"On the Road" with the original florida kid WEEK 19
Hello again fellow truckstars! Week 19 is in the log books...........or not...........
and you're on the road with the original kid..............
Grandma and everyone here at the ranch say - "Hey!"
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN' -
I've been on the road for a few weeks, that's why you haven't heard from me. I just got back at 4:00am yesterday from an almost 20,000 mile trip hauling boats, haul - backhaul - that kind of thing. I was on a roll and I rode it till the end since I'll probably be off for a couple of weeks because of the holiday. That's okay.... Needless to say I'm tired but I have so much "home" stuff to do I can't lay around and stare at the tv. I still can't get over how much I feel like a stranger here at home after a long trip....how 'bout you truckstar?
Barbie and Grandma did a beautiful job decorating the house for Christmas, the tree and lights on the house looked so nice, she left them on all night when she knew I was on my way home the other day. I have to tell you, my eyes got a little misty when I pulled up.......then, of course the whole house burst into an uproar - at 4 in the morning - and Barbie made me her famous spaghetti while Pup and our cat Wolfie went ape all over me. It was kind of cool to know they missed me as much as I missed them. It was good to come home..........
I'm 52 but I still get homesick like a little kid, I can't help it....
This trip, I took along a few audio books. I like the best seller action-adventure kind of stuff. I thought at first they might be boring, but they weren't, just the opposite in fact, the time passed much better while I was driving since my mind had something better to think about than how much I missed everyone at home and trying to find and keep a radio station. I borrowed them from my local library - for free. I'm not going to do the sat radio thing since I'm saving for a mobile internet laptop and I can listen to my own hometown country music station when I want to, I can watch dvd's, tv on it too and check regional weather. I've talked about the laptop thing in recent blogs and I still urge everyone to think about it, that is, getting a mobile internet capable laptop, not a Wi-fi, but a mobile web - pci slot laptop. Check out Laptop magazine, the best source for laptop info. Mine is going to be on the passenger seat - turned on at all times. You can even check for truckstops and gas prices on the road ahead of you....The modern driver should have an onboard media and comm. system - standard issue, in my opinion. We're not talking about a lot of money either, and don't forget you can turn off the cable you've had at home and use the mobile pci card in the computer when you're at home too..... I know a guy who uses a web phone service called Skype.com He called me from France and the call was as clear as if he were across the street, he said it was only costing him pennies to make the call......I have a cell phone but I can see myself consolidating all my media and communications through a good laptop. I bought a headset to plug(usb ports) into the laptop I'm getting. I hope I can get an HD and Blue Ray 17' or 19" model(I like the bigger keyboard) with 2 to 4 gigs of ram and at least 200 gigs. This last trip should pay for one, and my new website set-up too(thetruckstar.com)That's where my column and radio station will be..........soon......
So - I drove through those two weather systems that brought snow to the entire country in the past few weeks. I've seen and driven through enough snow and freezing rain, lately, to last me through the holiday season Thank you very much........I got out of my truck after a sleep the other day in Flagstaff, Arizona into 2 feet of snow in the Pilot parking lot....lovely......of course I had on only a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.......don't forget........I'm from Florida.......nothing like a fresh hot cup of coffee and a Krispy Kreme chocolate covered donut....okay...three donuts dammitt......to get your motor runnin'.........I see more and more Subways at truckstops and that's a good ting mon'. Even Arbys has a good grilled chicken salad.
Keep in mind that all the crap we eat determines how we feel, and when we sit still for a long time our body can't process the bad stuff through so it lines the intestines and arteries. Give yourself a chance to be healthy by eating lots of roughage and vitamin laced foods. You'll see what I mean, right away you'll notice the difference. Stomach and intestinal problems will go away too as will high blood pressure, more on this soon.
I want to comment this week, also, on one of truckings dirty little secrets.....which one you ask?
I was at a rest area for a pit stop and this trucker, a flat bedder, starts talkin' to me, bein' a writer I always talk to people wherever go, and, about 3 minutes into the conversation he starts talkin' about sex, I changed the subject two or three times because it's not something I talk with people about, generally, but he kept going back to sex and said something about going to a truckstop for a shower. Now, I'm a little slow so it took me a few minutes to realize this guy was looking for a "friend" and he wanted to go into the bathroom stall area for....whatever... Now, first, let's be clear on this - I'm not gay, (and this is not a gay bash session either, I don't care if you're gay or not,) but even if I was....the last thing I would do is hook-up with some pathetic, desperate moron who probably has a family of his own at home, at a rest area where soccer Mom's and Dad's on the road were bringing in their kids! Sex in public places in general is a really bad idea because it's not only un-professional AND perverse, it almost always brings in a bad element, like anything else that's wrong......not to mention the fact that trucking dosen't need anymore bad press by this kind of thing getting into the papers or on the news, and someday it will. I'm still pissed about it too, not so much because I was personally offended, I've been approached by gay men before, but because it's a black mark on a trade I love, and, a trade that has a lot of decent hard working pros in it, both male and female, who work hard to keep a good reputation in the eyes of the public.............any advice from anyone out there on what I should do about it? Stay away from the rest area at mile marker 225 on I-95 in Florida.......the one near Macon on I-75 in Georgia too.........
This edition is going to be shorter than usual too I apologize for that.
The next few issues will bring back all the different departments everyone seems to enjoy so much, including the Wanted:Heroes, Health Department, Cowboy Corral, Jukebox, and Truckstar Tech. and a few new dept's., like The History Book. I like history, not just trucking history but American history too. I found out there are a lot of Civil War relic hunters, for example, and I find this kind of thing very interesting. Also a new story feature about a couple of kid detectives on the road with the one kids Dad.....
Nascar and the PBR are off for the season.
Don't forget about abused kids and our neighbors in West Virginia !!
Write down the following web addresses, bookmark em' and make it a regular part of your web surfing! 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....and tell them too that prices are not going to go down on Mexican shipped goods either......just more dope, crime, junky trucks and bad drivers, accidents and public costs.....Keep it going!
Remember - no paycheck and no load is worth dyin' for......
Don't forget about National Truckers Prayer Day -
contact Billy Mack on Bozo Radio, or the other radio trucking shows!
Billy Mack on(XMchannel171) Bozo radio's Open Road Phone Line,
12noon - 4:00pm, mon thru fri - call him at 817-451-6055
Don't forget too, truckstars - if you're lookin' for a critter - I highly recommend you start lookin' at:
www.aspca.org and www.hsus.org (humane society) I see lots of drivers with little buddies on the road, I like the Jack Russells......
Well alright - that's it for this week truckstars!
Pray for us all, our nation, the world and the lost..... and try not to worry!!
God hears prayers, trust me........I know......
Watch what you eat and watch the road !!
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...........you're on the road with the original florida kid......we gown..........
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
On the Road with the original florida kid - week 20
"On the Road" with the original florida kid
Hello again fellow truckstars! You're on the road with the original florida kid........
Week 20 is in the log books.........or not.....
Grandma, Barbie, Pup and everyone here at the ranch say
"Happy Holidays" and "Hey!"
"Kitchen Table Talkin" -
Well I got one last run in just before Christmas, I picked up a boat from the Pensacola, Fl area and took it to the port in Brunswick, Ga. just after a Kentucky to Palm Beach run. It was only a 1200 and a 1400 mile run and both went well.
I'm off for a few days and it feels good but I'm already gettin' that urge to get back on the road!
Know what I mean truckstar? Yeah you do...........
I hope everyone had a great holiday season - I did. Barbie and I didn't go crazy with the spending this year we spent, maybe, a hundred bucks on each other. We were, most of the morning, Christmas morning, alone together for the first time in many years. Barbie had a couple of cancer operations in 07', as many of you know from previous blogs of mine, and I just couldn't help feeling that there couldn't have been a greater gift anyone could ever give me than Barbies life. We became closer than we might have, had she not gotten ill this past year - So - this year Christmas was extra special for me.........other kinds of gifts just didn't matter. It's just stuff anyway.......
I have to start saving now because next year I'm buying her a horse............she's so good with animals and she's always wanted her very own horse, a mare of course, so............I know, I know how much they eat..........
Grandma exhausted herself cookin' and bakin' and fussin' over the dinnerware and the decorations, but she really outdid herself, I wish you guys could have seen her in action, she's definitely the Grandma Poster Girl........
it was the best Christmas ever......
