Roses in the snow

Here we go again: ’Tis the season to be jolly – that is, if you are going to make it home for Christmas. The maneuvering, scheming, begging is in full swing. Get me home!Not a big predicament for local and most regional drivers, but it can be a real problem for the long-haul irregular route guys and gals. I’ve been there. On the last business day, things are looking bleak, waiting for that last

Colorado ‘zipper’ a bad option

Travel eastbound along Interstate 70 on Sunday evenings in Colorado can be particularly troublesome for truckers. Throngs of skiers returning from a weekend on the slopes are blamed for slowdowns along a 15-mile portion of the roadway on the Front Range.Possible solutions are plentiful, but funding for a fix is not. A stopgap solution entails the Colorado Department of Transportation getting to

Snowstorm at Snowshoe

Last week, I read where a Chicago truck driver was ticketed for three violations in a five-vehicle collision. The guy was ticketed driving too fast for conditions, improper lane usage, and unlawful possession of a radar detector in a commercial vehicle. No one was hurt, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a mess for some people. Hey, it’s slip-slidin’ icy out there – will you slow it down?As you’ve

Payback time

Some people won’t like this, but let me say that Pittsburgh, PA, is my least favorite destination except for New York City, and I’ve always refused to go there so it don’t count. I have been to Pittsburgh 15 times in my career, and of those I’ve probably been lost more than 20 times.Now, if you have been out there trailer trucking for any time at all, it’s a given that you’ve had it stuck to you

Trash talking and troop challenges

It wouldn’t be the annual OOIDA Truckers for Troops week if the challenges didn’t get tossed around. This year is certainly no exception.One challenge that has escalated over the years is the Troop Challenge. Here’s how that came about. A couple of years ago OOIDA employees fielding calls started a tradition for veterans joining or renewing memberships with the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers

December 7

The day that Pearl Harbor was attacked, my dad was a 19-year-old air combat crewman in the U.S. Navy, stationed in San Diego. He had enlisted in May 1941 and was in training as a bombardier. On Dec. 7, 1941, the training ended. The real deal was on.Dad grew up in Independence, MO, a town that has got plenty of national attention, thanks to Harry S. Truman. Harry would, of course, become

Winter driving from a straw hat driver’s point of view

It’s amazing how I’ve looked at trucking in winter conditions the past 10 years or so, as opposed to 30 or 40 years ago. I can remember times when I was home for the weekend and snowstorms moved in and I couldn’t wait till it was time to go. Just so you know, any kind of random testing hadn’t been thought of yet, but I would have passed.One time on a union job with a private carrier, my boss said

Have blizzard bag will travel

Winter time is here and it doesn’t take much – a slick road, a gust of wind or you or someone else doing something stupid like going too fast for conditions – to put you in the ditch. Nobody wants to pay $2,000 to get a $900 load pulled out.Actually, that two grand number could be a best-case scenario. That’s assuming you didn’t tear up your truck, cause property damage, or take someone out with