Another tanker story from the "Chemical Brothers" archives.
No this isn't[bost_uid4]PUBLIC DOMAIN[/bost_uid4]

A nice warm July morning in Baltimore, and the promise to go home. Well, not quite, all such hopes were dashed when the travel agent came running out of his cave acting like a wildman and yelling at my dear brother and I to hook up to a tank and come back and see him. With all the hooking and pretripping completed, I wandered back into the dispatch office, where the travel agent threw a packet with blank paperwork at me and told me to take my brother and the truck and head out to interstate 95 north. I tried to ask him what was the big deal, but got a response that I can't repeat here! I love secret missions!

Well, we got out on 95 and headed north. We drove for about 15 minutes when traffic came to a stop, nothing new for Baltimore. We sat for about 5 minutes, when a voice came over the CB "*******, are you empty??" I answered him and I looked in the mirror and saw a Maryland Highway patrolperson behind us. "Good, I'm giving you an escort!"
I looked at my brother and all he asked was "What did you do now??" I shrugged my shoulders "I swear I didn't do a thing, I was just conveniently located at the scene of the crime!!"

The officer gave us an escort around the backup and led us to the cause of all the trouble, another ******* tank wagon had split open and was leaking. I didn't pay much attention to the broken tank, I was more interested in the placard. The skull and cross bones definetly stood out! My brother and I looked at each other and at the same time said "Phosphoric Acid!"

We had to unload that tank into ours, everything was going fine. That was until I got a cold refreshing Coke out of the cooler and stood by the tractor drinking it. A Haz-Mat cop saw me and absolutley went crazy. This young lady started yelling and screaming at me. Everyone within twenty feet of the site heard her! I asked what her problem was. She just kept yelling at me "Don't you know that is dangerous!!!!"
I told her it wasn't, but she just went right on yelling. Finally her supervisor came over to bring some peace to this somewhat one sided confrontation. He asked me why I was drinking the Coke and I told him I was thirsty. He then asked me wasn't I aware of the chemical and I told him I was.
This went on for five minutes, when I showed the supervisor the Coke bottle and asked him to read the ingredients and would he please read them out loud. He did, until he got down
towards the bottom of the label "Phosphoric Acid!" I took the bottle back and said "Yes, people drink the sh*t!!" "Now, would kindly get your subordinate out of my way so we can finish?!?!?!?"

My brother and I ended up making the delivery and didn't get home for another three weeks!
Such the life of a professional driver

 

Yet another tale from the [bost_uid0]Chemical Brothers[/bost_uid0] archives!

My brother paid a visit yesterday and he told me that he was writing his memoirs. His son has something to do with this. So in honour of the memoir, I post this..Yes, it's in the book!

After 2 years of running team, the company decided to split my brother and I up. The logic to this was why have two good drivers in the same truck, when they each can have a truck, can't argue with warped logic.
I had to give up the Freightliner and was given a new Volvo, what a let down!
The first dispatch out as seperate drivers we loaded at the same chemical plant with the exact same load going to Newark, NJ. I went to Sherwin Williams and he went to Benjamin Moore, which were next to each other. We really didn't think much of it at the time. When the trucks were empty we headed to the terminal in Carteret,NJ laid over that night and received our dispatches in the AM. Again, we loaded at the same Chemical plant, had the same type of chemical going to the same place in Illinois! I asked my brother if he noticed something odd, all he could say was "Don't try to figure them out!" Good logic!
After we had loaded we hauled ass across I-80 conversing on our ham radios. When we got to the plant in Illinois, the guard at the gate was not amuzed when we signed in. This gentleman thought we were messing with his head. After a long conversation with the NJ dispatcher he let us in the gate.
Unloading completed, we drove to Joliet and checked in with dispatch. We couldn't get a load out that evening, so we headed to the motel.
Next morning the dispatcher called the motel, talked to my brother and after a long breakfast we went back to the terminal. Barbara, the very lovely dispatcher, gave us our loads, you guessed, it same customer same load going to the same place Baton Rouge,La. My brother and I looked at each other and I asked Barbara what was going on and she said that since we came in together we might as well leave together. I looked at my brother and said "We're a TEAM in seperate trucks!" Remember what I said about logic!

We chased each other to Baton Rouge and that is where we split up. I went to Gulf,La and loaded some nasty looking blue chemical and took off for NC. I didn't find out where my brother was going.
After unloading I drove back to the Wilmington,NC terminal, which was my domicile. I was talking to a couple of friends on my ham radio, when I heard a voice say "You just never know who's listenin'!" My brother got a load back to Wilmington, so we had come full circle.