Alright - the bulls, the blood, the dust and mud - the PBR is back for another season - minus Tater who retired, and one, Justin McBride, for a few months - he's re-habbin' that shoulder he had ripped out earlier in the 07' season J.B Mauney seeems to be okay on that hurt leg of his , he did real well last weekend in Atlanta and just this past weekend too in New York City finishing last night in second, a close second, behind De Oliveira, the Brazilian kid I told you last year to look out for. He got kicked last night somewhere low and appeared to be in pain at the end of it all but he's a tough cowboy too. Chris Shivers almost ruled the event but a last round buck-off ended a first place finish hope. Adriano says he's retiring. I know for a fact he's playin' hurt - been playin' hurt - and bull ridin' won't be the same with out him..I'm tellin' ya..........
Man...I need my NASCAR fix.................how bout' you truckstar?
Been watchin' what you eat? Hmmmmmm? With me I have to watch the cheese and salad dressing. I overload on that stuff, then of course I pay the price having to suck it in to button my Wranglers......not to mention a serious spike in my cholesterol level..........know what I mean Vern?....
Also - a little tip on bread... that's right - bread. Whole grain bread is good for you - white bread is NOT. The bleaching not only causes or contributes to cancer but it also burns the vitamins and grain properties out of it and the synthetic vitamins they add are - well - crap. You've heard about "empty carbs"? that's what that term means, or rather, what they are referring to. Plus - whole grains have a cleaning effect on the lower intestine and colon, not just a good source of "real" vitamins. Remember - I want you to find a good place, on the road or at home, where you can buy "whole food organic" vitamins. I'll talk more about them in the next few weeks. I'm still setting up my site (www.thetruckstar.com) and the internet talk radio station, you'll be able to access it from the site, after a free program download of a software to reel in the station to your computer and/or cell phone. If I can find a good supplier of them I'll have a link or a store on my site. Don't worry I'll find a good co.
More on that next week......and also I want to talk about synthetic vitamins and so called "enriched foods"(otherwise known as foods that processing or freezing kills all the vitamins in so they have to add low-grade fake vitamins.....why? I don't know - ask them......maybe it's more profit and longer shelf life........Kraft, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker etc.)
I don't know about you but I plan to make this the best year I've ever had. Don't keep lookin' back.....you might run into a parked car.......keep your eyes on the road up ahead.....the best is ALWAYS up ahead.....believe it!
Next weeks edition will come a little more on time I've been on the road so much and I don't have my mobile web laptop yet......(more on tech and industry news, too, next week)......so until then........
The next few issues will bring back all the different departments everyone seems to enjoy so much, including the Wanted:Heroes, Health Department, Cowboy Corral, Jukebox, and Truckstar Tech. and a few new dept's., like The History Book. I like history, not just trucking history but American history too. I found out there are a lot of Civil War relic hunters, for example, and I find this kind of thing very interesting.
Also a new section I'm calling - TRUCKSTAR KIDS - (check out these sites for kids, http://www.howtoons.com/ and http://www.truckerbuddy.org/)
I'll be writing a weekly series on the exciting adventures of Johnny Duke, and his computer wiz kid pal, Tommy "the Hacker" Dawn, as they solve crime mysteries, while on the road with Johnny's trucker Dad.
12 year olds who want to be a trucking detectives when they grow up.....
The adventure begins when Johnny thinks he sees a suspicious vehicle following them from a hazmat pickup in Miami, Dad says it's nothin' but Johnny and Tommy think otherwise.......Tommy's runnin' the plates...don't ask how..........
Don't forget about abused kids and our neighbors in West Virginia !!
Write down the following web addresses, bookmark em' and make it a regular part of your web surfing! 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....and tell them too that prices are not going to go down on Mexican shipped goods either......just more dope, crime, junky trucks and bad drivers, accidents and public costs.....Keep the political pressure up!
Remember - no paycheck and no load is worth dyin' for......
Don't forget about National Truckers Prayer Day -
contact Billy Mack on Bozo Radio, or the other radio trucking shows!
Billy Mack on(XMchannel171) Bozo radio's Open Road Phone Line,
12noon - 4:00pm, mon thru fri - call him at 817-451-6055
Don't forget too, truckstars - if you're lookin' for a critter - I highly recommend you start lookin' at:
www.aspca.org and www.hsus.org (humane society) I see lots of drivers with little buddies on the road, I like the Jack Russells......
Well alright - that's it for this week truckstars!
Pray for us all, our nation, the world and the lost..... and try not to worry!!
God hears prayers, trust me........I know......
Watch what you eat and watch the road !!
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...........you're on the road with the original florida kid......we gawn..........
Hello again fellow truckstars! You're on the road with the original florida kid........
Week 20 is in the log books.........or not.....
Grandma, Barbie, Pup and everyone here at the ranch say
"Happy Holidays" and "Hey!"
"Kitchen Table Talkin" -
Well I got one last run in just before Christmas, I picked up a boat from the Pensacola, Fl area and took it to the port in Brunswick, Ga. just after a Kentucky to Palm Beach run. It was only a 1200 and a 1400 mile run and both went well.
I'm off for a few days and it feels good but I'm already gettin' that urge to get back on the road!
Know what I mean truckstar? Yeah you do...........
I hope everyone had a great holiday season - I did. Barbie and I didn't go crazy with the spending this year we spent, maybe, a hundred bucks on each other. We were, most of the morning, Christmas morning, alone together for the first time in many years. Barbie had a couple of cancer operations in 07', as many of you know from previous blogs of mine, and I just couldn't help feeling that there couldn't have been a greater gift anyone could ever give me than Barbies life. We became closer than we might have, had she not gotten ill this past year - So - this year Christmas was extra special for me.........other kinds of gifts just didn't matter. It's just stuff anyway.......
I have to start saving now because next year I'm buying her a horse............she's so good with animals and she's always wanted her very own horse, a mare of course, so............I know, I know how much they eat..........
Grandma exhausted herself cookin' and bakin' and fussin' over the dinnerware and the decorations, but she really outdid herself, I wish you guys could have seen her in action, she's definitely the Grandma Poster Girl........
it was the best Christmas ever......
Alright - the bulls, the blood, the dust and mud - the PBR is back for another season - minus Tater who retired, and one, Justin McBride, for a few months - he's re-habbin' that shoulder he had ripped out earlier in the 07' season J.B Mauney seeems to be okay on that hurt leg of his , he did real well last weekend in Atlanta and just this past weekend too in New York City finishing last night in second, a close second, behind De Oliveira, the Brazilian kid I told you last year to look out for. He got kicked last night somewhere low and appeared to be in pain at the end of it all but he's a tough cowboy too. Chris Shivers almost ruled the event but a last round buck-off ended a first place finish hope. Adriano says he's retiring. I know for a fact he's playin' hurt - been playin' hurt - and bull ridin' won't be the same with out him..I'm tellin' ya..........
Man...I need my NASCAR fix.................how bout' you truckstar?
Been watchin' what you eat? Hmmmmmm? With me I have to watch the cheese and salad dressing. I overload on that stuff, then of course I pay the price having to suck it in to button my Wranglers......not to mention a serious spike in my cholesterol level..........know what I mean Vern?....
Also - a little tip on bread... that's right - bread. Whole grain bread is good for you - white bread is NOT. The bleaching not only causes or contributes to cancer but it also burns the vitamins and grain properties out of it and the synthetic vitamins they add are - well - crap. You've heard about "empty carbs"? that's what that term means, or rather, what they are referring to. Plus - whole grains have a cleaning effect on the lower intestine and colon, not just a good source of "real" vitamins. Remember - I want you to find a good place, on the road or at home, where you can buy "whole food organic" vitamins. I'll talk more about them in the next few weeks. I'm still setting up my site (www.thetruckstar.com) and the internet talk radio station, you'll be able to access it from the site, after a free program download of a software to reel in the station to your computer and/or cell phone. If I can find a good supplier of them I'll have a link or a store on my site. Don't worry I'll find a good co.
More on that next week......and also I want to talk about synthetic vitamins and so called "enriched foods"(otherwise known as foods that processing or freezing kills all the vitamins in so they have to add low-grade fake vitamins.....why? I don't know - ask them......maybe it's more profit and longer shelf life........Kraft, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker etc.)
I don't know about you but I plan to make this the best year I've ever had. Don't keep lookin' back.....you might run into a parked car.......keep your eyes on the road up ahead.....the best is ALWAYS up ahead.....believe it!
