Right? The economic situation in this country needs and demands our input to our government in an ongoing way….wha’cha think truckstars?....
I’m not going to bash Obama. Why? Because I still have respect for the office of the presidency, that’s why, so let’s just get past the honeymoon and the racial stuff here and get on with the business of runnin’ this country…if that’s what’s goin’ on here……
Am I upset? Hell yes I’m upset…like I said – conservative values just went into the toilet - unless we keep this liberal government in check……and that’s what I mean by “the battle isn’t over….it’s just begun”….otherwise we’ll reap the harvest along with the liberals promoting it….uhhh….WHAT?.....yeah…think about that one for a minute….when the party’s over and the smoke clears there’s still work to be done and
it ain’t gonna happen overnight either…..
Listen to me….I want just as bad as anyone for this to be the time in American history where the people’s voices are heard and the country becomes the place our founding fathers envisioned it to be, and listen , it’s not just a question of motivations - it’s a matter of values, and that’s the part that has me worried….I don’t want some rich guys money, whether he earned it the right way or the wrong way, that’s for the courts and God to decide, not me….and that doesn’t solve the day to day labor and job and career re-training issues in this country anyway, we’re just moving money around…even that costs money to do and guess who gets to pay for it……you guessed it…
“He” apparently hasn’t had much experience in trying to take money from rich people….yeah…this I gotta see….
Shifting gears here truckstars - I want to bring your attention again this week to Dan Little and the OOU, Owner Operators United. As drivers we still need that voice that will unite us, a voice that speaks for us and one that has us, as drivers, in mind, first and foremost and a voice that will tell us what’s going on in trucking, how issues and legislation will affect us and what we need to do, truthfully and “professionally”.
Please go up on the www.owneroperatorsunited.org and also check out http://oouinc.ning.com/
This second site is the “forum” site of the OOU, both sites will give you a good handle on what they’re all about, I think you’ll find that they really do have drivers in mind. I do a lot of research on organizations and issues in my job and I can tell you one thing truckstars, this guy is the real deal, Dan Little that is, he’s been on CNN and other major news shows, in the New York Times and written of in the Drudge Report, he’s on a first name basis with many of the politicians involved with, and supporting, us as drivers, he’s succeeded in putting a legitimate, respectable and professional “face” on trucking and truck drivers as a group and labor force….and I hope you take the time to go over there - get informed and get involved! One more voice, YOURS, is another piece of the foundation truck drivers need to build….you’ll also be hearing from Dan and other members of the OOU on Truckstar Radio. If Dan would’ve run for president I would’ve voted for him….there’d have been fists flyin’ and boots getting’ planted where the sun don’t shine up there on Capitol Hill, then the right things would’ve gotten done too…….maybe even a little talkin’ too….maybe….
TRUCKSTAR TECH- Mobile Internet connection speeds are getting faster and faster. AT&T, Sprint and the other major players have all launched faster connection plans for us as cell phone and laptop users and, in fact, laptops, the newer ones comin’ out, have the “modem” built into them. It’s called 3G and Gobi. For me, the AT&T or Sprint’s or Verizon’s 3G speed is more than adequate for phone calls, movie downloads and viewing and whatever else I need to do while on the road, and for me, the versatility of a laptop, even a “mini” beats out any idea of paying far more a month for a “cell” phone (with much less day to day functional use), than $40 - $60 a month for a fully functional mobile web computer, for me anyway….and majors like HP are offering huge discounts on certain business laptop models if you sign up with them, Sony too I think… I would’ve signed up anyway and I’ll take the discount of up to $200 bucks…..cool…the new “minis” are looking better and better to me and they’re 3G capable too….cheap and they’ll do the job, you can always download movies to a flash drive usb and put that in to watch a movie, or just download from www.fancast.com or Netflix..….
Also, if you’re already an internet activated mobile laptop user and you want to host a show or just call in – let me know – Truckstar Radio’s 2 numbers(so far) are;
954-376-8452 and 954-603-7561 you can call with Skype( we can all conference if you are on Skype) or any cell/landline phone! I’m trying to crank it up to bein’ on the air 24/7 asap….I hope to hear from ya!
APU’s – it’s coming to the point truckstars when I think it’ll be mandatory nationwide for APU’s because of anti-idling laws, more and more I’m seeing different parts of the country outlawing idling…..I like the idea of the Cummings diesel powered models…here’s a link to get ya started - http://www.cumminsonan.com/apu/products/
You also need to support HR 139 - the bill for a 25% tax credit to drivers for buying a new APU! I’ll let you know what else I can find that might help ya pay for one when I find it! HR 139 is also called S. 894 and is in Committee on Finance so Please let your Rep’s and Senators know how you feel about it. I think the tax credit should be a lot higher, so let’s take that up with our legislators!
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT- Since these are particularly stressful times it’s more important than ever to watch your fat and “chemical” intake….and to make sure you eat “smart”. A low-fat diet rich in fresh(not canned or frozen) leafy green vegetables and whole grain nutrients and roughage is the best way to help your body help you !
Look for the Met Rx Colossal Protein bars at Flying J Truck-stops, I think they’re getting’ the idea….soon I hope they’ll carry the Labrada, MetRx, and Muscle Milk Protein shakes standard procedure…. Better fuel means better performance truckstars…you’ll see…
By “chemical” I mean caffeine and additives in foods, artery clogging trans-fats too…I’m waitin’ to see which truck-stop chain decides to lead the way by changin’ the restaurant food format to better health menu’s from old style high fat cookin’ and fast foods….Don’t get me wrong I love an old fashioned home cooked meal….but years ago meats, veg’s and grains, even the oils they used were far more natural based…nowadays corporate greed has caused the food co’s to put any kind of chemical or whatever in the foods they make for a higher profit margin and longer shelf life, meanwhile the “natural” food stores and restaurants are all packed all the time….HelloooOOOooo….Pillsbury, Kraft, General Foods….anyone home?…
Don’t forget Truckstar Radio is “on the arrr – eveywarrr” so I hope you’ll tune in when ya can, we’d love to hear from ya!
Well truckstars, I could ramble on all day here but I better shut er' down for this week and get back to puttin' the line-up for Truckstar Radio together. Technically we're on the air but I'm still lookin' for men and women drivers to host their own shows with lots of call-in options, and also, some of the good folks from all our favorite trucking websites. We'll also be hearing music and on the road interviews from some of country music's up and coming stars, like Stephen Wild and Scott Getlin, PBR bull riders and a whole bunch of other great people….but mostly it’s all of you together talkin’, screamin’, laughin’ and cryin’ together….I look forward to Kitchen Table Talkin' with all of you around the country here on Truckstar Radio. If you're needin' help just call-in to the station for specific weather, truckstop locations, road service help…whatever you need…I’m here for YOU…954-376-8452 or 954-603-7561
The links are on www.thetruckstar.com, just bookmark em’ or list Truckstar Radio in your player list(RealPlayer or Windows Media Player, Quicktime or the iTunes/Winamp Player for you Mac users out there.)
And remember, you can always listen to Truckstar Radio in the background while spending time on your favorite trucking site, like this one, you read my blog here already anyway…so….trucker talk radio for YOU, by YOU, starring YOU !!
Don’t forget about abused kids…..they really need heroes….
If you’re a prayin’ person, Please pray for our nation, the world and the lost….. I was once lost but now am found because someone prayed for me.......
REMEMBER – No load and NO paycheck is worth dyin’ for…..
Don’t ever forget – I love ya…and I’m prayin’ for ya !
So play nice, drive safe and pull it on home………
Saddle up truckstars…..let’s ride……
……you’re “on the road with the original florida kid”……we gown…..
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 46 and....
...you're on the road with the original florida kid...
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog and the whole gang here at the ranch say a big cowboy howdy "HEY!"
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Alright, alright, come on in, hang your coats up on the peg there by the door, grab a chair and a cup of Grandma's famous cowboy coffee...she put some extra ashtrays out this week...take a load off...let's get this party started(or is it more like a funeral kind of thing?.....don't know yet....)..whatever it is...we have a lot to talk about....
I may be losin’ one of my trucks if boat haulin’ doesn’t pick up or I can’t find some hot shottin’ work somewhere…anywhere….(I’d be happy to run pipe for the oil drillers..or yank trailers for FEMA)…..what work there is the boat haul brokers are low-ballin’ because they know we’ll take the run….yeah it’s easy to sit around talkin’ hard-ball politics but it ain’t easy wonderin’ if you’re going to be able to make your payments and pay the bills, let alone put food on the table……
…..what the hell man….
Barbie’s health may be takin’ a turn for the worse here again, she’s havin’ serious issues in her abdominal area….she’s got to go in for tests again….somethin’s goin’ on in there and it probably ain’t good…been prayin’ a lot for her lately…
First of all, we need to....I need to...calm down and try to sort this all out...the election, I mean. Maybe this soon afterward isn't the best time to talk about it, but, I'm in if you're in...
I can't get over this feeling of “doom” that came over me when Barbie told me that Obama got elected the next morning, not that it was a surprise or anything, it's just that I felt like we were close to getting conservative focus back in this country and now it seems a million miles away...overnight...I wonder if he's going to shelf the tax cut plan as soon as he takes office, like Clinton did...just wonderin'...
And, unless he has a serious policy change, over 5 million babies will be murdered in the womb during the next 4 years...(we're at 50 million since Rowe v. Wade)...dear God....Grandma is just beside herself over this….”the babies…the babies…” she keeps cryin’….
(How could anyone possibly think that's a good thing by calling the life and death of an un-born infant, a “choice”?....) There's a huge difference between a decision or a choice, and a "right"....murder, and that's what it is, is a decision, not a right....as a nation we keep cursing ourselves with our…uhh... “choices”……yeah we do.....
Conservative America....I'm not sure what happened here ...I guess we'll find out...I can tell you one thing though...the "real" battle isn't over...it's just begun.....again…..and we have 4 years to decide if, and how, we want to be heard next election. 4 years goes by quick….although somethin’ tells me this is going to be a long four, truckstars…..tellin’ ya……
Well - let’s not forget that these people are elected officials and WE still have a voice in government! Right? The economic situation in this country needs and demands our input to our government in an ongoing way….wha’cha think truckstars?....
I’m not going to bash Obama. Why? Because I still have respect for the office of the presidency, that’s why, so let’s just get past the honeymoon and the racial stuff here and get on with the business of runnin’ this country…if that’s what’s goin’ on here……
Am I upset? Hell yes I’m upset…like I said – conservative values just went into the toilet - unless we keep this liberal government in check……and that’s what I mean by “the battle isn’t over….it’s just begun”….otherwise we’ll reap the harvest along with the liberals promoting it….uhhh….WHAT?.....yeah…think about that one for a minute….when the party’s over and the smoke clears there’s still work to be done and
it ain’t gonna happen overnight either…..
Listen to me….I want just as bad as anyone for this to be the time in American history where the people’s voices are heard and the country becomes the place our founding fathers envisioned it to be, and listen , it’s not just a question of motivations - it’s a matter of values, and that’s the part that has me worried….I don’t want some rich guys money, whether he earned it the right way or the wrong way, that’s for the courts and God to decide, not me….and that doesn’t solve the day to day labor and job and career re-training issues in this country anyway, we’re just moving money around…even that costs money to do and guess who gets to pay for it……you guessed it…
“He” apparently hasn’t had much experience in trying to take money from rich people….yeah…this I gotta see….
Shifting gears here truckstars - I want to bring your attention again this week to Dan Little and the OOU, Owner Operators United. As drivers we still need that voice that will unite us, a voice that speaks for us and one that has us, as drivers, in mind, first and foremost and a voice that will tell us what’s going on in trucking, how issues and legislation will affect us and what we need to do, truthfully and “professionally”.
Please go up on the www.owneroperatorsunited.org and also check out http://oouinc.ning.com/
This second site is the “forum” site of the OOU, both sites will give you a good handle on what they’re all about, I think you’ll find that they really do have drivers in mind. I do a lot of research on organizations and issues in my job and I can tell you one thing truckstars, this guy is the real deal, Dan Little that is, he’s been on CNN and other major news shows, in the New York Times and written of in the Drudge Report, he’s on a first name basis with many of the politicians involved with, and supporting, us as drivers, he’s succeeded in putting a legitimate, respectable and professional “face” on trucking and truck drivers as a group and labor force….and I hope you take the time to go over there - get informed and get involved! One more voice, YOURS, is another piece of the foundation truck drivers need to build….you’ll also be hearing from Dan and other members of the OOU on Truckstar Radio. If Dan would’ve run for president I would’ve voted for him….there’d have been fists flyin’ and boots getting’ planted where the sun don’t shine up there on Capitol Hill, then the right things would’ve gotten done too…….maybe even a little talkin’ too….maybe….
TRUCKSTAR TECH- Mobile Internet connection speeds are getting faster and faster. AT&T, Sprint and the other major players have all launched faster connection plans for us as cell phone and laptop users and, in fact, laptops, the newer ones comin’ out, have the “modem” built into them. It’s called 3G and Gobi. For me, the AT&T or Sprint’s or Verizon’s 3G speed is more than adequate for phone calls, movie downloads and viewing and whatever else I need to do while on the road, and for me, the versatility of a laptop, even a “mini” beats out any idea of paying far more a month for a “cell” phone (with much less day to day functional use), than $40 - $60 a month for a fully functional mobile web computer, for me anyway….and majors like HP are offering huge discounts on certain business laptop models if you sign up with them, Sony too I think… I would’ve signed up anyway and I’ll take the discount of up to $200 bucks…..cool…the new “minis” are looking better and better to me and they’re 3G capable too….cheap and they’ll do the job, you can always download movies to a flash drive usb and put that in to watch a movie, or just download from www.fancast.com or Netflix..….
Also, if you’re already an internet activated mobile laptop user and you want to host a show or just call in – let me know – Truckstar Radio’s 2 numbers(so far) are;
954-376-8452 and 954-603-7561 you can call with Skype( we can all conference if you are on Skype) or any cell/landline phone! I’m trying to crank it up to bein’ on the air 24/7 asap….I hope to hear from ya!
APU’s – it’s coming to the point truckstars when I think it’ll be mandatory nationwide for APU’s because of anti-idling laws, more and more I’m seeing different parts of the country outlawing idling…..I like the idea of the Cummings diesel powered models…here’s a link to get ya started - http://www.cumminsonan.com/apu/products/
You also need to support HR 139 - the bill for a 25% tax credit to drivers for buying a new APU! I’ll let you know what else I can find that might help ya pay for one when I find it! HR 139 is also called S. 894 and is in Committee on Finance so Please let your Rep’s and Senators know how you feel about it. I think the tax credit should be a lot higher, so let’s take that up with our legislators!
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT- Since these are particularly stressful times it’s more important than ever to watch your fat and “chemical” intake….and to make sure you eat “smart”. A low-fat diet rich in fresh(not canned or frozen) leafy green vegetables and whole grain nutrients and roughage is the best way to help your body help you !
