Location:
Sturgis, MI
Driving Status:
Experienced Driver
Social Link:
FR8 M4N On The Web
Married my high school sweetheart and have 8 children, currently 3 at home. Wife and I became Catholic in 1990 and now attend Traditional Latin Mass.
Retired from Abbott Nutrition after 22 yrs. most time spent in the energy center where we provided high pressure steam (up to ~460#), variety of cooling waters, HVAC, soft water, compressed air (~90#) and nitrogen. We did maintenance to our equipment, boilers, air compressors, chillers, cooling towers, water softeners, and whatever else.
Drove 20-25 yard garbage trucks, hence my rumble.com/trshm4n channel, starting April of '22 to Oct of '22.
Went to a sponsored school with Keller Trucking located in Defiance, OH. Keller has been great every step of the way; awesome company. They've been on the "Best Fleet to Work For" list for 7 years! Now they have "Hall of Fame" status. Be sure to tell them John Steele, (the driver), referred you!
Recently changed my personal truck plate to reflect the new career, hence the nickname.
If you're interested in beginning a new career, continue to look around Trucking Truth! There is a ton of education materials here and a ton of posts with excellent advice. A very mature site with professional drivers with many years of driving and trucking business experience. Go to the menu for a list of categories to get you started. Any questions, jump in and post; many new drivers here, too, that can benefit from the question.
Posted: 2 months ago
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Gosh, doing great, other than the biggest scheduling goof I ever made occurred this last week.
I was planning a route that allowed for some tolls in one state but not allow tolls in another state. To accomplish that, I created a waypoint to head towards that would allow for a rather direct path to my destination without tolls, or at least very little tolls. That was all looking good.
The next morning, as I was going down the road, I noticed that the arrival time predicted by the gps was not looking at the destination, but rather, the waypoint. Doh! I quickly called dispatch after discovering this error and explained that I'll be 2.5 hrs late.
Posted: 2 months, 1 week ago
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What NOT to eat. Nutrition on the road.
Very informative. Thanks!
Posted: 2 months, 1 week ago
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My thought was, if this driver continues to pass up exits, I'd call it in. Seems an accident just waiting to happen and who knows just how bad it might be if it decides to let go, or the hold-up of traffic to get it cleaned up would entail.
Posted: 2 months, 1 week ago
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What NOT to eat. Nutrition on the road.
Brett, you mentioned, "Vegetables are not good for you." I find that interesting. I had come across a food pyramid that was big on what you suggested, mainly meat and eggs. I sent that pic to my wife and she immediately noticed, "Where are the vegetables?" I haven't read anything that describes why vegetables are bad, but I'm not doubting it either, since we've been brainwashed into so many things through the years, IMHO. My current diet doesn't contain a lot of veggies, except for "Protein Bowls" with tuna from Subway, and I feel just fine. My last 2-year medical exam showed that I lost 5 pounds since becoming a truck driver.
To answer BK's question, I avoid sugary and energy drinks, breads, candies, highly processed foods, fast foods (as a rule, but an exception once in a while.)...
My diet can use some improving, no doubt, as I tend to have too much dairy. But I'm totally onboard with the simple meat and eggs routine, and fasting is very good/beneficial, too.
Posted: 2 months, 1 week ago
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A good (terrible?) reminder to ALWAYS check your latch
Haha, the other day I hooked, did a tug test, checked the plate, finished with landing gear, lights, inspection... got back into the cab, and still performed another tug test. Just seemed funny to me that I did another tug test and had a little laugh.
Posted: 2 months, 2 weeks ago
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Excited to Join the TruckingTruth Community!
Welcome aboard, David.
There's a lot of info in the Diary section of the forums where people have shared their experiences while going to school and such, too.
I started a diary right when I began the journey and it's neat to look back and see the growth over time.
Good luck with everything! It's a journey and there will be tough times ahead, but persevere and don't get discouraged. For example, I didn't pass the first time I tested at the DMV. I was so nervous, I was visibly shaking. But the next time, aced it easily.
Posted: 3 months ago
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As a new driver, I experienced soreness and overall leg discomfort. Looked online and found seating advice on how to set up the seat properly. After obtaining the information, it took me probably a couple of months to finally get it dialed in for me. The suggestions you find online are a good starting point. I try to keep my thighs level with a little of space under my legs nearer my knees. The seat pad moves forward and backwards, so I just went with what support felt good without going in either extreme. The seat also tilts forward and back and found a position that doesn't have me falling forward or rearward. The back upright part of the seat I adjusted so I'm fairly upright without stressing my lower back. With that, I increase the air pressure in the lower back pillow just a little bit. It took a while, but it was worth the time to figure it out. Good luck to you!
Posted: 3 months, 1 week ago
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The TruckingTruth Meet Up Thread
Very nice Meet-Up, Bruce. Enjoyed the conversation and company!
FR8 Man (John) John’s wife Jennifer and BK at Sturgis, Michigan. Very enjoyable meet up and conversation.
Posted: 1 week, 2 days ago
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Holidays
I'm scheduled for having the Holidays off. However, the company would pay a bonus if it is worked.