Next weeks edition will come a little more on time I've been on the road so much and I don't have my mobile web laptop yet......(more on tech and industry news, too, next week)......so until then........
The next few issues will bring back all the different departments everyone seems to enjoy so much, including the Wanted:Heroes, Health Department, Cowboy Corral, Jukebox, and Truckstar Tech. and a few new dept's., like The History Book. I like history, not just trucking history but American history too. I found out there are a lot of Civil War relic hunters, for example, and I find this kind of thing very interesting.
Also a new section I'm calling - TRUCKSTAR KIDS - (check out these sites for kids, http://www.howtoons.com/ and http://www.truckerbuddy.org/)
I'll be writing a weekly series on the exciting adventures of Johnny Duke, and his computer wiz kid pal, Tommy "the Hacker" Dawn, as they solve crime mysteries, while on the road with Johnny's trucker Dad.
12 year olds who want to be a trucking detectives when they grow up.....
The adventure begins when Johnny thinks he sees a suspicious vehicle following them from a hazmat pickup in Miami, Dad says it's nothin' but Johnny and Tommy think otherwise.......Tommy's runnin' the plates...don't ask how..........
Don't forget about abused kids and our neighbors in West Virginia !!
Write down the following web addresses, bookmark em' and make it a regular part of your web surfing! 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....and tell them too that prices are not going to go down on Mexican shipped goods either......just more dope, crime, junky trucks and bad drivers, accidents and public costs.....Keep the political pressure up!
Remember - no paycheck and no load is worth dyin' for......
Don't forget about National Truckers Prayer Day -
contact Billy Mack on Bozo Radio, or the other radio trucking shows!
Billy Mack on(XMchannel171) Bozo radio's Open Road Phone Line,
12noon - 4:00pm, mon thru fri - call him at 817-451-6055
Don't forget too, truckstars - if you're lookin' for a critter - I highly recommend you start lookin' at:
www.aspca.org and www.hsus.org (humane society) I see lots of drivers with little buddies on the road, I like the Jack Russells......
Well alright - that's it for this week truckstars!
Pray for us all, our nation, the world and the lost..... and try not to worry!!
God hears prayers, trust me........I know......
Watch what you eat and watch the road !!
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...........you're on the road with the original florida kid......we gawn..........
On the Road with the original florida kid-week21
"On the Road" with the original florida kid.
Hello again fellow truckstars! Week 21 is in the log books.....or not.....
and you're on the road with the original florida kid.....
Grandma and everyone here at the ranch say "Hey!"
Kitchen Table Talkin' -
We all know freight is still a bit slow still here going into the second half of January 08'. It's hard to believe it's the year 2008.....I was on the west coast a couple of weeks ago, we all know California doesn't miss too many opportunities to pat itself on the back, but I gotta tell you - the roads were just terrible(except for way north into the Cascades). I'm not sure I understand the politics and why some states have such bad roads but, seriously, they seems to be really enterprising and aggressive when it comes to taking in revenue, I having a hard time wondering why the roads are so bad and it takes them so long........
First up - I'd like to mention a few names that, according to Overdrive mag, from their list of monthly "best" driver picks - are what many folks think - among the best drivers out there. Terry Ringler, Carl Stephens, Bruce Bryant, and Curtis Anderson look to be Overdrives' top finalists for trucker of the year. The results, according to mag publisher Brad Holthaus, will be in the Feb. 08' issue. I like Overdrive magazine, you need to check out the Jan. 08' issue, I'm looking at it as I write this to you and it looks like Petro has been voted best overall truckstop - by drivers - again for food, repairs and safest parking. Personally - I wish there were more of em'.....
www.piblive.com - who's that? Partners in Business - you've seen them at truck shows doing workshops for owner op's looking to run more efficiently - I'm ordering the manual they offer....
Also in the Jan. 08 issue of Overdrive - check out the article on pg. 29 about being debt free. What? - you don't have a copy of Trucker Pages phone book?(www.truckerpages.com) pick on up at Petro, Pilot or Loves.
I want you to check out, also, a consumer mag/newsletter I read regularly - called Bottom Line(www.BottomLineSecrets.com).It's a pay to play subscription but well worth it. Also it's not some paranoid crackpot rag, it's advice collected from world class experts in every field you can think of....did you know amino acids, available from any health food store, work like Viagra? Without the potential side affects... I've been talking about this stuff for awhile......and stay away from those energy drinks!!! Get Muscle Milk protein drinks and try the MetRX Big 100 Colossal Protein bar.After much trial and error these are the best ones.....I buy em' at the grocery store, they cost around 2 bucks apiece but they are - what's called - a meal replacement bar, meaning they give you all, if not more,(especially if we're talking about eating on the road), of the nutrition you would get from a meal, and they taste pretty good. Keep your nutrition quality high and you won't need coffee and these other death drinks, yes they cost money but it's still cheaper than the crap with only benefits, no side effects.
While I'm on the subject here I also want to pound out another tirade about roughage....the lower intestine and the colon is where the body absorbs nutrition into the blood stream and then out into the various organs and body parts - NOT the stomach, the stomach is where it's broken down by the body's chemistry dept., now.....have you ever seen a clogged pipe? You know a pipe clogged with sludge? Well that's what most peoples lower intestine and colons look like, some worse, even people who think they are healthy. Beans, cucumbers, cabbage(not canned,frozen useless junk, instant mashed potatoes..... try to get steamed or raw is even better(yo - salad bar....) and I don't want to hear that old rebel yell that it's too expensive or you just don't have time - listen - I'm out here on the road day in and day out just like you and I'm no genius(ask Barbie.....) but I'm doing it.....what it's really about is - HABIT - you have to break old, bad habits. Isn't your health worth it? Please you guys - hear me on this one. When I finish my letters to you every week at the bottom I write "I love ya and I'm prayin' for ya" I really mean it and that's why I put this stuff out there so you will at least think about it........Me?? I have no health problems in any area including sex and I'm 52. Blood prssure is low, cholesterol low, I'm not losing much hair, it's half grey, I still have good muscle tone(No, I don't work out....) and I don't need to take naps....this stuff I'm telling you works, try it, stay with it. This isn't some bull crap diet I'm talking about, it's how we were intended to live.......
I'm joining the OOIDA this month. If nothing else, I know they are on the front line when it comes to fighting for truckers against the gov. and big business. I've read criticism from other writers on the web, mostly, about the OOIDA, but truckstars, we have to trust someone to be out there working for our best interests. Do you have time and money to go to your state capital or courtrooms across the country, file lawsuits against abusive business practices, and lobby state and federal officials? Do you? I don't, and I'm not fooling myself either about this - I'm not smart enough nor do I have the money,time or skills it takes to bang heads with business and political pros - they eat guys like me for lunch....with a smile......while you're at it - hug a tree hugger! What the hell am I talking about? The Sierra Club is a major player in the fight for truckers.....that's right, and these people are experts in this arena.....trust me......Check out Landline, the OOIDA mag.
I'm reading the paperback version of "The Alexandria Link" by Steve Berry - great book!!!
I got a new Cobra handheld cb, the 38WXST model..........I'll let you know.
Also Laptop magazine does it again, both the Dec. 07' and the latest issue - Jan. 08' -there's too much good stuff in them to mention it all but let me urge you to check out the magazine. The subscription is cheap and it's a top flight mag when it comes to mobile communications and laptop technology. I really believe, and I've said this before, the modern trucker, hell, even the modern soccer Mom, should have the latest in mobile computing and communications and if you're thinking it's out of you're price range you would be dead wrong on that one truckstars, that's why I'm pointing you to Laptop magazine......they are always and I mean always comparing products, reporting on the tech trendsand doing articles on Google and other online giants that and sometimes up and comers like facebook(okay...you got me.......Microsoft owns Facebook)......I hope to be interviewing some of the experts from the magazine including the Editor in Cheif - Mark Spoonauer, His Editor's Letter in the front of the magazine every issue always addresses what appears, his, and the magazines' expert team effort to stay on the front line and cutting edge of the tech wave. www.laptopmag.com - check out an issue you'll see what I mean...........
..............man, I wish I could afford one of the Alienware laptops(www.alienware.com). they were one of, if not the first ones, to have different colors with super sound and graphics cards, high ram gigs, and super screen quality.... awesome stuff......Those guys rule........no listen I mean they REALLY rule.......