Look for the Met Rx Colossal Protein bars at Flying J Truck-stops, I think they’re getting’ the idea….soon I hope they’ll carry the Labrada, MetRx, and Muscle Milk Protein shakes standard procedure…. Better fuel means better performance truckstars…you’ll see…
By “chemical” I mean caffeine and additives in foods, artery clogging trans-fats too…I’m waitin’ to see which truck-stop chain decides to lead the way by changin’ the restaurant food format to better health menu’s from old style high fat cookin’ and fast foods….Don’t get me wrong I love an old fashioned home cooked meal….but years ago meats, veg’s and grains, even the oils they used were far more natural based…nowadays corporate greed has caused the food co’s to put any kind of chemical or whatever in the foods they make for a higher profit margin and longer shelf life, meanwhile the “natural” food stores and restaurants are all packed all the time….HelloooOOOooo….Pillsbury, Kraft, General Foods….anyone home?…
Don’t forget Truckstar Radio is “on the arrr – eveywarrr” so I hope you’ll tune in when ya can, we’d love to hear from ya!
Well truckstars, I could ramble on all day here but I better shut er' down for this week and get back to puttin' the line-up for Truckstar Radio together. Technically we're on the air but I'm still lookin' for men and women drivers to host their own shows with lots of call-in options, and also, some of the good folks from all our favorite trucking websites. We'll also be hearing music and on the road interviews from some of country music's up and coming stars, like Stephen Wild and Scott Getlin, PBR bull riders and a whole bunch of other great people….but mostly it’s all of you together talkin’, screamin’, laughin’ and cryin’ together….I look forward to Kitchen Table Talkin' with all of you around the country here on Truckstar Radio. If you're needin' help just call-in to the station for specific weather, truckstop locations, road service help…whatever you need…I’m here for YOU…954-376-8452 or 954-603-7561
The links are on www.thetruckstar.com, just bookmark em’ or list Truckstar Radio in your player list(RealPlayer or Windows Media Player, Quicktime or the iTunes/Winamp Player for you Mac users out there.)
And remember, you can always listen to Truckstar Radio in the background while spending time on your favorite trucking site, like this one, you read my blog here already anyway…so….trucker talk radio for YOU, by YOU, starring YOU !!
Don’t forget about abused kids…..they really need heroes….
If you’re a prayin’ person, Please pray for our nation, the world and the lost….. I was once lost but now am found because someone prayed for me.......
REMEMBER – No load and NO paycheck is worth dyin’ for…..
Don’t ever forget – I love ya…and I’m prayin’ for ya !
So play nice, drive safe and pull it on home………
Saddle up truckstars…..let’s ride……
……you’re “on the road with the original florida kid”……we gown…..
Thursday, October 30, 2008
On the Road with the original floirda kid Week 45
"On the Road with the original florida kid" Week 45
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 45 and....you're on the road with the original florida kid.....
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog and the whole gang here at the ranch say a big cowboy howdy "HEY"...
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- yeah buddy....it's gettin' cold outside...so hang your coats on the peg by the door, come on in and grab a cup of Grandma's famous, and hot, cowboy coffee. Good thing I cut a bunch of firewood this past summer. We had to clear back quite a few trees that grew in over the gravel road goin' up the hill to 2 of the pastures up there because the shade was keepin' it too wet and slippery....even the horses were doin' the slip and slide, we have to walk them up that part of the dirt road...so...at least we got firewood out of the deal...dry too now…..looks like we'll need it.
Ol' Pup the Wonder dog is gettin' up a little bit slower these days...Barbie says he's got arthritis.....poor ol' boy, he's gettin' up there...sometimes he sits it out when we go up in the hills, not always but sometimes....guess we're all gettin' old....dammit….
JT might just make it...we’ll see…we don't know yet but he found a new load broker...one that actually passes on the fuel surcharges to him...yeah well, like I said, we'll see.....(call me crazy but isn't stealin' money against the law?....I don't know I thought I heard that somewhere...)
I hope everyone caught last week's blog - Week 44 - where I listed the legislation that's
on the table up on capitol hill in several important areas, ones that affect us as drivers I mean....I also listed most if not all of the politicians involved so you can contact them and give them support. If your rep's and senators aren't there you may want to contact them and ask them....WHY ?....
Here's the starting point if you're in the mood....( if you’re not, now would be a good time to get in the mood….wha’d ya say?)
www.house.gov - to find your representative enter your zip code
www.senate.gov – (scroll to your home state)
Don't think for a second that ONE voice doesn't matter....Have you ever been to a professional football or baseball game at a stadium? One guy starts yellin' and the next thing ya know 60,000 people are yellin' too...the players will tell you it can definitely affect the outcome of a game, not to mention the fact that it can be deafening........get the point?.....
Your voice DOES matter! It matters to, and for, all of us....are ya with me truckstars ?
I'm readin' the trucking news headlines this morning...not that I need anyone to tell me that freight is still going down and the price of everything else is goin' up...or that the economy worldwide is feelin' the crunch....and suddenly - I realize that I'm damn sick and tired of feelin' helpless and scared...and I'm also sick and damn tired of seeing and hearing about good and decent people losing everything...homes, cars, kids in college comin' home, businesses....And while I'm at it here a little word to the critics of the common man out there....they can kiss my ass and go to…....you heard me right....I’m sorry truckstars but there are even many in the trucking industry who think it’s a good thing the ranks are getting’ thinned out, that we’re going under because we can’t run a business or a truck…..
What - I need to be a business expert to survive in America now? Since when? And don't talk down to me while you've got your hand in my pocket either.....
Yeah well it looks like the business experts need to go back to school too.......
No, I mean it....I'm a man's man, not afraid of anything...but the past year or two has been like a really really bad movie....with the keystone cops runnin' around in Washington bumpin' into each other....only it's not funny and I'm not laughin'.....
What the hell man....
I ran a few small boats down to the boat-show settin' up in Ft. Lauderdale monday and tues. and I ran into a veteran boat hauler I know from the west coast, an older guy been doin' it for 35 years, a pro's pro, this guy...well he pulls me off to the side and tells me it's been so slow that he might not be able to make his insurance payments much longer and he may be done for....already sold everything that wasn't nailed down...spare trailers and what not...the ones that haven't been stolen, that is...it was hard to watch this guy's face...the look on his face just broke my damn heart truckstars....it really did....I'm walking away thinkin' to myself, man, if this guy's goin' under.... and right then it felt like an ice cold wind just blew right through me..........tellin' ya.....
The rail and ocean going shipping industries are way down too....worldwide...
Where's it going to end?
Don't know truckstars....don't think anyone but God knows................wonder what He has to say about all this.
I wish I would have asked Him AND gotten more involved in government……sooner..... ……….well...I AM NOW........you?
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT- I want to make a comment about all these "weight loss" pills, drinks and powders...DON'T TAKE THEM! Why? Because most of them are newer forms of "speed" or enhanced acid based caffeine drugs designed to artificially raise your metabolism and heart-rate in order to burn more calories. Anything with a "drine" at the end of it is basically a synthetic type of stimulant, and there are others that use sugars and caffeine mixtures ALL of which are not, and never will be, good for you. Protein shakes, or drinks, like MetRx or Muscle Milk or Labrada Protein Drinks( http://www.labrada.com/ ), I think the Labrada is the best because they are really high in good protein and also vitamins and minerals(I know I’ve misspelled the name in past blogs…should’ve stayed in school longer…)but Muscle Milk is easier to find, then the MetRx, this is the same co. that makes the best protein bars on the market like the one I eat - MetRx Colossal. Flying J now carries em’. It’s cheaper to get a case of drinks and bring a few out on the road with, that’s what I do.
If you find yourself overweight, with a higher than healthy cholesterol level or even high blood pressure, or feeling sluggish and low energy in general you first need to take a look, a really good hard look, at your diet, that’s where you’ll find the problems..
Now, for starters these so called weight loss potions do not discharge the fats and toxins in your body they raise your "burn" level to cause your body to try to metabolize fats and toxins out of your system, but they don't, they just burn low levels of carbs and some or part of the fats, and make you NOT feel like eating meanwhile they acidify the nutrients in your blood, that's why it still takes someone 6 months to lose just a few pounds when they take this stuff. The power drinks don't do anything but amp you out, fake energy with a nasty downside.
Most health issues originate in or with the diet you eat. Fact. And for you vitamin skeptics out there, vitamins are not drugs - they're food derivatives - big difference. I always talk about "whole food organic" vitamins because they're drawn from organic foods and are in fact food themselves, just concentrated and made for people that can't, won't or don't have a way to eat an ideal diet rich in lean proteins and fruit, vegetable or grain based vitamins and minerals. Make sure you read the labels on whatever vitamins you're taking to see if the source of the nutrient is synthetic or natural or organic based, organic being best. Synthetic based vitamins are useless. You can't run on "fake" fuel, just like you can't be healthy on fake food....Okay?
TRUCKSTAR TECH- I got a new "free" upgrade phone when I renewed my cell phone contract with AT&T last week, got a cool new Razr 3, internet enabled...cool right?
Uh… well….yes and no....
Yes, because I can check my Comcast e-mail and look up "some" stuff on the web, but, no, because I still need G3 or higher speeds to watch movies and the better graphics, and some of the streaming radio, no, most of the streaming "anything" I want to do requires it, not to mention the fact that I also need to get the "unlimited internet plan" to go with it, and, a higher minute plan or the "all in one" unlimited plan for around a hundred bucks a month....and that's not even close to what I really wanted, which was a "smart phone", which is a kind of a - phone/wanna-be computer thing. So...after 2 days of research on the web I came to the conclusion that I'm bagging the cool phone thing and going with a "super" laptop that will do everything including : making phone calls to any computer or cell or landline anywhere in the world, HD or Blue-Ray film watching(on DVD or Flashdrive or download like Netflix), e-mail of course, storing files, map programs, writing work, business software, photos, and well, anything else I will need or can think of, plus I can web surf at very high speeds all for about $60 bucks a month. That's it.
When I save the money for the laptop I need then this phone is going into my outdated cell phone collection and I'm switching my monthly plan to an internet plan. End of conversation. When I want to call Barbie, or anyone else, I have the option of seeing them while I'm speaking with them for pennies.
I'm still looking at the new "mini" laptops, so far the new SONY Z series is the best, they already have the best "after sale service". HP has a deal where you get $200 off the price of the laptop if you go with AT&T on select models...hmmm.....HP's are getting raves in the tech mags too for the new laptops....I'll be taking a look at them too you can bet...I'll let you know, and if you're in the market for a laptop I would wait till the last minute the experts say the prices will be falling......a lot....really soon.....
I want to give a big cowboy howdy shout out to Dan Little from the OOU.com(you need to join up truckstars...seriously...) and my main man in Kentucky - Big Jack Knife aka Harold, he’s a 2 million miler who's laid up at the moment sufferin' from a little bit of "father time".....
So - hats off and heads up - "HEY BOYS !"
Well truckstars, I could ramble on all day here but I better shut er' down for this week and get back to puttin' the line-up for Truckstar Radio together. Technically we're on the air but I'm still lookin' for men and women drivers to host their own shows with lots of call-in options, and also, some of the good folks from all our favorite trucking websites. We'll also be hearing music and on the road interviews from some of country music's up and coming stars, like Stephen Wild, PBR bull riders and a whole bunch of other great people….but mostly it’s all of you together talkin’, screamin’, laughin’ and cryin’ together….I look forward to Kitchen Table Talkin' with all of you around the country here on Truckstar Radio. If you're needin' help just call-in to the station for specific weather, truckstop locations, road service help…whatever you need…I’m here for YOU…
The links are on http://www.thetruckstar.com/, just bookmark em’ or list Truckstar Radio in your player list(RealPlayer or Windows Media Player, Quicktime or the iTunes/Winamp Player for you Mac users out there.)
And remember, you can always listen to Truckstar Radio in the background while spending time on your favorite trucking site, like this one, you read my blog here already anyway…so….
Don’t forget about abused kids…..they really need heroes…. If you’re a prayin’ person, Please pray for our nation, the world and the lost…..
I was once lost but now am found because someone prayed for me.......
REMEMBER – No load and NO paycheck is worth dyin’ for…..
Don’t ever forget – I love ya…and I’m prayin’ for ya !
So play nice, drive safe and pull it on home………
Saddle up truckstars…..let’s ride……
……you’re on the road with the original florida kid…we gown…..
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 45 and....you're on the road with the original florida kid.....
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog and the whole gang here at the ranch say a big cowboy howdy "HEY"...
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- yeah buddy....it's gettin' cold outside...so hang your coats on the peg by the door, come on in and grab a cup of Grandma's famous, and hot, cowboy coffee. Good thing I cut a bunch of firewood this past summer. We had to clear back quite a few trees that grew in over the gravel road goin' up the hill to 2 of the pastures up there because the shade was keepin' it too wet and slippery....even the horses were doin' the slip and slide, we have to walk them up that part of the dirt road...so...at least we got firewood out of the deal...dry too now…..looks like we'll need it.
Ol' Pup the Wonder dog is gettin' up a little bit slower these days...Barbie says he's got arthritis.....poor ol' boy, he's gettin' up there...sometimes he sits it out when we go up in the hills, not always but sometimes....guess we're all gettin' old....dammit….
JT might just make it...we’ll see…we don't know yet but he found a new load broker...one that actually passes on the fuel surcharges to him...yeah well, like I said, we'll see.....(call me crazy but isn't stealin' money against the law?....I don't know I thought I heard that somewhere...)
I hope everyone caught last week's blog - Week 44 - where I listed the legislation that's
on the table up on capitol hill in several important areas, ones that affect us as drivers I mean....I also listed most if not all of the politicians involved so you can contact them and give them support. If your rep's and senators aren't there you may want to contact them and ask them....WHY ?....
Here's the starting point if you're in the mood....( if you’re not, now would be a good time to get in the mood….wha’d ya say?)
www.house.gov - to find your representative enter your zip code
www.senate.gov – (scroll to your home state)
Don't think for a second that ONE voice doesn't matter....Have you ever been to a professional football or baseball game at a stadium? One guy starts yellin' and the next thing ya know 60,000 people are yellin' too...the players will tell you it can definitely affect the outcome of a game, not to mention the fact that it can be deafening........get the point?.....
Your voice DOES matter! It matters to, and for, all of us....are ya with me truckstars ?
I'm readin' the trucking news headlines this morning...not that I need anyone to tell me that freight is still going down and the price of everything else is goin' up...or that the economy worldwide is feelin' the crunch....and suddenly - I realize that I'm damn sick and tired of feelin' helpless and scared...and I'm also sick and damn tired of seeing and hearing about good and decent people losing everything...homes, cars, kids in college comin' home, businesses....And while I'm at it here a little word to the critics of the common man out there....they can kiss my ass and go to…....you heard me right....I’m sorry truckstars but there are even many in the trucking industry who think it’s a good thing the ranks are getting’ thinned out, that we’re going under because we can’t run a business or a truck…..
What - I need to be a business expert to survive in America now? Since when? And don't talk down to me while you've got your hand in my pocket either.....
Yeah well it looks like the business experts need to go back to school too.......
No, I mean it....I'm a man's man, not afraid of anything...but the past year or two has been like a really really bad movie....with the keystone cops runnin' around in Washington bumpin' into each other....only it's not funny and I'm not laughin'.....
What the hell man....
