Life on the Road – Trucking News Blog

There is a point in every OTR truckers life that he or she must get away – far away – from being on the road. A person can only take so much of everything “trucking” that is thrown at them. That being the rules, regulations, personalities, safety and fuel managers, truck stops, rest areas, stupid drivers, shippers, receivers, brokers and so on and so forth. Enough becomes enough and it just becomes time to park the truck and walk away, if only for a week or so.

So with that thought in mind, I had waited well over three weeks for my company to figure out how to get me home. I was not aware until the very last minute that this was even going to be possible. And the stress of that alone was enough to almost push me over the edge of whatever sanity I had left. You know what we all go through sitting around the house waiting on a load – well reverse that – sitting in a truck stop somewhere waiting 3 days to get a load home, knowing full well that the QUALCOMM could beep with a trip going in the opposite direction from where your loved ones are expecting you to be.

OK so I got home – completely wasted. Fast forward 24 hours later. I’m sitting in the “aft” deck smoking/bar lounge of the Carnival cruise ship Sensation sailing toward Freeport & Nassau in the Bahamas. And like the true iconoclast that I claim to be – in complete defiance of American foreign policy – I’m puffing a truly remarkable Ramon Allones, a premium cigar produced on the island of Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company. No toothpicks here baby.

Have you ever gone on a cruise? Thank goodness for two incomes. That’s the only way we could afford it. Leave Sunday – back at 7 AM on Thursday. Did someone tell you that you gain weight on a cruise because of all the food. That’s pure nonsense. Because if you’re not eating – baked Alaska, tiramisu, shrimp, duck, lamb or the many other delicacies offered, you are walking – everywhere. If you’re the “typical” trucker – not accustomed to getting out of your butt numbing Bostrom seat – you will get blisters on your feet. Between your stateroom to anywhere on the ship – on shore to your tour to the beach to the bus to the taxi in and out of the casino to the spotless odor-free bathrooms or the gift shops and back to the dining room – you will have easily walked MILES! A 5-10 mile walk a day would not be exaggerating how much you will walk. By the last day I had dropped two belt holes. By the way, the drink pictured to the left, from the famous restaurant Senor Frogs, is called a “Blowjob.” I have no clue why, but it was really good!

I will be telling you more about truckers cruisin’ in later posts. But before I close, whatever cruise or cruise line you choose, you will get completely immersed in the experience. This was my second cruise – we have another one booked for next February – a three day cruise to nowhere. You will meet people from every city and country in the world, waited on hand and foot, sleep in the most comfortable bed with the finest linens, eat incredible exotic food, hear absolutely no discussion about the economy or how the Democrats or Republicans ruined whatever – all while your floating hotel silently glides through the clear blue seas at about 13 knots. And finally, if you stay away – like I said in my last Christmas post – from the chrome shops and save a little each week in an envelope, you too can easily discover your own total immersion.

*** I took all the photos in the post. The first one is on the beach at Freeport. Most of the island, also known as the Grand Bahamas, was damaged by two major hurricanes back in 2004. There is still extensive damage throughout the island and poverty is quite evident in many of the sections we drove through.  The second photo was taken about 5 PM at sea between Freeport and Nassau – most of the sunbathers had gone below to change for the first dinner seating at 6pm. The third photo is the drink I spoke of. The fourth and last photo is the “animal” towel that is left on your bed when it is turned down every night while you are at the shows. A different animal every  night. You also get two chocolates and your ice bucket is refilled for a nightcap.