Living out of a Semi

[Motrukdriver]

If you do decided to drive a semi for a living please remember these two words and use them when necessary.   SAFE and LEGAL.  Your dispatcher can not fire you.  Only the dispatch manager or terminal manager or company owner can.  As a matter of fact your dispatcher actually works for YOU.  If they ask or tell you to do something your first thought should always be is this SAFE and LEGAL.  If you can satisfy both of those words then go ahead and do it.  If not then make sure your dispatcher knows what they want you to do is NOT SAFE or NOT LEGAL or BOTH and make sure what they ask you to do is sent over the qualcomm or what ever communication device you use so you have a record of it.  I've gotten dispatchers fired before because of this.  Trucking has a bad name already and bad dispatchers only make it worse.  YOU have the keys to the truck and if YOU decided to drive it then YOU are responsible for anything that happens, not the dispatcher.  If it comes down to either do this or get fired then tell them they will have to fire you.  Remember, they spent a lot of money on you in orientation (advertisements, instructors, medical, etc) and you responded to an ad from them wanting truck drivers so they want you to be there and make money for them.  Go to craigslist and check out the transport section of help wanted.  There is a huge driver shortage in this country and everyone in the industry knows it.  If you have all your ducks in a row regarding why an outfit fired you because of something that was not SAFE or LEGAL then you won't have any problems getting a new job, the next day.  To make it in trucking you need to have two things...  relatively good health and thick skin.  Your health will be challenged and in a big way so if you don't have good health to start off with then..  well I've seen ambulances cart drivers off out of a truck stop parking lot before.  And if you don't have thick skin and can shrug off the things yelled at you then stress is going to invade your life.  I've been cussed out by grandma going to church just because my truck was the same color as a truck that made her mad two weeks ago.  You WILL see things that will haunt you for the rest of your life if you have a soul.

When God made truck drivers

When the Lord was creating Truck Drivers, he was into his sixth day of overtime when an angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."

And the Lord said, "Have you read the spec on this order?"

" A truck driver has to be able to drive 10-12 hours per day, through any type of weather, on any type of road, know the highway traffic laws of 50 states and 10 provinces, he has to be ready and able to unload 40,000 lbs of cargo after driving thru the night, sleep in areas of cities and towns that the police refuse to patrol."

" He has to be able to live in his truck 24 hours a day 7 days a week for weeks on end, offer first aid and motorist assistance to his fellow travelers, meet just in time schedules, and still maintain an even and controlled composure when all around him appear to have gone mad."

" He has to be in top physical condition at all times, running on black coffee and half-eaten meals; he has to have six pairs of hands."

The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands... no way."

It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord, "it's the three pairs of eyes a driver has to have."

"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.

The Lord nodded.

" One pair that sees the herd of deer in the thickets 3 miles away" "Another pair here in the side of his head for the blind spots that motorists love to hide in; and another pair of eyes here in front that can look reassuringly at the bleeding victim of a drunk driver that crashed into his ICC bumper at 70MPH and say,

" ' You'll be all right ma'am,' when he knows it isn't so."

" Lord," said the angel, touching his sleeve, "rest and work on this tomorrow."

" I can't," said the Lord, "I already have a model that can drive 650 miles a day, without incident and can raise a family of five without ever seeing them, on 30 cents a mile."

The angel circled the model of the truck driver very slowly, "Can it think?" ,she asked.

"You bet," said the Lord. "It can tell you the elements of every HAZMAT load invented; recite Federal Motor Carrier Regulations rules and regs in its sleep; deliver, pickup, be a father, offer timely advice to strangers, search for missing children, defend a woman's or children's rights, get 8 hours of good rest on the street and raise a family of Law respecting citizens, without ever going home ... and still it keeps its sense of humor. "

"This driver also has phenomenal personal control. He can deal with delivery and pickup areas created from scenes painted in hell, coax a lumper to actually work for his money, comfort an accident victim's family, and then read in the daily paper how truck drivers are nothing more than killers on wheels and have no respect for the rights of others while using the nations highways."

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the driver. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model."

"That's not a leak," said the lord, "it's a tear."

"What's the tear for?" asked the angel.

"It's for bottled-up emotions, for fallen comrades, for commitment to that funny piece of cloth called the flag, for justice, for the family without its father."

