"On the Road" with the original florida kid
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 32 and.....
.........you're on the road with the original florida kid......
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the wonder dog and the whole gang here at the ranch
say a big cowboy howdy "HEY"
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Well don't just stand there - grab a cup of Grandma's famous cowboy coffee, a chair and an ashtray and have a seat around the table.....we have a lot to talk about this week!
Okay soooo - this shut down or protest or whatever you want to call it, is still scattered across the country with different areas and drivers doing protest drives near or at state capitols or grouping together on the road and at specific locations. The media still has yet to really grab ahold of this thing and I believe it's because the organization of it is really not what it needs to be.....I think it's safe to say that the public is very much on our side, after all fuel prices affect every aspect of their lives too, and let's also keep in mind that it's not only about fuel prices, it's about cheap freight, it's about the ability of bigger trucking co's who don't have the same insurance structure that everyday drivers and O/O's have to pay thereby giving them an edge in operating costs and undercutting freight prices, it's about corrupt brokers and fuel surcharge scams.....it's about a lot of stuff that affects us as drivers every single day, hell, every single mile!
And listen to me.....THE CO'S AND THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN RAPING AND PILLAGING THE DRIVERS FOR MANY YEARS KNOW - THEY KNOW - 99% OF TRUCKERS WON'T FIGHT BACK , AND THEY ALSO KNOW THERE IS LITTLE, IF ANY, ORGANIZATION WITHIN THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY AS A WHOLE WHEN IT COMES TO DRIVERS THAT WOULD GIVE THEM A VOICE AND THEY'VE BEEN VERY HEAVY HANDED OVER THE YEARS IN TRYING TO SUPPRESS IT..........YOU OLD ROAD WARRIORS KNOW WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT DON'T YA..........
And let's not fool ourselves, seriously, [most of] the big trucking co's are raping the drivers worse than anyone........What? you might ask....just talk to any of the newer drivers when you see him or her getting out of a company rig at a truck stop. On an entry level, for a new driver that is, the job doesn't pay a whole lot more than delivering pizzas or working at McDonald's. The trucking co's love the new driver labor pool, that's why they know they don't have to pay more per mile to keep more experienced drivers on the payroll, and, sadly, these new kids coming up look at this as just another job, not a career or a profession......ask one you'll see........(when I was a company driver the miles I logged and the miles I got paid for were always different, less, a lot less and if you say something suddenly your miles go way down, AND AFTER SITTING ON YOUR ASS FOR A FEW DAYS YOU LEARN TO KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT......and the co. I worked for was "in business" with all the co's that were deducting from my paycheck....health ins. and other stuff.......sound familiar truckstar??
Dan Little from the U.S. Cattle Haulers Assoc. is a human dynamo when you're talking about stepping up to the plate here in this battle.....(www.uscattlehaulers.com) also a spin off of this site is - (http://www.uscattlehaulers.com/strike.htm) - check this out to stay on top of the latest news!
I've spoken with Dan Little from the U.S. Cattlehaulers Assoc., and truckstars let me tell you if you want to get involved this is the guy we need to look to, he tells me he's even suing some of the big trucking co's, on our behalf, so they have to pay insurance like the rest of us... trust me...........check out the website and GET INVOLVED! TODAY!
I just finished a haul and back-haul to Virginia then I picked up a back-haul in South Carolina headed south to Florida, Thank God I got lucky getting a back-haul because the fuel prices are affecting my bottom line so much at $4.00+ a gallon that I'm really feelin' it.......BAD!
In the boat hauling business it's tough getting a backhaul, it's not impossible but it is hard to line up the timing......
I know you are too truckstars, believe me, I talk to a lot of guys on the road and it really breaks my heart and kicks my ass at the same time to see decent working people getting beat down so bad by a profit margin greed thing.......the "Good Book" says not to worry and I'm tryin' not to.......but I'm workin' harder and harder and still comin' up short! Man..................what the hell...........
