Tues... Dec 22.... We Should all Stop and Think About This...

Trapper is slowly but surely making his way home. He left IL this morning and is delivering in SC on Wednesday afternoon. Hopefully he'll be home Wednesday afternoon! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I left on Monday afternoon to go see my family in Charlotte, NC. As I talked to Trapper he was routing himself around a wreck with a fatality.

This afternoon I caught a snippet of the news and there was a sandstorm in Arizona that claimed 4 people, due to the wrecks involved and as I talked to Trapper he was, again, sitting in traffic on I-24 just before Chattanooga, TN with an accident that involved a fatality. A van had crossed the median and hit an 18-wheeler head-on. Who do you think won?

I was driving down I-85S today in South Carolina, returning home from North Carolina and was behind what could have been a horrible scene. Something blew out on a vehicle in the front and all of a sudden all I saw were brake lights. Vehicles had been running "in a pack" with a couple of big trucks and I had just backed off. I get really uncomfortable when cars are bunched up together.

Being that I have been in the seat of a truck and I see, first hand, what 4-wheelers do (and don't do) I have to wonder what will it take for them to understand how to drive? Do people go brain dead when they get behind the wheel of a car?

Long before I ever rode in a truck, my daughter and I were almost (killed, hurt, run off the road) in an accident on I-40W. I was in the driver's blind spot. I looked up, realized he could not see me, and the next thing I knew he was coming over. Luckily, there was no one behind me so I slammed the brakes on and he was able to get over in the lane safely.

However; I am a very caucious driver. I was then. I simply wasn't going fast enough and the timing was off. I was crusin' right in his blind spot... just behind his driver's door. He did not see me, period. And it was my fault.

There are at least 6 families that are getting horrific news either yesterday or today. Right at the holidays. Is there a worst time? It's never a good time. Do you think these truck drivers that were involved with today's accidents are sleeping well tonight? I doubt it. I know we wouldn't be if we had been involved in a wreck that killed someone today.

My point is... tell your family to drive safely, but mean it. Tell them how to drive safely. At times, mechanical things are going to happen to someone's vehicle and the vehicle will be out of control... but what I've seen is more driver stupidity. Tell your family and loved ones to ... stay away from the big trucks!!!! Give the big trucks... big room!

A lot of the country is covered with snow right now. White out conditions, you typically see coming... sand storms... you see coming.... heavy rain... you see coming... slow down.... don't drive into a storm at 70 mph... and move away from the big trucks....

Please drive safe this Christmas Season! Your family and friends want to see you at their house, not the morgue or funeral home.

Thurs... Dec 16... Just a Few More Days!

As I've mentioned in previous post, I've been home since the middle of November AND I am ready to get back on the road! Poor Trapper, he would probably appreciate a break... well, he'll get one when he gets here for Christmas.

He calls and tells me what's going on and how pretty everything is and I miss it! I know, two months of being back on the road, I'll be ready to come home! He said today that last night he had a bottle of water stuck between the mattress and the wall of the sleeper (3" from his head) and it was frozen solid this morning! I just laughed. I know the bunk heater works but the inside walls of the cab do get cold! (click the read more below)

Sun... Dec 13... Weathering the Storm

Ok, so when Trapper left IL, he was preplanned to go to WV... plans change, as is with life, and he called and explained he would be going to Utah!

Oh wow... time for me to jump into action. I checked the weather maps Friday and he would have smooth sailin'. And then came Saturday night and Sun... no more smooth sailin'.

Sat, I was on the computer, here at home for a couple of hours, trying to decide what was facing him. Sat night he stopped somewhere around Laramie, WY.

Then came Sunday! Sunday had a wide variety of snow report, incidents reports, and chain requirements. The only time we have practiced with the chains was at home, in the driveway, clear conditions, and a week ago.

He called Sunday morning to tell me exactly where he was and for the next 3 hours I was like a weather- road condiiton- first source for info! I now know UTAH like the back of my hand!

It's hard enough being in the truck, listening to the CB, and trying to figure a way around... but to be 2,500 miles away makes it even harder.

He is safe and sound in Salt Lake City... the load is delivered, it is cold, and snow covered!

.... The Tiniest Apt in NYC... ???

I read this article and had to try to post it here. I hope the link works.

2 people bought the tiniest studio apt in NYC and it's still bigger than the cab of the truck! They don't even cook in this apt!!! At least most of us have managed to conquer the cooking!
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/city_tiniest_studio_AF3nqD1kArYgpdyTyjNnXP

source: NYPost.com

Maybe LivingOTR.com is moving up??????

Ok... anyone who has a blog or website knows that the more visits you have the more likely google is to recognize you.

This was not my intent with LivingOTR.com. I originally started this as truckerlife101.blogspot.com but decided to have it redirected to LivingOTR.com because the shorter the name the easier it is to remember.

The blog started as a way for friends and family to keep up with us and for us to remember our days on the road. And, once I'm dead and gone, it would be a way for my kids (and grandkids, and grandkids) to remember me being plain 'ole me.