It didn't take long before the entire company knew about the [bost_uid0]CHEMICAL BROTHERS[/bost_uid0] the team in seperate trucks!

This is for you brother

 

Dr. Who, I gotta tell ya, I really enjoy reading your stories. I can't wait til the book comes out.

 

Thank you Silver Bullet, Now I know at least one person is reading them...If I keep posting the stories I may not have a book to publish :0

Thanx again

 

These two date back before the [bost_uid0]CHEMICAL BROTHERS[/bost_uid0]

The first: Going to Brooklyn just to get a hotdog!
My dear brother called me on a Sunday afternoon in a state of panic. He had to go to Brooklyn to make a delivery, he had never been to the "big" city in a truck! He told me that dad couldn't go. I agreed to go with him since I really didn't have much planned for Monday.
Monday morning and I'm standing on Woodbridge Ave with a cup of coffee in my hand waiting for the brother to arrive. I had waited about a hour when I saw his truck, a long nose Peterbilt and 48 ft trailer. I thought about it for minute or so and just shook my head. The name on the truck also got my curiousity up. "Glass Container Transport?" " Are you hauling glass?"
He said no and that he had auto parts in the trailer and the load was going to A warehouse off of Metropolitan Ave in Brooklyn. I didn't say a word!
The ride in was rather uneventful, that was until we got to the warehouse. One way street the wrong way, got to blind side it. Brother had never done it, I told him to go up the street turn around and come back down the wrong way.
Three hours later he was unloaded and we were on our way. He asked me to drive out. As we were rolling down the Avenue he made a comment about how much he wanted to try a New York hotdog. Well, I locked the brakes up and steered the truck towards the curb stopping in front of a hotdog vendor. The vendor just shook his head and my brother just stared at me. I told him I wanted mine with mustard and kraut and a Coke!

The second story: First trip to California!
Another phone call, but not on Sunday. My brother was going to Tracy California with a load of Indulin, a brown nasty looking goo! He asked if he should go across I-80. I told him he was crazy if he was coming from Wilmington NC. I told him to go straight across I-40 and when he got to Barstow turn right and head up California highway 58 and that will take him to California 99 and then to I-205 then go into Tracy.
About 5 days later I get a call from him and he was quite upset. I asked him what the matter was. All he said was "YOU FORGOT TO MENTION TEHACHAPI!!!"
I looked at my wife and said "oops!" To say he was a bit upset would be an understatement. I told him that I did mention that little detail.
He swears to this day I never told him!

Well, a couple of years later The Chemical Brothers ended up going to Tracy via the same route, guess who ended up driving Tehachapi??



Edited By Doctor Who on Nov. 21 2002 at 10:09

 

[color=#8D38C9ost_uid12]I got a call from the "older" half of the Chemical Brothers and I hate to say this, but his health has deteriorated. He has had a bad heart for sometime, but was not discovered until 2 years ago. He was having trouble staying awake while his driving I had noticed it when we were running team and on one occasion he almost ran us off a bridge. There were other signs, but I couldn't figure the problem out. This is one of the other reasons we split as a team. I left the company and he stayed on until he was dragged to a heart specialist and the heart condition was discovered. From what I understand the heart has three major vessels running over the top of it, his only has a half of one and the other two are almost non-existent! What a shock, I feel bad because I can't do a bloody thing to help him!

He's to the point now he can only sit at the computer for 30 minutes before he gets worn out, he pushes himself to drive to NC to see his children and stop by here and the trip takes its toll on him!
He is going to Charleston in January to see if he is a candidate for a heart transplant and then get put on the list.

Sorry this isn't an amusing story, but I figured it would be a good place to pay a tribute to the older brother[/colorost_uid12]

 

[color=#810541ost_uid0]Sorry to hear that about your brother. Our thoughts and prayers go out to him. Maybe he will be put on the list and won't have to wait very long.
Are you going to be with over the holidays? Sounds like you are close!!! We should all value every second we have with our love ones. We take so much for granted.
Does he ever visit us here?[/colorost_uid0]

 

[color=#8D38C9ost_uid0]Thank you for the kind words

Yes we have become real close in the past 30 years or so.

It's a long story, but I didn't know I had an older brother until I was about 6 or so....

As far as the Christmas holiday, the family and I are heading to NJ. The XYL is doing all the driving since I'm not supposed according to the medical professional(?)

I'm not sure if he checks this site, I've told him he should.
Who knows he may have to, just to defend himself against the Chemical Brothers stories!!! :madnoel:[/colorost_uid0]

 

[color=#8D38C9ost_uid0]Time for another story......