I'm micro-managing my driving, I'm going slower, I'm shopping fuel prices, I'm on the phone all the time trying to line up more work....
and I still struggle to pay my bills............and all the while the government is LETTING big business rob the people into poverty.......where's it going to end truckstars? Where? When? I hope we can all get together on this thing, there's a lot of drivers out there trying to make a go of this thing and we ALL need to get involved. I feel bad for the company drivers whose co's aren't into this because of their corporate clients or for whatever reason and they've threatened drivers with losing their jobs, co's like Swift.
I know these guys and girls want to help out but a lot of them will lose their jobs if they sit out a day or a delivery - it's a tough call but these trucking co's should also know that they will benefit from lower fuel costs and happier drivers - Hey, here's a novel idea! - How about a driver who can pay his bills at home?? I'd be happy...................................so what's it going to be truckstar? Are you in, or what?
HEALTH DEPARTMENT- I want to talk about the "endochrine system" in your body, that is, your glandular system, to put it simply Your testasterone(for us guys) and other really important chemicals your body needs to be able to produce to keep your hair your, uh, giddyup, let's just say, brain function and a whole lot of other functions that begin with glandular chemistry. Now, here's the thing, when we get older and start losing a few hairs or whatever else, let's call it losing a step or two, and maybe some health issues come into play also, well, these can be traced back to years of poor diet and exercise, not to mention drinking and smoking or even drug use and the endochrine system suffers and becomes almost inactive. just like your colon and arteries get layered or clogged your endochrine system basically can shut down or at least be marginally functional. This is why older guys not younger guys get ED and go bald or lose their sex drive and muscle tone. I'll go more into this in detail as the weeks go by but for now I'm just telling you that eating a low fat diet, lots more fresh and steamed vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, a good "whole food organic" vitamin, Muscle Milk Protein drinks. Watch the lunch meats and other products with additives like nitrites and nitrates, which have been linked to cancer, drink low fat or non-fat milk. You can bring your body back, I've seen it, I've done it....you don't have to be old while you get older!
Think it over truckstar.....get this book and read it - "You-The Owners Manual" Dr. Oz also has more books out on how to take care of yourself and eat...any good bookstore has them, even Wal-Mart and Target (Target has a much better book section and they discount too).
Once again this week I have to cut it short, I'm leaving in a few minutes to take a couple of boats up to the northeast and maybe do a backhaul from Conneticut if I get lucky........
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, and truckstars if you only go to one event or take one vacation this year, and you're a fan of the old west, then you have to go to the big National Cowboy Symposium in Lubbock in Sept. 4-7th(http://www.cowboy.org/ ) the Chuckwagon Cook-off Championship is held there!!
Take a minute and PRAY for our troops around the world - with me - truckstars....whether you agree with the war or not - I think we can ALL agree that these are OUR men and women over there, our KIDS, and, the politics involved is way over my head, not to mention the idea that there's probably a lot going on we DON'T know about, so......and let's not forget about GOD in this equation....it's HIS will I want done, not some profit crazed business man's, not the government's, and damn sure not my own, I'm just not capable.....how 'bout you truckstar?
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...........
Are you ready? Let's roll..........
......you're on the road with the original florida kid...............we gown..........
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
On the Road with the original florida kid week 31
"On the Road" with the original florida kid
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's week 31........
....and you're on the road with the original florida kid.....
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the wonder dog and the whole gang here at the ranch say "HEY".......
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN"-
Alright let's grab a cup of Grandma's famous cowboy coffee, an ashtray and pull up a chair, we have a lot to talk about this week!
I want to apologize first off to you regular readers because I wasn't able to write for several days, for 2 reasons. 1), I was on the road and 2), my computer got messed up when the power went off and surged back on while my computer was booting up. It took 4 days to get it fixed, and yes I could have gone to the public library to write but my online list of trucking websites and blog sites was not available to me, so, any way you slice it, I was dead in the water for several days.
I'd like to welcome a new guy to the blog, goes by Mudslinger, and he seems like my kind of guy just a straight up man who isn't afraid to work - so - a big "cowboy howdy shout out" to Mudslinger! You can find him on chickentrucker.com - and also a big "cowboy howdy shout out" to one of the seemingly busiest lady drivers I've ever heard of - Cybergal - you can find her all over the forums on thetruckersreport.com that is, when she's not runnin' loads!