I ran a few small boats down to the boat-show settin' up in Ft. Lauderdale monday and tues. and I ran into a veteran boat hauler I know from the west coast, an older guy been doin' it for 35 years, a pro's pro, this guy...well he pulls me off to the side and tells me it's been so slow that he might not be able to make his insurance payments much longer and he may be done for....already sold everything that wasn't nailed down...spare trailers and what not...the ones that haven't been stolen, that is...it was hard to watch this guy's face...the look on his face just broke my damn heart truckstars....it really did....I'm walking away thinkin' to myself, man, if this guy's goin' under.... and right then it felt like an ice cold wind just blew right through me..........tellin' ya.....
The rail and ocean going shipping industries are way down too....worldwide...
Where's it going to end?
Don't know truckstars....don't think anyone but God knows................wonder what He has to say about all this.
I wish I would have asked Him AND gotten more involved in government……sooner..... ……….well...I AM NOW........you?
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT- I want to make a comment about all these "weight loss" pills, drinks and powders...DON'T TAKE THEM! Why? Because most of them are newer forms of "speed" or enhanced acid based caffeine drugs designed to artificially raise your metabolism and heart-rate in order to burn more calories. Anything with a "drine" at the end of it is basically a synthetic type of stimulant, and there are others that use sugars and caffeine mixtures ALL of which are not, and never will be, good for you. Protein shakes, or drinks, like MetRx or Muscle Milk or Labrada Protein Drinks( http://www.labrada.com/ ), I think the Labrada is the best because they are really high in good protein and also vitamins and minerals(I know I’ve misspelled the name in past blogs…should’ve stayed in school longer…)but Muscle Milk is easier to find, then the MetRx, this is the same co. that makes the best protein bars on the market like the one I eat - MetRx Colossal. Flying J now carries em’. It’s cheaper to get a case of drinks and bring a few out on the road with, that’s what I do.
If you find yourself overweight, with a higher than healthy cholesterol level or even high blood pressure, or feeling sluggish and low energy in general you first need to take a look, a really good hard look, at your diet, that’s where you’ll find the problems..
Now, for starters these so called weight loss potions do not discharge the fats and toxins in your body they raise your "burn" level to cause your body to try to metabolize fats and toxins out of your system, but they don't, they just burn low levels of carbs and some or part of the fats, and make you NOT feel like eating meanwhile they acidify the nutrients in your blood, that's why it still takes someone 6 months to lose just a few pounds when they take this stuff. The power drinks don't do anything but amp you out, fake energy with a nasty downside.
Most health issues originate in or with the diet you eat. Fact. And for you vitamin skeptics out there, vitamins are not drugs - they're food derivatives - big difference. I always talk about "whole food organic" vitamins because they're drawn from organic foods and are in fact food themselves, just concentrated and made for people that can't, won't or don't have a way to eat an ideal diet rich in lean proteins and fruit, vegetable or grain based vitamins and minerals. Make sure you read the labels on whatever vitamins you're taking to see if the source of the nutrient is synthetic or natural or organic based, organic being best. Synthetic based vitamins are useless. You can't run on "fake" fuel, just like you can't be healthy on fake food....Okay?
TRUCKSTAR TECH- I got a new "free" upgrade phone when I renewed my cell phone contract with AT&T last week, got a cool new Razr 3, internet enabled...cool right?
Uh… well….yes and no....
Yes, because I can check my Comcast e-mail and look up "some" stuff on the web, but, no, because I still need G3 or higher speeds to watch movies and the better graphics, and some of the streaming radio, no, most of the streaming "anything" I want to do requires it, not to mention the fact that I also need to get the "unlimited internet plan" to go with it, and, a higher minute plan or the "all in one" unlimited plan for around a hundred bucks a month....and that's not even close to what I really wanted, which was a "smart phone", which is a kind of a - phone/wanna-be computer thing. So...after 2 days of research on the web I came to the conclusion that I'm bagging the cool phone thing and going with a "super" laptop that will do everything including : making phone calls to any computer or cell or landline anywhere in the world, HD or Blue-Ray film watching(on DVD or Flashdrive or download like Netflix), e-mail of course, storing files, map programs, writing work, business software, photos, and well, anything else I will need or can think of, plus I can web surf at very high speeds all for about $60 bucks a month. That's it.
When I save the money for the laptop I need then this phone is going into my outdated cell phone collection and I'm switching my monthly plan to an internet plan. End of conversation. When I want to call Barbie, or anyone else, I have the option of seeing them while I'm speaking with them for pennies.
I'm still looking at the new "mini" laptops, so far the new SONY Z series is the best, they already have the best "after sale service". HP has a deal where you get $200 off the price of the laptop if you go with AT&T on select models...hmmm.....HP's are getting raves in the tech mags too for the new laptops....I'll be taking a look at them too you can bet...I'll let you know, and if you're in the market for a laptop I would wait till the last minute the experts say the prices will be falling......a lot....really soon.....
I want to give a big cowboy howdy shout out to Dan Little from the OOU.com(you need to join up truckstars...seriously...) and my main man in Kentucky - Big Jack Knife aka Harold, he’s a 2 million miler who's laid up at the moment sufferin' from a little bit of "father time".....
So - hats off and heads up - "HEY BOYS !"
Well truckstars, I could ramble on all day here but I better shut er' down for this week and get back to puttin' the line-up for Truckstar Radio together. Technically we're on the air but I'm still lookin' for men and women drivers to host their own shows with lots of call-in options, and also, some of the good folks from all our favorite trucking websites. We'll also be hearing music and on the road interviews from some of country music's up and coming stars, like Stephen Wild, PBR bull riders and a whole bunch of other great people….but mostly it’s all of you together talkin’, screamin’, laughin’ and cryin’ together….I look forward to Kitchen Table Talkin' with all of you around the country here on Truckstar Radio. If you're needin' help just call-in to the station for specific weather, truckstop locations, road service help…whatever you need…I’m here for YOU…
The links are on http://www.thetruckstar.com/, just bookmark em’ or list Truckstar Radio in your player list(RealPlayer or Windows Media Player, Quicktime or the iTunes/Winamp Player for you Mac users out there.)
And remember, you can always listen to Truckstar Radio in the background while spending time on your favorite trucking site, like this one, you read my blog here already anyway…so….
Don’t forget about abused kids…..they really need heroes…. If you’re a prayin’ person, Please pray for our nation, the world and the lost…..
I was once lost but now am found because someone prayed for me.......
REMEMBER – No load and NO paycheck is worth dyin’ for…..
Don’t ever forget – I love ya…and I’m prayin’ for ya !
So play nice, drive safe and pull it on home………
Saddle up truckstars…..let’s ride……
……you’re on the road with the original florida kid…we gown…..
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
"On the Road with the original florida kid"Week44
"On the Road with the original florida kid" Week 44
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 44 and....
....you're on the road with the original florida kid!....
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog and the whole gang here at the ranch give a big cowboy howdy ........"HEY!" …
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Well come on in! PLEASE Check your boots....(Grandma's on the loose with her famous wooden spoon......she will crack ya one….tellin’ya…..she doesn’t care if the world’s comin’ to an end..that kitchen floor stays clean…)...grab a chair and a cup of Grandma's famous cowboy coffee and have a seat….yeah dammit….I feel like reachin’ under the sink and grabbin’ grandpa’s bottle of JD….but….I’d best not, I’d probably end up on the six o’clock news and then I’d have to face Barbie …yeah I would….UhOhhh…Hep me Lawd !.......(the boys are all laughin’ readin’ this…they too know her…and fear her…..)
And besides, we've got lots to talk about this week.
A buddy of ours one county over, J.T. is losing his rig…he got caught up in the high fuel prices earlier this year and ran along just barely makin’ it(with low pay freight in the mix…hijacked surcharges..) and over the summer work was real slow so now he’s behind a couple of truck payments…and house payments…the insurance payments are due….so…we’re all tryin’ to keep him afloat but most of us are in the same boat and it’s takin’ on water faster than we can all bail….(I wish I was Dave Sweetman….really….)
WHAT THE HELL MAN…….
Maybe Obama can let us have some of that record breakin’ campaign money he’s collected since he says wants to help out us working people so bad….
(yeah that’ll happen)…..
First up (and back to the real world), I want to go over some legislation bills that we, as drivers, need to be made aware of and stay aware of....stuff like WHO'S behind them WHAT they are, WHEN they get voted on, and WHERE they're at in the process.
Dan Little from the OOU mentioned to me the other night on the phone about a couple of them; the HR6106, and the HR5986, saying I may want to write about them in this week's blog, because, in his opinion: "They are very important and affect all drivers bottom lines, every day and into the future".
And, as I looked into HR6106 and HR5995, I came upon several other pieces of legislation that DIRECTLY affect us as pro drivers, too, and I thought I would run them ALL by you truckstars to see what you think, and what you want to do about 'em.....
Now….before I forget –
Contact your elected officials TODAY! – (use your liberty before you can’t…)
www.house.gov - to find your representative enter your zip code
www.senate.gov – (scroll to your home state)
These 2 bills below are the ones about fuel tax on diesel; (HR5995 was still in the Ways and Means Committee when the time, Sept. 8th, came up on it…)but here’s the info on it in case it’s still alive, you may want to contact your Rep’s and Senators to see;
HR5995 -Title: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to suspend the highway fuels taxes, to provide for a Joint Committee on Earmark Reform, and to prohibit earmarking for the remainder of the 110th Congress. Sponsor: Rep. Paul Ryan (and 23 co-sponsors) [WI-1] (introduced 5/8/2008)
HR6106 - To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to temporarily reduce the excise tax on diesel fuel and kerosene to the rate applicable to gasoline. This Act may be cited as the `The Diesel Tax Fairness Act of 2008'.
Rep. Mary Bono Mack [CA-45] (introduced 5/21/2008)
and co-sponsors;
Rep. Kay Granger [TX-12] -6/20/2008
Rep. Devin Nunes [CA-21]7/15/2008
Rep. John Shimkus [IL-19] -6/20/2008
Rep. Cliff Stearns [FL-6] - 6/12/2008
Latest Major Action: 5/21/2008 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
**(So what this “means” is “We” can still get on the horn and rattle some cages…it really works…)** Dan says: “This will affect a typical O/O to the tune of about $1,000 a year at present prices”.
HR5986 - To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to immediately terminate the excise tax on diesel fuel and the tax credits for ethanol and other alcohol fuels.Sponsor: Rep. Michael C. Burgess [TX-26] (introduced 5/7/2008)
Cosponsors (None) Committees: House Ways and Means Latest Major Action: 5/7/2008 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
HR6630 – Mexican trucking in the U.S. (4 versions)
1 . HR6630IH - To prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from granting authority to a motor carrier domiciled in Mexico to operate beyond United States municipalities and commercial zones on the... (Introduced in House) 2 . HR6630EH - To prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from granting authority to a motor carrier domiciled in Mexico to operate beyond United States municipalities and commercial zones on the... (Engrossed as Agreed to or Passed by House) 3 . HR6630RFS - To prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from granting authority to a motor carrier domiciled in Mexico to operate beyond United States municipalities and commercial zones on the... (Referred to Senate Committee after being Received from House) 4 . HR6630RH - To prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from granting authority to a motor carrier domiciled in Mexico to operate beyond United States municipalities and commercial zones on the... (Reported in House)
This one is of serious importance to the future job security of O/O’s and even company drivers here in the U.S. because it means a cheaper labor source for big business to haul freight here in the U.S., I don’t care what you’ve heard about it this is the “bottom line”. It passed on Sept. 10th. But the White House says they’ll veto and the House says they’ll fight the veto…so this is where WE come in….you know what to do!
Sponsor: Rep DeFazio, Peter A. (Our Hero!) [OR-4] (introduced 7/29/2008)
COSPONSORS (41):
Rep Baca, Joe [CA-43] - 7/31/2008
Rep Berry, Marion [AR-1] - 9/8/2008
Rep Boswell, Leonard L.[IA-3]7/31/2008
Rep Boyda, Nancy E. [KS-2] - 7/31/2008
Rep Brown, Henry E., Jr. [SC-17/31/2008
Rep Calvert, Ken [CA-44] - 9/8/2008
Rep Capito, Shelley Moore [WV-2]7/31/2008
Rep Capuano, Michael E. [MA-8] 7/31/2008
Rep Carney, Christopher P. [PA-10] - 7/31/2008
Rep Cohen, Steve [TN-9] - 7/31/2008
Rep Cummings, Elijah E. [MD-7] - 7/31/2008
Rep Davis, David [TN-1] - 7/31/2008
Rep Duncan, John J., Jr. [TN-2] - 7/29/2008
Rep Edwards, Donna F. [MD-4] - 7/31/2008
Rep Filner, Bob [CA-51] - 7/31/2008
Rep Gilchrest, Wayne T.[MD-1]7/31/2008
Rep Gordon, Bart [TN-6] - 9/8/2008
Rep Hayes, Robin [NC-8] - 7/31/2008
Rep Higgins, Brian [NY-27] - 7/31/2008
Rep Holden, Tim [PA-17] - 7/31/2008
Rep Hulshof, Kenny C. [MO-9] - 7/31/2008
Rep Johnson, Eddie Bernice [TX-30] - 7/31/2008
Rep Kagen, Steve[WI-8] - 7/31/2008
Rep Lipinski, Daniel [IL-3] - 9/9/2008
Rep LoBiondo, Frank A. [NJ-2] - 7/31/2008
Rep McHugh, John M. [NY-23] - 9/8/2008
Rep Mica, John L. [FL-7] - 7/29/2008
Rep Miller, Candice S. [MI-10] - 7/31/2008
Rep Miller, Gary G. [CA-42] - 7/31/2008
Rep Mitchell, Harry E. [AZ-5] - 7/31/2008
Rep Mollohan, Alan B. [WV-1] - 7/31/2008
Rep Moran, Jerry [KS-1] - 7/31/2008
Rep Napolitano, Grace F. [CA-38] - 7/31/2008
Rep Oberstar, James L. [MN-8] - 7/29/2008
Rep Poe, Ted [TX-2] - 7/31/2008
Rep Rahall, Nick J., II [WV-3] - 7/31/2008
Rep Richardson, Laura [CA-37] 7/31/2008
Rep Sali, Bill [ID-1] - 9/8/2008
Rep Sires, Albio [NJ-13] - 7/31/2008
Rep Space, Zachary T. [OH-18] - 7/31/2008
Rep Tauscher, Ellen O. [CA-10] - 7/31/2008
Speed Limit legislation;
HR6458 – Someone came up with the idea to set speed limits at 60 in the cities and 65 outside the cities…..Kill this one before it multiplies….
*These 3 below deal with surcharges, you O/O/s need to follow up on this!
HR5934 – or TRUCC ACT - (the Senate Bill version is S2910) - This Act may be cited as the `Trust in Reliable Understanding of Consumer Costs Act'
Rep. Thomas E Petri [WI-6] – Co-sponsor: Rep. Brad Ellsworth [IN-8]
To amend title 49, United States Code, to require that fuel surcharges collected by a motor carrier, broker, or freight forwarder be passed through to the person responsible for bearing the cost of fuel, and for other purposes.
