Good Morning to One and All, Hope this finds everyone happy and headed home for Thanksgiving, if possible. Since I was told about this site, I have read quite a number of interesting posts. There is one that I have not seen, but maybe, it could be, no one cares to know, I do.

O.K., I think we can all agree that today’s Truck Drivers are a very diverse group of folks. We have men, women, big people, little people, husky (fat) people – ME, skinny people, etc. We got masters of the English language and some that can barely talk any American at all.

Point is, 1) Where do all these folks come from? 2) What did they do before? 3) Why on earth would any sane person want to be a Truck Driver? Think about it, life on the road, living out of your truck, away from family and friends, driver managers, shippers, dock workers, scales, highway patrol, and the worst, 4 wheelers.

I’m curious and want to know, do you?

I’ll go first: 1) San Diego, CA 2) Navy USS Merrill (DD976) – ’86 to ’93 // Local Driver -- ’93 to 01/15 // Headed out OTR – 01/15 – Now 3) Simple, I'm 54, I have seen more of the world outside the USA than I have seen inside this great country. Daughter is now grown and on her own. I’m single, nothing tying me down, ready to see America. I'll let trucking pay my way. Best part, I don't have anywhere to be, so I'll enjoy the ride. Simple

All right, How about you?

I’ll go first: 1) San Diego, CA 2) Navy USS Merrill (DD976) – ’86 to ’93 // Local Driver -- ’93 to 01/15 // Headed out OTR – 01/15 – Now 3) Simple, I'm 54, I have seen more of the world outside the USA than I have seen inside this great country. Daughter is now grown and on her own. I’m single, nothing tying me down, ready to see America. I'll let trucking pay my way. Best part, I don't have anywhere to be, so I'll enjoy the ride. Simple

All right, How about you?

You were on a destroyer for 3 years, man I thought 3 years was long :)

1) San Diego 2) Navy - LCC-19, CVN-72, DDG-53 (Plankowner), Somalia, Okinawa, few other places 3) Like you have nothing really tying me down, so getting my finances in order to relocate out of this expensive state earn my CDL and travel the roads of this great country of ours.

1) Born in WVa-Lived in the Lynchburg, VA area since I was 7 weeks old. 2) Worked newspaper production for 12 years, fast food management for 4 years, Distribution Center receiving Control Clerk for the last 5. 3) Now that I'm 43 with no retirement and nothing keeping me tied down. I need to make some money so I can eventually retire. So I (and my dog, see avatar) want to pack up and pretty much live OTR trucking for the next 7 to 10 years and retire in my early 50's. I have little debt and I feel that if I save save save and devote my time to trucking I will be able to do just that. I want to save up enough to buy a small piece of land, dig a well and septic, and build a greenhouse and a very small house with a solar panel. I start Prime school in Springfield on Monday, 11/30/15.

I’ll go first: 1) San Diego, CA 2) Navy USS Merrill (DD976) – ’86 to ’93 // Local Driver -- ’93 to 01/15 // Headed out OTR – 01/15 – Now 3) Simple, I'm 54, I have seen more of the world outside the USA than I have seen inside this great country. Daughter is now grown and on her own. I’m single, nothing tying me down, ready to see America. I'll let trucking pay my way. Best part, I don't have anywhere to be, so I'll enjoy the ride. Simple

All right, How about you?

You were on a destroyer for 3 years, man I thought 3 years was long :)

1) San Diego 2) Navy - LCC-19, CVN-72, DDG-53 (Plankowner), Somalia, Okinawa, few other places 3) Like you have nothing really tying me down, so getting my finances in order to relocate out of this expensive state earn my CDL and travel the roads of this great country of ours.

Before i start, what years were you in? Let me correct myself as to my Naval Career. 1 year and 2 months in school, Mare Island, Vallejo, CA, 4 months in schools in Virginia Beach, VI, 2 months in school Charleston, SC 2 years and 6 months stationed in Naples, Italy. Saw Rome, Pompeii, Sicily, Mt. Vesuvius, Palermo, Pisa, Florance, Venice, Frankfurt Germany, Rota Spain 2 years and 6 months on board the USS Merrill (DD976), San Diego, CA I left the Navy as DS1, Data Systems Tech, Petty Officer First Class. Honorable Discharge

Funny I meant to say "on a destroyer for 30 years", but you saw what I meant. Was in from '90-'02. I was on Blue Ridge during the first Gulf War, a booter right out of Radioman 'A' School. Once we got of the bus in Yokosuka, the base CDO ordered us to call someone back at the states to let them know we wouldn't be able to contact them for "weeks" (this was before email of course). Went to Precomm duty in San Diego, then Bath to be bring DDG-53 to her homeport and commission here in '93', did some special comms duties (Somalia and one other "place"). Went to TSCOMM school and was in Okinawa with P-3 squadron. Was on CVN-72 from 97-99 and my final duty station was NCTS San Diego. Left Navy as RM1, had orders to Gaeta, but got a good job offer working as contractor with SPAWAR, been doing it pretty much ever since. So been in and around Navy since the time I walked into recruiting office in '89.

Funny I meant to say "on a destroyer for 30 years", but you saw what I meant. Was in from '90-'02. I was on Blue Ridge during the first Gulf War, a booter right out of Radioman 'A' School. Once we got of the bus in Yokosuka, the base CDO ordered us to call someone back at the states to let them know we wouldn't be able to contact them for "weeks" (this was before email of course). Went to Precomm duty in San Diego, then Bath to be bring DDG-53 to her homeport and commission here in '93', did some special comms duties (Somalia and one other "place"). Went to TSCOMM school and was in Okinawa with P-3 squadron. Was on CVN-72 from 97-99 and my final duty station was NCTS San Diego. Left Navy as RM1, had orders to Gaeta, but got a good job offer working as contractor with SPAWAR, been doing it pretty much ever since. So been in and around Navy since the time I walked into recruiting office in '89.

Funny, as soon as you mentioned P-3s, I wondered? In Italy, I was stationed at the Naval Support Activity, Naples, Italy. I was attached to CTF-67, working for a 2 star Admiral, Admiral Gallo. We controlled all the P-3s in the Mediterranean and what they were looking for. Are you familiar with the "FHLT" comms system. Back then it was a cutting edge, real time, mainframe system. When I left it was being replaced by HP PC networks. Stay Safe out there..

Naw we used SIMON (Statistical Intelligent Multiplexer On Network).