The PBR is back in action - did you see Travis Briscoe's 95 point ride at the Worcester Classic this past sunday night?? Here's the link - http://www.youtube.com/pbrnow - or just check out www.pbrnow.com for all the latest in bull riding news - Man what a ride, I think when you look at kids like him, Brian Canter, Mighty Mike White and a couple of others your looking at the future of bull riding. Ross Coleman, Justin McBride and Mike Lee still rule the corral for now.......
Don't forget to make a good pit stop at etrucker.com - truckertotrucker.com and truck.net - these are good sites for drivers and everyone involved in the diesel culture we are proud members of..... with good people like Jim McCormack at truckertotrucker.com who will actually respond personally to you as will Brian Christman from Truck.net........also don't forget - Truckstar radio will soon be "on the arrr - everywharrr".......
I want to give a shout out to my younger brother David who is Mr. Hendrick's yacht captain(Nascar's Hendrick Motorsports), last I heard from him he was in the Bahamas getting ready to head up to Daytona......Yo Dave!!!
Remember - no paycheck and no load is worth dyin' for......
Don't forget about National Truckers Prayer Day -
contact Billy Mack on Bozo Radio, or the other radio trucking shows!
Billy Mack on(XMchannel171) Bozo radio's Open Road Phone Line,
12noon - 4:00pm, mon thru fri - call him at 817-451-6055
Well - that's it for this week truckstars! 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...........
you're on the road with the original florida kid...................we gawn..........
Hello again fellow truckstars! Week 21 is in the log books.....or not.....
and you're on the road with the original florida kid.....
Grandma and everyone here at the ranch say "Hey!"
Kitchen Table Talkin' -
We all know freight is still a bit slow still here going into the second half of January 08'. It's hard to believe it's the year 2008.....I was on the west coast a couple of weeks ago, we all know California doesn't miss too many opportunities to pat itself on the back, but I gotta tell you - the roads were just terrible(except for way north into the Cascades). I'm not sure I understand the politics and why some states have such bad roads but, seriously, they seems to be really enterprising and aggressive when it comes to taking in revenue, I having a hard time wondering why the roads are so bad and it takes them so long........
First up - I'd like to mention a few names that, according to Overdrive mag, from their list of monthly "best" driver picks - are what many folks think - among the best drivers out there. Terry Ringler, Carl Stephens, Bruce Bryant, and Curtis Anderson look to be Overdrives' top finalists for trucker of the year. The results, according to mag publisher Brad Holthaus, will be in the Feb. 08' issue. I like Overdrive magazine, you need to check out the Jan. 08' issue, I'm looking at it as I write this to you and it looks like Petro has been voted best overall truckstop - by drivers - again for food, repairs and safest parking. Personally - I wish there were more of em'.....
www.piblive.com - who's that? Partners in Business - you've seen them at truck shows doing workshops for owner op's looking to run more efficiently - I'm ordering the manual they offer....
Also in the Jan. 08 issue of Overdrive - check out the article on pg. 29 about being debt free. What? - you don't have a copy of Trucker Pages phone book?(www.truckerpages.com) pick on up at Petro, Pilot or Loves.
I want you to check out, also, a consumer mag/newsletter I read regularly - called Bottom Line(www.BottomLineSecrets.com).It's a pay to play subscription but well worth it. Also it's not some paranoid crackpot rag, it's advice collected from world class experts in every field you can think of....did you know amino acids, available from any health food store, work like Viagra? Without the potential side affects... I've been talking about this stuff for awhile......and stay away from those energy drinks!!! Get Muscle Milk protein drinks and try the MetRX Big 100 Colossal Protein bar.After much trial and error these are the best ones.....I buy em' at the grocery store, they cost around 2 bucks apiece but they are - what's called - a meal replacement bar, meaning they give you all, if not more,(especially if we're talking about eating on the road), of the nutrition you would get from a meal, and they taste pretty good. Keep your nutrition quality high and you won't need coffee and these other death drinks, yes they cost money but it's still cheaper than the crap with only benefits, no side effects.
While I'm on the subject here I also want to pound out another tirade about roughage....the lower intestine and the colon is where the body absorbs nutrition into the blood stream and then out into the various organs and body parts - NOT the stomach, the stomach is where it's broken down by the body's chemistry dept., now.....have you ever seen a clogged pipe? You know a pipe clogged with sludge? Well that's what most peoples lower intestine and colons look like, some worse, even people who think they are healthy. Beans, cucumbers, cabbage(not canned,frozen useless junk, instant mashed potatoes..... try to get steamed or raw is even better(yo - salad bar....) and I don't want to hear that old rebel yell that it's too expensive or you just don't have time - listen - I'm out here on the road day in and day out just like you and I'm no genius(ask Barbie.....) but I'm doing it.....what it's really about is - HABIT - you have to break old, bad habits. Isn't your health worth it? Please you guys - hear me on this one. When I finish my letters to you every week at the bottom I write "I love ya and I'm prayin' for ya" I really mean it and that's why I put this stuff out there so you will at least think about it........Me?? I have no health problems in any area including sex and I'm 52. Blood prssure is low, cholesterol low, I'm not losing much hair, it's half grey, I still have good muscle tone(No, I don't work out....) and I don't need to take naps....this stuff I'm telling you works, try it, stay with it. This isn't some bull crap diet I'm talking about, it's how we were intended to live.......
I'm joining the OOIDA this month. If nothing else, I know they are on the front line when it comes to fighting for truckers against the gov. and big business. I've read criticism from other writers on the web, mostly, about the OOIDA, but truckstars, we have to trust someone to be out there working for our best interests. Do you have time and money to go to your state capital or courtrooms across the country, file lawsuits against abusive business practices, and lobby state and federal officials? Do you? I don't, and I'm not fooling myself either about this - I'm not smart enough nor do I have the money,time or skills it takes to bang heads with business and political pros - they eat guys like me for lunch....with a smile......while you're at it - hug a tree hugger! What the hell am I talking about? The Sierra Club is a major player in the fight for truckers.....that's right, and these people are experts in this arena.....trust me......Check out Landline, the OOIDA mag.
I'm reading the paperback version of "The Alexandria Link" by Steve Berry - great book!!!
I got a new Cobra handheld cb, the 38WXST model..........I'll let you know.
Also Laptop magazine does it again, both the Dec. 07' and the latest issue - Jan. 08' -there's too much good stuff in them to mention it all but let me urge you to check out the magazine. The subscription is cheap and it's a top flight mag when it comes to mobile communications and laptop technology. I really believe, and I've said this before, the modern trucker, hell, even the modern soccer Mom, should have the latest in mobile computing and communications and if you're thinking it's out of you're price range you would be dead wrong on that one truckstars, that's why I'm pointing you to Laptop magazine......they are always and I mean always comparing products, reporting on the tech trendsand doing articles on Google and other online giants that and sometimes up and comers like facebook(okay...you got me.......Microsoft owns Facebook)......I hope to be interviewing some of the experts from the magazine including the Editor in Cheif - Mark Spoonauer, His Editor's Letter in the front of the magazine every issue always addresses what appears, his, and the magazines' expert team effort to stay on the front line and cutting edge of the tech wave. www.laptopmag.com - check out an issue you'll see what I mean...........
..............man, I wish I could afford one of the Alienware laptops(www.alienware.com). they were one of, if not the first ones, to have different colors with super sound and graphics cards, high ram gigs, and super screen quality.... awesome stuff......Those guys rule........no listen I mean they REALLY rule.......
The PBR is back in action - did you see Travis Briscoe's 95 point ride at the Worcester Classic this past sunday night?? Here's the link - http://www.youtube.com/pbrnow - or just check out www.pbrnow.com for all the latest in bull riding news - Man what a ride, I think when you look at kids like him, Brian Canter, Mighty Mike White and a couple of others your looking at the future of bull riding. Ross Coleman, Justin McBride and Mike Lee still rule the corral for now.......
Don't forget to make a good pit stop at etrucker.com - truckertotrucker.com and truck.net - these are good sites for drivers and everyone involved in the diesel culture we are proud members of..... with good people like Jim McCormack at truckertotrucker.com who will actually respond personally to you as will Brian Christman from Truck.net........also don't forget - Truckstar radio will soon be "on the arrr - everywharrr".......