Latest Major Action: 5/1/2008 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
H.R.5997 Title: To amend title 49, United States Code, to require a motor carrier, broker, or freight forwarder that collects a fuel surcharge to pay an amount equal to the surcharge to the person that bears the cost of the fuel, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep Barrow, John [GA-12] (introduced 5/8/2008)
H.R.5977 Title: To amend title 49, United States Code, to require a motor carrier, broker, or freight forwarder that collects a fuel surcharge to disclose and pay the fuel surcharge to the person responsible for bearing the cost of the fuel, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep DeFazio, Peter A. [OR-4] (introduced 5/6/2008) Related Bills: H.R.5934, H.R.5997, S.2910Latest Major Action: 5/6/2008 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
S.2910 Title: A bill to require brokers to disclose and pay independent truckers for any fuel surcharges received from shippers that relate to fuel costs paid for by the truckers. Sponsor: Sen. Snowe, Olympia J. [ME] (introduced 4/24/08) Cosponsors (4) Related Bills: H.R.5934, H.R.5977, H.R.5997 Latest Major Action: 4/24/2008 Referred to Senate committee.
Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. *(This means if you let them know you’re a voter it’ll swing our way, there’s still time!)*
HR1756 – NAFTA Truck Safety Act – (for the Mexicans to have safe trucks…yeah you go boy!)
Tax credit for alternate power generators;
HR139 – ( or now known as bill S 894) A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a credit for the purchase of idling reduction systems for diesel-powered on-highway vehicles. Sponsor: Sen. Blanche L. Lincoln [AR] (introduced 3/15/2007) Is somewhere in the Finance Committee and poss. Further before debate. It’ll help offset the cost of switching over to a power gen. in your truck, we need this too!)
*Okay truckstars….those are the latest issues and people behind them….I can’t stress enough….and I want you to listen to me PLEASE….get on the horn…now…today….as soon as you get a minute to get on the computer to send an e-mail, or make a phone call (by Googling your Rep’s and Senators after you go to the addresses I posted above and finding out their phone number…) We know from the superman efforts of guys like Dan Little from the OOU that our voices are being heard AND taken very seriously, and we’re not just talkin’ about politics here, we’re talkin’ about day to day issues that affect your pay and job future….your voice really matters!….Are ya in?.........This country was founded by people with great courage and nerve who were under the kinds of oppressive threats to their liberties like we are now but we haven’t been exercising our rights for a very long time, most of us anyway….and like I’ve said before I’m not talkin’ about getting’ involved in politics, I’m sayin’ to get involved in government, our government because if we don’t….then we’re just a helpless peanut gallery with our lives and futures blowin’ in the wind….what’cha think truckstar?
I’ll be doing a separate blog on The Health Dept. And Truckstar Tech in a day or two!
Don’t forget about abused kids…..they really need heroes….
That’s it for now!
If you’re a prayin’ person, Please pray for our nation, the world and the lost…
REMEMBER – No load and NO paycheck is worth dyin’ for…..
Don’t forget! I love ya and I’m prayin’ for ya!
So play nice, drive safe and pull it on home………
Saddle up…..let’s ride!……
……you’re on the road with the original florida kid…we gown…..
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 44 and....
....you're on the road with the original florida kid!....
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog and the whole gang here at the ranch give a big cowboy howdy ........"HEY!" …
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Well come on in! PLEASE Check your boots....(Grandma's on the loose with her famous wooden spoon......she will crack ya one….tellin’ya…..she doesn’t care if the world’s comin’ to an end..that kitchen floor stays clean…)...grab a chair and a cup of Grandma's famous cowboy coffee and have a seat….yeah dammit….I feel like reachin’ under the sink and grabbin’ grandpa’s bottle of JD….but….I’d best not, I’d probably end up on the six o’clock news and then I’d have to face Barbie …yeah I would….UhOhhh…Hep me Lawd !.......(the boys are all laughin’ readin’ this…they too know her…and fear her…..)
And besides, we've got lots to talk about this week.
A buddy of ours one county over, J.T. is losing his rig…he got caught up in the high fuel prices earlier this year and ran along just barely makin’ it(with low pay freight in the mix…hijacked surcharges..) and over the summer work was real slow so now he’s behind a couple of truck payments…and house payments…the insurance payments are due….so…we’re all tryin’ to keep him afloat but most of us are in the same boat and it’s takin’ on water faster than we can all bail….(I wish I was Dave Sweetman….really….)
WHAT THE HELL MAN…….
Maybe Obama can let us have some of that record breakin’ campaign money he’s collected since he says wants to help out us working people so bad….
(yeah that’ll happen)…..
First up (and back to the real world), I want to go over some legislation bills that we, as drivers, need to be made aware of and stay aware of....stuff like WHO'S behind them WHAT they are, WHEN they get voted on, and WHERE they're at in the process.
Dan Little from the OOU mentioned to me the other night on the phone about a couple of them; the HR6106, and the HR5986, saying I may want to write about them in this week's blog, because, in his opinion: "They are very important and affect all drivers bottom lines, every day and into the future".
And, as I looked into HR6106 and HR5995, I came upon several other pieces of legislation that DIRECTLY affect us as pro drivers, too, and I thought I would run them ALL by you truckstars to see what you think, and what you want to do about 'em.....
Now….before I forget –
Contact your elected officials TODAY! – (use your liberty before you can’t…)
www.house.gov - to find your representative enter your zip code
www.senate.gov – (scroll to your home state)
These 2 bills below are the ones about fuel tax on diesel; (HR5995 was still in the Ways and Means Committee when the time, Sept. 8th, came up on it…)but here’s the info on it in case it’s still alive, you may want to contact your Rep’s and Senators to see;
HR5995 -Title: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to suspend the highway fuels taxes, to provide for a Joint Committee on Earmark Reform, and to prohibit earmarking for the remainder of the 110th Congress. Sponsor: Rep. Paul Ryan (and 23 co-sponsors) [WI-1] (introduced 5/8/2008)
HR6106 - To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to temporarily reduce the excise tax on diesel fuel and kerosene to the rate applicable to gasoline. This Act may be cited as the `The Diesel Tax Fairness Act of 2008'.
Rep. Mary Bono Mack [CA-45] (introduced 5/21/2008)
and co-sponsors;
Rep. Kay Granger [TX-12] -6/20/2008
Rep. Devin Nunes [CA-21]7/15/2008
Rep. John Shimkus [IL-19] -6/20/2008
Rep. Cliff Stearns [FL-6] - 6/12/2008
Latest Major Action: 5/21/2008 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
**(So what this “means” is “We” can still get on the horn and rattle some cages…it really works…)** Dan says: “This will affect a typical O/O to the tune of about $1,000 a year at present prices”.
HR5986 - To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to immediately terminate the excise tax on diesel fuel and the tax credits for ethanol and other alcohol fuels.Sponsor: Rep. Michael C. Burgess [TX-26] (introduced 5/7/2008)
Cosponsors (None) Committees: House Ways and Means Latest Major Action: 5/7/2008 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
HR6630 – Mexican trucking in the U.S. (4 versions)
1 . HR6630IH - To prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from granting authority to a motor carrier domiciled in Mexico to operate beyond United States municipalities and commercial zones on the... (Introduced in House) 2 . HR6630EH - To prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from granting authority to a motor carrier domiciled in Mexico to operate beyond United States municipalities and commercial zones on the... (Engrossed as Agreed to or Passed by House) 3 . HR6630RFS - To prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from granting authority to a motor carrier domiciled in Mexico to operate beyond United States municipalities and commercial zones on the... (Referred to Senate Committee after being Received from House) 4 . HR6630RH - To prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from granting authority to a motor carrier domiciled in Mexico to operate beyond United States municipalities and commercial zones on the... (Reported in House)
This one is of serious importance to the future job security of O/O’s and even company drivers here in the U.S. because it means a cheaper labor source for big business to haul freight here in the U.S., I don’t care what you’ve heard about it this is the “bottom line”. It passed on Sept. 10th. But the White House says they’ll veto and the House says they’ll fight the veto…so this is where WE come in….you know what to do!
Sponsor: Rep DeFazio, Peter A. (Our Hero!) [OR-4] (introduced 7/29/2008)
COSPONSORS (41):
Rep Baca, Joe [CA-43] - 7/31/2008
Rep Berry, Marion [AR-1] - 9/8/2008
Rep Boswell, Leonard L.[IA-3]7/31/2008
Rep Boyda, Nancy E. [KS-2] - 7/31/2008
Rep Brown, Henry E., Jr. [SC-17/31/2008
Rep Calvert, Ken [CA-44] - 9/8/2008
Rep Capito, Shelley Moore [WV-2]7/31/2008
Rep Capuano, Michael E. [MA-8] 7/31/2008
Rep Carney, Christopher P. [PA-10] - 7/31/2008
Rep Cohen, Steve [TN-9] - 7/31/2008
Rep Cummings, Elijah E. [MD-7] - 7/31/2008
Rep Davis, David [TN-1] - 7/31/2008
Rep Duncan, John J., Jr. [TN-2] - 7/29/2008
Rep Edwards, Donna F. [MD-4] - 7/31/2008
Rep Filner, Bob [CA-51] - 7/31/2008
Rep Gilchrest, Wayne T.[MD-1]7/31/2008
Rep Gordon, Bart [TN-6] - 9/8/2008
Rep Hayes, Robin [NC-8] - 7/31/2008
Rep Higgins, Brian [NY-27] - 7/31/2008
Rep Holden, Tim [PA-17] - 7/31/2008
Rep Hulshof, Kenny C. [MO-9] - 7/31/2008
Rep Johnson, Eddie Bernice [TX-30] - 7/31/2008
Rep Kagen, Steve[WI-8] - 7/31/2008
Rep Lipinski, Daniel [IL-3] - 9/9/2008
Rep LoBiondo, Frank A. [NJ-2] - 7/31/2008
Rep McHugh, John M. [NY-23] - 9/8/2008
Rep Mica, John L. [FL-7] - 7/29/2008
Rep Miller, Candice S. [MI-10] - 7/31/2008
Rep Miller, Gary G. [CA-42] - 7/31/2008
Rep Mitchell, Harry E. [AZ-5] - 7/31/2008
Rep Mollohan, Alan B. [WV-1] - 7/31/2008
Rep Moran, Jerry [KS-1] - 7/31/2008
Rep Napolitano, Grace F. [CA-38] - 7/31/2008
Rep Oberstar, James L. [MN-8] - 7/29/2008
Rep Poe, Ted [TX-2] - 7/31/2008
Rep Rahall, Nick J., II [WV-3] - 7/31/2008
Rep Richardson, Laura [CA-37] 7/31/2008
Rep Sali, Bill [ID-1] - 9/8/2008
Rep Sires, Albio [NJ-13] - 7/31/2008
Rep Space, Zachary T. [OH-18] - 7/31/2008
Rep Tauscher, Ellen O. [CA-10] - 7/31/2008
Speed Limit legislation;
HR6458 – Someone came up with the idea to set speed limits at 60 in the cities and 65 outside the cities…..Kill this one before it multiplies….
*These 3 below deal with surcharges, you O/O/s need to follow up on this!
HR5934 – or TRUCC ACT - (the Senate Bill version is S2910) - This Act may be cited as the `Trust in Reliable Understanding of Consumer Costs Act'
Rep. Thomas E Petri [WI-6] – Co-sponsor: Rep. Brad Ellsworth [IN-8]
To amend title 49, United States Code, to require that fuel surcharges collected by a motor carrier, broker, or freight forwarder be passed through to the person responsible for bearing the cost of fuel, and for other purposes.
Latest Major Action: 5/1/2008 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
H.R.5997 Title: To amend title 49, United States Code, to require a motor carrier, broker, or freight forwarder that collects a fuel surcharge to pay an amount equal to the surcharge to the person that bears the cost of the fuel, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep Barrow, John [GA-12] (introduced 5/8/2008)
H.R.5977 Title: To amend title 49, United States Code, to require a motor carrier, broker, or freight forwarder that collects a fuel surcharge to disclose and pay the fuel surcharge to the person responsible for bearing the cost of the fuel, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep DeFazio, Peter A. [OR-4] (introduced 5/6/2008) Related Bills: H.R.5934, H.R.5997, S.2910Latest Major Action: 5/6/2008 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
S.2910 Title: A bill to require brokers to disclose and pay independent truckers for any fuel surcharges received from shippers that relate to fuel costs paid for by the truckers. Sponsor: Sen. Snowe, Olympia J. [ME] (introduced 4/24/08) Cosponsors (4) Related Bills: H.R.5934, H.R.5977, H.R.5997 Latest Major Action: 4/24/2008 Referred to Senate committee.
Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. *(This means if you let them know you’re a voter it’ll swing our way, there’s still time!)*
HR1756 – NAFTA Truck Safety Act – (for the Mexicans to have safe trucks…yeah you go boy!)
Tax credit for alternate power generators;
HR139 – ( or now known as bill S 894) A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a credit for the purchase of idling reduction systems for diesel-powered on-highway vehicles. Sponsor: Sen. Blanche L. Lincoln [AR] (introduced 3/15/2007) Is somewhere in the Finance Committee and poss. Further before debate. It’ll help offset the cost of switching over to a power gen. in your truck, we need this too!)
*Okay truckstars….those are the latest issues and people behind them….I can’t stress enough….and I want you to listen to me PLEASE….get on the horn…now…today….as soon as you get a minute to get on the computer to send an e-mail, or make a phone call (by Googling your Rep’s and Senators after you go to the addresses I posted above and finding out their phone number…) We know from the superman efforts of guys like Dan Little from the OOU that our voices are being heard AND taken very seriously, and we’re not just talkin’ about politics here, we’re talkin’ about day to day issues that affect your pay and job future….your voice really matters!….Are ya in?.........This country was founded by people with great courage and nerve who were under the kinds of oppressive threats to their liberties like we are now but we haven’t been exercising our rights for a very long time, most of us anyway….and like I’ve said before I’m not talkin’ about getting’ involved in politics, I’m sayin’ to get involved in government, our government because if we don’t….then we’re just a helpless peanut gallery with our lives and futures blowin’ in the wind….what’cha think truckstar?
I’ll be doing a separate blog on The Health Dept. And Truckstar Tech in a day or two!
Don’t forget about abused kids…..they really need heroes….
That’s it for now!
If you’re a prayin’ person, Please pray for our nation, the world and the lost…
REMEMBER – No load and NO paycheck is worth dyin’ for…..
Don’t forget! I love ya and I’m prayin’ for ya!
So play nice, drive safe and pull it on home………
Saddle up…..let’s ride!……
……you’re on the road with the original florida kid…we gown…..
Friday, October 17, 2008
"On the Road with the original florida kid" Week 41
"On the Road with the original florida kid" Week 41
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 41 and.....
........................you're on the road with the original florida kid !
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the wonder dog, and the whole gang here at the ranch give a shout out and a big cowboy howdy "Hey!".........
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Alright grab a cup of Grandma's famous cowboy coffee, an ashtray and strap your ass in, this week's edition is going to get bumpy....
In scanning over the mostly boring trucking news headlines I ran across some news articles, blogs and posts both "for" and "against" the mexican trucking fiasco..."Thank God" the House voted down by a huge landslide, the furtherance of it, (meaning, issuing full U.S. access to mexican trucks via operating authority) citing not just understaffed inspection personel, inspection equipment at the border locations, and the changes made to the original standards that should be imposed(meaning, in a secrective new program the mexicans are being allowed to apply and run with little scrutiny from the DOT), pay de-valuation and future job losses of American drivers.
I'm not sure, neither is anyone else it appears, why the federal government is pushing so hard for this thing when it is abundantly clear the American people, not just organized labor and truck drivers, do not want this thing to happen....... economists and labor analysts all agree that not only will it devalue(it already has....) the pay scale which is already freakishly low, but in the next few years as American co's have their mexican manufactured products shipped back across by cross-border mexican trucking co's who work for a fraction of the pay an American driver needs to make, many, some say millions, of American drivers will lose their jobs....just like those in the steel and auto industries, not to mention textile manufacturing(guess where Levi's went after they fired 7,000 people a couple of years ago?....) The trend and agenda is very clear......the first mexican truck rolled across the border with a DOT authority on Saturday the 8th of Sept. headed for South Carolina, with many more to follow if the pro mexican forces get their way, putting American drivers out of work. The president says he will veto the House vote.......the House says they'll fight the veto....
When you read a blog or an article written by an American trucking co. spokesman or an American driver/blogger saying that this is all a good thing and we should all just be friends, and that the facts are being distorted by organized labor and others(an overwhelming majority from both political parties against mexican trucking)...you have to wonder what interests they really have in the whole thing(there are many)......AND.....how can they serve their own greedy agendas knowing that many of their American brothers and sisters will be getting paid less and end up losing their jobs because of yet another cheap labor source? I've read some of the "pro mexican trucking" blogs and articles written by the few American truckers and often published by American based magazine media co's that also have an interest and that are for this thing. WHY? HOW? Because they are connected to the major carriers involved(who have their own lobbyists....) and that have been involved in orchestrating this thing since the late 80's. I find them, and so do the experts involved, seriously lacking in the true facts they accuse those "against" mexican trucking of using, and more importantly, conviniently leaving out what connection they have to it....most of them stand to profit heavily, even if that means Americans lose jobs....(yeah, so what else is new?).......their argument is that it makes products cheaper here in the U.S., but the business and economic facts say otherwise.......hmmmmm.....
.......Whatever the connection is truckstars, you can bet your ass.......IT'S ABOUT MONEY...and the cold brutal reality behind the scenes in the American trucking industry is one of greed and betrayal.....this truth IS now a reality, and WILL be borne out in the coming years as we will, no doubt, face another and perhaps the biggest labor crisis ever.......
More on this in future editions as I put all the facts together from interviews with the major players in this issue.....for now truckstars - Please keep up the pressure on our elected officials..here's the tools you'll need to do it; and don't forget to THANK those on our side! The battle is NOT over....
(Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rep. John Mica (R-FL), Ranking Member on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Rep. John Duncan (R-TN), Ranking Member on the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
Big THANKS to the Sierra Club and the Teamsters! OOIDA too!
Dan Little from the uscattlehaulers.com and the OOU....we love ya over here!
To find your Representative - www.house.gov - ( just enter your zip) To find your Senators - www.senate.gov - (scroll to your home state) Write them often, tell your friends to write them often......when? Right NOW !
Don't forget to think about tryin' to help out an abused kid...every community has em'..... ................they need heroes and truckers are heroes...still.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT- (next week)
TRUCKSTAR TECH- (next week)
Before anything else happens I hope we can all get together on a National Truckers Prayer Day.....the bible says - "if God is for us - then who can be against us?" Do you think for one second that God would be on the side of some mindlessly greedy, earth raping corporation? Do you? I bet He's wondering why 2 or more have not gathered in HIS name and asked for HIS intervention.........Take a minute and PRAY, with me, for our troops around the world - truckstars....whether you agree with the war or not - I think we can ALL agree that these are OUR men and women over there, our KIDS, and, the politics involved is way over my head, not to mention the idea that there's probably a lot going on we DON'T know about, so......and let's not forget about GOD in this equation....it's HIS will I want done, not some profit crazed business man's, not the government's, and damn sure not my own, I'm just not capable..... ..........how 'bout you? You in?
Tis' the season for Chuck Wagon Cook-offs!! (http://www.chuckwagon.org/),check their site for the 08' schedule,and be sure to check out (http://www.cowboy.org/ )
Okay truckstars - I gotta go - I'm trying to find a haul and a back-haul....(truck payments....know what I mean vern?) So until next week - Remember - NO load and NO paycheck is worth dyin' for !
Pray for us all, our nation, the world and the lost..... and try not to worry....... God hears prayers, trust me - I know. As always, I want you to remember - I love ya' and I'm prayin' for ya' ! So - Play nice, drive safe and pull it on home...........
Saddle up.....let's ride!.......... ......you're on the road with the original florida kid...............we gown..........
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 41 and.....
........................you're on the road with the original florida kid !
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the wonder dog, and the whole gang here at the ranch give a shout out and a big cowboy howdy "Hey!".........
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Alright grab a cup of Grandma's famous cowboy coffee, an ashtray and strap your ass in, this week's edition is going to get bumpy....
In scanning over the mostly boring trucking news headlines I ran across some news articles, blogs and posts both "for" and "against" the mexican trucking fiasco..."Thank God" the House voted down by a huge landslide, the furtherance of it, (meaning, issuing full U.S. access to mexican trucks via operating authority) citing not just understaffed inspection personel, inspection equipment at the border locations, and the changes made to the original standards that should be imposed(meaning, in a secrective new program the mexicans are being allowed to apply and run with little scrutiny from the DOT), pay de-valuation and future job losses of American drivers.
I'm not sure, neither is anyone else it appears, why the federal government is pushing so hard for this thing when it is abundantly clear the American people, not just organized labor and truck drivers, do not want this thing to happen....... economists and labor analysts all agree that not only will it devalue(it already has....) the pay scale which is already freakishly low, but in the next few years as American co's have their mexican manufactured products shipped back across by cross-border mexican trucking co's who work for a fraction of the pay an American driver needs to make, many, some say millions, of American drivers will lose their jobs....just like those in the steel and auto industries, not to mention textile manufacturing(guess where Levi's went after they fired 7,000 people a couple of years ago?....) The trend and agenda is very clear......the first mexican truck rolled across the border with a DOT authority on Saturday the 8th of Sept. headed for South Carolina, with many more to follow if the pro mexican forces get their way, putting American drivers out of work. The president says he will veto the House vote.......the House says they'll fight the veto....
When you read a blog or an article written by an American trucking co. spokesman or an American driver/blogger saying that this is all a good thing and we should all just be friends, and that the facts are being distorted by organized labor and others(an overwhelming majority from both political parties against mexican trucking)...you have to wonder what interests they really have in the whole thing(there are many)......AND.....how can they serve their own greedy agendas knowing that many of their American brothers and sisters will be getting paid less and end up losing their jobs because of yet another cheap labor source? I've read some of the "pro mexican trucking" blogs and articles written by the few American truckers and often published by American based magazine media co's that also have an interest and that are for this thing. WHY? HOW? Because they are connected to the major carriers involved(who have their own lobbyists....) and that have been involved in orchestrating this thing since the late 80's. I find them, and so do the experts involved, seriously lacking in the true facts they accuse those "against" mexican trucking of using, and more importantly, conviniently leaving out what connection they have to it....most of them stand to profit heavily, even if that means Americans lose jobs....(yeah, so what else is new?).......their argument is that it makes products cheaper here in the U.S., but the business and economic facts say otherwise.......hmmmmm.....
.......Whatever the connection is truckstars, you can bet your ass.......IT'S ABOUT MONEY...and the cold brutal reality behind the scenes in the American trucking industry is one of greed and betrayal.....this truth IS now a reality, and WILL be borne out in the coming years as we will, no doubt, face another and perhaps the biggest labor crisis ever.......
More on this in future editions as I put all the facts together from interviews with the major players in this issue.....for now truckstars - Please keep up the pressure on our elected officials..here's the tools you'll need to do it; and don't forget to THANK those on our side! The battle is NOT over....
(Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rep. John Mica (R-FL), Ranking Member on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Rep. John Duncan (R-TN), Ranking Member on the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
Big THANKS to the Sierra Club and the Teamsters! OOIDA too!
Dan Little from the uscattlehaulers.com and the OOU....we love ya over here!
To find your Representative - www.house.gov - ( just enter your zip) To find your Senators - www.senate.gov - (scroll to your home state) Write them often, tell your friends to write them often......when? Right NOW !
Don't forget to think about tryin' to help out an abused kid...every community has em'..... ................they need heroes and truckers are heroes...still.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT- (next week)
TRUCKSTAR TECH- (next week)
Before anything else happens I hope we can all get together on a National Truckers Prayer Day.....the bible says - "if God is for us - then who can be against us?" Do you think for one second that God would be on the side of some mindlessly greedy, earth raping corporation? Do you? I bet He's wondering why 2 or more have not gathered in HIS name and asked for HIS intervention.........Take a minute and PRAY, with me, for our troops around the world - truckstars....whether you agree with the war or not - I think we can ALL agree that these are OUR men and women over there, our KIDS, and, the politics involved is way over my head, not to mention the idea that there's probably a lot going on we DON'T know about, so......and let's not forget about GOD in this equation....it's HIS will I want done, not some profit crazed business man's, not the government's, and damn sure not my own, I'm just not capable..... ..........how 'bout you? You in?
Tis' the season for Chuck Wagon Cook-offs!! (http://www.chuckwagon.org/),check their site for the 08' schedule,and be sure to check out (http://www.cowboy.org/ )
Okay truckstars - I gotta go - I'm trying to find a haul and a back-haul....(truck payments....know what I mean vern?) So until next week - Remember - NO load and NO paycheck is worth dyin' for !
Pray for us all, our nation, the world and the lost..... and try not to worry....... God hears prayers, trust me - I know. As always, I want you to remember - I love ya' and I'm prayin' for ya' ! So - Play nice, drive safe and pull it on home...........
Saddle up.....let's ride!.......... ......you're on the road with the original florida kid...............we gown..........
"On the Road with the original florida kid"Week 42
"On the Road with the original florida kid" Week 42
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 42 and...
....you're on the road with the original florida kid....
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the wonder dog and the whole gang here at the ranch want to say a big cowboy howdy "HEY!"
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Alright, you know the drill...grab an ashtray, a cup of Grandma's famous cowboy coffee and pull up a chair, there's more on the front porch by the door. Seems every week more and more people come over to sit around the table and talk about stuff goin' on, but that's okay that's what we're here for..
Well, I've been sittin' here on my butt for 4 weeks now waitin' on boat freight to pick up, but....and it's not just the price of fuel going up and down like it's on a pogo stick either...(yeah and that's another thing...).. fuel prices jumping up and down like they're on a pogo stick(yeah and that's another thing....), the economy in general is what I guess we're talkin' about here.
Like you, truckstars, I'm no economist but I can read and I have ears, so when I read about how, and hear about why the economy is in the shape it's in, I too believe that the problems go back a ways, even before the Bush people got in there. Now before everyone starts pointin' fingers and sayin' this and sayin' that, I'm going to tell you....I'm not playin' it like that. Why? Because I don't want to act and sound like the jokers runnin' the show on both sides of the isle acting like teenagers playin' stab tag every day over stupid stuff, with my future and the American future in their hands...I'm not doin' it...we don't have time to figure it out and I don't know if at this point it matters, other than figuring out what NOT to do over again....WHAT MATTERS...is that we, as Americans take responsibility for the direction and future of this nation and move forward with a better sense of our moral compass(if we still have one, you watch the tv and you wonder....) and more hands on involvement.....much more
Barbie's got that strained nervous look in her eyes, I can see it when she looks at me. Grandma was lookin' out the kitchen window the other day, the way she does when I know she's thinkin' about Grandpa, and the tears were streamin' down her face....then, mine too...
I know it wasn't just for us either, lots of folks we know have hit hard times...people - good, everyday decent working people losin' homes, businesses, cars, land, and havin' to give up things they love just to try to pay bills and put food on the table...seems like we hear of someone every day losin' their rig or home.........even the third world knows you can't keep sending jobs out of the country and hope the economy will survive!
We may be next, I don't know..GOD HELP US....GOD HELP US ALL...PLEASE
This mortgage thing, the AIG bailout, all this business crisis stuff isn't killin' the economy, they're signs of an economy in serious trouble, and I know you don't need me to tell you that, but, I am sayin' that I truly believe we, as a people and as a nation, we need to take more responsibility for our government and economy. I can't tell you how sick and tired I am watching the politicians on tv fighting and mudslingin' like little kids... meanwhile the country is being ransacked by big business and anyone else who can afford to own their own politician.....we must look like idiots to the rest of the world...seriously... There isn't even anyone left for the corporations in this country to screw(except themselves but they're too smart for that, and besides, it hurts...)...man, I'm in the wrong business...how cool is it to run a multi-billion dollar company into the ground screwin' millions of people into the poor house and then gettin' bailed out so they can do it all over again....(do ya think the CEO of AIG has missed a paycheck?....I never got roses, a phone call, hell, he even skipped the foreplay)....what the hell man???
And where does the government get off tellin' me...not askin'...but tellin' me that I'm payin' for it! WHAT??? (tell me - who works for who.....again?)
Meanwhile, I'm sittin' here lookin' at a pile of bills, (including my 8 days over due truck payment), that I can't pay because freight's low, fuel's high and no one's movin' boats...and I know I'm not the only one...I hear from a lot of drivers who are in the same boat...(the one that's sinking, that is....) and if I read one more trucking blogger say that everything is fine and we should quit complaining and it's just a temporary slump, we've had them before, it'll level off, watch your expenses.....and all that bullcrap, I'm going to rip my hair out(after it grows in.....again).
Those of you who've raised teenagers know, most of em', most of the time, you can't trust...as kids I mean....you want to but you know you can't...you only hope they don't burn the damn house down while you're on a run....it's kind of the same thing when you talk about our so called leaders...you want to trust em', but you know ya can't....and this time.....
.....the house IS on fire.......hellOOOooo...
I bet the CEO of AIG gets a paycheck this week, the President of the U.S., the Rep's and Senators, they're all gettin' paid this week...I'm not...are you ?
If someone works for you, and ruins your business...aren't you supposed to fire them?? Voting is how we do that…….
And here's another thought: Why don't we ever boycott the products of companies that have moved out of the country putting thousands of people out of work just to increase their profits...Wal-Mart spends 18-20 billion a year in China...Levi's, the jeans co. fired 7,000 people a few years ago and moved just over the mexican border, like Ralph Lauren and dozens of other co's....Ford and GM are closing plant after plant...textiles - are there any made here still?...
There has to come a point when you realize you're cutting your own throat....why can't our leaders and big business figure that out? Even the greediest thievin' person or company has to come to their senses sooner or later....right?
Truckstars, I don't have the answers....I wish I did...but I can tell you one thing...you can't run a business, or anything for that matter, and not ever show up to the office, especially when the people we've hired can't do it....we're going to have to figure out how to get more involved....not in politics....but in government....
...remember the phrase - "by the people and for the people"...?
Now you know what it really means....I do....now.....
What'cha think truckstar?
