On the Road with the original florida kid - Week 40

"On the Road with the original florida kid - Week 40"

Hello again fellow truckstars!
It's Week 40 and.......you're on the road with the original florida kid........

Grandma, Barbie, Pup the wonder dog, Larry the pig and the whole gang here at the ranch want to give ya'll a big cowboy howdy "HEY".....

KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Alright, alright, grab a chair and an ashtray. Grandma’s got a pot of her legendary cowboy coffee goin’, it’ll be a minute.
Before I go any further I want to apologize to you all for being gone for 5 weeks, actually I was on the road for 3 and a half weeks and while I was gone my yard or house, we’re still not sure which, was struck by lightning and it fried a few appliances……including my computer system…..so I had to buy a new system, then start over with the radio station, from scratch…anyway that’s why I haven’t put up an edition of On the Road for a few weeks. I’ve gotten hundreds of e-mails from concerned truckstars out there who were wondering and worried what happened to me….I’m okay, it’s just, the worst part wasn’t the money or losing my system and 2 years of stuff on the computer…..
…….it was being out of touch with YOU……….
Tommy Boy wanted me to say “Thanks” for all the e-mails about his job situation(the co. he was drivin’ for went under….and he was out of work for about a month….). He got a lot of job offers, but he took a flat bed gig for a local ag hauler, the money’s good and it’s local, but he wanted me to say “Thanks”, and to tell all of you truckstars out there “not to give up hope….EVER….a good driver will always be able to find work, and, that I really really appreciate the support from the folks who took the time to send the ‘kid’ an e-mail for me.”
When I showed Tommy and his darling little wife the amount of e-mails that came for him and what they said, he and Tammi both got teary eyed, it was kinda cool, I wish you truckstars could have been here for that…..so……anyway I personally want to “Thank you” too…….this is the kinda of thing that makes me proud to be a member of the world’s best and largest driving force…….
You’ll hear Tommy Boy on Truckstar Radio in the next few weeks(he’s a character I’m tellin’ ya….Grandma loves him, he makes her laugh like crazy….)…..
I’m almost there with the radio station and blogsite……you can’t believe the amount of research and learning, not to mention buying equipment, getting help and support from new friends in the radio world, suppliers, tech people…..it’s waaaaaay more work(uh, and money…..) than I thought it would be, and, don’t forget I’m talkin’ about a real, full blown radio station that will play on whatever player you have on your cell phone, laptop, or pc….24/7 “live” all the way…..you can be a part of it too, not just as callers “in”, if you want to, but show hosts, just wait(or not….) till we’re up and running, listen in and if you like what you hear, get ahold of me and we’ll talk it over……we need “on the road” co-hosts to do their own shows…..advertisers too…..
It’ll be great! All drivers, all the time, on the road, day and night…..Need a weather report for exactly where you are? A truckstop or rest area exit number and/or miles to it? Fuel stop and /or repair shop distance from where you are? Road service options for what’s wrong and where you are?
Call-in and we’ll hook you up…..right away no b.s. …….whatcha’ think truckstar?
Interviews, talk and whatever else we can think that you want to hear and get involved with………You in?
I don’t know if anyone else out there has done any drivin’ in the southeast U.S. lately like me, but these tropical storms, almost hurricanes, are getting’ on my nerves….I drove through Fay twice a couple of weeks ago, and I’m sittin’ here right now Thankful Hannah passed us by in Florida down here, Gustav too, but, Ike is lookin’ bad and it might buzz us in the next few days…by Tuesday anyway they say….it costs a lot of money to get ready for a hurricane and I still worry about where to park the trucks and cars…..I can’t always drop everything and run up to Tennessee….not yet anyway….Barbie and grandma both want to move to tenn. Fulltime as soon as possible…..I do too….Pup loves runnin’ through the woods on the ranch……
Now….work is slow, fuel isn’t as bad as it was(wohooo….) but it still costs a lot more than it should, other stuff has gotten more expensive…like food, electricity and oil changes, filters and all that….so we’re feelin’ it here at home too, like you…….
….We feed a lot of people here at the homestead and I Thank God for His grace and mercy in providing for us all…….

