Enjoying North America while earning a living...

I kept a day by day journal the first 5 years I was enjoying North America. While earning a living,I kept track of where I went, often what I did, feelings I had and various other details. I am writing this blog day by day as I lived it. The month/day I lived it is the same as the month/day I write about it. The years are obviously different...thus the days title: ie: August 30, 1989, 2009.

About Me

My photo
Starting as a preschooler, I remember my Grandfather bringing me rocks from his trips he took after he retired. Each rock had a story to tell. In the sixth grade, I watched a freeway be built and then wondered where all the trucks would go. I remember in high school looking at the mountains and wanting to travel. I did many jobs BEFORE trucking but I always wondered what driving would by like. I really wanted to see things and drive a big truck. So after almost finishing nursing school, a divorce and three cute little kids, I became a truck driver. While earning a living, I found myself enjoying North America and seeing the land and people. NO ONE ENJOYED TRAVELING MORE THAN ME. There are two things I have enjoyed in this life and they are traveling and writing. I use to call myself "Protourist" but my Mother-in-law and Wife would become upset with me as they know I really love THE "travel" and not THE stopping to see things. I now call myself "protraveller"(I like it with a double "L") and my Mother-in-law and Wife are now happy!!! I love to write and this blog gives me the opportunity to share my past and thoughts with the public.

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


Blog Dictionaries...

The Trucking Dictionary...words in this dictionary will many times appear highlighted. If a word isn't highlighted or in the blog dictionary and sounds "different", check it out in this dictionary. Please note: Many times when clicking on these dictionaries anywhere in the blog, the first thing that comes up is an advertisement which I have no control over.
The Blog Dictionary...This dictionary contains words I use that aren't "trucker" words and thus not in the "trucking dictionary". I separate them--the dictionaries--in case someone wants to copy the trucking dictionary for personal use. This dictionary also contains names of people(not real names) that I dealt with many times through my trucking career. Blog word found in this dictionary often will be licked to it.
DAILY UPDATES SHOULD BE UP BY NOON CST...

July 14, 2010

July 14, 1990, 2010

FIRST 5 YEARS:(Saturday-Taylor, Michigan)
I pulled into the Taylor terminal as the day started. I found a parking spot by the terminal building and backed into it. Walked up to the night dispatcher at about 12:15 AM EST with my paperwork. I was hoping he would tell me to drop my load, hand the paperwork in and go on the trucker ready board.`HE DID!!! I DID!!! I was separated from the trailer and going to sleep at 12:45 AM EST.

I was up and in the terminal building by 8 AM EST. Finding my standing on the trucker ready board to be 12, I got out my new laptop(no hard drive-just floppies) and played with it. I write "played" with it but I was actually learning how to use it. I didn't learn much!!! I played with it until 1:30 PM EST when I went to the Swedish restaurant for lunch with a few other drivers. After lunch, I went to the big department store and looked around until 6:15 PM EST. Back to the terminal...

Waiting days for loads was part of my "trucking" experience. Went out to my tractor to sleep at 8PM EST as I was number "1" on the trucker ready board. went to sleep...

Got load tomorrow to a different place, at least to me!!!!

A Trucker's Tale...with picture.
I ran along with a CR England driver one day and did he have a tale to tell. He had been in the state of Maine and going down a hill. He was doing the speed limit and not over it. While he was making his decent, a Moose strolled out in front of his truck. He had no choice but to hit it dead center. It wiped out his tractor and put him in the hospital. While in the hospital, a Maine conservation agent came to see him. Oh yes, the agent gave him a $70 or $90 citation for killing Maine wildlife...


This is only a one lane road...but the moose is huge!!!
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