I want to give a shout out to my younger brother David who is Mr. Hendrick's yacht captain(Nascar's Hendrick Motorsports), last I heard from him he was in the Bahamas getting ready to head up to Daytona......Yo Dave!!!
Remember - no paycheck and no load is worth dyin' for......
Don't forget about National Truckers Prayer Day -
contact Billy Mack on Bozo Radio, or the other radio trucking shows!
Billy Mack on(XMchannel171) Bozo radio's Open Road Phone Line,
12noon - 4:00pm, mon thru fri - call him at 817-451-6055
Well - that's it for this week truckstars! 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...........
you're on the road with the original florida kid...................we gawn..........
On the Road with the original florida kid-week22
"On the Road" with the original florida kid - Week 22
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's week 22.........
and you're on the road with the original florida kid....
Grandma, Barbie and everyone here at the ranch say "hey"...........
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN' -
Well, this past week we had a family loss. Grandma June, Barbies grandma passed away in a nursing home in Hobe Sound, Florida. She had been there for about three years. Barbie and her Mom, Grandma Debbie(here at the ranch....) were very close to Grandma June. She was quite a gal, a skydiver, skateboarder, she loved motorcycles too(got pics of her on mine) a big high school basketball fan in her hometown in Michigan. Everyone who knew her, loved her.
Barbie and her Mom(Grandma Debbie) worked so hard to keep her comfortable, visiting several times a week making the 60 mile drive without ever complaining. It hurts to see someone you love have their heart broken by the loss of a loved one almost as much as the actual loss of the loved one.....doesn't it truckstar? Barbies Mom held her hand and whispered in her ear that we loved her, we would all be okay and she could go..... a few minutes later she did. 4:05pm this past wed., heaven received it's latest citizen........... Barbie and her Mom, I felt should be the ones with her since it was an "all girl" family for many years, raising the kids and stuff, so.........
she'll never, ever be forgotten.
Well truckstars, we all have to go sometime don't we? I guess.........I ain't in no hurry though......... I want to make the most of it while I'm here, don't you?
A few days ago I bit the bullet and went out and bought a 2008 F-450 4x4....this truck is nothing short of being a BEAST ! It's black and it's a crew cab with a 4.88 gear, meaning it will haul up to 33,000lbs.......I'll let you know.....yes I've heard the bad reports about the 6.4l diesel engines and I would much rather have gotten one with a Cummins diesel in it, but the Cummins come in the Dodges and I couldn't find a Dodge strong enough to do what I need it to do, or rather, what I want it to do. The high end pick-up truck market isn't what you think it should be out there in a market place where the costs of freight hauling is creating sub-markets for camper, car, boat and trailer haulers.........not to mention the fact that NOT ONE of the numerous salesman I spoke with on my trek to find the "beast" at a half dozen or so dealerships had a clue.....about anything(except his sales commission...)...............
Do your homework, truckstars, do your homework on what you need when you make a buy like this. You know what to do........
So far so good, like I said I'll let you know........
I like Dave Sweetman, he writes a column, "driver's view", in roadStar magazine, usually towards the back of the mag.I like his perspectives and outlook, being a driver himself he's out here in the mix with the rest of us. Check out roadStar mag and grab a copy of Landline, the OOIDA mag while you're at it.
I'm proud to announce that I became an OOIDA member this month, a link to them and Landline will be on thetruckstar.com, my new website which will be up soon. The Teamsters(I wish I was one...) and the OOIDA as well as the ATA, are major players in the courts across the U.S, including federal court. Think about joining the OOIDA truckstars, our strength lies in our numbers......right?
If any of you guys or gals are trucking history buffs, like me, and have any old trucking photos I can use on thetruckstar.com, Please forward them to Jim McCormack at truckertotrucker.com for me, he'll make sure I get them and I will put them up.
I see in the latest edition of The Trucker(I love this paper....all the truck stops carry em') the mexican border crossing fiasco is still raging. I saw a couple of mexican trucks on I-10, my last cross country trip in mid-december, somewhere in Arizona I think it was. Both trucks were junkers, I mean, in the worst condition I've ever seen. Fenders flapping, half the glass missing, just tape, and almost all the tires were bald, canned sparay paint over the rust spots..... I was truly stunned....how is it these guys are allowed to run with trucks in that condition??? Now....which U.S companies are using mexican truckers?.........I'll stop buying their products....I mean it, I will.....
The ATA is pumping lot of money, more than any other firm or organization in trucking, into lobbying.....cool......I think.......
Man! I love the new Western Star and K-dubba trucks.....sweet.....Freightliner claims to have the most fuel efficient aero-dynamic design, I drove one for Averitt, I liked it alright......I like the KW's better.....
Okay, are ya still with me truckstar?
I want to talk about eating for a second here. We all know road food, for the most part, is crap, and we all know until the truckstops get their heads out of their keesters it's not going to change, either, but you can still look for the salads, grilled chicken or what ever, on most fast food menus. I look for truckstops near good restaurants, like Sonny's or even Steak-n-Shake(good salads). The walk of a couple a hundred yards won't hurt you either, and since you're already saving money by NOT buying so much coffee and junk food, a couple of extra dollars for food that won't kill ya, is worth it, like the corporate androids say - "it's a win-win". Also, hit the Wal-Mart or Publix and grab a bag of apples or oranges, or both, some cut pineapple(it cuts grease in the digestive tract), or bananas(replaces potassium killed by coffee). Also, remember, whole food organic vitamins!! Meal replacement protein bars, low fat butter, dressings, chips,etc. )gram transfat foods..........The problem is, usually, the way we eat on the road is the way we eat at home, or vice versa...stop, think about what you are doing. Okay truckstar?....Please??? I don't want to lose you too............
Daytona in a couple of weeks, I hope to be there interviewing(hopefully, if my little bro' can hook it up) Jeff G. and JJ !!
PBR - This kid! Travis Briscoe, I told you earlier last year to watch for this kid, didn't I? 3 event wins(Worcester, Fresno and Albany) this year already including the winner take all event in Fresno where he walked away with $105,000 . Check him and the rest of the boys out this week-end in Winston-Salem, N.C. sat. night on Versus and Sun. afternoon on NBC. (I really wish NBC would make up their minds whether they want to show the PBR.....or not......) I like Ty, Justin and the G-man who call the action on Versus, I don't know who this guy on NBC is, he sounds like a car salesman or something........
The Feb. 08' issue of LAPTOP magazine, check out page 110 for the Annual Notebook buyers guide, and their Reviews section is outstanding, everything from laptops, to phones, software, services, all the good stuff! Good article on page 86. Knowledge is power..........uh, chances are, the saleshelp or web site you buy one from won't have a damn clue........sooooo..... and screw wi-fi, wi-fi still has too many security issues.....I love the all in one Sony VAIO VGC-LT15E, it's got a 20" high res. screen with a built in tv tuner and a pci cardslot for mobile web access, and the ram is upgradeable to 4 gigs..........(my birthday's comin' up.........)
Help an abused kid in your neighborhood, you'll be a hero, trust me.........
See you on Facebook !!
Okay I gotta go....I'm trying to find a haul and a back-haul, so until next week..........
Don't forget about National Truckers Prayer Day -
contact Billy Mack on Bozo Radio, or the other radio trucking shows! Let's do this!!
Billy Mack on(XMchannel171) Bozo radio's Open Road Phone Line,
12noon - 4:00pm, mon thru fri - call him at 817-451-6055
Remember - NO load or 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...........
Crank em' up - check your gauges - watch out for four-wheelers.....Are you ready? Let's roll..........
you're on the road with the original florida kid...................we gawn..........
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's week 22.........
and you're on the road with the original florida kid....
Grandma, Barbie and everyone here at the ranch say "hey"...........
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN' -
Well, this past week we had a family loss. Grandma June, Barbies grandma passed away in a nursing home in Hobe Sound, Florida. She had been there for about three years. Barbie and her Mom, Grandma Debbie(here at the ranch....) were very close to Grandma June. She was quite a gal, a skydiver, skateboarder, she loved motorcycles too(got pics of her on mine) a big high school basketball fan in her hometown in Michigan. Everyone who knew her, loved her.
Barbie and her Mom(Grandma Debbie) worked so hard to keep her comfortable, visiting several times a week making the 60 mile drive without ever complaining. It hurts to see someone you love have their heart broken by the loss of a loved one almost as much as the actual loss of the loved one.....doesn't it truckstar? Barbies Mom held her hand and whispered in her ear that we loved her, we would all be okay and she could go..... a few minutes later she did. 4:05pm this past wed., heaven received it's latest citizen........... Barbie and her Mom, I felt should be the ones with her since it was an "all girl" family for many years, raising the kids and stuff, so.........
she'll never, ever be forgotten.