So what’s up with the ATA lately? 55mph for drivers AND they’re trying to kill the TRUCC Bill !! Are you kidding me? They’ve had their hands in drivers pockets for so long I guess they forgot it was called “stealing”……This is the very reason I rip into trucking co. owners, it’s hard to believe some of them used to be drivers and I’ve said this before….drivers need a voice……not some greed based organization but an industry wide voice with all drivers voting on action to be taken…Hell, if the UPS drivers can do it, why can’t we? Maybe Dan Little at the new OOU is the guy we’re looking for……
Between the HOS, construction zones, fuel prices and trying to drive in a slow economy with low freight prices it’s a bitch as it is to try to make a living…and always, always the trucking co. owners are there to remind us that evil still lives in the world…….not all of them, again, there are good owners out there who haven’t forgotten where they came from and GOD BLESS em’……

We lost a great country music artist and a friend of the trucker, recently.
Jerry Reed……...poor health for the last few years finally took him….he’ll be missed by all of us……..

TRUCKSTAR TECH- Podcasting? Who? Is that a vegetable or something?
Nevermind it’ll go away before you have to know what it is……
Mobile internet is about to become very screamin’ fast…. stay tuned….I still hate Wi-Fi….and……make sure if and when you buy a laptop that it has good screen resolution for the screen size…some of the new mini’s don’t, the experts say to go at least ten inches, the 7” minis have too low of a pixel rate for the web….this is why I want one of the larger ram, gamer laptops, high screen resolution and killer sound cards. To me a laptop is far more functional than even one of the super cell phones…Why? Because I can still call home for free whenever I want AND they can see me as well as hear me…for free with SKYPE.com…and I can check my e-mail, paybills, find out information and a million other things my cell phone can’t do and the bill for mobile broadband web access is about the same as a cell phone bill…..I know I really don’t like the scroll method laptops use so I’m getting a mouse to plug in and use….it’s easy….Sprint has a 60$ a month un-limited plan with ever increasing upload speeds….I can see the day coming soon when my pain in the ass cell phone is going into the trash can….Gobi is trying to solve the pci card issue with integrated software built in(Qualcomm is jumping into the mix….)But whichever co. you end up with get the USBconnect since you can also use it in your pc at home……and all the cell carriers have gps available in your cell phone too…so….laptops, well just run a trip planner from where you are and I’ll look into it but I’m sure there’s a voice one out there too….
Listen, if you think about the dollar for dollar value between a cell phone and a mobile web capable laptop there is no comparison….so…that’s my 2 cents……
Whatcha’ think truckstar?

If you haven’t seen the new Batman movie, well go see it, if for nothing else, Heath Ledger’s performance, and if you’re a country music fan I recommend Blake Shelton’s new record –Pure BS…the hit “Home” is on it….

THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT- Okay, last edition we talked about “trans fats” and I hope you got out of it what you need to understand….when they screw with food for whatever reason, or even when they freeze it, it usually ruins it…that’s all you need to remember….Are you taking “whole food organic” vitamins yet….why not? Google them and order some if you can’t find a good health food store. I’m trying to get Flying J to carry them with a couple diff. kinds of high end protein drinks, they carry the Met Rx Collassal Protein Bars now, just look up by the register…..I still think they should let Sonny’s or Perkins come in there and take over the restaurants……
Don’t forget also to keep up with whole grain breads and lots of vegetables…watch the fat……ice cream(try Ben and Jerry’s Frozen Yogurts, they’re great…), salad dressings and cheeses are killers…..Think, think, think before you eat…don’t trust that some food co. cares what they put in your food, some do, some don’t, you need to check… I say this to you because I know what I’m talkin’ about and I love you guys and girls and I want you to be happy and healthy……..Okay?
Check out www.uscattlehaulers.com and find the link to the OOU, it's a new group who's only agenda is the welfare of drivers and Dan Little, who by the way is a working driver, is probably our best hope as a leader and fighter for truckers across the board. It's only $20 to join.....I've talked to Dan several times and I truly believe he's the real deal....see for yourself......I'm in.......you?

Also, in case you feel like rattling someone's cage -
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 !!!!!

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.........
Tis' the season for Chuck Wagon Cook-offs!! (http://www.chuckwagon.org/),check their site for the 08' schedule,
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....
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' !
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..........