Comments By Deb R.

Maybe he was picking up scale tickets for the trading cards that come with 'em.

I use Rand McNally GPS, I like it because it's what I'm used to. I could not rely on my phone or ELD device, since both use the internet, and I loose signal in places. Typically, I go to the same stops, but for new ones, I always look at a satellite view on Google to check out a few miles around the destination.

I would like to read this, but apparently, I have already read my "one free article" from The New Yorker. I can subscribe at the price of $6 for 3 months (not bad), but then it auto-renews at $117 for a year - and I tend to forget about cancelling before the auto-renewal kicks in. That's how they get ya!

Deb, you are exactly right about the marketing thing.

Potato King? Are you from the Stevens Point area?

Potato King is located in La Crosse (Wisconsin).

I would like to read this, but apparently, I have already read my "one free article" from The New Yorker. I can subscribe at the price of $6 for 3 months (not bad), but then it auto-renews at $117 for a year - and I tend to forget about cancelling before the auto-renewal kicks in. That's how they get ya!

I got my CDL training at the Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, then went to work for HO Wolding, who reimbursed my tuition cost. The college had some kind of arrangement with Schneider to train people, so that may be an option for you. Seems to me you should be able to find something that would work out as a summer gig, maybe not a "dream job", but just get your foot in the door somewhere.

If given the choice, I avoid crowed truck stops like the plague. My feeling is that if I'm ever gonna get hit, that's where it's most likely to happen. Late afternoon/early evening, those places are total s**t shows, and I want no part of it.

"Ask a Veteran Driver" is very good. Respectful posts (moderators will kick out the bad apples), help with all sorts of questions. Very educational.

"Tackling the unknown truckers with pets helping each other" was started at the beginning of the pandemic when we did not know if rules for pets would change; it has morphed into a small-ish group of people who share general info. on things we encounter in trucking, and life style issues (diet / exercise / mental health, etc.)

"Daily Forecast and Road Conditions for Truckers" is excellent! Upcoming weather for the nation, and people post current conditions where they are - weather, accidents, construction, you name it. Super helpful for trip planning.

My company regularly picks up bananas in Freeport, Texas. There are a few drivers who run that exclusively, and they have TWIC cards. Occasionally, I get sent there, and my company pays $80 to the escort truck to get let in. Google says a TWIC card costs $125.25 and is good for 5 years, so I don't know why the company doesn't just have me get one, although then I might need to go there more frequently, and I HATE driving that Dallas/Houston corridor! So, money-wise, if you need to get into a port more than once in 5 years, it makes sense to get the card. Time-wise, a TWIC card will get you in much quicker. I really don't see a downside to it. And FYI, having an escort does not assure that you will get through the port with no issues . . . my first time, I thought the escort was waving me to turn into a scale . . . it was NOT where I was supposed to go . . . eye yey eye, what a fiasco . . .

Oh yeah, I also have a pair of waterproof boots (Bogs) that have saved the day more than once!

I wear jeans and t-shirts, with a fleece jacket that I can use as needed, and a waterproof windbreaker, tennis shoes or hiking shoes. That's it, unless it's super cold and I need a winter jacket. I sometimes wear sweatpants in the truck, but found that I feel too "sloppy" if I wear them outside of the truck.