Well truckstars, we all have to go sometime don't we? I guess.........I ain't in no hurry though......... I want to make the most of it while I'm here, don't you?
A few days ago I bit the bullet and went out and bought a 2008 F-450 4x4....this truck is nothing short of being a BEAST ! It's black and it's a crew cab with a 4.88 gear, meaning it will haul up to 33,000lbs.......I'll let you know.....yes I've heard the bad reports about the 6.4l diesel engines and I would much rather have gotten one with a Cummins diesel in it, but the Cummins come in the Dodges and I couldn't find a Dodge strong enough to do what I need it to do, or rather, what I want it to do. The high end pick-up truck market isn't what you think it should be out there in a market place where the costs of freight hauling is creating sub-markets for camper, car, boat and trailer haulers.........not to mention the fact that NOT ONE of the numerous salesman I spoke with on my trek to find the "beast" at a half dozen or so dealerships had a clue.....about anything(except his sales commission...)...............
Do your homework, truckstars, do your homework on what you need when you make a buy like this. You know what to do........
So far so good, like I said I'll let you know........
I like Dave Sweetman, he writes a column, "driver's view", in roadStar magazine, usually towards the back of the mag.I like his perspectives and outlook, being a driver himself he's out here in the mix with the rest of us. Check out roadStar mag and grab a copy of Landline, the OOIDA mag while you're at it.
I'm proud to announce that I became an OOIDA member this month, a link to them and Landline will be on thetruckstar.com, my new website which will be up soon. The Teamsters(I wish I was one...) and the OOIDA as well as the ATA, are major players in the courts across the U.S, including federal court. Think about joining the OOIDA truckstars, our strength lies in our numbers......right?
If any of you guys or gals are trucking history buffs, like me, and have any old trucking photos I can use on thetruckstar.com, Please forward them to Jim McCormack at truckertotrucker.com for me, he'll make sure I get them and I will put them up.
I see in the latest edition of The Trucker(I love this paper....all the truck stops carry em') the mexican border crossing fiasco is still raging. I saw a couple of mexican trucks on I-10, my last cross country trip in mid-december, somewhere in Arizona I think it was. Both trucks were junkers, I mean, in the worst condition I've ever seen. Fenders flapping, half the glass missing, just tape, and almost all the tires were bald, canned sparay paint over the rust spots..... I was truly stunned....how is it these guys are allowed to run with trucks in that condition??? Now....which U.S companies are using mexican truckers?.........I'll stop buying their products....I mean it, I will.....
The ATA is pumping lot of money, more than any other firm or organization in trucking, into lobbying.....cool......I think.......
Man! I love the new Western Star and K-dubba trucks.....sweet.....Freightliner claims to have the most fuel efficient aero-dynamic design, I drove one for Averitt, I liked it alright......I like the KW's better.....
Okay, are ya still with me truckstar?
I want to talk about eating for a second here. We all know road food, for the most part, is crap, and we all know until the truckstops get their heads out of their keesters it's not going to change, either, but you can still look for the salads, grilled chicken or what ever, on most fast food menus. I look for truckstops near good restaurants, like Sonny's or even Steak-n-Shake(good salads). The walk of a couple a hundred yards won't hurt you either, and since you're already saving money by NOT buying so much coffee and junk food, a couple of extra dollars for food that won't kill ya, is worth it, like the corporate androids say - "it's a win-win". Also, hit the Wal-Mart or Publix and grab a bag of apples or oranges, or both, some cut pineapple(it cuts grease in the digestive tract), or bananas(replaces potassium killed by coffee). Also, remember, whole food organic vitamins!! Meal replacement protein bars, low fat butter, dressings, chips,etc. )gram transfat foods..........The problem is, usually, the way we eat on the road is the way we eat at home, or vice versa...stop, think about what you are doing. Okay truckstar?....Please??? I don't want to lose you too............
Daytona in a couple of weeks, I hope to be there interviewing(hopefully, if my little bro' can hook it up) Jeff G. and JJ !!
PBR - This kid! Travis Briscoe, I told you earlier last year to watch for this kid, didn't I? 3 event wins(Worcester, Fresno and Albany) this year already including the winner take all event in Fresno where he walked away with $105,000 . Check him and the rest of the boys out this week-end in Winston-Salem, N.C. sat. night on Versus and Sun. afternoon on NBC. (I really wish NBC would make up their minds whether they want to show the PBR.....or not......) I like Ty, Justin and the G-man who call the action on Versus, I don't know who this guy on NBC is, he sounds like a car salesman or something........
The Feb. 08' issue of LAPTOP magazine, check out page 110 for the Annual Notebook buyers guide, and their Reviews section is outstanding, everything from laptops, to phones, software, services, all the good stuff! Good article on page 86. Knowledge is power..........uh, chances are, the saleshelp or web site you buy one from won't have a damn clue........sooooo..... and screw wi-fi, wi-fi still has too many security issues.....I love the all in one Sony VAIO VGC-LT15E, it's got a 20" high res. screen with a built in tv tuner and a pci cardslot for mobile web access, and the ram is upgradeable to 4 gigs..........(my birthday's comin' up.........)
Help an abused kid in your neighborhood, you'll be a hero, trust me.........
See you on Facebook !!
Okay I gotta go....I'm trying to find a haul and a back-haul, so until next week..........
Don't forget about National Truckers Prayer Day -
contact Billy Mack on Bozo Radio, or the other radio trucking shows! Let's do this!!
Billy Mack on(XMchannel171) Bozo radio's Open Road Phone Line,
12noon - 4:00pm, mon thru fri - call him at 817-451-6055
Remember - NO load or 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...........
Crank em' up - check your gauges - watch out for four-wheelers.....Are you ready? Let's roll..........
you're on the road with the original florida kid...................we gawn..........
On the Road with the original florida kid - week23
"On the Road" with the original florida kid
Hello again fellow truckstars!
It's week 23 and you're on the road with the original florida kid......
Grandma, Barbie, and the whole gang here at the ranch say - "Hey!"......
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN" -
Soooooo.... let me get this straight....but first....grab a cup of coffee, an ashtray, pull up a chair and let's sit down and hash this thing a little bit (more......) Barbie sure makes a great cup of coffee, and she looks kind of cute in her little pink tank top and her baggy pj bottoms this morning..........
Oh - before I forget - Cummings just came out with a power gen. that meets California's emission standards. Someday, and it looks like someday soon, this will be the minimum standard for power when not running. More and more, almost every day I read of another state or region banning idling. Now, I've driven in sunny Cal and it seems to me there is an underlying tension in that state between the drivers and the state. I wonder if they realize that beating up on the trucking co's is only pushing their freight and consequently their product costs even higher.... I know, I know this is an obvious point, but I also know that Cal. is one of the most expensive states to live in too and it's just their nature to cut off their nose to spite their face.(Also truckstars, frankly I think we should drill oil wherever and whenever we can, we have enough of our own oil to meet our needs and by the time we run out there will be alternative means, that is if the oil co's quit suppressing the new technologies)........... I have family, an ex-wife and a rock star kid there in California, I lived there in the days when I was a stuntman in Hollywood. I often wonder where the road tax money is going.....it's not going to the roads, at least in the greater LA area......
Been doin' a lot of reading lately.....and this mexican thing isn't going away. A few of the mex co's are backing out of the deal,( and I have yet to see a mexican truck that I would let, even, someone I don't like drive......... and the OOIDDA is still bangin' away at the legislature over this. I highly recommend becoming an OOIDA member.....at least check out their website you'll see what I mean when I say they are going after this thing with both barrells blazing. One guy or gal standing there screaming isn't going to crumble the wall...........but many of us will........I honestly feel like I'm a part of something with the OOIDA, and, if you want to get involved, and you should, they show you how, right from their website. And let us not forget truckstars, and everyone seems to be dancin' around this one.....we can always STOP buying products from the co's using mexican trucking.....who are they?? Probably the same cheap asses who ditched your neighbors job last year........I wonder if the exec's of these same co's got a pay raise and a bonus for fiscal 07'.........plus - and get this - foreign grown fruits and vegatables are often grown using pesticides and herbicides, (not to mention poor grade fertilizers made from God knows what) - that we outlawed in the US 40+ years ago....
