Enjoying North America while earning a living...: June 22, 1990, 2010

About this blog's layout...BLOG UPDATED ONCE PER DAY...

I follow my journal daily by writing under the daily title, "FIRST 5 YEARS:" The first five years will strictly follow my 5 year journal. If I find the day I am writing about to be boring, I will either write about thoughts I remember(placed under the title of "SECOND 5 YEARS"), write a trucker tale(placed under "A Trucker's Tale"), give a helpful trucker hint, ask a "student driver" question or do something.....When a location appears after the day of the week after "FIRST 5 YEARS:", it is where I am at the start of that day((IE: FIRST 5 YEARS: (Sunday-Kansas City, Missouri))..... I would encourage those that find themselves enjoying North America to follow me day by day.....REMEMBER: THIS IS A BLOG ABOUT WHAT LIFE IS LIKE FOR A TRUCKER THAT DOES NOT HAVE A DAILY ROUTINE ROUTE(called a "dedicated" route). THERE WILL BE MANY TIMES WHEN THE ROUTING, SCENERY AND DAY'S ACTIVITIES WILL BE SIMILAR(boring???) TO PREVIOUS DAYS; THAT'S TRUCKING! THERE WILL BE DAYS WHEN THE ROUTING, SCENERY AND DAY'S ACTIVITIES WILL BE TOTALLY NEW; THAT'S TRUCKING. Frustrations? I mention the frustrations I had as a driver. I loved my job while earning a living and realized that all jobs have frustrations; truck driving is, and was, no different..... Many pictures on this blog can be left-clicked and made larger.....Questions?...Please E-mail PT at fabalt2000@centurylink.net

June 22, 2010

June 22, 1990, 2010

FIRST 5 YEARS:(Friday-Fulton, Missouri)
Was off duty today enjoying(?) time at home(?-I really consider "home" my truck). Didn't see my kids as they were involved with other activities. Did home things.

A TRUCKER'S TALE:(Learning respect for downhill grades)
I once heard a driver talking of his first "out of control" downhill experience. I think some of his tale was unbelievable, but many trucker tales ARE UNBELIEVABLE(so are fairy tales).

He had no Jake Brake(an engine retarder which helps the truck to slow down). Because of the weight of the trucks-sometimes up to 40 tons-, keeping the truck speed down going down mountains can be nerve racking and slow. Gravity keeps the trucks wanting to pick up speed. If the driver can't control the decent and the brakes become too hot, they can loose control of the speed; at worst this can lead to serious accidents and death.

He said he had never been down I-17 south of Flagstaff, Arizona. He had handled the interstate pretty good until about the end of the downhill road. He was heading south on pretty level land when two bread trucks(light weight compared to the semi) passed him. He watched them and they went around a mountain side that looked level(optical illusion) and them left and disappeared. He didn't think to start controlling his speed even though the optical illusion was a pretty steep downgrade. When he hit the point where he saw the bread trucks disappear he also hit a very steep downhill. His brakes were now very hot and fading. His brakes became hot enough to cause them to not work at all; he was now out of control. He CLAIMED to have seen mile markers going by him every 1/2 minute(what would his speed have been?). He went around a few curves and claimed that the low level(his load was heavy and loaded low on the trailer floor) & weight of the load was the only thing that kept him from rounding his rig. He got to the bottom of the mountains and got pulled over and stopped. He used his fire extinguisher on his brakes until it ran out and then threw sand from the ground on them. His two steering brakes were the only brakes he had afterward as they hadn't been adjusted. He adjusted them and used them to get him to a repair shop. All his other eight brakes had to be rebuilt.