Contact your elected officials TODAY! -
www.house.gov - to find your representative enter your zip code
www.senate.gov - scroll to your home state
We know your support and participation had an effect on this mexican trucking thing...the President might veto the House's vote to cut off money but they say they'll fight it.....so let em' know how you feel......
I registered to vote today....you have a few more days maybe 10 or so before the 29 day cut off...just Google, enter your home state name before the 2 words "voter registration" and it'll tell you where you can register in your area, or offer an online option where you enter the info and it makes up an appl. for you then you print it, sign it and mail it or take it to the supervisor of elections office near where you live.
TRUCKSTAR TECH- Check out CNN.comLive and also www.google.com/mobile/gmm - this is a Google program you can load into your phone to give you a gps and a map and direction program, for you techies out there you can also side load it in directly from your computer. Google's new Android phone is cool and most of the cell phone experts like it but it doesn't do nearly enough for me and I'm not payin' for a cell phone AND mobile internet....if I have to choose it'll be mobile internet......where I go my laptop goes......
I'm still trying to fall in love with the new breed of mini-laptops, like the new Acer Aspire One, or the much anticipated Dell Inspiron 10", but I really haven't seen one yet that has the juice I need while I'm on the road, and be careful the smaller ones have screen size adjustment issues, get at least a 10" screen.
Skype, Windows Live and Yahoo Live all have free pc to pc calling phone programs now and all 3 have video too if your laptop has a webcam - you can talk to and see your family at home( or anyone else...) for free! It only takes a minute to load in your pc or laptop. I like the new swivel screen laptops with lots of usb ports, the new air cards for mobile internet come in usb modem, they look kind of like a usb flash drive, and also a 4 or more gig ram dual core, HD or Blue-Ray screen, built in web cam and mic( and make sure they have their own controls...), although a headset is cheap, (they even make bluetooth headsets with a usb plug for handsfree driving while talking). Asus, Sony, Dell, Hp...everyone seems to be making a good laptop just get one with the features you want or need. I'll probably end up with AT&T for my mobile web co, they have the new usb air cards and good connection nationwide, but I'll probably get a new laptop with embedded 3G broadband so I won't even need an air card. Also check out this website - www.fancast.com - for tv shows and movies you can watch for free.....
I need a 10 pixel digital camera with a 200-400 wide zoom lens for photos.
I'm also sticking with XP for now too....
Keep in mind that Sony and Apple have the highest rated customer support, Sony's best help is their phone support, Toshiba is also not bad with customer phone support. Gateway is terrible and they want you to pay by the minute for help, it's a ripoff. Getting some of the new app's to work is tough even for experts and Customer Support should be a factor in deciding which brand and model you buy.
THE HEALTH DEPT- This week’s Health Dept. is going to be short because I want you to get a book called “The Bible Diet” written by a doctor named Richard H. Mays, M.D. Dr. Mays has written another “bible diet book” like “The Makers Diet” by Jordan Rubin but I believe this one is a good buy and filled with the info I want you to have for everyday food buying and eating habits and why…..you can buy it online from Alibris Books for a discounted price, here’s the link, just enter The Bible Diet in the search line:
http://www.alibris.com/
Remember truckstars the condition of your body is a direct result of what you eat, the better you eat the healthier you’ll be. Don’t be discouraged by the endless stream of info on diets and what to eat, what not to eat. Arm yourself with a good foundational knowledge of food and diet throughout human history and it’ll give you a fix on where we are now and how you too can eat well and be healthy. You don’t have to be a believer to read and learn what’s in the “Bible Diet” books, but don’t discount it either if you haven’t read one of them…Okay? Don’t forget to think about whole grains and raw veg’s in your diet!
Don’t forget about abused kids…..
That’s it for this week truckstars!
If you’re a prayin’ person, Please pray for our nation, the world and the lost…
REMEMBER – No load and NO paycheck is worth dyin’ for…..
Don’t forget! I love ya and I’m prayin’ for ya!
So play nice, drive safe and pull it on home………
Saddle up…..let’s ride!
……you’re on the road with the original florida kid…we gown…..
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 42 and...
....you're on the road with the original florida kid....
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the wonder dog and the whole gang here at the ranch want to say a big cowboy howdy "HEY!"
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Alright, you know the drill...grab an ashtray, a cup of Grandma's famous cowboy coffee and pull up a chair, there's more on the front porch by the door. Seems every week more and more people come over to sit around the table and talk about stuff goin' on, but that's okay that's what we're here for..
Well, I've been sittin' here on my butt for 4 weeks now waitin' on boat freight to pick up, but....and it's not just the price of fuel going up and down like it's on a pogo stick either...(yeah and that's another thing...).. fuel prices jumping up and down like they're on a pogo stick(yeah and that's another thing....), the economy in general is what I guess we're talkin' about here.
Like you, truckstars, I'm no economist but I can read and I have ears, so when I read about how, and hear about why the economy is in the shape it's in, I too believe that the problems go back a ways, even before the Bush people got in there. Now before everyone starts pointin' fingers and sayin' this and sayin' that, I'm going to tell you....I'm not playin' it like that. Why? Because I don't want to act and sound like the jokers runnin' the show on both sides of the isle acting like teenagers playin' stab tag every day over stupid stuff, with my future and the American future in their hands...I'm not doin' it...we don't have time to figure it out and I don't know if at this point it matters, other than figuring out what NOT to do over again....WHAT MATTERS...is that we, as Americans take responsibility for the direction and future of this nation and move forward with a better sense of our moral compass(if we still have one, you watch the tv and you wonder....) and more hands on involvement.....much more
Barbie's got that strained nervous look in her eyes, I can see it when she looks at me. Grandma was lookin' out the kitchen window the other day, the way she does when I know she's thinkin' about Grandpa, and the tears were streamin' down her face....then, mine too...
I know it wasn't just for us either, lots of folks we know have hit hard times...people - good, everyday decent working people losin' homes, businesses, cars, land, and havin' to give up things they love just to try to pay bills and put food on the table...seems like we hear of someone every day losin' their rig or home.........even the third world knows you can't keep sending jobs out of the country and hope the economy will survive!
We may be next, I don't know..GOD HELP US....GOD HELP US ALL...PLEASE
This mortgage thing, the AIG bailout, all this business crisis stuff isn't killin' the economy, they're signs of an economy in serious trouble, and I know you don't need me to tell you that, but, I am sayin' that I truly believe we, as a people and as a nation, we need to take more responsibility for our government and economy. I can't tell you how sick and tired I am watching the politicians on tv fighting and mudslingin' like little kids... meanwhile the country is being ransacked by big business and anyone else who can afford to own their own politician.....we must look like idiots to the rest of the world...seriously... There isn't even anyone left for the corporations in this country to screw(except themselves but they're too smart for that, and besides, it hurts...)...man, I'm in the wrong business...how cool is it to run a multi-billion dollar company into the ground screwin' millions of people into the poor house and then gettin' bailed out so they can do it all over again....(do ya think the CEO of AIG has missed a paycheck?....I never got roses, a phone call, hell, he even skipped the foreplay)....what the hell man???
And where does the government get off tellin' me...not askin'...but tellin' me that I'm payin' for it! WHAT??? (tell me - who works for who.....again?)
Meanwhile, I'm sittin' here lookin' at a pile of bills, (including my 8 days over due truck payment), that I can't pay because freight's low, fuel's high and no one's movin' boats...and I know I'm not the only one...I hear from a lot of drivers who are in the same boat...(the one that's sinking, that is....) and if I read one more trucking blogger say that everything is fine and we should quit complaining and it's just a temporary slump, we've had them before, it'll level off, watch your expenses.....and all that bullcrap, I'm going to rip my hair out(after it grows in.....again).
Those of you who've raised teenagers know, most of em', most of the time, you can't trust...as kids I mean....you want to but you know you can't...you only hope they don't burn the damn house down while you're on a run....it's kind of the same thing when you talk about our so called leaders...you want to trust em', but you know ya can't....and this time.....
.....the house IS on fire.......hellOOOooo...
I bet the CEO of AIG gets a paycheck this week, the President of the U.S., the Rep's and Senators, they're all gettin' paid this week...I'm not...are you ?
If someone works for you, and ruins your business...aren't you supposed to fire them?? Voting is how we do that…….
And here's another thought: Why don't we ever boycott the products of companies that have moved out of the country putting thousands of people out of work just to increase their profits...Wal-Mart spends 18-20 billion a year in China...Levi's, the jeans co. fired 7,000 people a few years ago and moved just over the mexican border, like Ralph Lauren and dozens of other co's....Ford and GM are closing plant after plant...textiles - are there any made here still?...
There has to come a point when you realize you're cutting your own throat....why can't our leaders and big business figure that out? Even the greediest thievin' person or company has to come to their senses sooner or later....right?
Truckstars, I don't have the answers....I wish I did...but I can tell you one thing...you can't run a business, or anything for that matter, and not ever show up to the office, especially when the people we've hired can't do it....we're going to have to figure out how to get more involved....not in politics....but in government....
...remember the phrase - "by the people and for the people"...?
Now you know what it really means....I do....now.....
What'cha think truckstar?
Contact your elected officials TODAY! -
www.house.gov - to find your representative enter your zip code
www.senate.gov - scroll to your home state
We know your support and participation had an effect on this mexican trucking thing...the President might veto the House's vote to cut off money but they say they'll fight it.....so let em' know how you feel......
I registered to vote today....you have a few more days maybe 10 or so before the 29 day cut off...just Google, enter your home state name before the 2 words "voter registration" and it'll tell you where you can register in your area, or offer an online option where you enter the info and it makes up an appl. for you then you print it, sign it and mail it or take it to the supervisor of elections office near where you live.
TRUCKSTAR TECH- Check out CNN.comLive and also www.google.com/mobile/gmm - this is a Google program you can load into your phone to give you a gps and a map and direction program, for you techies out there you can also side load it in directly from your computer. Google's new Android phone is cool and most of the cell phone experts like it but it doesn't do nearly enough for me and I'm not payin' for a cell phone AND mobile internet....if I have to choose it'll be mobile internet......where I go my laptop goes......
I'm still trying to fall in love with the new breed of mini-laptops, like the new Acer Aspire One, or the much anticipated Dell Inspiron 10", but I really haven't seen one yet that has the juice I need while I'm on the road, and be careful the smaller ones have screen size adjustment issues, get at least a 10" screen.
Skype, Windows Live and Yahoo Live all have free pc to pc calling phone programs now and all 3 have video too if your laptop has a webcam - you can talk to and see your family at home( or anyone else...) for free! It only takes a minute to load in your pc or laptop. I like the new swivel screen laptops with lots of usb ports, the new air cards for mobile internet come in usb modem, they look kind of like a usb flash drive, and also a 4 or more gig ram dual core, HD or Blue-Ray screen, built in web cam and mic( and make sure they have their own controls...), although a headset is cheap, (they even make bluetooth headsets with a usb plug for handsfree driving while talking). Asus, Sony, Dell, Hp...everyone seems to be making a good laptop just get one with the features you want or need. I'll probably end up with AT&T for my mobile web co, they have the new usb air cards and good connection nationwide, but I'll probably get a new laptop with embedded 3G broadband so I won't even need an air card. Also check out this website - www.fancast.com - for tv shows and movies you can watch for free.....
I need a 10 pixel digital camera with a 200-400 wide zoom lens for photos.
I'm also sticking with XP for now too....
Keep in mind that Sony and Apple have the highest rated customer support, Sony's best help is their phone support, Toshiba is also not bad with customer phone support. Gateway is terrible and they want you to pay by the minute for help, it's a ripoff. Getting some of the new app's to work is tough even for experts and Customer Support should be a factor in deciding which brand and model you buy.
THE HEALTH DEPT- This week’s Health Dept. is going to be short because I want you to get a book called “The Bible Diet” written by a doctor named Richard H. Mays, M.D. Dr. Mays has written another “bible diet book” like “The Makers Diet” by Jordan Rubin but I believe this one is a good buy and filled with the info I want you to have for everyday food buying and eating habits and why…..you can buy it online from Alibris Books for a discounted price, here’s the link, just enter The Bible Diet in the search line:
http://www.alibris.com/
Remember truckstars the condition of your body is a direct result of what you eat, the better you eat the healthier you’ll be. Don’t be discouraged by the endless stream of info on diets and what to eat, what not to eat. Arm yourself with a good foundational knowledge of food and diet throughout human history and it’ll give you a fix on where we are now and how you too can eat well and be healthy. You don’t have to be a believer to read and learn what’s in the “Bible Diet” books, but don’t discount it either if you haven’t read one of them…Okay? Don’t forget to think about whole grains and raw veg’s in your diet!
Don’t forget about abused kids…..
That’s it for this week truckstars!
If you’re a prayin’ person, Please pray for our nation, the world and the lost…
REMEMBER – No load and NO paycheck is worth dyin’ for…..
Don’t forget! I love ya and I’m prayin’ for ya!
So play nice, drive safe and pull it on home………
Saddle up…..let’s ride!
……you’re on the road with the original florida kid…we gown…..
Monday, October 13, 2008
On the Road with the original florida kid week 43
"On the Road with the original florida kid" Week 43
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 43 and.......
…you're on the road with the original florida kid...
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog and the whole gang here at the ranch say a big cowboy howdy "HEY!"...
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Okay, so grab a chair, an ashtray and a cup of Grandma's famous cowboy coffee and let's get this party started......
Grandma went to the doctor last week, she's been having serious back and leg problems. She needs to have surgery, as we expected, but she says she won't go, not now, with things the way they are, she says....Barbie is trying to talk her into it and it's easy to tell where Barbie got her stubborness from....I'm tellin' ya...
I have to tell you truckstars that this week I'm more than a little upset to hear of, yet more O/O's losing their rigs, and hell, I could be next...I finally got a boat haul from Maine to Ft. Lauderdale but I had to dead head up there to get the boat, a big boat, and bring it back down here to Key Largo. The money wasn't that great but anything right now will help...I think......
It seems even in boat hauling, the brokers, and whoever else is involved, know they can lowball and get away with it...although in his defense the guy I get a lot of hauls from, I'm sure, is getting lowballed too... wish I could lowball the fuel co's and my insurance co....and the power co. and the cable co. and the phone co. and the grocery store and the IRS and the people I make my truck payment to and everyone else I have to hand my ever shrinking paycheck to....I don't like feeling so desperate all the time....I need to understand something...I read a lot, I mean a lot, I read about all the advances in truck design and aerodynamics, logistics and supply chain management, I see tons of money being spent on super new truck stops and freight hubs as well as load tracking and communication systems, I see success stories of famous trucking company owners, I see lots of people patting themselves on the back and saying this and saying that...I see and hear about billions of dollars flying around the trucking industry...and I hear a lot about "bottom lines", (business men like to use that phrase), but the bottom line, the real f 'n bottom line is that I don't see any of it, or at least not enough of it.......going to the truck drivers.....
I can't tell you how many guys and gals, good, safe drivers who keep their expenses in check, who still can't pay their bills that I've spoken to and heard of, all across the country...how can it be that, for 50 years, drivers have been routinely robbed of fuel surcharges and no one, until recently, has done a goddamn thing about it....I'm trying to understand these things...
I had a great conversation with Dan Little from the new OOU, last night, and during our long talk he said something to me I realized that I really had forgotten. He said "We have to remember that, yes, we have families at home, most of us, but out here on the road, as truckers, we're a family too.... and in spite of the trials and tribulations of our industry, in spite of the blatant abuse and exploitation we suffer, (even from within our own industry), in spite of the hardships and Thankless efforts in any kind of weather, we, out here on the road, are a FAMILY."...(if you've ever met a veteran, old school trucker then you know what I mean)...
I know truckstars, I know, it's so easy to forget that, I do too sometimes...(that is, until I need help or advice or someone out there on the road to lean on) but we have to remember this....always....
Dan also said something else to me that I will never forget - "I tell guys all the time that we are professionals, and we have to act like professionals, all the time, and not forget that we represent each other, seems like lots of guys have forgotten that."
Often there is great wisdom in the simplest of statements....
Listen to me truckstars....we all know how important this job we do is to the country we love so much, and right now maybe it's not so loveable, but what I'm trying to say is that - without the American Truck Driver....everything stops, and I mean everything!
The marine and the rail industries cannot do what we do....from the flat bedders to the livestock haulers to the dry vans, to the tankers and the haz mat guys and gals, to the super haulers, to the road service and truckstop people(I call them “diesel culture” support industry…)....even those wild ass "ice road truckers". We are a family that helps provide a vital service to the greatest nation in the history of the world, but that's clearly NOT how the world sees us....and I wonder why....don't you?
I for one, believe we matter....I believe we matter more than the way we get treated and are thought of....and I also believe we can look to ourselves for the solution...
What kind of a world is it that a trucker delivers goods and food to a store that he can't afford to walk around to the front of and go into and buy the very products he just delivered for himself or his family! What the hell man.....
The mexican trucking thing, the trucc act, fuel tax and surcharge legislation, operating costs....these things and more, affect us all, both on the road AND at home, we know that, and just like a family at home tries to stick together, WE out here on the highways of America need to stick together too!
Lately, especially if you listen to the cb for 5 minutes, that damn sure does not appear to be the case....yeah maybe it's the hardships on the job, operating costs, or stress at home, the economy, the government, greedy big business and corrupt politicians....but these things have been around for 5,000 years or more....and it doesn't have to tear us apart as a labor force...not now, when even the trucking co's love the fact that there is absolutely NO real organization or voice for the drivers....
Do I have the answers? No, I don't, but I still know better than just to let my future and my family's future ride like a dice throw in a rigged game....and so do you....that's why I'm voting, I'm contacting my legislators regularly, and I've joined the OOU(owner operators united).....I'm getting involved, if you haven't heard about it yet, the OOU that is...stay tuned...you will....I'm not just going to call myself a professional....I'm going to act like one...how 'bout you truckstar?
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT- Okay, so now you’re taking whole food organic vitamins….right? You’ve found a good place to buy the MetRx protein bars and you are drinking a good protein shake…I like the Labada and Muscle Milk Protein Drinks. Do you know how clean your colon is? Before you roll your eyes, listen to this…the colon is where most of the food nutrition absorption occurs, it’s kinda like havin’ a dirty sludgy carburetor and clogged fuel lines(your arteries and veins) and expecting power from your motor, it’s not going to happen….
Think about this for a minute with me truckstars….what has your diet for the past few weeks and months been like? Chances are you’ve eaten a lot of fatty foods, maybe even trans fatty foods and empty carbs like white bread and rolls, donuts and stuff, right? Well this kind of stuff creates a very heavy, pasty sludge in the colon and intestines and pretty much suffocates your body of any nutrition and vitamins you might take in (when you actually do eat a good meal of lean broiled meat, chicken or fish and dark leafy greens and fresh steamed veg’s) and I really really really really want you to think about flushing the “pipes” down there….How? Roughage or ruffage..there are lots of different kinds of roughage…did you know Triscuits(yeah I know, it’s crazy…..) are a great form of roughage? Anything whole grain as close to natural form as possible….you’ve heard of whole grain breads, cereals, muffins…all that kind of stuff needs to be in your diet every single day to keep the “pipes” clean in an on-going way. That’s why all the health nuts scream about whole grains all the time, well the amount of vitamins in them is the major reason but the roughage is the natural way to clean the colon. I also use whole psyillium husk…it’s really good way to, well, kind of like taking a bottle brush and running it through your lower unit…
Truckstars, you know I would never steer you wrong, and, you have to take this stuff seriously, you really have to. I want you to get a book called “The Bible Diet” written by a doctor named Richard H. Mays. I really like this guy, he’s a Tennessee doctor who’s been around for a long time. Amazon, Alibris and other book sources have it and I think it’ll be the second most important book you ever read…and I’m deadly serious….your health will never improve, your blood pressure and your cholesterol will never go down until you get with the program of regularly running the kinds of grains and fruits and veg’s through your system that you need to be. Even the men’s E.D. drugs are designed to create the kind of blood pressure needed to cause an erection because the vascular system can’t because of congestion…..it’s all tied into what you eat, and when you drink a caffeine drink on top of that it’s like trying to pump more water pressure through a pinched hose……. Okay? What d’ya say? Are ya with me?
TRUCKSTAR TECH- I’m sure it’s no secret to any of us that, well it seems like every day another area on the map is outlawing idling of a big rig….Whatever you may think about this, the fact of the matter is that in the near future it may be illegal nationwide, and, I would count on that happening….Aux power units are going to be a part of your future and for me, I like the idea of the Cummins diesel powered unit, it’ll run off the same fuel your truck runs off of and I don’t know of too many other co’s that know more about motors and power than Cummins, start your search there www.cummins.com or try www.starclassinc.com
This is something we need to plan for….and save for…
Okay now onto my favorite tech subject – Mobile Technology….lots of people are going with these new “Smartphones” and although I would love to have one of Googles new Android smartphones I think because of other app’s and media we like to use that somewhere in the middle of mini-laptops and smartphones will the technology end up in the next 2 years or less. They’ve really come a long way. Sprint I think has the ball in their court right now with the $99 a month all-in-one plan, but mobile unlimited web access with an air card is cheaper and in my way of thinking, more versatile. Or example, with a built in web cam and mic and a free Skype.com or Windows Live connection you can speak to and see anyone else with the same thing for free! Sure you can put lots of movies and music on a flash drive and just plug er’ into your mini-laptop. Me? I still want a big screen and the juice of a serious laptop with Blue Ray and/or whatever is beyond HD, with multiple sound cards and a gamer level graphics card, 4-8 gigs of ram and at least a 500 gig hardrive….hey - I’m a meat and potatoes and heavy horsepower guy of guy…..old school…yeah but I also have an eye on the future too….what about you truckstar? Do you have mobile internet in the cab of your truck yet? And not just on your cell phone either…..I like the new Sony Z Series mini laptops….and the service after the sale is really good, some say the best….whatever you need now - plan for it to become a reality… check out this link to what I feel is one of the best trip planner programs going – it’s called PC* Miler - http://www.alk.com/pcmiler/
Don’t forget about abused kids…..they really need heroes….I know….
That’s it for this week truckstars!
If you’re a prayin’ person, Please pray for our nation, the world and the lost…
REMEMBER – No load and NO paycheck is worth dyin’ for…..
Don’t forget! I love ya and I’m prayin’ for ya!
So play nice, drive safe and pull it on home………
Saddle up…..let’s ride!
……you’re on the road with the original florida kid…we gown…..
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 43 and.......
…you're on the road with the original florida kid...
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog and the whole gang here at the ranch say a big cowboy howdy "HEY!"...
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Okay, so grab a chair, an ashtray and a cup of Grandma's famous cowboy coffee and let's get this party started......
Grandma went to the doctor last week, she's been having serious back and leg problems. She needs to have surgery, as we expected, but she says she won't go, not now, with things the way they are, she says....Barbie is trying to talk her into it and it's easy to tell where Barbie got her stubborness from....I'm tellin' ya...
I have to tell you truckstars that this week I'm more than a little upset to hear of, yet more O/O's losing their rigs, and hell, I could be next...I finally got a boat haul from Maine to Ft. Lauderdale but I had to dead head up there to get the boat, a big boat, and bring it back down here to Key Largo. The money wasn't that great but anything right now will help...I think......
It seems even in boat hauling, the brokers, and whoever else is involved, know they can lowball and get away with it...although in his defense the guy I get a lot of hauls from, I'm sure, is getting lowballed too... wish I could lowball the fuel co's and my insurance co....and the power co. and the cable co. and the phone co. and the grocery store and the IRS and the people I make my truck payment to and everyone else I have to hand my ever shrinking paycheck to....I don't like feeling so desperate all the time....I need to understand something...I read a lot, I mean a lot, I read about all the advances in truck design and aerodynamics, logistics and supply chain management, I see tons of money being spent on super new truck stops and freight hubs as well as load tracking and communication systems, I see success stories of famous trucking company owners, I see lots of people patting themselves on the back and saying this and saying that...I see and hear about billions of dollars flying around the trucking industry...and I hear a lot about "bottom lines", (business men like to use that phrase), but the bottom line, the real f 'n bottom line is that I don't see any of it, or at least not enough of it.......going to the truck drivers.....
I can't tell you how many guys and gals, good, safe drivers who keep their expenses in check, who still can't pay their bills that I've spoken to and heard of, all across the country...how can it be that, for 50 years, drivers have been routinely robbed of fuel surcharges and no one, until recently, has done a goddamn thing about it....I'm trying to understand these things...
I had a great conversation with Dan Little from the new OOU, last night, and during our long talk he said something to me I realized that I really had forgotten. He said "We have to remember that, yes, we have families at home, most of us, but out here on the road, as truckers, we're a family too.... and in spite of the trials and tribulations of our industry, in spite of the blatant abuse and exploitation we suffer, (even from within our own industry), in spite of the hardships and Thankless efforts in any kind of weather, we, out here on the road, are a FAMILY."...(if you've ever met a veteran, old school trucker then you know what I mean)...
I know truckstars, I know, it's so easy to forget that, I do too sometimes...(that is, until I need help or advice or someone out there on the road to lean on) but we have to remember this....always....
Dan also said something else to me that I will never forget - "I tell guys all the time that we are professionals, and we have to act like professionals, all the time, and not forget that we represent each other, seems like lots of guys have forgotten that."
Often there is great wisdom in the simplest of statements....
Listen to me truckstars....we all know how important this job we do is to the country we love so much, and right now maybe it's not so loveable, but what I'm trying to say is that - without the American Truck Driver....everything stops, and I mean everything!
The marine and the rail industries cannot do what we do....from the flat bedders to the livestock haulers to the dry vans, to the tankers and the haz mat guys and gals, to the super haulers, to the road service and truckstop people(I call them “diesel culture” support industry…)....even those wild ass "ice road truckers". We are a family that helps provide a vital service to the greatest nation in the history of the world, but that's clearly NOT how the world sees us....and I wonder why....don't you?
I for one, believe we matter....I believe we matter more than the way we get treated and are thought of....and I also believe we can look to ourselves for the solution...
What kind of a world is it that a trucker delivers goods and food to a store that he can't afford to walk around to the front of and go into and buy the very products he just delivered for himself or his family! What the hell man.....
The mexican trucking thing, the trucc act, fuel tax and surcharge legislation, operating costs....these things and more, affect us all, both on the road AND at home, we know that, and just like a family at home tries to stick together, WE out here on the highways of America need to stick together too!
Lately, especially if you listen to the cb for 5 minutes, that damn sure does not appear to be the case....yeah maybe it's the hardships on the job, operating costs, or stress at home, the economy, the government, greedy big business and corrupt politicians....but these things have been around for 5,000 years or more....and it doesn't have to tear us apart as a labor force...not now, when even the trucking co's love the fact that there is absolutely NO real organization or voice for the drivers....
Do I have the answers? No, I don't, but I still know better than just to let my future and my family's future ride like a dice throw in a rigged game....and so do you....that's why I'm voting, I'm contacting my legislators regularly, and I've joined the OOU(owner operators united).....I'm getting involved, if you haven't heard about it yet, the OOU that is...stay tuned...you will....I'm not just going to call myself a professional....I'm going to act like one...how 'bout you truckstar?
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT- Okay, so now you’re taking whole food organic vitamins….right? You’ve found a good place to buy the MetRx protein bars and you are drinking a good protein shake…I like the Labada and Muscle Milk Protein Drinks. Do you know how clean your colon is? Before you roll your eyes, listen to this…the colon is where most of the food nutrition absorption occurs, it’s kinda like havin’ a dirty sludgy carburetor and clogged fuel lines(your arteries and veins) and expecting power from your motor, it’s not going to happen….
Think about this for a minute with me truckstars….what has your diet for the past few weeks and months been like? Chances are you’ve eaten a lot of fatty foods, maybe even trans fatty foods and empty carbs like white bread and rolls, donuts and stuff, right? Well this kind of stuff creates a very heavy, pasty sludge in the colon and intestines and pretty much suffocates your body of any nutrition and vitamins you might take in (when you actually do eat a good meal of lean broiled meat, chicken or fish and dark leafy greens and fresh steamed veg’s) and I really really really really want you to think about flushing the “pipes” down there….How? Roughage or ruffage..there are lots of different kinds of roughage…did you know Triscuits(yeah I know, it’s crazy…..) are a great form of roughage? Anything whole grain as close to natural form as possible….you’ve heard of whole grain breads, cereals, muffins…all that kind of stuff needs to be in your diet every single day to keep the “pipes” clean in an on-going way. That’s why all the health nuts scream about whole grains all the time, well the amount of vitamins in them is the major reason but the roughage is the natural way to clean the colon. I also use whole psyillium husk…it’s really good way to, well, kind of like taking a bottle brush and running it through your lower unit…
Truckstars, you know I would never steer you wrong, and, you have to take this stuff seriously, you really have to. I want you to get a book called “The Bible Diet” written by a doctor named Richard H. Mays. I really like this guy, he’s a Tennessee doctor who’s been around for a long time. Amazon, Alibris and other book sources have it and I think it’ll be the second most important book you ever read…and I’m deadly serious….your health will never improve, your blood pressure and your cholesterol will never go down until you get with the program of regularly running the kinds of grains and fruits and veg’s through your system that you need to be. Even the men’s E.D. drugs are designed to create the kind of blood pressure needed to cause an erection because the vascular system can’t because of congestion…..it’s all tied into what you eat, and when you drink a caffeine drink on top of that it’s like trying to pump more water pressure through a pinched hose……. Okay? What d’ya say? Are ya with me?