GM is still tryin' to kick the UAW's ass. Their offering a buyout(whatever that really means) to some 23,000 workers. Why? So they can hire cheap labor like Asplundh(the orange truck tree trimmers), Waste Management, and a few other big, greedy co's?
I love the way(uhhhh...not really....) big business thinks......they pull the rug on their customer base by outsourcing US jobs, then they have the ba....uh, nerve, to raise prices(Levis,Ralph Lauren) even though their production costs have decreased by 30+ percent, then they get on the tv and cry about fiscal losses and how business is down and that we're in a recession. Corporate executives, however, don't seem to be suffering much I have to say, I'm in the high end boat hauling business and, trust me, biz is rockin'.............hmmmmmmmm..........oh yeah while I'm on a roll here let me mention these so called "trucking community" websites, which are really nothing more than little ad money machines for some yahoo who thinks that if he puts up a "closed" community, where you can't mention anyone or anything that takes you off the site, and manages it with an iron fist, and, this kills me, they all claim to be the fastest growing site on the web(with all 2,000 members......out of a poss. 3 to 4 million......) while doing absolutely NOTHING for drivers........ God! Well - it is a free country.............so how come nothin's free??? Now, don't get me wrong, there are a lot of good trucking websites on the web, okay well not a lot, but the free exchange of info and discussion on top notch sites like - truckertotrucker.com and truck.net and thetruckersreport.com, I'm also a member of a site called mytruckingspaces.com too, (drivers and drivers family members) and I've met some great and interesting people there, these guys, especially truckertotrucker.com / truck.net know what's going on in the world because they let people talk, exchange ideas and information.........Listen - I wasn't born yesterday - everyone has an "agenda", I do too, we're all tryin' to make a livin' the best way we know how......but the guy at truckerspaces.com(a copy cat site) needs to understand that people will come back to you if you're site is a good place to meet people and come away with new ideas and information and not feel like a ping pong ball bouncing around in a shoebox.........
Still with me truckstar??
Single? Check out www.countrymatch.com(this is the best site I have found for "country" lovers, cowboys and cowgirls, to find like minded "real" people.) Check it out!!
Also - the best credit monitoring site is www.myfico.com these guys are the ones the credit reporting agencies go to for info. The credit scores are accurate, unlike the big 3 who also have their own services too.(yeah, that's like the fire dept. hiring arsonists.....) Get on their monitoring program, a monthly fee and they let you know if any un-authorized activity happens, immediately so you can do something about it. Plus you can look at your credit report whenever you want. Tip of the day - make sure you check to see if the limits on your cards is posted with the account info. Why? Because it will read/show you are maxxed on the account no matter what amount you have charged on the card and that will drive your credit score down. This is a tactic some of the card co's use so they can manipulate your % rate at will. You can also call the card co's and negotiate a lower % rate too! AND if you see something not right on there, and check each agency report carefully, call them directly and dispute it, and I mean you're telling them, not asking them......got it?
Did you see the Bud Shootout last weekend, now that's racing!! Awwww come on now, let the boys settle their problems amongst themselves.....Tony? Kyle? Go to you're rooms - you're grounded! (I would've paid to see that one, how 'bout you truckstar?).......
I don't know why, to me, the NASCAR hierarchy is seeming more and more like a bunch of nazis, true, racing has come a long way, and any thing like this needs supervision, but racing has not become what it is because of "them" but because of the tech people, the owners, the drivers, and the fans....... and while I'm ranting here's another two cents worth.......Road course racing??? are you kidding me?? for cars that can race 180-200mph all day long? Let's just say that I know for a fact that the drivers HATE the road course tracks..........as a fan - so do I.......anyway I think you can look for Junior, JJ, and Jeff G. and the rest of the boys to drive the tires off the cars this year. Daytona - this coming Sunday.........wohooooo!
The last few weekends have seen some great PBR action - Paulo Crimber, he's a braz rider but he talks like a redneck.....he won the Anaheim Classic last weekend, my man travis Briscoe, Brian Canter and JB Mauney did great, I think they're nursing injuries.... Mr. White did alright, as did the aussie Brandon Clark. Justin and Ross and Chris.....where are you????????.........
Next weekend Oklahoma City!!!! Feb. 15.16 and 17th...
The next few issues will bring back all the different departments everyone seems to enjoy so much, including the Wanted:Heroes, Health Department, Cowboy Corral, Jukebox, and Truckstar Tech. and a few new dept's., like The History Book. (I like history, not just trucking history but American history too. I found out there are a lot of Civil War relic hunters, for example, and I find this kind of thing very interesting.)
Also a new section I'm calling - TRUCKSTAR KIDS - (check out these sites for kids, http://www.howtoons.com/ and http://www.truckerbuddy.org/)
I'll be writing a weekly series on the exciting adventures of Johnny Duke, and his computer wiz kid pal, Tommy "the Hacker" Jenkins, as they solve crime mysteries, while on the road with Johnny's trucker Dad.
JD and TJ are 12 year olds who want to be a trucking industry detectives when they grow up.....
The adventure begins when Johnny thinks he sees a suspicious vehicle, an older model Ford van, white, dirty, following them from a hazmat pickup in Miami, Dad says it's nothin' but Johnny and Tommy think otherwise.......Tommy's runnin' the plates...don't ask how..........
Don't forget about abused kids, and our impoverished neighbors in West Virginia !!
Write down the following web addresses, bookmark em' and make it a regular part of your web surfing!
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....and tell them too that prices are not going to go down on Mexican shipped goods either......just more dope, crime, junky trucks and bad drivers, accidents and public costs.....Keep it going!
Remember - NO paycheck and NO load is worth dyin' for......
Don't forget about National Truckers Prayer Day -
contact Billy Mack on Bozo Radio, or the other radio trucking shows!
Billy Mack on(XMchannel171) Bozo radio's Open Road Phone Line,
12noon - 4:00pm, mon thru fri - call him at 817-451-6055
Don't forget too, truckstars - if you're lookin' for a critter - I highly recommend you start lookin' at:
www.aspca.org and www.hsus.org (humane society) I see lots of drivers with little buddies on the road, I like the Jack Russells......
DON"T FORGET! Check out www.laptop.com You really need to start thinkin' about gettin mobile web access you guys, seriously. Just Google "refurbished notebooks" and you'll find, usually factory sites, with really good deals. You want mobile web access capability, upgradeable ram, a big screen, a built in web cam amd mic, if not,then just buy a headset with a mic.The Skype.com download is free and it's dirt cheap to make calls on, I used it all day yest. I think I called everyone I've ever met, I even called myself(alright you in the back...I heard that) I called myself to check the voice quality, which was great.................. QVC and HSN also have a good selection of notebooks with great features AND you can break up payments on for 4 to 5 months too! More on this next week! I'm hearing Sprint has the best mobile web network......I'll let you know....T-Mobile too, AT&T?? Don't know yet.....
Well alright - that's it for this week truckstars!
Pray for us all, our nation, the world and the lost..... and try not to worry!!
God hears prayers, trust me........I know......
Watch what you eat and watch the road !!
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...........until next week -
you're on the road with the original florida kid......................we gown..........
Hello again fellow truckstars!
It's week 23 and you're on the road with the original florida kid......
Grandma, Barbie, and the whole gang here at the ranch say - "Hey!"......
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN" -
Soooooo.... let me get this straight....but first....grab a cup of coffee, an ashtray, pull up a chair and let's sit down and hash this thing a little bit (more......) Barbie sure makes a great cup of coffee, and she looks kind of cute in her little pink tank top and her baggy pj bottoms this morning..........
Oh - before I forget - Cummings just came out with a power gen. that meets California's emission standards. Someday, and it looks like someday soon, this will be the minimum standard for power when not running. More and more, almost every day I read of another state or region banning idling. Now, I've driven in sunny Cal and it seems to me there is an underlying tension in that state between the drivers and the state. I wonder if they realize that beating up on the trucking co's is only pushing their freight and consequently their product costs even higher.... I know, I know this is an obvious point, but I also know that Cal. is one of the most expensive states to live in too and it's just their nature to cut off their nose to spite their face.(Also truckstars, frankly I think we should drill oil wherever and whenever we can, we have enough of our own oil to meet our needs and by the time we run out there will be alternative means, that is if the oil co's quit suppressing the new technologies)........... I have family, an ex-wife and a rock star kid there in California, I lived there in the days when I was a stuntman in Hollywood. I often wonder where the road tax money is going.....it's not going to the roads, at least in the greater LA area......