"You're a genius," said the angel.

The Lord looked somber. "I didn't put it there,"


Something to listen to that might shed a little light...        Fred Eaglesmith - Trucker's Speed  

I have diesel for blood now and even with all of this...  I miss it.

 

[debit.servus]

For those who want to OWN their RV, and still want to be PAID MONEY to live on the road, look at becoming an Owner Operator (O/O). You won't save tens of thousands of dollars a year (unless you drive loads all the time), but becoming an O/O minimizes many of the disadvantages of Living Out of a Semi as a company driver. You'll still be considered an Uber frugal RVer.

You'll save money as you'll live in the Semi on your off months, eliminating the expense of a Not For Hire privately owned vehicle. A Semi is the best stealth vehicle in America, so you don't have to spend fuel to boondock. And you'll save even more if you DIY as much of the truck repairs as possible.

Don't fall into the "keep up with the trucking joneses" trap of spending thousands of dollars decking out your Semi, and pay retail for that perfect 120" sleeper box versus one that's used and good enough.

You'll be able to one up your frugal friends and family with the creative synergy of living and working in the same rig, getting PAID MONEY as you drive places with smilin faces! You will have the coolest rig at the RTR with your own Semi tractor!

 

[debit.servus]

RV trucking company could be a good trucking company to start your Uber frugal RV life, 

In front, an RVer PAYS MONEY to live on the road (nothing wrong with that) while the trucker behind the RVer is PAID MONEY to live on the road. If you want cheap RV living there is nothing cheaper than Living Out of a Semi as a company driver! 
 

Seriously, for those looking for the cheapest RV living in America, if not the world become a company truck driver or Owner Operator before the greater frugal RV community catches on and eliminates the truck driver shortage.

 

[debit.servus]

Does anyone know anybody living out of a semi-tractor as a company driver or O/O??

 

[Vesper]

I used to have a customer who drove otr , and on his weeks off,  pulled his van out of storage and lived in it. He seemed to stay local on his time off.
A good deal of consideration is in order to take on any version of a nomadic life. This is a great place to learn from those who have traveled the path we wish to take. Their wisdom doesnt come from innocence, idealism or a balance sheet , but hard won experience.
Where would this nation be without truckers?

 

[John61CT]

> Where would this nation be without truckers?

We're going to be finding out in coming decades.

And since a huge percentage of jobs in many states, sometimes #1 category, figuring out how to deal with the fact that a healthy modern economy no longer needs a large percentage of the population.

 

[CautionToTheWind]

debit.servus said: >Does anyone know anybody living out of a semi-tractor as a company driver or O/O??

I personally got a company paid motel room wherever I went.

The term "living" out of a semi is not particularly a free tone to it. debit.servus, get yourself in the seat to understand it's not a glorified trade to anyone that has spent time rolling down the lane. Everyone I told what I did for a living, "ooohh I would love to do that and see the country." Well *seeing* sure, however not in the context of being free to roam with an idealistic flavor. When I was in my 20's, it was fun...then got old along with me. Being at the mercy at whatever food is provided, that is what most drivers eat. There isn't much time for shopping, sight-seeing, and showering, let alone doing what you want to do working 70 hours in 8 days.

A shortage of drivers for a reason.

There is a recruiter tone to your posts. How can you proport a job without experience? - just curious.

 

[Charlotte's Web]

Rigged. Forced into debt. Worked past exhaustion. Left with nothing

https://www.usatoday.com/pages/inte...ebt-worked-past-exhaustion-left-with-nothing/

Just don't be tempted to say "it couldn't get worse"---sadly, it's bound to.  Much worse.
(Maybe time to sharpen the pitchforks?)

  :s Charlotte

 

[tx2sturgis]

Does anyone know anybody living out of a semi-tractor as a company driver or O/O??

I did know several, and still know a few doing that. Lots of man and wife teams go full time OTR, some even use the home terminal as a legal home address. Or they used to, things have gotten complicated since the REAL ID act.

 

[debit.servus]

...
The term "living" out of a semi is not particularly a free tone to it. debit.servus, get yourself in the seat to understand it's not a glorified trade to anyone that has spent time rolling down the lane. Everyone I told what I did for a living, "ooohh I would love to do that and see the country." Well *seeing* sure, however not in the context of being free to roam with an idealistic flavor. When I was in my 20's, it was fun...then got old along with me. Being at the mercy at whatever food is provided, that is what most drivers eat. There isn't much time for shopping, sight-seeing, and showering, let alone doing what you want to do working 70 hours in 8 days.