Listen, some of the best drivers I've ever met are women drivers........
http://www.uscattlehaulers.com/strike.htm - here's the best place to get info and also get involved in the trucking effort to lower fuel costs and raise awareness of the other issues we need to look at. Mr. Little is really working hard to make a difference for all of us and I hope you can see your way clear to getting involved. Last week was a really good start and now we know the general public is definitely on our side,
what'cha' think truckstar? Some are saying they want to make another shut down happen at the end of this month.......
I have to tell ya, truckstars, I'm already tired of feeling stressed and a little bummed out all the time. It's hard enough to make a living and look after my family, and forget about hopes and dreams, this whole thing in life has turned into a paycheck to paycheck stress session, for me anyway......I wish I were smarter.....or luckier........now am I saying that I've given up? No, Hell No, it's just that once in a while I feel like I'm bleeding too much, too often.......
HEALTH DEPARTMENT- I want you to check out this link to the NY Times newsletter I get : http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/fashion/03Fitness.html?nl=8hlth&emc=hltha4
Just check it out.........and also this is a site you should have bookmarked - http://www.webmd.com/
I go there when I am looking for a starting point to research, sometimes. I'm still looking into the "endochrine system" as it pertains to men, mostly, and it is getting more involved than I first thought so bear with me, next week I'll write about it. It's one of the most important systems in the body, yet so little is ever written about it.....I subscribe to this ezine/newsletter, I think you should too - http://www.healthresources.net - look for the newsletter sign-u in the upper right.
TRUCKSTAR TECH- Check out this site, it's a map and directions kind of thing. Also I'm looking into a new system by Garmin, it's called the Synthetic Vision System, I know, I know it's for boats but I'm thinking of what it could mean to drivers to be completely adaptable in a more visual sense, and yes, it's mostly for boat navigation but I'm talking with them to see if it's adaptable for trucking or road surface navigation. Some of these boat nav systems are so advanced it makes the stuff we use look like fred flinstone, check this one out - www.FurunoUSA.com - check out the NavNet3D System. Maybe you'll see what I see. Also check out - http://www.gasbuddy.com/ - you can even get involved as a gas spotter.
www. cyberpower.com - a great place to check out the latest in pc and laptop gear. this co. is one the tech's I talk to you are starting to buy from.
PBR and NASCAR next week!
I've got a boat waiting for me to go to South Carolina, I had to turn down a run from Pensacola to Idaho because it was a low ball deal and with the price of fuel I couldn't risk ending up driving all that way and back with no back-haul.....this is what it's come down to. Six months or a year ago I would have taken the haul...........
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, and truckstars if you only go to one event or take one vacation this year, and you're a fan of the old west, then you have to go to the big National Cowboy Symposium in Lubbock in Sept. 4-7th(http://www.cowboy.org/ ) the Chuckwagon Cook-off Championship is held there!!
Take a minute and PRAY for our troops around the world - with me - truckstars....whether you agree with the war or not - I think we can ALL agree that these are OUR men and women over there, our KIDS, and, the politics involved is way over my head, not to mention the idea that there's probably a lot going on we DON'T know about, so......and let's not forget about GOD in this equation....it's HIS will I want done, not some profit crazed business man's, not the government's, and damn sure not my own, I'm just not capable.....how 'bout you truckstar?
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...........
Are you ready? Let's roll..........
......you're on the road with the original florida kid...............we gown..........
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's week 31........
....and you're on the road with the original florida kid.....
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the wonder dog and the whole gang here at the ranch say "HEY".......
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN"-
Alright let's grab a cup of Grandma's famous cowboy coffee, an ashtray and pull up a chair, we have a lot to talk about this week!
I want to apologize first off to you regular readers because I wasn't able to write for several days, for 2 reasons. 1), I was on the road and 2), my computer got messed up when the power went off and surged back on while my computer was booting up. It took 4 days to get it fixed, and yes I could have gone to the public library to write but my online list of trucking websites and blog sites was not available to me, so, any way you slice it, I was dead in the water for several days.
