Bob Skelton

When I arrived in Ft. Wayne, Indiana on a cold winter day in May of 1976, I had little idea what I was getting myself into. I was there to attend a truck-driving school. But more than that, I was there to buy a tractor and learn a completely new occupation.

Upon graduation, my new career began. I was very new to the game. I was trying to learn the ropes. A few months passed and I soon learned that many drivers were good at breaking the laws. They were good at cheating the game. 

I didn’t think much of it at the time but it didn’t exactly sit well with me. Not that I wasn’t among them to some degree. I wasn’t exactly an angel. I was a procrastinator.

At first, I used the logbook the way that it’s intended. But soon it became a chore. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to fill out a logbook it was more that I didn’t want to record the actual times I stopped.

I took a lot of breaks to stop for coffee or to take a short nap and I needed to make up the distance somehow.

I recorded the date, odometer readings, and the location of every place I stopped in a steno notebook. It was easier to jot down the location and the odometer reading than to have to pull out my logbook and draw lines. 

I also kept the odometer readings of the state lines I crossed. If I bought fuel, I would record the number of gallons and the date to match what I was going to log.

I didn’t need to be tidy in the notebook. It was a tool I developed so I could be neat later. Then, when I had time to draw some lines, I would fill out my logbook. I had been a draftsman in my previous life and neatness counted.

 The times I stopped might not be accurate. I would calculate how long it took from point A to point B at a reasonable speed using the readings I recorded. Some of the time I would skip recording a stop if it served my purpose.

Some drivers found other ways around the hours of service law. They reportedly used more logbooks than the law allowed. It was not uncommon for them to be doctoring two or three logbooks. They were trying to drive for longer than the law allowed. I was too. I took a lot of breaks.

Most trucking company’s logbooks are now electronic logs. GPS coordinates and time verify the logs are accurate.

Troopers today aren’t too interested in checking logbooks unless an accident occurs. They are aware of how electronic logs operate. Drivers stopped for speeding by a trooper, aren’t even checked for their logs most of the time.

Police have handed logbook verifications to the companies themselves. Companies face high penalties when an audit uncovers a violation. Drivers are out-of-service when they commit violations. They are only allowed back in-service when they become compliant again. Some face termination if they don’t change their ways.

In the 1980s the public cried for guaranteed delivery times. This meant that you could not fool around. There would be no excuse. Unless a breakdown or family problem arose that prevented on-time delivery. Drivers paid the price for failure. But that did not stop some drivers.

Drugs and alcohol use was not uncommon in the years preceding the 1980s. I was in Alabama one time when a driver used some drug and was so out of it he couldn’t even stand up. His friend tried to sober him up; walking him around until he finally collapsed. A few hours later that driver had managed to take more of the drug and it was useless to try to straighten him out. They were already two days late with their loads.

I heard stories of drivers having a bottle of liquor within reach while driving.

Truckers tried to make more money by pulling overweight loads. They would bypass state scales by using alternate highways. The risk was great but they tried it anyway. Some got away with it. Some didn’t.

Companies today don’t tolerate these kinds of behavior. The risk of a large lawsuit demands that they hire responsible drivers.

Companies of the future will avoid that kind of risk and will ensure faster delivery times to boot. The driver-less vehicle is here now and is the future of many companies.

Trial runs, with a driver attending the vehicle at all times, have been going on for some time now.

In an article I read, a truck left California and drove to Pennsylvania in three days. It was a driver-less test with a driver present. It only stopped for fuel. That’s 2800 miles without a glitch. The trip included some inclement weather as well. It delivered a 40,000 lb load of butter to the receiver in Pennsylvania.

I’m sure there will be more tests of this sort soon. 

The authorities will not allow an actual driver-less rig on the nation’s highways yet. But that time is coming. The expectation is that it will take 15 to 20 years. The nation is already in dire need of drivers.

Qualified drivers are in high demand. Many of the older experienced drivers have been retiring. I am among them. Companies have been trying to hire more drivers to take their place for a few years. It is very difficult to find qualified drivers. 

With the prospects of a job that will only last a few more years, I don’t blame the holdouts.

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment in the comments section.

Photo by Matthew T Rader on Unsplash

I’m not big on the fancy stuff that, for some, comes with retirement.

Eating out in fancy restaurants holds little interest for me. I’ve had to do that for so many years as an over the road trucker. There’s not much appeal.

I will go out for Chinese or Mexican food though. I can’t do it as well as they do.

Congregating with groups of people is not my cup of tea, either. I like my alone time.

Physical stuff like hiking or exploring doesn’t work for me anymore.

I used to enjoy backpacking in the San Gabriel mountains north-east of Los Angeles. At my age even walking very far causes some problems.

The Rambler in Me

I’d like to travel some. I always wanted to visit Italy and roam about. Try out the food and chat with the people.

I have no interest in a group tour or anything else that has to do with a group. I would like to  meander through the countryside and take in any little shops or cafes.

One thing on my bucket list is to get on a train and ride around the country; spend  a month or two. Enjoy the scenery without having to pay attention to the road as I have done in the past forty years.

Digital photography is something that I could get into as well. I like interesting architecture and could take side trips to photograph some of that.

Historical buildings and that sort of thing are nice subjects. Contrasting visual effects like a tiny building next to a monster is always interesting.

A Project to Work on

Something else that has intrigued me for many years are geodesic domes. Somewhere I heard or read that they are somewhat tornado-proof.

My theory is that they could also be earthquake-proof as well.

I often hear of earthquakes in Turkey and the middle east.

A simple geodesic-dome house could serve as a temporary shelter. It could provide a space out of the weather while they clean up the rubble and the erection of new suitable structures begins.