A shortage of drivers for a reason.

There is a recruiter tone to your posts. How can you proport a job without experience? - just curious.

I made this thread for those who are looking for the cheaper mobile living in America, those who would consider living out a bicycle or shopping cart to lower their living expenses.

I know that i'll be on the trucking companys scheule and almost all "seeing" of the country will be through the semi tractor windows on someone elses schedule. The only real time I'll have to experience things is during the 36 hour reset and even then the trucking company might demand I stay with the truck. For food I'm going to have lots of Subway for a while as they're the healthiest fast food option in most truckstops, and i'll stock up on snacks, drinks, groceries at real grocery stores. The trucking company better let me sleep 10 hours a night or else I'll prep to jump ship (trucking is an employees market right now, more driver demand than driver supply means employess have leverage over employers) & i'll report them.

For the record I know trucking isn't a vacation and I know it's hard work & miserable at times. I'm working to earn my CDL as I need a job that pays a living wage so I can get ahead in life & afford to live the modest mobile life I want, with a few modest hobbies.

Many have asked "what is the cheapest RV living" and I answered it by thinking outside the box.

If you want to spend $0.00 on housing (or as close to it as possible), want that housing to move more than 1000 miles a year (and don't care for desirable/famous scenic locales), want that housing to contain A/C, Heat, high amounts of power to consume in-house, a real bed you can stretch out on, space and CCC for dishes, clothes, portable toilet, bulk buys, storage, 53" Costco teddy bears etc.; and want shower & toilet access at least every other night, while not having a gym membership; and on top of all that being about to make money with said housing on someone elses schedule - become a company driver for an OTR trucking company.

For those who want to OWN a unconventional RV, and want to be PAID MONEY to live on the road, look at becoming an Owner Operator (O/O). You won't save tens of thousands of dollars a year (unless you drive loads all the time), but becoming an O/O minimizes many of the disadvantages of Living Out of a Semi as a company driver. You'll have the creative uber frugal synergy of living and working in the same rig, getting PAID MONEY as you drive places with smilin faces! You will have the coolest rig at the RTR with your live-in Semi tractor while still being considered an Uber frugal RVer.

You'll save money as you'll live in the Semi on your off months, eliminating the expense of a Not For Hire privately owned RV. A Semi is the best stealth vehicle in America, so you don't have to spend fuel to boondock. You'll be able to equip your semi with a 120" sleeper box, and have a super-space-efficient mini-apartment that rivals the best RV interiors in function & form; or build out the box yourself (Consult with semi-truck sleeper box experts as it's a commercial vehicle) And you'll save even more if you DIY as much of the truck maintence/repairs as possible.

If you a nomadic like me who (wants to) works to LIVE - work a job for more than minimum wage to earn a life, using that money to live life by experiencing desires on your own schedule, and fasttracking medium and long-term goals through sizable income and effective frugality - Seriously look at trucking as it's an employees market right now with base payscale being more than minimum wage. A perk of OTR is you will get to scout out the country for desirable locales, and maybe spend your 36 hour driver reset daytripping a new part of the country. Another big perk as a mobile dweller provided you don't have apartment rent or mortgage payments is you can work and save towards goals or to take months off, banking nearly all of your paycheck living out of the company truck. More times than not you can store the van/RV in the trucking company's surveilled yard, a perk on top of a perk as your work OTR.

TIRED of PAYING MONEY to live on the road out of a van or RV?

Introducing trucking, an overlooked way of getting PAID MONEY to live on the road...

 

[debit.servus]

...
The term "living" out of a semi is not particularly a free tone to it. debit.servus, get yourself in the seat to understand it's not a glorified trade to anyone that has spent time rolling down the lane. Everyone I told what I did for a living, "ooohh I would love to do that and see the country." Well *seeing* sure, however not in the context of being free to roam with an idealistic flavor. When I was in my 20's, it was fun...then got old along with me. Being at the mercy at whatever food is provided, that is what most drivers eat. There isn't much time for shopping, sight-seeing, and showering, let alone doing what you want to do working 70 hours in 8 days.

