Profile For Dave T.

FMLA isn’t all it’s cracked up to be but if you can get back to work in that 6-12 week time frame, you’ll still have a job. I had my knee worked on (more extensive than a knee replacement) three years ago and I’m still dealing with the consequences. Before the surgery, I couldn’t hardly walk so the fact that I can now is worth the price I’ve paid. I was with the company I was working for for 6 years when I had to go out for surgery. Day one after my 12 weeks was up, I got the phone call that my position had been terminated. That’s also the time I ran out of STD. Long story short, it cost me my job, my savings and almost everything else. Do everything you can to be back to work before that 12 week mark, you don’t want to have to deal with the long term disability stuff. As for a place to stay, the nursing and rehab centers are a good option but do your homework before you choose one as a lot of them have staffing issues and poor patient care.

A shovel. If you’re going to be driving anywhere where there could be any kind of snow, take a sturdy shovel. I learned the hard way during a lake effect blizzard on Lake Erie once. Just once. A small, cigarette lighter powered fan can make a huge difference in the summer temps. On days where we have to sit out here to get loaded in the dead of summer without being able to run the trucks, I’d die without my fan.

Ditto here in SW Virginia, hiring drivers and getting busier. Expecting things to become very busy in about a month I'm told.

Still on the lookout for ya. I’ve seen that wagon with the mismatched mud flaps around that you have pictured on here. I’m sure I’ve passed you at some point.

We’ve been steady too. Since the weather was pretty mild this winter (so far) the heating oil has been pretty slow and the gas/diesel deliveries have been higher than usual for this time of year. Hoping it stays warm and everyone spends their tax returns on gasoline for road trips.

5.) Wagon Wheel-Old Crow Medicine Show

It’s great to see this one listed. I’m actually going to see them live here in town tomorrow night.

I’ve been thinking about this subject over the last few weeks. If anyone uses Spotify, there is a group feature where people can join and add their own songs to make a group playlist. I think that would be pretty sweet for the members here to have a shared playlist to be able to listen to what others are listening to and possibly discover some new music. Truckin’ tunes would be a good name.

One of my all time favorites is driving my life away but the one that Rhett Akins did for the movie black dog and not the Eddie Rabbit version.

It’s all I listen to in my pickup. I hate listening to the same commercials all the time and the iheart radio stations are the worst because that’s all it is. I’ve started using the app on my phone here in the Mack since I can connect it through the Bluetooth. There are a lot more stations and podcasts on the app that you can’t get on the standard radios. I listens to one that’s called red white and booze which is country and classic rock bar songs. It’s probably my favorite right now.

I had to back in one of those docks with a 53’ dry van one time. It was super bright outside and dark and hard to see inside but I was able to do it without taking the barn doors off. I think I was getting steel cable but that was a long time ago and only ever did it once. I’ll stick to my tanker.

I’m not sure about the rest of the state but here in VA (the Roanoke area at least) the state has made it illegal for drivers to park in the weigh stations when they’re closed. Years ago, there was a good size TA at the 81/220 interchange that they closed and turned it into a “green space”. There is a tiny Pilot across the road with almost no parking and really nowhere else in the immediate area to legally park for big trucks. The rest areas also have very little space. I don’t know how you guys do it anymore with such limited parking.

Now, I have never run an E-log outside of logging on, taking a break and logging off since we had them in our yard trucks for some reason at my last job. I haven’t had to run an actual log since 2009 when I started working local. I can’t imagine the headaches those things can be but without any experience at all with them, I’ll never know. I’m sure they have some advantages to them but I guess I’m “old school” and see them as more of a hindrance. I guess nowadays the pay is better than it was back then but when I first started out making 33 cents a mile in a 62 mph truck, I never could have survived without the comics.

I tend to leave mine on during the day too. This time of the year I’m making home heating oil deliveries (unfortunately) and almost always have to park in the road in front of the houses or as close to the tank locations as I can get. I try not to park in driveways unless I have to in case I have a leak, spill or just a few drops of diesel from the hose nozzle. I’ve had quite a few close calls with people not paying attention but the 4 ways and the headlights help especially when I have to park the wrong way in the road. It’s not company policy, it’s more for my safety. Same goes for the big truck but luckily I don’t have to worry about parking in the middle of the road with that.

I’m a big Oakley fan. That’s all I wear anymore outside of a rare day I might wear my costas. They have saved my eyes on several occasions on the job and the lens clarity is awesome too. My eyes have gotten so sensitive over the years that I can’t stand to be outside when the sun is up without them. Even when the weather is bad or slightly before dawn or at dusk, I have to have them on. A fella once asked me early one morning if I was wearing them because of a bad night and I said nope, when you’re this cool the sun always shines! Anyway, have you tried the transition lenses? I think Oakley makes them or atleast they used to. They don’t get nearly as dark as a regular pair of sun glasses. The polarization on them makes a big difference too. I have a few pair of flak jackets with one being about 15 years old that are still holding up nicely. There’s a company called revent optics that make decent replacement lenses for a fraction of the cost. As for the salad, I need to eat more of those. I’ve lost close to 50 pounds in the last year but I’ve got a long way to go.

From what I understood when I got my CDL, you can take the endorsement test just like any other one but you have to actually have the bus to take the passenger skills test. I tried to get mine just to have it but didn’t have access to a bus to do so. You could also look at a tour bus company. The big one here in town is pretty hard up for drivers as well as the local school board. If you talked to them I’m sure they’d be glad to help you with the testing and employment.