I'd like to welcome a new guy to the blog, goes by Mudslinger, and he seems like my kind of guy just a straight up man who isn't afraid to work - so - a big "cowboy howdy shout out" to Mudslinger! You can find him on chickentrucker.com - and also a big "cowboy howdy shout out" to one of the seemingly busiest lady drivers I've ever heard of - Cybergal - you can find her all over the forums on thetruckersreport.com that is, when she's not runnin' loads!
Listen, some of the best drivers I've ever met are women drivers........
http://www.uscattlehaulers.com/strike.htm - here's the best place to get info and also get involved in the trucking effort to lower fuel costs and raise awareness of the other issues we need to look at. Mr. Little is really working hard to make a difference for all of us and I hope you can see your way clear to getting involved. Last week was a really good start and now we know the general public is definitely on our side,
what'cha' think truckstar? Some are saying they want to make another shut down happen at the end of this month.......
I have to tell ya, truckstars, I'm already tired of feeling stressed and a little bummed out all the time. It's hard enough to make a living and look after my family, and forget about hopes and dreams, this whole thing in life has turned into a paycheck to paycheck stress session, for me anyway......I wish I were smarter.....or luckier........now am I saying that I've given up? No, Hell No, it's just that once in a while I feel like I'm bleeding too much, too often.......
HEALTH DEPARTMENT- I want you to check out this link to the NY Times newsletter I get : http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/fashion/03Fitness.html?nl=8hlth&emc=hltha4
Just check it out.........and also this is a site you should have bookmarked - http://www.webmd.com/
I go there when I am looking for a starting point to research, sometimes. I'm still looking into the "endochrine system" as it pertains to men, mostly, and it is getting more involved than I first thought so bear with me, next week I'll write about it. It's one of the most important systems in the body, yet so little is ever written about it.....I subscribe to this ezine/newsletter, I think you should too - http://www.healthresources.net - look for the newsletter sign-u in the upper right.
TRUCKSTAR TECH- Check out this site, it's a map and directions kind of thing. Also I'm looking into a new system by Garmin, it's called the Synthetic Vision System, I know, I know it's for boats but I'm thinking of what it could mean to drivers to be completely adaptable in a more visual sense, and yes, it's mostly for boat navigation but I'm talking with them to see if it's adaptable for trucking or road surface navigation. Some of these boat nav systems are so advanced it makes the stuff we use look like fred flinstone, check this one out - www.FurunoUSA.com - check out the NavNet3D System. Maybe you'll see what I see. Also check out - http://www.gasbuddy.com/ - you can even get involved as a gas spotter.
www. cyberpower.com - a great place to check out the latest in pc and laptop gear. this co. is one the tech's I talk to you are starting to buy from.
PBR and NASCAR next week!
I've got a boat waiting for me to go to South Carolina, I had to turn down a run from Pensacola to Idaho because it was a low ball deal and with the price of fuel I couldn't risk ending up driving all that way and back with no back-haul.....this is what it's come down to. Six months or a year ago I would have taken the haul...........
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, and truckstars if you only go to one event or take one vacation this year, and you're a fan of the old west, then you have to go to the big National Cowboy Symposium in Lubbock in Sept. 4-7th(http://www.cowboy.org/ ) the Chuckwagon Cook-off Championship is held there!!
Take a minute and PRAY for our troops around the world - with me - truckstars....whether you agree with the war or not - I think we can ALL agree that these are OUR men and women over there, our KIDS, and, the politics involved is way over my head, not to mention the idea that there's probably a lot going on we DON'T know about, so......and let's not forget about GOD in this equation....it's HIS will I want done, not some profit crazed business man's, not the government's, and damn sure not my own, I'm just not capable.....how 'bout you truckstar?
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...........
Are you ready? Let's roll..........
......you're on the road with the original florida kid...............we gown..........
Monday, March 31, 2008
On the Road with the original florida kid - week 30
"On the Road" with the original florida kid
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 30 and.....
.....you're on the road with the original florida kid....
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the wonder dog and the whole gang here at the ranch say a big howdy "Hey"!
"KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN"- Alright grab a cup of Grandma's famous cowboy coffee, an ashtray, pull up a chair and let's get to it!
