Comments By Dutch

The reality to it, is that Dad Bod is in, and has been for quite some time, and I'll tell you why.

Rarely does the average female want to date or marry a guy who looks better than she does. She realizes that everywhere they go together, and every picture they have taken, she will be standing right beside him for comparison. Also, everyone knows that the last thing a woman wants, who spent 3 hours in the bathroom getting ready earlier in the day, is to be upstaged by her man.

This is a classic example of understanding how the female psyche works, and actually how simple things can be concerning women, if you just realistically accept the laws of female fizzicks (the female force.)

I actually had a female friend tell me once, the reason most women prefer a man who is taller than them. Yep, you guessed it, it's the size comparison thing again. Some folks think that women want a big guy for protection, but in reality, they have firearms and divorce attorneys for that stuff.

So go ahead, have another corndog. Your woman will thank you for it, and if you get too carried away, no worries. She will not hesitate when the proper time comes, to issue her man a proper exercise and diet regimen.

I know a driver who backed in with his trailer doors already pinned back, and then at a certain point decided that he needed to pull up and reposition to get in the dock correctly. During the process of pulling up, he caught the hood mounted mirror of the tractor sitting in the dock next to him with the open door on his passenger side, and tore the guys hood half off.

Later on, once he got about a year and a half in with that company, he lost his dedicated run. When he couldn't get another dedicated account that got him home every weekend, he started looking for another job. He told me that the accident mentioned above cost him more than one job opportunity, and that it would take 3 years for it to drop off his record.

He told me that no matter how many scowls he is issued by other drivers, he will never open his doors again until he can straight line back into the dock.

This type experience isn't as bad as divorce, but like divorce it can be educational.

Errol, my guess is that there was no actual critical event at all, with that many showing on the display. Most likely the motion sensor that sets it off went bad, or possibly a glitch in the Qualcomm software. Either way, your truck probably just came out of the shop to take care of the issue. I absolutely love my 2016 Cascadia. My only issue, is that they made the dang thing so aerodynamic, rainwater just clings to the door mirrors and resists running off. In my older model Freightliners, I could use the heated mirror element to help evaporate the water, but in this new one, the water seems difficult to get rid of. I need to try some Rain x and see if there is enough airflow to get the beads to roll off.

I forgot to add, the level 3 inspection I got was in Tennessee, about an hour and a half east of Nashville.

Is that what was going on in those old weigh stations? The had one at the 250 east bound and another at the 325 west bound this afternoon when I came east on I40.

Chris, yes! They were somewhat hidden back inside the tree line. He asked me a lot of questions about what I was hauling, where I picked up, and where I was delivering, after he got my bills in his hand. I told him my trailer wasn't sealed, and that I would be happy to remove the lock, and let him look inside. That seemed to satisfy his curiosity, and he never asked me to remove the lock.

I forgot to add, the level 3 inspection I got was in Tennessee, about an hour and a half east of Nashville.

Early in the week, I ran north thru Charlotte, up to I-40, and then west to Knoxville. There were Smokey's around nearly every turn until I got to the Tennessee line.

I ran back down to South Carolina, dropped a load, picked up another, and headed back thru North Carolina again this morning. Didn't see a single Smokey in North Carolina, but I passed a level 3 on I-40 around 10am. The only thing they checked on my truck were my elogs, and licensing on tractor and trailer. They wanted to see the previous 8 days on the Qualcomm, as well as the time I had left on my 70 and 14. Never asked to see my load tab info.

My guess is, they are getting an early start this year in every state.

Not only should you watch your speed, make sure all your licensing and medical cards are current, and should you find anything that needs fixing during your pre trip, ask your company to send someone out on a road cal,l to fix it on location.

Right now is not the time to be running a couple loads with a minor issue, until it is convenient to get by a company terminal to save the company a few bucks.

Jeff, I realize that you want to get started with the best company possible, as well as earn as much money as you can your first year.

In reality, your first year will serve to establish your safe driving record, as well as prove to yourself and everyone else that you won't give up easily, at the first sign of adversity. You should probably view your first year as something similar to pledging a fraternity, or prospecting for an MC.

You see, those recruiters you spoke with, are talking to a whole bunch of potential recruits, who haven't shown anyone what they are made of. They have simply picked up a telephone, and asked a few questions. Since there is a high attrition rate, they really have no way of knowing who will excel, and who will be a goldbricker. So right now, they probably don't seem to be taking you very seriously.

They don't really need to worry about those details early on. They just know that statistics tell them that out of every group of 30 drivers who attend school, X number will get a license, and 1 year later, X number will still be driving successfully in the industry.

My suggestion would be to make a list of the things you like most about each company, as well as a list of the things you don't. Through process of elimination, simply pick the program that seems to appeal to you the most. Things like tuition incentives, school location, company terminal locations, hiring areas, etc.

Once you have established a 6 month to 1 year driving record, you will then actually be ready to take a serious look at a long list of companies, and actually have some of those companies take a serious look at you.

Remember, right now, the training company you choose holds all the best cards in the game. Once you establish yourself, you will then be holding a few valuable cards, that you can then play to your advantage.

G-Town, the location that I am referring to is in W. Memphis AR, and visible from I-40. I shopped there, but I probably would never spend the night.

A interesting story about a Walmart location. I ended up bobtail one day, and knew there was a Walmart in the vicinity, so I headed over. When I got there, there were the dreaded low clearance bars, blocking the entrance. Not to be discouraged, I decided to find the truck entrance around back, used for deliveries. Since the dock area looked to be all that was available on one end of the building, I decided to cruise thru the back, and see what was available on the other end.

As soon as I came around the corner, there was an area with 4 tractor and trailers, and also a single bobtail parked there. I did my shopping, and when I got ready to leave, I found a hidden entrance that went right past an apartment complex. This entrance was not easy to spot from the main road.

Just like most days in trucking, it pays not to give up easily.

Juan, Lowes can be driver friendly, and they usually have free Wi-Fi, but again, it's wise to ask permission.

Company terminals can sometimes be the only place I consider safe, in some of the larger cities. Our terminal in Marietta is in a great area, with safe shopping and eating fairly close by, including a Twin Peaks location, as well as a Tilted Kilt.

If I get a load offer, that will force me to spend the night in a risky spot, I will usually pass it up. However, sometimes when the customer allows overnight parking, if they have a controlled environment, I will usually consider staying there.

It helps a lot, to have had the experience of servicing a customer during daylight hours, which will give you a sense of knowing how controlled the environment is, and survey their surroundings going in. Once I find out I can overnight park at a particular customer, I will make a mental note of it, and then use it to my advantage at a later time if needed. Kelloggs near Mason Rd in Atlanta is a good example of this. While it is close to the 285 loop, it happens to be in an area where I feel comfortable spending the night.

Also, you can ask some of the customers at random, what kind of neighborhood they are in. Most of them will be upfront about it, and sometimes it will shock you, when they just come right out and tell you that the area is not safe at all.

Since we are not allowed to carry a gun on the job, I make it a priority to avoid criminals, the same way a criminal avoids the police. If you can stay out of sight, you can stay out of mind.