A shortage of drivers for a reason.

There is a recruiter tone to your posts. How can you proport a job without experience? - just curious.

I made this thread for those who are looking for the cheaper mobile living in America, those who would consider living out a bicycle or shopping cart to lower their living expenses.

I know that i'll be on the trucking companys scheule and almost all "seeing" of the country will be through the semi tractor windows on someone elses schedule. The only real time I'll have to experience things is during the 36 hour reset and even then the trucking company might demand I stay with the truck. For food I'm going to have lots of Subway for a while as they're the healthiest fast food option in most truckstops, and i'll stock up on snacks, drinks, groceries at real grocery stores. The trucking company better let me sleep 10 hours a night or else I'll prep to jump ship (trucking is an employees market right now, more driver demand than driver supply means employess have leverage over employers) & i'll report them.

For the record I know trucking isn't a vacation and I know it's hard work & miserable at times. I'm working to earn my CDL as I need a job that pays a living wage so I can get ahead in life & afford to live the modest mobile life I want, with a few modest hobbies.


Many have asked "what is the cheapest RV living" and I answered it by thinking outside the box.

If you want to spend $0.00 on housing (or as close to it as possible), want that housing to move more than 1000 miles a year (and don't care for desirable/famous scenic locales), want that housing to contain A/C, Heat, high amounts of power to consume in-house, a real bed you can stretch out on, space and CCC for dishes, clothes, portable toilet, bulk buys, storage, 53" Costco teddy bears etc.; and want shower & toilet access at least every other night, while not having a gym membership; and on top of all that being about to make money with said housing on someone elses schedule - become a company driver for an OTR trucking company.


For those who want to OWN a unconventional RV, and want to be PAID MONEY to live on the road, look at becoming an Owner Operator (O/O). You won't save tens of thousands of dollars a year (unless you drive loads all the time), but becoming an O/O minimizes many of the disadvantages of Living Out of a Semi as a company driver. You'll have the creative uber frugal synergy of living and working in the same rig, getting PAID MONEY as you drive places with smilin faces! You will have the coolest rig at the RTR with your live-in Semi tractor while still being considered an Uber frugal RVer.

You'll save money as you'll live in the Semi on your off months, eliminating the expense of a Not For Hire privately owned RV. A Semi is the best stealth vehicle in America, so you don't have to spend fuel to boondock. You'll be able to equip your semi with a 120" sleeper box, and have a super-space-efficient mini-apartment that rivals the best RV interiors in function & form; or build out the box yourself (Consult with semi-truck sleeper box experts as it's a commercial vehicle) And you'll save even more if you DIY as much of the truck maintence/repairs as possible.

If you a nomadic like me who (wants to) works to LIVE - work a job for more than minimum wage to earn a life, using that money to live life by experiencing desires on your own schedule, and fasttracking medium and long-term goals through sizable income and effective frugality - Seriously look at trucking as it's an employees market right now with base payscale being more than minimum wage. A perk of OTR is you will get to scout out the country for desirable locales, and maybe spend your 36 hour driver reset daytripping a new part of the country. Another big perk as a mobile dweller provided you don't have apartment rent or mortgage payments is you can work and save towards goals or to take months off, banking nearly all of your paycheck living out of the company truck. More times than not you can store the van/RV in the trucking company's surveilled yard, a perk on top of a perk as your work OTR.

TIRED of PAYING MONEY to live on the road out of a van or RV?

Introducing trucking, an overlooked way of getting PAID MONEY to live on the road out of a semi tractor...

 

[MattK]

I drove OTR for 7 years with Schneider National in the 90’s. It was great for me then because I was single and in my twenty’s. I saved lots of money then went local hourly for another 5 years with another company out of Baltimore. I’m sure things have changed quite a bit since I was out there and I make way more money as an electrician now working 40 hrs then I could working 70 as a truck driver. That being said if I was ever in danger of becoming homeless I’d sign up right back up. I’d rather sleep in a truck then in the streets for sure. I never understood the economics of owner operators. They were always bragging about how much they grossed but when I asked them how much they netted I always got a blank stare back. My grandfather was a trucker and he warned me not to buy a truck. He said every time he thought he was going to make some money he would need tires or something. The secret to being a trucker I found is to realize that your time has no value to anyone but you and just except the fact that your going to be waiting around all the time. I did a lot of reading in those days. I saw a lot of guys losing it in shipping and receiving offices because of delays and cancellations. If you let it get to you that job will eat you alive.





Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[wfaw112]

Sounds wonderful in theory. I've tried 3 different times to attempt OTR truck driving. Within a two week period, I quit. After this last time, I realized I'm just not cut out for truck-trailer driving especially, OTR. I was anxious the whole time, exhausted, and felt enslaved. Sharing a cramped space with a total stranger aka the trainer was a nightmare. I can't back a trailer worth a damn. I'm still gonna keep my CDL license so that I can drive class B vehicles if the opportunity arises.

I've been living out of my van for a month now and it's a totally different experience.

 

[Motrukdriver]

I always (except for a few short times) owned my truck. When you are paying for a truck you end up making about the same as an experienced company driver. Once the truck is paid off you make more but that "more" needs to be set aside for an engine rebuild since by the time you get a truck paid off you'll be approaching 600k miles. After you do the once over with replacement parts and engine (maybe transmission) rebuild then you can actually make good money. With me it wasn't about making money. It was about the freedom to pick and choose where I wanted to go. I went north in the summer and south in the winter and I fueled where ever I wanted and if I wanted to stay in a place an extra day or so I did with no issues. Company drivers are under forced dispatch and most of the time you are told where to fuel. Drove for 14 years and lived full time in my truck for 5 years. Had all the comforts of home. When I came "home" I just parked the big truck in my paid for reserved parking spot where the little pickup sat waiting and did what ever personal business I needed to get done. In the evening I just headed back to the truck. I hung out there for a few days till I was bored and then called dispatch to get rolling again. My big number was about $140k a year but my accountant got that down as close to zero as possible. Tax liability and all. A good printer and the ability to photoshop is your friend.

 

[tx2sturgis]

 My big number was about $140k a year but my accountant got that down as close to zero as possible.  Tax liability and all.  A good printer and the ability to photoshop is your friend.

For others reading this, that $140k is revenue to the truck.

After all expenses the net pay to an owner operator will be a LOT less.

Yes, an O/O with a paid-for, older truck can do fairly well, if everything goes right most of the time. 

But if you get injured or sick or a have major accident or breakdown, the revenue stops. If the truck is still financed, the payment and insurance must continue to be paid, and they ain't cheap!

 

[HaidaBoy]

Couple of decades ago, I was hired by GT to drive OTR. On my way to Medford, to go out with my trainer, I stopped at a truck stop near Rice HIll for coffee.
Talked to a couple of OTR (old timers), in less than 1/2 hour they had talked me out of OTR driving. They said go ahead if you want to earn minimum wage after all is said and done, with the time spend off duty-not driving and basically being their slave. Not to mention what the mice are doing while the cat is away!
Long story short, I drove locally. And had a better time by my perspective.
Do what you got to do! What else is there?

 

[Motrukdriver]

For others reading this, that $140k is revenue to the truck.

After all expenses the net pay to an owner operator will be a LOT less.

Yes, an O/O with a paid-for, older truck can do fairly well, if everything goes right most of the time. 

But if you get injured or sick or a have major accident or breakdown, the revenue stops. If the truck is still financed, the payment and insurance must continue to be paid, and they ain't cheap!

Very true about revenue to the truck.  I usually spent in the neighborhood of $60k a year just in fuel alone.  It helps A LOT if you can do the basic work on your truck yourself.  That Freightliner dealer in Gary Indiana was charging $125 an hour labor minimum 1 hour and the rest of them were pretty close.   Most of the places I was leased on with had medical insurance coverage available for O/O but it wasn't cheap.  Cheaper than if you went to get it on your own but still a tad pricey.  I paid cash for my first truck and sold it at 2.25 million miles on it.  Still running good too but I couldn't get away from it.  Every time I went "home" I was wrenching on it somewhere.  The last outfit I ran with I was doing a lease purchase but it was an amazing program.  The payment was based solely on mileage so if you took a week off you didn't make a payment or insurance or anything.  Bumper to bumper maintenance was included in the program so I never paid a dime for any repairs. When I retired they gave me a wad of money back on it too and it wasn't fully paid for.  If for some reason I ever had to go back driving again I'd be calling them up right away.  I think they liked me because I was always bring in donuts when I was at the terminal...  hahaha

 

[tx2sturgis]

 I paid cash for my first truck and sold it at 2.25 million miles on it.  Still running good too but I couldn't get away from it.  Every time I went "home" I was wrenching on it somewhere.  