Again this week I can't not go into this subject....the nationwide shut-down. I got off the road from 2 back-to-back runs on friday night, all the while monitoring my cb and listening for any chatter about a shut-down. I heard very little about it, except that someone told me that there was a news report on tv about it being planned for sometime next month. Today I heard it's tomorrow April 1st. I still, sittin' here, can't help but wonder why there's no real organization to one of the largest labor forces in U.S. history....I'm not talkin' about a general truckers "union" because I don't think that's realistic, from financial and time standpoints, not that I'm against it, I'm not, but what we're really talking about here is a voice, one voice representing the 3.5 to 5 million drivers in this country....not to mention the other 15-18 million people employed in "diesel culture" support industries.....amazingly, there isn't one. I, personally, find that more than a little incredible. The OOIDA and the ATA? Okay let's talk about that.....the OOIDA has fewer than 200,000 members as does the ATA....a fraction of the total number of drivers and yet both these groups are the only ones, or at least only trucking organizations fighting like hell, for ALL truckers, men and women, in the local, state and federal arenas and courtrooms of this country.....and making progress !! Who else is? the Sierra Club(that's right, the tree huggers...), the Teamsters(I wish I was one....) besides them I can't answer that because I don't know.....do you truckstar??
There's 10 different trucking papers and magazines, all seperate in ownership. None of the trucking websites are connected that I know of....sooooo what do we do and how do we do it? Maybe we need one of those heavy hitter business and organizational consultants.....
And, it's not as big a deal for an independent to turn down a load or park his truck for a day as it is for the millions of company drivers who will lose their jobs if they refuse to drive on the day of the shut-down....me for example, the brokers I get hauls from won't care if I say "no" I can't drive on that day, they'll, I'm sure find someone else in 5 minutes to take the haul....it's the co. drivers who will pay the price....there are so many kids coming out of these trucking schools who don't know any better that it's scary to think the trucking industry as a whole is so cost conscious that it would rather pay low mileage to a greenhorn than it would an experienced pro.....(you know...the kind that helped build this country).......and sure, it'll be a "no money" day for many of us but I'm confident we'll make it up, if nothing else, in fuel savings, in no time and a long overdue message will have been sent to the "powers that be".
Those of us who have been around long enough also know that the trucking co's love to pass themselves off as "driver friendly" - and - "on the drivers side" and all that BS but when it gets down to it, most, if not all, care much more about their bottom line even if that ends up being at the drivers expense, and more often than not ....it is.
No....I wasn't born yesterday, I know how business works and how it HAS to work....but you can't tell me that screwing your employees and O/O partners IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS......
QUESTION: Is there ONE trucking co. in this country that is shutting down the day of the "shut-down" ? If not....why not? Is there even ONE trucking co. that is going to stand with the drivers? Probably not.....Why? Because they're more afraid of their "big business" customers - THAN THEY ARE OF YOU !! That's why....oh yeah and it's all about the money too.....
.............and say what you want about the "flake -o - rama" actor community....but at least they refused to cross the picket lines when the writers were on strike......
Before I go any further I want to urge you, PLEASE, to get involved and join the OOIDA and the ATA !!
http://www.ooida.com/
http://www.truckline.com/ (this is the link for the ATA, click on membership up top on their page)
and while I'm at it I want to put up these links too so you personally can contact your political rep's ;
(you'll probably have to catch them in between $2000 a night hookers and looking for sex in airport bathrooms, or flying around in some corporate Lear Jet somewhere.....)
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 !
I'm working on a few things on my end I'll let you know more about as the next few weeks go by.....
I guess ultimately we have to look to the government for relief from the fuel prices......but if this nation is still "by the people and for the people" then we should be able to hope for action on our behalf, and not just truckers but everyday people too.......wha'cha' think truckstar? Maybe I was absent that day but when did big business start telling everyone what to do....and getting away with it?
Old school journeymen truckers are some of my favorite people, and it truly breaks my heart when I talk with them and hear them seeming to talk about trucking in the "past tense". I can't tell you how many I've heard about being forced out of business and some even parking their rigs and going to work as co. drivers. I get lots of e-mails from guys like 'bigjackknife' on chicken trucker.com who tells me a lot of his neighbors and friends near where he lives, which is a trucking hub, are done, and have their trucks up for sale, and JW who runs the site, he's an independent and he's breakin' his ass just to make it week to week.....and listen to me...we're not talkin' about losers who don't know what their doing, we're talkin' about top notch pros who have more miles than I'll ever rack up. 'bigjackknife has more than 2 million miles....JW's been around forever too....THIS SHOULD NOT BE !! Come on, someone has to haul freight....why are the best people getting bumped out yet the damn trucking schools are always full and popping out kids as fast as they can?? WHY?
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.........
TRUCKSTAR TECH- On a lighter note I want to mention a couple of new things I came across: the first being the new power source by Cummings Comfort Guard. It's diesel powered and even meets the strict California standards. This is the one I was waiting for, the one I want. Truckstars, fight it out if you want to but more and more areas are stopping overnight idling.....
Are you one of the lucky drivers with a mobile web laptop? http://www.dtv4pc.net
Want unlimited tv on your mobile laptop? Try this co., for a one time fee around 50 bucks you'll have great tv on your laptop or pc...I'm signing up as soon as I get my new laptop.Check them out! ( I know it sounds to good to be true but it's not, no tuner, no hardware just a fee for a one time software install and access. We're talkin ESPN, NBC, and a bunch or other top stations. I didn't find them, they found me.....)
Also if you're looking for a really durable laptop try this co. out - https://www.onthegopc.com/index.asp
Here's the Sony Vaio refurbished laptop site - http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=8198552921644534352 ( I know it's a long one but so what, just click on it.....)
Also - if you can check out the new International Lonestar Truck - high style meets high tech, they look awesome and are fuel efficient!
Don't worry I'm always looking for cool new stuff that's affordable and portable for those of us who are on the road but want to have media access.....
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT- If you're like me the biggest health issue you may have, lately, is stress. Make sure you're taking a good "whole food" organic vitamin, eating your meal replacement MetRx protein bars, and drinking Muscle Milk Protein drinks. Back off on the coffee and try to stay away from sodas too, and high fat, high salt snacks. Keep the coffee(I know, I know it's hard, I love my coffee too....) to a minimum! Whole grain cereals and lots of fresh vegetables......you can do this! Every day try a little harder to clean up your diet and you'll see your health, stamina and endurance will improve and "runs" won't burn you out so bad.......
.......next week the "endochrine system"...you don't want to miss it !!
NASCAR- Denny Hamlin took the checkered at the Goody's Orange 500 in Martinsville. Junior led then Jeff Gordon led for awhile and gave it a good try but just couldn't seem to catch Hamlin and took second in the end. I'm not the biggest fan of short track racing, these cars are capable of such high speed excitement that it's kind of a waste to me, but whatever....
PBR- The Ty Murray Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico over the weekend was another great show! Young L.J. Jenkins, a New Mexico resident took the event title over second place finisher Guilherme Marchi, who is ranked number 1 overall in the point standings. Travis Briscoe, another of the new rising superstars, former world champ Chris Shivers, and favorite Ross Coleman all had good outings. Bull ridin' at it's best!
Tis' the season for Chuck Wagon Cook-offs!! (http://www.chuckwagon.org/),check their site for the 08' schedule, and truckstars if you only go to one event or take one vacation this year, and you're a fan of the old west, then you have to go to the big National Cowboy Symposium in Lubbock in Sept. 4-7th(http://www.cowboy.org/ ) the Chuckwagon Cook-off Championship is held there!!
Take a minute and PRAY for our troops around the world - with me - truckstars....whether you agree with the war or not - I think we can ALL agree that these are OUR men and women over there, our KIDS, and, the politics involved is way over my head, not to mention the idea that there's probably a lot going on we DON'T know about, so......and let's not forget about GOD in this equation....it's HIS will I want done, not some profit crazed business man's, not the government's, and damn sure not my own, I'm just not capable.....how 'bout you truckstar?
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...........
Are you ready? Let's roll..........
......you're on the road with the original florida kid...............we gown..........
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 30 and.....
.....you're on the road with the original florida kid....
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the wonder dog and the whole gang here at the ranch say a big howdy "Hey"!
"KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN"- Alright grab a cup of Grandma's famous cowboy coffee, an ashtray, pull up a chair and let's get to it!
Again this week I can't not go into this subject....the nationwide shut-down. I got off the road from 2 back-to-back runs on friday night, all the while monitoring my cb and listening for any chatter about a shut-down. I heard very little about it, except that someone told me that there was a news report on tv about it being planned for sometime next month. Today I heard it's tomorrow April 1st. I still, sittin' here, can't help but wonder why there's no real organization to one of the largest labor forces in U.S. history....I'm not talkin' about a general truckers "union" because I don't think that's realistic, from financial and time standpoints, not that I'm against it, I'm not, but what we're really talking about here is a voice, one voice representing the 3.5 to 5 million drivers in this country....not to mention the other 15-18 million people employed in "diesel culture" support industries.....amazingly, there isn't one. I, personally, find that more than a little incredible. The OOIDA and the ATA? Okay let's talk about that.....the OOIDA has fewer than 200,000 members as does the ATA....a fraction of the total number of drivers and yet both these groups are the only ones, or at least only trucking organizations fighting like hell, for ALL truckers, men and women, in the local, state and federal arenas and courtrooms of this country.....and making progress !! Who else is? the Sierra Club(that's right, the tree huggers...), the Teamsters(I wish I was one....) besides them I can't answer that because I don't know.....do you truckstar??
There's 10 different trucking papers and magazines, all seperate in ownership. None of the trucking websites are connected that I know of....sooooo what do we do and how do we do it? Maybe we need one of those heavy hitter business and organizational consultants.....
And, it's not as big a deal for an independent to turn down a load or park his truck for a day as it is for the millions of company drivers who will lose their jobs if they refuse to drive on the day of the shut-down....me for example, the brokers I get hauls from won't care if I say "no" I can't drive on that day, they'll, I'm sure find someone else in 5 minutes to take the haul....it's the co. drivers who will pay the price....there are so many kids coming out of these trucking schools who don't know any better that it's scary to think the trucking industry as a whole is so cost conscious that it would rather pay low mileage to a greenhorn than it would an experienced pro.....(you know...the kind that helped build this country).......and sure, it'll be a "no money" day for many of us but I'm confident we'll make it up, if nothing else, in fuel savings, in no time and a long overdue message will have been sent to the "powers that be".
Those of us who have been around long enough also know that the trucking co's love to pass themselves off as "driver friendly" - and - "on the drivers side" and all that BS but when it gets down to it, most, if not all, care much more about their bottom line even if that ends up being at the drivers expense, and more often than not ....it is.
No....I wasn't born yesterday, I know how business works and how it HAS to work....but you can't tell me that screwing your employees and O/O partners IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS......
QUESTION: Is there ONE trucking co. in this country that is shutting down the day of the "shut-down" ? If not....why not? Is there even ONE trucking co. that is going to stand with the drivers? Probably not.....Why? Because they're more afraid of their "big business" customers - THAN THEY ARE OF YOU !! That's why....oh yeah and it's all about the money too.....
.............and say what you want about the "flake -o - rama" actor community....but at least they refused to cross the picket lines when the writers were on strike......
Before I go any further I want to urge you, PLEASE, to get involved and join the OOIDA and the ATA !!
http://www.ooida.com/
http://www.truckline.com/ (this is the link for the ATA, click on membership up top on their page)
and while I'm at it I want to put up these links too so you personally can contact your political rep's ;
(you'll probably have to catch them in between $2000 a night hookers and looking for sex in airport bathrooms, or flying around in some corporate Lear Jet somewhere.....)
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 !
I'm working on a few things on my end I'll let you know more about as the next few weeks go by.....
I guess ultimately we have to look to the government for relief from the fuel prices......but if this nation is still "by the people and for the people" then we should be able to hope for action on our behalf, and not just truckers but everyday people too.......wha'cha' think truckstar? Maybe I was absent that day but when did big business start telling everyone what to do....and getting away with it?
