November 12, 1989, 2009

FIRST 5 YEARS: (Sunday-Williamsburg, Iowa)
Woke up at 7 AM and the gal (Sugar Plum) I had been running with was up at her steering wheel. I asked if she had plans for breakfast and she said she was thinking about it. We went back into the restaurant. She had a simple breakfast and I had the steak breakfast(1 lbs steak with potatoes and 3 eggs). We then headed east on I-80. She wanted to stop at the truckstop at Walcott, Iowa for some reason, so I pulled in also. A female in the parking lot signaled for me to stop so I did. She told me that one of “MY COMPANY “ drivers had told her that if she would spend the night with him, that he would take her with him. Well, she did and he kicked her out of the truck and took off. Because I worked for the same company, I owed her a ride. I told her that I didn't think so and to get lost. She did. Sugar Plum was really to go by the time I was done with that gal wanting a ride. We continued east into Illinois and then into Indiana where we split up at Lake Station(Indiana). She continued east and I stopped for fuel at “Just A Truckstop. I took 136 gallons. I didn't need to be in Marshall, Michigan until tomorrow so I stopped to eat and watch a movie. I was about 6 PM went I left Lake Station. Traffic was heavy but flowing at a good speed. Crossed into Michigan about 7 PM and was just enjoying the evening. I passed a small truckstop when I got to Marshall at 9(CST) and found the company had just opened for the week. I told them what I had on from where and they said to just back up to the dock and they would unload it, which they did. I watched them unload the trailer and found out that one of the 4500 ten pound bags had broken open. I looked in the trailer to find this dark purple power over the entire floor. I decided to clean it in the morning....OR AT LEAST TRY TO!!!! I was back to the Marshall, Michigan truckstop before my calendar day was over. Went to sleep....

A Trucker's Tale: (The danger of tire pressure)
I was sitting in a tuckstop between Cincinnati and Dayton(Ohio) when I heard this one....We must realize that truck tires, when inflated correctly, hold 100 to 125 lbs of pressure. Well, at one time, according to the tale, one trucker's girl friend left and this trucker (call him Pete) found her with another driver and they were in the second driver's tractor. Pete started arguing with the second driver and the female. When he realized he wasn't going to win this argument, he took his pocket knife out and stuck it into the driver's tire. The blade penetrated the side wall(It had to be a "mean" pocket knife to do this on one blow) and the blade broke off. The air pressure shot the blade out hitting Pete in the throat. He started bleeding badly. There was a male driver watching all this that was registered nurse, but he didn't want to get involved. Before the medical help got there , Pete bleed to death...