TRUCKSTAR TECH- I’m sure it’s no secret to any of us that, well it seems like every day another area on the map is outlawing idling of a big rig….Whatever you may think about this, the fact of the matter is that in the near future it may be illegal nationwide, and, I would count on that happening….Aux power units are going to be a part of your future and for me, I like the idea of the Cummins diesel powered unit, it’ll run off the same fuel your truck runs off of and I don’t know of too many other co’s that know more about motors and power than Cummins, start your search there www.cummins.com or try www.starclassinc.com
This is something we need to plan for….and save for…
Okay now onto my favorite tech subject – Mobile Technology….lots of people are going with these new “Smartphones” and although I would love to have one of Googles new Android smartphones I think because of other app’s and media we like to use that somewhere in the middle of mini-laptops and smartphones will the technology end up in the next 2 years or less. They’ve really come a long way. Sprint I think has the ball in their court right now with the $99 a month all-in-one plan, but mobile unlimited web access with an air card is cheaper and in my way of thinking, more versatile. Or example, with a built in web cam and mic and a free Skype.com or Windows Live connection you can speak to and see anyone else with the same thing for free! Sure you can put lots of movies and music on a flash drive and just plug er’ into your mini-laptop. Me? I still want a big screen and the juice of a serious laptop with Blue Ray and/or whatever is beyond HD, with multiple sound cards and a gamer level graphics card, 4-8 gigs of ram and at least a 500 gig hardrive….hey - I’m a meat and potatoes and heavy horsepower guy of guy…..old school…yeah but I also have an eye on the future too….what about you truckstar? Do you have mobile internet in the cab of your truck yet? And not just on your cell phone either…..I like the new Sony Z Series mini laptops….and the service after the sale is really good, some say the best….whatever you need now - plan for it to become a reality… check out this link to what I feel is one of the best trip planner programs going – it’s called PC* Miler - http://www.alk.com/pcmiler/
Don’t forget about abused kids…..they really need heroes….I know….
That’s it for this week truckstars!
If you’re a prayin’ person, Please pray for our nation, the world and the lost…
REMEMBER – No load and NO paycheck is worth dyin’ for…..
Don’t forget! I love ya and I’m prayin’ for ya!
So play nice, drive safe and pull it on home………
Saddle up…..let’s ride!
……you’re on the road with the original florida kid…we gown…..
Friday, September 26, 2008
On the road with the original florida kid week 42
"On the Road with the original florida kid"
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 42 and...
....you're on the road with the original florida kid....
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the wonder dog and the whole gang here at the ranch want to say a big cowboy howdy "HEY!"
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Alright, you know the drill...grab an ashtray, a cup of Grandma's famous cowboy coffee and pull up a chair, there's more on the front porch by the door. Seems every week more and more people come over to sit around the table and talk about stuff goin' on, but that's okay that's what we're here for..
Well, I've been sittin' here on my butt for 4 weeks now waitin' on boat freight to pick up, but....and it's not just the price of fuel going up and down like it's on a pogo stick either...(yeah and that's another thing...)..
Barbie's got that strained nervous look in her eyes, I can see it when she looks at me. Grandma was lookin' out the kitchen window the other day, the way she does when I know she's thinkin' about Grandpa, and the tears were streamin' down her face....then, mine too...
I know it wasn't just for us either, lots of folks we know have hit hard times...people - good, everyday decent working people losin' homes, businesses, cars, land, and havin' to give up things they love just to try to pay bills and put food on the table...seems like we hear of someone every day losin' their rig or home.........even the third world knows you can't keep sending jobs out of the country and hope the economy will survive!
We may be next, I don't know..GOD HELP US....GOD HELP US ALL...PLEASE
This mortgage thing, the AIG bailout, all this business crisis stuff isn't killin' the economy, they're signs of an economy in serious trouble, and I know you don't need me to tell you that, but, I am sayin' that I truly believe we, as a people and as a nation, we need to take more responsibility for our government and economy. I can't tell you how sick and tired I am watching the politicians on tv fighting and mudslingin' like little kids... meanwhile the country is being ransacked by big business and anyone else who can afford to own their own politician.....we must look like idiots to the rest of the world...seriously...
Those of you who've raised teenagers know, most of em', most of the time, you can't trust...as kids I mean....you want to but you know you can't...you only hope they don't burn the damn house down while you're on a run....it's kind of the same thing when you talk about our so called leaders...you want to trust em', but you know ya can't....and this time.....
.....the house IS on fire.......hellOOOooo...
I bet the CEO of AIG gets a paycheck this week, the President of the U.S., the Rep's and Senators, they're all gettin' paid this week...I'm not...are you ?
If someone works for you, and ruins your business...aren't you supposed to fire them?? Voting is how we do that…….
And here's another thought: Why don't we ever boycott the products of companies that have moved out of the country putting thousands of people out of work just to increase their profits...Wal-Mart spends 18-20 billion a year in China...Levi's, the jeans co. fired 7,000 people a few years ago and moved just over the mexican border, like Ralph Lauren and dozens of other co's....Ford and GM are closing plant after plant...textiles - are there any made here still?...
There has to come a point when you realize you're cutting your own throat....why can't our leaders and big business figure that out? Even the greediest thievin' person or company has to come to their senses sooner or later....right?
Contact your elected officials TODAY! -
www.house.gov - to find your representative enter your zip code
www.senate.gov - scroll to your home state
We know your support and participation had an effect on this mexican trucking thing...the President might veto the House's vote to cut off money but they say they'll fight it.....so let em' know how you feel......
I registered to vote today....you have a few more days maybe 10 or so before the 29 day cut off...just Google, enter your home state name before the 2 words "voter registration" and it'll tell you where you can register in your area, or offer an online option where you enter the info and it makes up an appl. for you then you print it, sign it and mail it or take it to the supervisor of elections office near where you live.
TRUCKSTAR TECH- Check out CNN.comLive and also www.google.com/mobile/gmm - this is a Google program you can load into your phone to give you a gps and a map and direction program, for you techies out there you can also side load it in directly from your computer. Google's new Android phone is cool and most of the cell phone experts like it but it doesn't do nearly enough for me and I'm not payin' for a cell phone AND mobile internet....if I have to choose it'll be mobile internet......where I go my laptop goes......
I'm still trying to fall in love with the new breed of mini-laptops, like the new Acer Aspire One, or the much anticipated Dell Inspiron 10", but I really haven't seen one yet that has the juice I need while I'm on the road, and be careful the smaller ones have screen size adjustment issues, get at least a 10" screen.
Skype, Windows Live and Yahoo Live all have free pc to pc calling phone programs now and all 3 have video too if your laptop has a webcam - you can talk to and see your family at home( or anyone else...) for free! It only takes a minute to load in your pc or laptop. I like the new swivel screen laptops with lots of usb ports, the new air cards for mobile internet come in usb modem, they look kind of like a usb flash drive, and also a 4 or more gig ram dual core, HD or Blue-Ray screen, built in web cam and mic( and make sure they have their own controls...), although a headset is cheap, (they even make bluetooth headsets with a usb plug for handsfree driving while talking). Asus, Sony, Dell, Hp...everyone seems to be making a good laptop just get one with the features you want or need. I'll probably end up with AT&T for my mobile web co, they have the new usb air cards and good connection nationwide, but I'll probably get a new laptop with embedded 3G broadband so I won't even need an air card. Also check out this website - www.fancast.com - for tv shows and movies you can watch for free.....
I need a 10 pixel digital camera with a 200-400 wide zoom lens for photos.
I'm also sticking with XP for now too....
Keep in mind that Sony and Apple have the highest rated customer support, Sony's best help is their phone support, Toshiba is also not bad with customer phone support. Gateway is terrible and they want you to pay by the minute for help, it's a ripoff. Getting some of the new app's to work is tough even for experts and Customer Support should be a factor in deciding which brand and model you buy.
THE HEALTH DEPT- This week’s Health Dept. is going to be short because I want you to get a book called “The Bible Diet” written by a doctor named Richard H. Mays, M.D. Dr. Mays has written another “bible diet book” like “The Makers Diet” by Jordan Rubin but I believe this one is a good buy and filled with the info I want you to have for everyday food buying and eating habits and why…..you can buy it online from Alibris Books for a discounted price, here’s the link, just enter The Bible Diet in the search line:
http://www.alibris.com
Remember truckstars the condition of your body is a direct result of what you eat, the better you eat the healthier you’ll be. Don’t be discouraged by the endless stream of info on diets and what to eat, what not to eat. Arm yourself with a good foundational knowledge of food and diet throughout human history and it’ll give you a fix on where we are now and how you too can eat well and be healthy. You don’t have to be a believer to read and learn what’s in the “Bible Diet” books, but don’t discount it either if you haven’t read one of them…Okay? Don’t forget to think about whole grains and raw veg’s in your diet!
Don’t forget about abused kids…..
That’s it for this week truckstars!
If you’re a prayin’ person, Please pray for our nation, the world and the lost…
REMEMBER – No load and NO paycheck is worth dyin’ for…..
Don’t forget! I love ya and I’m prayin’ for ya!
So play nice, drive safe and pull it on home………
Saddle up…..let’s ride!
……you’re on the road with the original florida kid…we gown…..
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 42 and...
....you're on the road with the original florida kid....
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the wonder dog and the whole gang here at the ranch want to say a big cowboy howdy "HEY!"
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Alright, you know the drill...grab an ashtray, a cup of Grandma's famous cowboy coffee and pull up a chair, there's more on the front porch by the door. Seems every week more and more people come over to sit around the table and talk about stuff goin' on, but that's okay that's what we're here for..
Well, I've been sittin' here on my butt for 4 weeks now waitin' on boat freight to pick up, but....and it's not just the price of fuel going up and down like it's on a pogo stick either...(yeah and that's another thing...)..
Barbie's got that strained nervous look in her eyes, I can see it when she looks at me. Grandma was lookin' out the kitchen window the other day, the way she does when I know she's thinkin' about Grandpa, and the tears were streamin' down her face....then, mine too...
I know it wasn't just for us either, lots of folks we know have hit hard times...people - good, everyday decent working people losin' homes, businesses, cars, land, and havin' to give up things they love just to try to pay bills and put food on the table...seems like we hear of someone every day losin' their rig or home.........even the third world knows you can't keep sending jobs out of the country and hope the economy will survive!
We may be next, I don't know..GOD HELP US....GOD HELP US ALL...PLEASE
This mortgage thing, the AIG bailout, all this business crisis stuff isn't killin' the economy, they're signs of an economy in serious trouble, and I know you don't need me to tell you that, but, I am sayin' that I truly believe we, as a people and as a nation, we need to take more responsibility for our government and economy. I can't tell you how sick and tired I am watching the politicians on tv fighting and mudslingin' like little kids... meanwhile the country is being ransacked by big business and anyone else who can afford to own their own politician.....we must look like idiots to the rest of the world...seriously...
Those of you who've raised teenagers know, most of em', most of the time, you can't trust...as kids I mean....you want to but you know you can't...you only hope they don't burn the damn house down while you're on a run....it's kind of the same thing when you talk about our so called leaders...you want to trust em', but you know ya can't....and this time.....
.....the house IS on fire.......hellOOOooo...
I bet the CEO of AIG gets a paycheck this week, the President of the U.S., the Rep's and Senators, they're all gettin' paid this week...I'm not...are you ?
If someone works for you, and ruins your business...aren't you supposed to fire them?? Voting is how we do that…….
And here's another thought: Why don't we ever boycott the products of companies that have moved out of the country putting thousands of people out of work just to increase their profits...Wal-Mart spends 18-20 billion a year in China...Levi's, the jeans co. fired 7,000 people a few years ago and moved just over the mexican border, like Ralph Lauren and dozens of other co's....Ford and GM are closing plant after plant...textiles - are there any made here still?...
There has to come a point when you realize you're cutting your own throat....why can't our leaders and big business figure that out? Even the greediest thievin' person or company has to come to their senses sooner or later....right?
Contact your elected officials TODAY! -
www.house.gov - to find your representative enter your zip code
www.senate.gov - scroll to your home state
We know your support and participation had an effect on this mexican trucking thing...the President might veto the House's vote to cut off money but they say they'll fight it.....so let em' know how you feel......
I registered to vote today....you have a few more days maybe 10 or so before the 29 day cut off...just Google, enter your home state name before the 2 words "voter registration" and it'll tell you where you can register in your area, or offer an online option where you enter the info and it makes up an appl. for you then you print it, sign it and mail it or take it to the supervisor of elections office near where you live.
TRUCKSTAR TECH- Check out CNN.comLive and also www.google.com/mobile/gmm - this is a Google program you can load into your phone to give you a gps and a map and direction program, for you techies out there you can also side load it in directly from your computer. Google's new Android phone is cool and most of the cell phone experts like it but it doesn't do nearly enough for me and I'm not payin' for a cell phone AND mobile internet....if I have to choose it'll be mobile internet......where I go my laptop goes......
I'm still trying to fall in love with the new breed of mini-laptops, like the new Acer Aspire One, or the much anticipated Dell Inspiron 10", but I really haven't seen one yet that has the juice I need while I'm on the road, and be careful the smaller ones have screen size adjustment issues, get at least a 10" screen.
Skype, Windows Live and Yahoo Live all have free pc to pc calling phone programs now and all 3 have video too if your laptop has a webcam - you can talk to and see your family at home( or anyone else...) for free! It only takes a minute to load in your pc or laptop. I like the new swivel screen laptops with lots of usb ports, the new air cards for mobile internet come in usb modem, they look kind of like a usb flash drive, and also a 4 or more gig ram dual core, HD or Blue-Ray screen, built in web cam and mic( and make sure they have their own controls...), although a headset is cheap, (they even make bluetooth headsets with a usb plug for handsfree driving while talking). Asus, Sony, Dell, Hp...everyone seems to be making a good laptop just get one with the features you want or need. I'll probably end up with AT&T for my mobile web co, they have the new usb air cards and good connection nationwide, but I'll probably get a new laptop with embedded 3G broadband so I won't even need an air card. Also check out this website - www.fancast.com - for tv shows and movies you can watch for free.....
I need a 10 pixel digital camera with a 200-400 wide zoom lens for photos.
I'm also sticking with XP for now too....
Keep in mind that Sony and Apple have the highest rated customer support, Sony's best help is their phone support, Toshiba is also not bad with customer phone support. Gateway is terrible and they want you to pay by the minute for help, it's a ripoff. Getting some of the new app's to work is tough even for experts and Customer Support should be a factor in deciding which brand and model you buy.
THE HEALTH DEPT- This week’s Health Dept. is going to be short because I want you to get a book called “The Bible Diet” written by a doctor named Richard H. Mays, M.D. Dr. Mays has written another “bible diet book” like “The Makers Diet” by Jordan Rubin but I believe this one is a good buy and filled with the info I want you to have for everyday food buying and eating habits and why…..you can buy it online from Alibris Books for a discounted price, here’s the link, just enter The Bible Diet in the search line:
http://www.alibris.com
Remember truckstars the condition of your body is a direct result of what you eat, the better you eat the healthier you’ll be. Don’t be discouraged by the endless stream of info on diets and what to eat, what not to eat. Arm yourself with a good foundational knowledge of food and diet throughout human history and it’ll give you a fix on where we are now and how you too can eat well and be healthy. You don’t have to be a believer to read and learn what’s in the “Bible Diet” books, but don’t discount it either if you haven’t read one of them…Okay? Don’t forget to think about whole grains and raw veg’s in your diet!
Don’t forget about abused kids…..
That’s it for this week truckstars!
If you’re a prayin’ person, Please pray for our nation, the world and the lost…
REMEMBER – No load and NO paycheck is worth dyin’ for…..
Don’t forget! I love ya and I’m prayin’ for ya!
So play nice, drive safe and pull it on home………
Saddle up…..let’s ride!
……you’re on the road with the original florida kid…we gown…..
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