Profile For DoubleCutter

Anybody who wants to see Tony better do so ASAP, as Tony may be finding a new home. The Louisiana Legislature recently passed a law prohibiting private citizens from owning and keeping exotic cats. The truck stop owner has appealed the law all the way to the Supreme Court, and the court has refused to hear the case. It looks like Tony's days of living at a truck stop are numbered. This controversey over Tony has been going on for years.

If you are in that area and have your heart set on seeing a live tiger, you could go to LSU's campus in Baton Rouge and see Mike the Tiger. He lives in quite an elaborate habitat, seems happy, and gets a sideline seat in his portable cage for every LSU home football game.

Louisiana Senate Passes Bill That Would Allow Truck Stop to Keep Tiger

May 14

Yesterday,  Tiger Truck Stop owner Michael Sandlin got the news he wanted to hear– the Louisiana Senate voted 20-18 on a bill that would allow Sandlin to keep his Bengal tiger at the truck stop.

Tony the Tiger has been a mainstay at the Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, Louisiana since 2000 where he is housed in an 40 by 80-foot enclosure.

Tony’s existence at the truck stop has drawn sharp concern and criticism from animal right’s groups for several years.

Due to the state’s new Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries rule, only an individual– not a corporation– can legally own an exotic animal.  Since the law went into effect, Sandlin has been fighting to keep Tony.  In April, the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal ruled that Sandlin’s permit to keep Tony not valid, since the corporation, Tiger Truck Stop Inc., actually owns the tiger.

The bill, Senate Bill 250, is sponsored by Port Allen Sen. Rick Ward.  Ward’s bill would essentially grandfather Sandlin’s ownership of Tony and allow the tiger to be returned to the truck stop.

According to The Times-Picyune, Senator Ward said that Sandlin “takes good care of Tony and other tigers he’s housed at the truck stop since 1984.”

Sandlin has other supporters, as well.  In October 2003, an online petition garnered 6,000 signatures in support of allowing Tony to stay at the truck stop, and 27,000 truck stop visitors signed the “Keep Tony Home” petition.

Senate Bill 250 will now move to the Louisiana House for consideration.

Good find Anchor, but that's not the whole story. Last week the lawmakers vote DID go against Tony being able to remain, but as in many things political, compromises were made and a new bill introduced that received the vote referenced in your story.

Basically, the lawmakers were concerned that since the permit issued to Tony's owner is the same as the permits issued to LSU for their mascot tiger and the tigers at Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, that if they denied Tony' s permit, the courts could also order the state to deny the LSU and Audubon permits.

There is some good info on Truckers Report. You just have to wade through the BS. And ignore certain posters.

And take any company recommendations with a grain of salt, as there are some on there that embellish their experiences to try to get you to put their name on the application so they can get the referral bonus.

Anybody who wants to see Tony better do so ASAP, as Tony may be finding a new home. The Louisiana Legislature recently passed a law prohibiting private citizens from owning and keeping exotic cats. The truck stop owner has appealed the law all the way to the Supreme Court, and the court has refused to hear the case. It looks like Tony's days of living at a truck stop are numbered. This controversey over Tony has been going on for years.

If you are in that area and have your heart set on seeing a live tiger, you could go to LSU's campus in Baton Rouge and see Mike the Tiger. He lives in quite an elaborate habitat, seems happy, and gets a sideline seat in his portable cage for every LSU home football game.

Old School, you were in my neck of the woods at Port Fourchon, I live about an hour and a half north of there.

In my local newspaper this morning there happened to be an article about the economic impact Port Fourchon has on SE Louisiana and the whole country. According to the article, Port Fourchon has 250 companies that have a presence there supporting 8000 jobs. 90% of the offshore Gulf of Mexico oil and gas drilling is supported out of Port Fourchon. 13% of the country's crude oil supply is pumped through the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port's facility at Port Fourchon. There is great concern that if a major hurricane had a direct hit on Port Fourchon and knocked that facility out that there would be profound economic reprecussions for the whole country.

I have been fishing down there many, many times. If you drive all the way to the end of the main road ( can't bring a semi that far) it ends at the beach. We drive west on the beach to Belle Pass, where the waterway those boats are in enters the Gulf. Usually May and June are prime fishing months for the beach fishing, so I will be going some over the next few months.

If you pass up Port Fourchon and continue south on La. 1, you will come to Grande Isle, the only road accessible barrier island in Louisiana. There are many summer homes, a large beach, and great fshing. Some call it the Cajun Riviera. Lol.

Congrats Old School.

Do you have raw numbers for the last year?

I.E.-- how many miles you ran?, how many states did you visit?, how many days out and how many days off?

Serah, I know a girl who has sleep apnea. She was a little overweight and drank a few beers almost every day. She lost 25- 30 pounds and quit drinking beer and now she doesn't have sleep apnea anymore.

There have been allegations that a major nationwide clinic that many trucking companies use, are pushing sleep apnea testing as a profit center in their business. A friend of mine that drives for a private carrier was sent to a local location of this clinic and he was told that he had to get a sleep study done. When he went back to his company office and gave the safety guy the results, the safety guy blew a gasket and said that the last 5 or 6 drivers that were sent there were told that they had to get a sleep study. The company sent my friend to another clinic that is locally owned and nothing was said about a sleep study.

I am thinking about enrolling in a company sponsored cdl training program for a local and regional dry bulk carrier and all I can get out of them about pay is that the drivers get 25% of the load. Can anyone tell me what the average pay is for this type of company?

What company and location? That info would probaly help to get an answer.

Well it's certainly more difficult and dangerous to do a blind-side back but there will be times there is no choice whatsoever.

It might just be my imagination, but I could swear I saw or read about remote control mirrors that adjusted out enough to allow the driver to see the trailer in the passenger mirror while doing the "blind side" back-up tango . . . now I don't drink or smoke dope so that's not where I got this impression . . . Is there such a thing or am I gonna get rich creating them? (I thought of it first!!)

Jopa

When I blindside back, I'm constantly adjsting the mirrors.

He works for Celadon, IIRC