The wife and I were watching some awful talk show this afternoon dealing with Cheating and all the other "Jerry Springer" type garbage. I made a rude comment about how drinking 10 shots of Jack Daniels and 4 shots of Tequila and any woman would look good!
The wife looked at me a said "Is that what you thought about me?!?!"
I told her no, I had fallen in love with her the first day I saw her.....Story now begins

This dates back to 1980, I had a regular run back and forth to a paper plant in Spotswood NJ. Every day at 1500 I would be at a certain intersection and I would see this real cute woman with curly hair driving a red Camaro. This went on for a week or so and I told my friend about it. He suggested I step out of the truck and talk to her. I told him that she would probably run me over or shoot me. It was beginning to look like Richard Dreyfuss and Suzanne Summers in American Graffiti!

This little comedy scene went on for about three weeks, with no end in site until, one day I had to pick my mom up from work. I wheeled my blue Camaro into the parking lot and who should pull in along side of me, but the cute woman in the red Camaro. I was shocked I couldn't say anything to her, my mom broke the silence by saying hi to the young lady and introducing her to me. On the ride home I told mom about the little scene and she said I should ask her out, but she knew I was too shy to do it!!! The parking lot meetings went on for a week or so and just before Valentines day the Camaro lady asked me when I was going to ask her out! Well, I did and 21 years later I'm still looking for another 1979 red Camaro. Would make a great anniversary gift.

She keeps saying she never noticed the bright red White 9000 with the driver hanging out the window!!

I know better though ::

I knew I left something out. The run lasted about a month and a half until one of the senior drivers got upset that I was yanking down the "big" bucks! I thought I would never see the Camaro girl again. Well, being taken off the run was a blessing in disguise, in a way, it freed me up to help dad when he couldn't pick mom up from work!
Yes I did thank the "senior" driver for his help with my quest! He didn't have a clue, which was fine! There was a little justice after all, the run he took from me came to an end two weeks after he got it!!!!

Now you know the rest of the story!!!

Now for a news update. I read on another site that a driver from NC won 2500 for a manuscript about driving and the deplorable state trucking is in. I would like to know when this contest was?!?!?! I can't wait for the next one cause if this driver thinks the industry is deplorable, maybe I can spread a little BS to make it a little brighter..

Till the next time America[/colorost_uid0]



Edited By Doctor Who on 1041927987

 

[color=#8D38C9ost_uid4]Kamikaze birds and other assorted flying objects........


Way back in the dark ages of my trucking career I was driving a "R" Model Mack, yes it had 2 sticks in it, anyway I was pulling a flatbed up US 206 in northern NJ just about daybreak one fall morning when I saw a dark object heading towards me, for the life of me I couldn't figure out what it was until it hit the passengers side windshield and completely shattering it. Amongst the shower of glass and other odd objects and the shock of being hit I managed to pull the truck over. After the "storm" subsided I noticed an Owl sitting in the passenger seat. It was the biggest Owl I had ever seen. "Not so smart were you???" I asked my quite dead friend.

I called for help on the CB, when CB was a good thing to have.
The nice lady who answered my call thought I was kidding her and it took about 10 minutes to convince her I was serious. She did call the police plus, she had to come out and see for herself.
When the officers arrived they weren't sure what to think, but there it was, a big old Barn Owl sitting in the seat just as if I had placed it there. The lady came up to the truck and was really surprised, she also brought me coffee, which was nice of her. One of the investigating officers asked what I was going to do with the Owl. I told him I'm keeping it as evidence so the boss don't try to charge me with an accident!

About 2 hours later the windshield repair person wasa finished and after numerous phone calls to the boss and the receiver I was on my way. I took the Owl and strapped its feet to the CB and propped it up so it could look out the windshield.
I made it to the recievers yard and pulled up to the guardshack, the female guard came out and started laughing. I asked her what was so funny and she pointed to my buddy. I told her it was a new type of radar detector, when it spotted a police officer with radar the tail feathers would go up and it would drop a present on the radio. Don't know if she believed me or not.
The Owl rode with me the entire day and when I got back to the yard I showed the evidence to the boss. He asked if I was going to keep it and I told him no, but I did know a police officer in town who collected stuffed Owls, so I called him and he came and got it.
Yes he still has that mean old bird today!

Two side notes: The incident did make the paper in the little town where the incident happened and the lady turned out to be the mother of a Amateur radio operator in Raliegh who had heard me telling someone about this a few years back!!!

Got to run, next on the agenda "Lightning and the Volvo"[/colorost_uid4]