Life on the Road – Trucking News Blog

Drivers, first of all, have you noticed something different this weekend? Think hard now. Anything unusual? Doesn’t there seem to be a lot less traffic on the roads? The truck stops and rest areas, at least where I am, are 1/2 full. I’m certainly not complaining, it’s nice, but kind of strange. Are you under a load this weekend? Or are you sitting in a truck stop somewhere.  I’m at the Flying J in Perrysburg, OH. I just dead headed 480 miles from Beltsville, MD to pick a load (on Monday morning) going 778 miles to Pine Bluff AR.  So far this September I have averaged about 1250 miles a week. I have worked for this carrier for 4 1/2 years and have NEVER gone that far MT, nor have my miles been that low. In the flatbed sector, you have 4 carriers fighting to book 1 (regional) load.  I can also tell by the way we’re all driving, we’re angry about a lot of things. There’s a lot of truckers tailgating and cutting off other truckers. And as far as I can ascertain, based on the driver “chatter”,  that a lot of us are still very much undecided. What about you?

Obama and Biden vs. McCain and Palin. Barr? This morning when you woke up, you heard that a Marriot Hotel was blown up by terrorists in Pakistan. President Bush is going to try to push Congress to approve a credit and mortgage industry bailout with about $700 billion of your money. Russia is whining, again, probably because they need attention, again  We still don’t know the condition of the N. Korean dictator, Kim Jong-Il. There’s a lot going on in Africa, but nobody cares. Galveston is cleaning up. Houston doesn’t have all its power restored. OJ is on trial. Gen. Petraeus left Baghdad for Tampa. Train engineers are text messaging and allegedly running red lights. And I really didn’t know what the Bush Doctrine was either.

Sen. McCain said at the beginning of the week that “The foundations of our economy are strong” and it seemed everyone in the media castigated him. But, of course he was right. Despite a deepening recession, truckers are trucking – perhaps just not as much as in the past, but we’re still rolling. And everything else just keeps moving forward, almost as if nothing was really wrong. Wal-Mart’s are still crowded, planes are flying and people are still moving around, getting new jobs and buying homes. And that’s why McCain was right. And, I believe, Obama was wrong.  In fairness, I don’t expect either of them or Palin or Biden to have the best plan to get us out this mess.  Jesse Jackson was on CNN the other day being interviewed about the “crisis” and frankly, I barely could understand what he was saying. Let’s not forget, all of these folks are human, let’s cut ‘em some slack.

Let’s talk about the media a second. Sean Hannity said the other day that “Journalism is dead.” He’s right. One talking head today on FOX said about one of the candidates, I forget which,  that he: “Possesses a set of principles that’s right in the wheel house of the American people.” Huh? What is he talking about? I don’t think much of the media even knows what it’s talking about or reporting on anymore. After this week I’m convinced the media feels completely uncomfortable reporting on “intelligent” stuff like the financial markets and the war. They’re much more comfortable with train crashes, cosmetics on farm animals and “quickies” on the latest gas prices.  When did you hear or see an accurate report about the war that we’re still very much fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan? How is it, when the media characterizes themselves as being so “powerful”, they cannot get regular news conferences with the candidates and ask “real” questions? The “fair and balanced” media is being “managed” by party staffers and fed “soundbites” custom crafted for the nightly news based on the hot button of the day.  The only thing I’ve heard that makes any sense by the media is Cal Thomas today saying; “Politicians are like supermarket goods – they need to come with an expiration date – let’s get them all out of office before they spoil.”

I’ve heard little talk or debate about social security, our crumbling infrastructure, the airline and auto industry, and our business – trucking. Does Obama or McCain have any clue about hours of service, the lack of parking nationwide or why the heck a trucker in Ohio dead heads 480 miles to try to earn a decent paycheck to support his family. Does either candidate know that we’re still classified as “unskilled” labor?What about “us” not getting paid while we sit at shippers and receivers for hours on end not getting paid. Forget all their plans, smiles, signs – no more soundbites, no commissions, no God Bless America we’re going to be fine – just a real straight answer for one, please.

So with about 40 days left until the election, I’m very much undecided. I envy anyone who has already made up their mind who they’re voting for. Elsewhere on the net, one union trucker said he wasn’t going to vote for Obama because “He needed to stand up for his own kind.” Another driver said Obama: “Was going to get rid of all Homeland Security.” Another said, this time against McCain – he “Doesn’t want 8 more years of Bush.” I can only hope that these folks think a little harder before they enter the voting booth. I know I will.

So, let us know what you think. I just had to move to another parking space. As I told you there’s plenty available tonight. The truck next to me was running his APU and from its exhaust pipe came spewing out so much “pollution” that I had trouble breathing. He might as well turn off the APU and run his engine. After I moved, another truck parked right next to me. It was a flatbed load of white onions. I only hope I don’t wake up in the middle of the night crying.