As I was walking back to my truck after going into the truck stop to go to the bathroom, get a soda, and a snack, I had a flashback of sorts back to the days when I was in trucking school. The flashback was triggered by a truck pulling out of the fuel island with his fan going in combination with the time of day. Back when I was in truck school, the day started at 5am in the morning while it was still dark. I remember how in awe I was to the sound the engine in the rigs, all of the lights on them, the smell of diesel and rubber, the smell of the asphalt, the sheer size of the rigs. I remember how I thought to myself, "My God, these things are so big, and so powerful, how could I ever control one of these things, how special is the person that does?", and for a brief moment I was brought back to this mind frame. At the time things like the economy, crappy freight rates, fuel costs, and the overall life on the road as it is for real, was far from my mind. I was enthralled with sheer amazement at these machines.
Over time the smells just blend in, and you don't even notice it, the sight of the lights seem to diminish, the sounds of the engine, and the sound of air escaping from the brakes seem to fade into the background. The rig no longer seems so big, and in fact everything else just seems super small. Controlling it is no harder then driving your car, and in fact driving a car is much more uncomfortable because it is so small. The truck never seems to have enough power when you are climbing that hill at 40 miles an hour. Your thoughts are about hoping the next load has a descent rate, that the fuel prices will drop or be cheaper at the next fuel stop, hoping that when you get to the consignee that there will be a load to get you somewhere else because the economy is so shot. You always look for the next best thing to make living life on the road easier.
This little flashback has given me a nice refreshing mind state and a reminder to try to look at truckin' like I did when I first started!
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I hate them Douchebags who don't turn off the engine fan driving through the parking lots. It's common courtesy to avoid stirring up lots of dust. And if there's no fan switch, turn off the AC for a minute, you won't die - you'll feel better by being courteous to others.
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