Old school journeymen truckers are some of my favorite people, and it truly breaks my heart when I talk with them and hear them seeming to talk about trucking in the "past tense". I can't tell you how many I've heard about being forced out of business and some even parking their rigs and going to work as co. drivers. I get lots of e-mails from guys like 'bigjackknife' on chicken trucker.com who tells me a lot of his neighbors and friends near where he lives, which is a trucking hub, are done, and have their trucks up for sale, and JW who runs the site, he's an independent and he's breakin' his ass just to make it week to week.....and listen to me...we're not talkin' about losers who don't know what their doing, we're talkin' about top notch pros who have more miles than I'll ever rack up. 'bigjackknife has more than 2 million miles....JW's been around forever too....THIS SHOULD NOT BE !! Come on, someone has to haul freight....why are the best people getting bumped out yet the damn trucking schools are always full and popping out kids as fast as they can?? WHY?
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.........
TRUCKSTAR TECH- On a lighter note I want to mention a couple of new things I came across: the first being the new power source by Cummings Comfort Guard. It's diesel powered and even meets the strict California standards. This is the one I was waiting for, the one I want. Truckstars, fight it out if you want to but more and more areas are stopping overnight idling.....
Are you one of the lucky drivers with a mobile web laptop? http://www.dtv4pc.net
Want unlimited tv on your mobile laptop? Try this co., for a one time fee around 50 bucks you'll have great tv on your laptop or pc...I'm signing up as soon as I get my new laptop.Check them out! ( I know it sounds to good to be true but it's not, no tuner, no hardware just a fee for a one time software install and access. We're talkin ESPN, NBC, and a bunch or other top stations. I didn't find them, they found me.....)
Also if you're looking for a really durable laptop try this co. out - https://www.onthegopc.com/index.asp
Here's the Sony Vaio refurbished laptop site - http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=8198552921644534352 ( I know it's a long one but so what, just click on it.....)
Also - if you can check out the new International Lonestar Truck - high style meets high tech, they look awesome and are fuel efficient!
Don't worry I'm always looking for cool new stuff that's affordable and portable for those of us who are on the road but want to have media access.....
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT- If you're like me the biggest health issue you may have, lately, is stress. Make sure you're taking a good "whole food" organic vitamin, eating your meal replacement MetRx protein bars, and drinking Muscle Milk Protein drinks. Back off on the coffee and try to stay away from sodas too, and high fat, high salt snacks. Keep the coffee(I know, I know it's hard, I love my coffee too....) to a minimum! Whole grain cereals and lots of fresh vegetables......you can do this! Every day try a little harder to clean up your diet and you'll see your health, stamina and endurance will improve and "runs" won't burn you out so bad.......
.......next week the "endochrine system"...you don't want to miss it !!
NASCAR- Denny Hamlin took the checkered at the Goody's Orange 500 in Martinsville. Junior led then Jeff Gordon led for awhile and gave it a good try but just couldn't seem to catch Hamlin and took second in the end. I'm not the biggest fan of short track racing, these cars are capable of such high speed excitement that it's kind of a waste to me, but whatever....
PBR- The Ty Murray Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico over the weekend was another great show! Young L.J. Jenkins, a New Mexico resident took the event title over second place finisher Guilherme Marchi, who is ranked number 1 overall in the point standings. Travis Briscoe, another of the new rising superstars, former world champ Chris Shivers, and favorite Ross Coleman all had good outings. Bull ridin' at it's best!
Tis' the season for Chuck Wagon Cook-offs!! (http://www.chuckwagon.org/),check their site for the 08' schedule, and truckstars if you only go to one event or take one vacation this year, and you're a fan of the old west, then you have to go to the big National Cowboy Symposium in Lubbock in Sept. 4-7th(http://www.cowboy.org/ ) the Chuckwagon Cook-off Championship is held there!!
Take a minute and PRAY for our troops around the world - with me - truckstars....whether you agree with the war or not - I think we can ALL agree that these are OUR men and women over there, our KIDS, and, the politics involved is way over my head, not to mention the idea that there's probably a lot going on we DON'T know about, so......and let's not forget about GOD in this equation....it's HIS will I want done, not some profit crazed business man's, not the government's, and damn sure not my own, I'm just not capable.....how 'bout you truckstar?
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...........
Are you ready? Let's roll..........
......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 19
"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..........
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..........
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..........
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