Been doin' a lot of reading lately.....and this mexican thing isn't going away. A few of the mex co's are backing out of the deal,( and I have yet to see a mexican truck that I would let, even, someone I don't like drive......... and the OOIDDA is still bangin' away at the legislature over this. I highly recommend becoming an OOIDA member.....at least check out their website you'll see what I mean when I say they are going after this thing with both barrells blazing. One guy or gal standing there screaming isn't going to crumble the wall...........but many of us will........I honestly feel like I'm a part of something with the OOIDA, and, if you want to get involved, and you should, they show you how, right from their website. And let us not forget truckstars, and everyone seems to be dancin' around this one.....we can always STOP buying products from the co's using mexican trucking.....who are they?? Probably the same cheap asses who ditched your neighbors job last year........I wonder if the exec's of these same co's got a pay raise and a bonus for fiscal 07'.........plus - and get this - foreign grown fruits and vegatables are often grown using pesticides and herbicides, (not to mention poor grade fertilizers made from God knows what) - that we outlawed in the US 40+ years ago....
GM is still tryin' to kick the UAW's ass. Their offering a buyout(whatever that really means) to some 23,000 workers. Why? So they can hire cheap labor like Asplundh(the orange truck tree trimmers), Waste Management, and a few other big, greedy co's?
I love the way(uhhhh...not really....) big business thinks......they pull the rug on their customer base by outsourcing US jobs, then they have the ba....uh, nerve, to raise prices(Levis,Ralph Lauren) even though their production costs have decreased by 30+ percent, then they get on the tv and cry about fiscal losses and how business is down and that we're in a recession. Corporate executives, however, don't seem to be suffering much I have to say, I'm in the high end boat hauling business and, trust me, biz is rockin'.............hmmmmmmmm..........oh yeah while I'm on a roll here let me mention these so called "trucking community" websites, which are really nothing more than little ad money machines for some yahoo who thinks that if he puts up a "closed" community, where you can't mention anyone or anything that takes you off the site, and manages it with an iron fist, and, this kills me, they all claim to be the fastest growing site on the web(with all 2,000 members......out of a poss. 3 to 4 million......) while doing absolutely NOTHING for drivers........ God! Well - it is a free country.............so how come nothin's free??? Now, don't get me wrong, there are a lot of good trucking websites on the web, okay well not a lot, but the free exchange of info and discussion on top notch sites like - truckertotrucker.com and truck.net and thetruckersreport.com, I'm also a member of a site called mytruckingspaces.com too, (drivers and drivers family members) and I've met some great and interesting people there, these guys, especially truckertotrucker.com / truck.net know what's going on in the world because they let people talk, exchange ideas and information.........Listen - I wasn't born yesterday - everyone has an "agenda", I do too, we're all tryin' to make a livin' the best way we know how......but the guy at truckerspaces.com(a copy cat site) needs to understand that people will come back to you if you're site is a good place to meet people and come away with new ideas and information and not feel like a ping pong ball bouncing around in a shoebox.........
Still with me truckstar??
Single? Check out www.countrymatch.com(this is the best site I have found for "country" lovers, cowboys and cowgirls, to find like minded "real" people.) Check it out!!
Also - the best credit monitoring site is www.myfico.com these guys are the ones the credit reporting agencies go to for info. The credit scores are accurate, unlike the big 3 who also have their own services too.(yeah, that's like the fire dept. hiring arsonists.....) Get on their monitoring program, a monthly fee and they let you know if any un-authorized activity happens, immediately so you can do something about it. Plus you can look at your credit report whenever you want. Tip of the day - make sure you check to see if the limits on your cards is posted with the account info. Why? Because it will read/show you are maxxed on the account no matter what amount you have charged on the card and that will drive your credit score down. This is a tactic some of the card co's use so they can manipulate your % rate at will. You can also call the card co's and negotiate a lower % rate too! AND if you see something not right on there, and check each agency report carefully, call them directly and dispute it, and I mean you're telling them, not asking them......got it?
Did you see the Bud Shootout last weekend, now that's racing!! Awwww come on now, let the boys settle their problems amongst themselves.....Tony? Kyle? Go to you're rooms - you're grounded! (I would've paid to see that one, how 'bout you truckstar?).......
I don't know why, to me, the NASCAR hierarchy is seeming more and more like a bunch of nazis, true, racing has come a long way, and any thing like this needs supervision, but racing has not become what it is because of "them" but because of the tech people, the owners, the drivers, and the fans....... and while I'm ranting here's another two cents worth.......Road course racing??? are you kidding me?? for cars that can race 180-200mph all day long? Let's just say that I know for a fact that the drivers HATE the road course tracks..........as a fan - so do I.......anyway I think you can look for Junior, JJ, and Jeff G. and the rest of the boys to drive the tires off the cars this year. Daytona - this coming Sunday.........wohooooo!
The last few weekends have seen some great PBR action - Paulo Crimber, he's a braz rider but he talks like a redneck.....he won the Anaheim Classic last weekend, my man travis Briscoe, Brian Canter and JB Mauney did great, I think they're nursing injuries.... Mr. White did alright, as did the aussie Brandon Clark. Justin and Ross and Chris.....where are you????????.........
Next weekend Oklahoma City!!!! Feb. 15.16 and 17th...
The next few issues will bring back all the different departments everyone seems to enjoy so much, including the Wanted:Heroes, Health Department, Cowboy Corral, Jukebox, and Truckstar Tech. and a few new dept's., like The History Book. (I like history, not just trucking history but American history too. I found out there are a lot of Civil War relic hunters, for example, and I find this kind of thing very interesting.)
Also a new section I'm calling - TRUCKSTAR KIDS - (check out these sites for kids, http://www.howtoons.com/ and http://www.truckerbuddy.org/)
I'll be writing a weekly series on the exciting adventures of Johnny Duke, and his computer wiz kid pal, Tommy "the Hacker" Jenkins, as they solve crime mysteries, while on the road with Johnny's trucker Dad.
JD and TJ are 12 year olds who want to be a trucking industry detectives when they grow up.....
The adventure begins when Johnny thinks he sees a suspicious vehicle, an older model Ford van, white, dirty, following them from a hazmat pickup in Miami, Dad says it's nothin' but Johnny and Tommy think otherwise.......Tommy's runnin' the plates...don't ask how..........
Don't forget about abused kids, and our impoverished neighbors in West Virginia !!
Write down the following web addresses, bookmark em' and make it a regular part of your web surfing!
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....and tell them too that prices are not going to go down on Mexican shipped goods either......just more dope, crime, junky trucks and bad drivers, accidents and public costs.....Keep it going!
Remember - NO paycheck and NO load is worth dyin' for......
Don't forget about National Truckers Prayer Day -
contact Billy Mack on Bozo Radio, or the other radio trucking shows!
Billy Mack on(XMchannel171) Bozo radio's Open Road Phone Line,
12noon - 4:00pm, mon thru fri - call him at 817-451-6055
Don't forget too, truckstars - if you're lookin' for a critter - I highly recommend you start lookin' at:
www.aspca.org and www.hsus.org (humane society) I see lots of drivers with little buddies on the road, I like the Jack Russells......
DON"T FORGET! Check out www.laptop.com You really need to start thinkin' about gettin mobile web access you guys, seriously. Just Google "refurbished notebooks" and you'll find, usually factory sites, with really good deals. You want mobile web access capability, upgradeable ram, a big screen, a built in web cam amd mic, if not,then just buy a headset with a mic.The Skype.com download is free and it's dirt cheap to make calls on, I used it all day yest. I think I called everyone I've ever met, I even called myself(alright you in the back...I heard that) I called myself to check the voice quality, which was great.................. QVC and HSN also have a good selection of notebooks with great features AND you can break up payments on for 4 to 5 months too! More on this next week! I'm hearing Sprint has the best mobile web network......I'll let you know....T-Mobile too, AT&T?? Don't know yet.....
Well alright - that's it for this week truckstars!
Pray for us all, our nation, the world and the lost..... and try not to worry!!
God hears prayers, trust me........I know......
Watch what you eat and watch the road !!
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...........until next week -
you're on the road with the original florida kid......................we gown..........
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