Wow...that's 10 years team operation or close to 20 years running solo...helluva service life for any OTR tractor. I'm assuming that it was probably re-powered once.

Or maybe 2 or 3, in-frames.

Most of our units were leased for 5 years and roughly 600,000 miles, then a full de-service was done, and then sold in the secondary market, with a LOT of life left.

 

[Motrukdriver]

1 in-frame.. 60 series Detroit. Dang thing was bullet proof. They had to do the sleeve epoxy because the previous owner used a lot of water instead of coolant so I had block corrosion between the bore and the sleeve. Never did rebuild the transmission or rears but I used regular gear oil in them and a gallon of Lucas in each one changed out once a year. 1995 Freightliner FLD-120 tall cab with a 13 speed. Got about 10 mpg more or less until everything got switched over to the ULSD and then I dropped about 1 mpg. Only problem I had with that engine was I had the 2 big bolt mount alternator with the adjusting nut thing. The bottom bolt eventually wore a hole thru the front plate where the bull gears were and it leaked oil there pretty bad. I cut a steel pipe and bored out the hole big enough for a force fit and then used JB Weld to hold everything in place. Never leaked again. Ok, I'm gonna have truck dreams tonight I just know it....

 

[Patrick46]

I too ran OTR for many years...but that was back in the 80's, and the job was WAY different back then. Heck, it was downright fun back in those days!!

I had to check in with dispatch by 9am with an update of how/where I was, and how things were going. If I was behind my schedule, I could tell 'em that I was in Evanston, WY, when in fact, I was still back in Casper or Lusk (back at the other end of the state). They had no way of telling where I actually was...nor did they care. I was making my deliveries on time.

There were days when I could drive for 16 hours, and still feel great. But there were some days when I'd only get 100 miles down the road and feel like I was run over! :/ It was up to me at how far I went or not.

I drove a privately owned tractor, that was leased to a national company. I could run as hard or not as hard as I wanted. As long as everybody was in the black at the end of the month, they were happy.
I usually hauled paper from the valley in Wisconsin, out West, usually to L.A., San Fran, or Phoenix. Then I'd haul whatever would fit in the 48' box I was dragging behind me back East, (often to Chicago), and the circle would be complete. I had a great semi-regular run that went out to LA, then up to Seattle, then back home. I liked those runs!
If the company didn't have a load waiting for me to take back to Wis, then I'd check out the load boards in the truckstops, and would often scrounge up loads myself. I got to see a lot of interesting parts of the country this way. I once found 3 back-to-back round trip loads that went from LA, to Bangor, Maine! Back into the dock, get unloaded, and Re-loaded, then hit it for the other end. Do it again at that end, and head back to the opposite coast! Made great money with that run, and loved seeing New England states in the late fall! BREATHTAKING!!!!

To me, (much like the title of this thread) I felt like I was living for free and getting paid to see the country. Back in the 80's, I ricocheted from one end of the country to the other in an International cab-over with my dog. I had a post office box, and my motorcycle was at my buddies house. Life was very simple.

I eventually met my wife and started a family, so I gave up long hauling for local driving. (I wasn't going to have the kids see their dad 1 day every 2 weeks.)

Now, I own and operate my own sign and graphics shop, and 80% of the work I do is truck lettering, so I still get to run a few trucks around the area picking them up and running them back for my customers. It's a unique thing I can offer my special customers, and they love the convenience of not having to shuttle them back and forth themselves. (plus it allows me to play 'truck driver' every once in awhile!)

Things have changed so much for our drivers out there. NOBODY respects driving anymore. We have all these wonderful devices to distract us from the fact that we're driving a 2-ton killing machine! Other drivers are mean, and I can't drive 1/2 hour up the road without getting absolutely pissed at some other clown out on the road.
Plus, with the introduction of these computer-based logbooks, and the new longer hours-of-service regulations...it's a miracle that we don't see more ugly crashes out on our roads these days!

I still have my CDL, and have driven just about every try and brand of truck out there, but will I ever go back to driving professionally??
NEVER!!!

...and I miss it too!