Consequently, I have toyed with the idea to have a snap together dome covered with plastic and be usable within an hour or so.

It could come as a kit and all the parts would fit in a box or bag that could wind up at the site of an earthquake catastrophe. The Red Cross, or other entity, could be responsible for the distribution of these kits.

Look at all the people in Haiti who lost their homes to hurricanes. There are several parts of the world where these could come in handy.

I used to work as a draftsman in several engineering environments. There is no reason why I can’t explore some of my ideas. I want to build a model and make drawings of the parts required.

Reality Check

“Whoa,” you say, “I thought you were intending to work-from-home on a bookkeeping business. How can you do that and all these other things too?”

Well, actually, work-from-home is a way of saying that one is virtual. And with the technology of today one can work from anywhere there is an Internet connection. Anyway, isn’t it also said that “home is where the heart is.”

As long as I can complete the work, I can occupy myself as I please. So, with those thoughts in mind, I’ll take my leave.

Please leave any comments, that you’d care to leave, in the comment section. I would enjoy hearing what you think.

I have finally realized that it’s time for me to stop running up and down the road.

I’m past the typical age of retirement and my reflexes are not what they used to be.

My body is wearing out and when my gut starts to rumble I don’t want to be forty miles from the next toilet.

I no longer feel safe driving a vehicle weighing thousands of pounds.

Every night I go to work I wonder if this is the night my body has a major malfunction and I kill myself or maybe someone else.

Mechanical problems

The winter months are brutal not only for me but also on the equipment. It seems that problems wait for winter to happen.

There are far more breakdowns in the winter months than in the summer.

With the new Federal requirements of electronic logs coupled with the frustrations of my company developing their own digital equipment with all the inherent bugs that need to be worked out, I’m just not happy anymore.

It’s time to retire

I no longer enjoy my job and haven’t for some time now.

I have been thinking about retirement for a few years. If Winky were still alive, she would confirm this.

Trouble is, I have not been a good steward in preparing for this eventuality.

It always seemed like there was never enough money to put anything aside for retirement.

My plan

I need a plan to find supplemental income; something that I could do from home that wouldn’t consume my whole day, wouldn’t have a lot of related expense, and would supplement my social security income. Earn enough to possibly save for a vacation doing something that I want to do.

After spending many years trying one type of home business after another, I began to evaluate what I was best suited for.

As it turns out, I am detail oriented and good with numbers. But abstract concepts leave me cold.

My best bet is to pursue a skill that plays to my strength; something like bookkeeping.

Last summer i began a course in bookkeeping.

I had done bookkeeping when I had my own trucking business, but I have learned more than the feeble attempts I made then.

When I finish this course I will be able to search for clients to help that can provide me with an income to supplement my social security income.

I don’t need many to earn what I currently earn from my trucking job.

Hurdles to jump

There are barriers in the way though. Like what do I do about health insurance, and what other insurance do I need to protect myself from being sued, etc.

Do I want to form an LLC and what are the costs involved there?

I have started a checking account strictly for business purposes. I’m not sure if I need to file a quarterly report even if I have no revenue yet. 

There are probably more things to think about that I’m not even aware of.

I have saved a bit to help me get through the building process, but  I’m not sure it will be enough.

One cautious step at a time

I am playing it cautiously, taking my time. I think when the time is right, I’ll know when to pull the plug on my job.

I’m hoping to be able to quit within the next couple of months.

Every year, hell, sometimes every six months or even more often, various “free” entities are in campaign mode, asking for money. They want the support of all those that use their service.

Offending Entities

Public radio is famous for this tactic. They used to have a once a year campaign for a few weeks and then you wouldn’t hear them whine until next year. Now, it seems like every few months I hear them asking for dollars. “For a certain size donation, we’ll send you a free coffee cup.” Whoopie, like I need more junk laying around the house.

The Kahn Academy is another one I continue to get pleas from. I wanted to know about a certain subject and opted-in to some of their classes. I don’t even remember what it was I wanted to know at the time. Now it seems like every week I get an email asking for a donation.

Now Wikipedia is harassing me.

Hundreds, probably thousands of writers and editors contribute, on a voluntary basis, to the site every day. They put their research and knowledge on the line. Whether their writers are accurate or not I have no way of knowing without doing a lot of reading on the subject of interest myself. You tend to trust them, anyway. Since I am not doing any scholastic research but only want to satisfy my curiosity the information is great. Heck, the information is free, isn’t it?

My Rant

The last time I opened the site I got a message that told me that I used the site quite a lot and that 9 times I ignored their plea. Maybe the donation I gave them a few weeks ago was exhausted. Am I required to continue to pump my earnings into their coffers?

Sure, I only sent them $10.00. All they asked for was $3.00 from each user. I think I did my part, at least for a while.

I’ll admit that I use some of these frequently; Wikipedia especially. But I didn’t ask them to create their “free” site. I know it takes a lot of money to operate a site like Wikipedia. But they volunteered to create and promote a free program. If they wanted the site to pay for itself, maybe they should charge for it. It doesn’t need to be extravagant, maybe $2.00 bucks a month or some such fee. I don’t think I would use it any less.

Will I discontinue use of their ‘free’ information? I guess if they aren’t able to survive without my donation, I will have to. Maybe I should pay for the service. Every time I want to know about something, I always go to Wikipedia. But if they continue to offer their service for free, I’m all over it.

It seems like when you feel generous and contribute to whomever, they try to take advantage of you at every turn. Am I whining? Shouldn’t I put on my big-boy pants and just get over it. Maybe so, but this last plea ticked me off.

And that’s the way I roll.