TEN FOUR MAGAZINE - TRUCKING ON-LINE MAGAZINE FOR TRUCKERS

NOVEMBER 2003 TRUCKER TALK

BEING THANKFUL
By Owner Operators Rod & Kim Grimm

Summer is a memory. Brilliant fall colors have faded into frosty mornings, chilly days, and crisp nights. It’s November now and time to give thanks, from a trucker’s standpoint. The drivers of yesterday (us included) can appreciate all the things we truckers have to be thankful for today.

Many drivers have been out here a lot longer than we have, but we can still remember how it was to drive trucks that didn’t feature the many creature comforts we enjoy today. Before you complain about that truck you’re starting out in now, take a look at what drivers learned on and worked in years ago, and maybe you’ll think you are lucky not to have been born sooner!

Walking into that stand-up double bunk sleeper wasn’t even an option not too many years ago. How many of you can remember having to climb over the dog house? I sure can. Be grateful you’re now able to stand up in the sleeper to get dressed, instead of having to wiggle into your jeans while laying on the bed.

Being stuck at a slow shipper or receiver is more comfortable when you have a fridge, microwave and satellite TV. While you may be frustrated, you can make a sandwich, warm up a bowl of soup, and enjoy your meal while watching Jerry Springer thinking, “I don’t have it THAT bad!”

So many things we take for granted today - like air conditioned comfort on a hot day. In our dump trucking days, hauling a 350 degree load of asphalt on a 100 degree day, made us long for a truck with air conditioning. The A/C of yesteryear was 2/60 - two windows down at 60 mph. Depending on how hot it is, this is really NOT COOL! Heat in the winter, without drafty floorboards - another luxury we now enjoy without even thinking about it.

Today’s trucks feature “power” everything. Power steering replaced “arm strong” steering and power mirrors made it easier to deal with your blind side. Today’s power windows are far safer and more convenient than leaning across the cab to manually roll down the window. But the best power of all is the big engine under the hood! It can cut hours off a trip running through the mountains. The first OTR truck we drove had center point steering, which made our next truck (a cabover KW with power steering) a real pleasure to drive, even if it did still lack a little in the power department.

I think of the Donner Party starting out over that huge mountain in covered wagons - and you think you have something to complain about? Today, talking to drivers that used to go over Donner when it was a skinny little two-lane road with bridges so narrow you would tap mirrors when meeting other trucks, helps me to appreciate what we have today. Back then there was no four-lane interstate, no jakes, no heat, in an underpowered truck... NO THANKS!!! Those folks were drivers! Today, we’ll run into a little construction and get annoyed. Yes, road work can be a pain, but looking at the big picture, we have it pretty easy.

Most of us can remember going on radio station safari every few hours - and sometimes the hunt was fruitless for long periods of time in many areas. With the recent introduction of satellite radio, we can now listen to the weather, the game, the race, or our favorite music without interruption all across the country. This innovation alone has made trucking a much more enjoyable profession.

We are fortunate enough to drive the trucks the rest of the world wishes it had (see below). Magazines like 10-4 are constantly being contacted by other trucking publications, from around the globe, wanting photos and stories about those “big American trucks” to feature in their magazines. In many parts of the world, truck drivers still drive the rigs we were glad to get out of years ago.

Thanksgiving is a day to think about all we have and what all our hard work is for. To provide the best we can for our families and ourselves. While some drivers will have to spend the day on the road, away from their family, a phone call home can put them there in spirit. Not the special recipes of home, but most truck stops have a good traditional turkey dinner buffet, some even offering it free for drivers.

When you get home, be really thankful for how far we’ve come. The bathroom is down the hall and not out back! Here’s hoping that your glass is always half-full. From our family to you and yours, safe travels and Happy Thanksgiving!!