I never really expected it to even be noticed by other "truckers" and I'm glad for those of you that do read and follow along!
However...my point for now... a couple of weeks ago I started noticing spam comments that included links to other websites. How annoying for me because I had to go in and delete them! I hate spammers.

I have also, in the past month, realized how many people actually get paid to leave comments and "back links" on blogs. I never said I was a computing wizard and I'm just now figuring some of this out.

This is also annoying to me.

So... as notice to all spammers.... I am deleting you! However; YOU have also made me change my "leave comments" from anyone can leave a comment to Administrator must approve. This is a pain in my backside and it's a pain for people who do occasionally leave comments because now they have to type that annoying little keyword, etc. Sorry.

I realize this blog is "out there" for the world to see and although I do enjoy comments from other drivers and people in general.... I really hate the spammers. I refuse to be infiltrated by the world... on the other hand I must be moving up in the search engines or I wouldn't be getting so many spam comments.

It's a catch 22.

Tues... Dec 8.... Dirty Laundry...

Trapper left Laredo, TX with a load headed to South Carolina on Saturday morning. I was excited because it's a 20 hour drive and he didn't deliver until Monday at 11:00 a.m. This meant a little stop over at the house, for at least a few hours.

Now, I've been home since the middle of November. I've become quite comfortable in the house, by myself. I spend most of my days here, by myself. I've started doing some odd "freelance" jobs... a couple of articles here and there and a couple of personal assistant type jobs for people in various parts of the country.

The dining room has turned into my office and my classroom! The bar in the kitchen has turned into my "I really need to file all this stuff somewhere" place. I had paperwork all over these two adjoining rooms. The rest of the house has stayed in order, even through the recent painting of the ceiling and walls in the dining room.

We had gotten about 3 inches of rain a few days earlier and the next day the wind was blowing about 30 mph, so the pool had come over the top, was full of leaves again, the basement flooded, ladders laying on the patio, and I left the lights on in the pick-up truck (and it was dead as a wedge.) I had told him all these things and he told me what I should probably do about them.

Well, I didn't mention the truck... It was really cold outside so I didn't bother doing anything to the pool and it was too far to walk to the barn to put the ladders away. I threw towels downstairs to soak up the water... I figured I had done my part.

I was being irresponsible and procrastinating and the worst part was I knew it! I know better! I am usually really together!

As fate would have it and as soon as I found out he was going to be here on Monday, stuff starting flying!! It's funny how "together" you can get something when you push it!

Sunday I managed to get my office and classroom straightened up and all the stuff on the bar found its way downstairs to the real office. As I was walking over the towels, that were now soaking wet and lying on the floor, I decided to throw those in the washing machine! I cleaned the bathrooms, vacuumed the house, did my laundry, and put all that way. I was feeling good about myself!

It was raining out, so I still couldn't do the pool. I decided that I'd get up really early on Monday and do the pool, cold or not! I knew Trapper would try to surprise me and get here earlier than I was expecting, so I tried to do the mileage/driving hour math and see how much time I had.

Monday I was outside at 9:00 am! Pool vacuum in hand.... I vacuumed up 3 baskets of leaves. I had to drain the water out (to start the winterizing process) so I got that started. As the water was pumping out, I ran inside and jumped in the shower. I had to get myself together too, right?

An hour later I walk outside, to put the ladders away, and it looked like we had a river running through it.... the backyard that is... I forgot that the ground was completely saturated and all that pool water was standing! It was standing in the side yard (where the drain pipe from the pool disperses the water.) Crap! There was nothing I could do about that, so I just turned the pool off.

I was expecting a phone call around 4:00 p.m. from him saying he was here and the call came at 1:30 p.m. told you, I knew he'd sneak in early.

I drove over to the truck stop and rescued my truck driver!

The first thing you always do when you get home, after being gone for a month or two, is look around. Trapper helped me get the stuff out of the car and he was walking around outside. He came in and I showed him the two rooms that were painted (since he was last here) and various other things.

He said, "Wow... the place looks great!"

"Whew," I thought... "if he only knew..."

Tues... Dec 1... We are Orphaned (Again)

We lost our fleet manager about a month ago, so here we are orphaned again. However; it's working beautifully... miles are up, confusion is down, and we're trucking right on. I hope it doesn't curse us when we get a new fleet manager.

In other events; Trapper picked up in Michigan this morning, well he delivered and picked-up, and now he is en route to Laredo, TX. Maybe it will be a good week for us too.

For me, I'm still home painting and doing this school work. I hope I made the right decision. For some reason, I thought being on-line studies would be easier; but I'm finding it is harder. Not only are you "teaching" yourself... you have to type everything. Classroom conversations are in a forum. Your responses and assignments are all typed. I spend a lot of time typing!

I don't know what all is going on "on the road." I'm not there and I miss it. I'm looking forward to taking my seat again!