Posted: 7 months ago
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Turning in my truck and going on FMLA
I'm going to second what Steve L. said about staying ahead of the pain & doing the PT. My BIL tried to "tough it out" by not taking the pain meds as prescribed, then it hurt too much to do the PT work, and as a result, he had a much harder time recovering. Follow the Drs. orders!
Posted: 7 months, 2 weeks ago
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Some things will vary depending on your situation - for instance, I never need 5th wheel grease because I hook to a trailer at the yard, out for 7 days, then drop trailer at the yard, and the shop does the grease.
I second BK's suggestion for binos, in addition to reading signs at customers, they are great for animal watching.
In the pocket on my drivers door, I keep an old dish soap squeeze bottle that I fill with clean water, along with a bottle of foaming pump hand soap. Along with an old hand towel through the door handle - it's my hand wash station - washing my hands before getting in the truck goes a long way to keeping things clean inside the truck.
Some basic first aid things, bandaids, aspirin, peroxide.
Water. I have saved gallon size vinegar jugs, and fill them up with water when I'm home. I typically take along a gallon per day + 1, so 8 gallons for a week.
A few random pieces of 2x4 wood, I just scavenge those when I see 'em, 6" pieces or such have come in handy along the way, good if I need to add vertical height to a load lock.
A bottle of rubbing alcohol. Useful if the trailer air line gets some moisture in the winter.
A basic set of clothes for all conditions you may encounter; rain, snow, hot, cold. Depends on where you run, but it's crazy how much the weather varies for OTR drivers.
Some amount of food with shelf life; protein bars, protein powder, peanut butter, crackers, canned soup/vegetables - you may get stuck somewhere for a while, and it's best to be prepared.
Posted: 8 months, 4 weeks ago
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I sometimes hand wash a few items. The safety net for the top bunk sticks up against the back wall, I just fling things over that and everything dries overnight.
Posted: 9 months ago
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I went to Technical College at age 57 to learn how to drive a semi and get my CDL. I've been driving OTR now for just shy of 9 years. There is no age barrier, no gender barrier.
Posted: 9 months, 3 weeks ago
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The Platte river is right there, if you can find a local outfitter for canoe/kayak rental, that shuttles you out and back, that would be fun.
Posted: 9 months, 3 weeks ago
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I started out cooking in the truck, but like you said, did not appreciate having it smell like a greasy spoon in there. So I did exactly what you've got set up - a tv tray with an electric frypan. I did that a few times, and got tired of the hassle factor. Now that I have a 7-day turnaround, I can premake meals at home, and just heat stuff up in the microwave. Still make salads in the truck though. If you are on FB, there is a group called "Big Trucks Cooking", and you can see the wide variety of things people cook up while OTR.
Posted: 10 months ago
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Bonehead mistakes in my first week solo OTR
When I think back on some of the bonehead things I have done, it amazes me. Your "trip to Mexico" made me laugh; I somehow got into the line of traffic waiting to board the QE2 cruise ship when I was supposed to be at the shipyards. La-la-la . . . When I make a mistake, I reflect and ask myself "okay, what did I learn from this?", and move on from there.
Posted: 10 months ago
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The push is from leftist doctrine that hates internal combustion engines, independent individuals and personal freedom, in short, Marxists.Ooooh! Can I play too?
The Right hate science, want our prisons filled with minorities, would like to give guns to any lunatic who wants one, and would love to spit in the face of Immigrants who are not from Northern European countries.
Did I do good? I'm not sure bc I'm kind of new to using such broad strokes to paint an image of people who do not think exactly like I do. Plus I know the comment I just made is utterly ridiculous.
Thanks for saying something with just the right amount of sarcastic wit. I hate the "broad brush" comments that are made on both sides of the aisle.
Posted: 10 months, 3 weeks ago
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My default state is pretty chill, and I usually laugh at stupid things that people do rather than get mad. However, I find that if I am spending much time around angry people (in person or on the phone), I tend to absorb that negativity, I get kinda surly, and I definitely end up with a lot more cursing in my vocabulary, even in my thoughts. So maybe try to be aware of who you associate with, because they rub off on ya.
Posted: 6 months, 3 weeks ago
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PSA, DO NOT ASSUME THE FEMALE DRIVER NEEDS OR WANTS YOUR HELP
My bottom line, as RealDiehl said: