"Dude, are you sure you want to put that in your gas tank???"

After making a delivery a few nights back, I was returning to the truck when I noticed a pair of legs beating a fast retreat from the right side of the tank. I walked around the back of the tank and saw a guy pouring something into the gas tank of a silver pick-up. It didn't take me long to figure out that the guy had taken some product out of the number 5 compartment of the trailer. I yelled to him about the action taken and was cussed at, nothing new yet, quite colourful, just the same.

I did try to tell the guy that he had just dumped diesel into his "GAS" powered ride but it was lost in the din of the loud pipes and squalling tyres. I called the local constabulary and informed the dispatch person about the theft along with a description of the truck and driver.

I pulled out of the lot and travelled about two miles when I came upon a very PISSED person looking at the engine of a silver pick-up. I honked and waved to the driver and relayed the information to the LEO's.

Never a dull moment in the Gas Hauling industry!!!


OH WOW.... Page 43

 

It took me the better part of 3 days, but I made it through all 42 pages. I love reading all the stories, and I thought I might share a mishap my dad had while driving a gasoline tanker back in the early 1970's.

He drove a Kenworth W-900 for a small Texaco bulk plant in Ogallala, Nebraska. He was heading to Sidney to pick up a load from their bulk plant. East of there is a small town called Lodgepole on Highway 30. On the east outskirts of town there is a Conoco station on the south side of the highway, and a coffee shop straight across on the north side, and the speed limit through there is 40mph.

Just as he was coming up to the coffee shop, he saw a Chevy pickup headed toward him with a woman driving and a toddler age girl standing on the seat next to her. All of the sudden, the woman started to turn across the highway, and hit my dad right in between the drive axles. He slammed on the brakes and swerved off of the road, half on the gravel shoulder and half into the parking lot of the county road maintenance sheds next to the coffee shop. As the dust was clearing, he looked out his window in time to see his rear drive axle roll to a stop against a tree about fifty feet in front of him across the road.
He jumped from the cab and ran back to the pickup, which had come to rest in a ditch. The front end was shoved over to the point where it resembled an "L". He found the extremely dazed woman still behind the wheel, and asked her if she was alright. Amazingly, except for a nasty cut on her chin from hitting the steering wheel, she was unscathed. Even more amazing was the fact her 3 year old daughter was only shaken up after being thrown to the floor of the pickup.
By this time a sheriff's deputy had shown up, so he walked back to inspect the damage to his rig. In addition to the rear driver being torn off the tractor, the trailer had a large dent and rubber mark from the axle kicking up on its departure. The brakes had automatically locked up when he lost air, and the attendant at the Conoco told him that the trailer wheels were bouncing a good 12-18 inches off the pavement before it got onto the gravel.
He later found out from the deputy that the woman was totally distracted trying to look through the cafe windows to see if her sister was there, and just turned in upon spotting her car in the parking lot. She didn't even see the truck coming. Had she been a second sooner, my dad would have broadsided the pickup at 40mph, more than likely killing the woman's daughter.

Sorry for it not being a humerous one, but I thought it would go along with Doc's accident stories.

 

No need to apologize, the story is excellent and is a reality check showing there is danger along with the humour...

 

Doc It has taken me the better part of 3 days to read this here board and I wanna tell you I have been laughing my butt off at most of it . I would buy your book in a heart beat . Can't wait to read more adventures of trucking by you I have really enjoyed every story thank you so much for making me smile and laugh .
Angel

 

Hey Scott!!!!

Keep watching more tales from the KAG will be forth coming if not last on the list of things to type and/or print!!!

Hauling ASphalt and a small Hurricane, more later

 

Another HALLOWE'EN is upon us and yet another fun night delivering fuel... :shock: :shock:

Will this night be boring or, will this night bring back the horrors of Hallowe'ens past????

Stay tuned CADites only the Shadow knows along with a disgruntled dispatch person...

One minor side note: Has anyone ever met a GRUNTLED person???

See page 10 for a small sample of Hallowe'en "fun"

 

It's been awhile. Hallowe'en was real boring this year even the kids at UNC-Wilmington were not in the spirit (so to speak). Although I did see a couple of folks dressed as Rush Limpwrist and one was supposed to be Michael Savage... Scary :shock: :shock:

But I digress.

Next on the agenda?
The Doctors brush with the PARANORMAL. I'm not much into the Sylvia Browne gig that Montel is on but I do believe in what I saw... More to come!

 

THE PARANORMAL or was I really seeing things???

A few nights back I was pulling a load of asphalt from Wilmington NC to Oxford NC on the most boring highway ever designed, I-40. There wasn't much happening on the FM radio so it was turned off and the CB is useless.
I was still about a hour out of Oxford when I heard a voice saying "wake up, wake up!"
At that point I noticed the truck drifting towards the median, it caught my attention real quick as I eased the vehicle back into the right lane. Fortunately there wasn't anyone along side me and the thought of rolling a tank wagon loaded with 52,000 lbs of asphalt was not very pleasant.
I looked at the passenger seat and saw my Mom sitting there in her Technicolour house coat. She turned to me and smiled then faded away. I grabbed a cold can of Pepsi out of the cooler to snap me back.

I knew I wasn't tired but still I-40 is sooooo boring that it was possible I was lulled into a sleep state...

I was fine for the rest of the night...

The experience also brought back a memory of a road trip a few years back when I drove for Jevic.
I ran into a bad ice/snow storm and started to panic and started thinking all types of bad thoughts about the outcome of my stubbornness.

The panic mode grew in intensity when a very warm feeling over came me and I saw my Dad sitting in the passenger seat. He was wearing his favourite blue Cardigan sweater. He didn't say anything, just nodded his head as if to tell me that all was going to be well.
Five miles further along the Interstate I ran out of the storm and made it home in good shape...

There just may be some truth in people saying that "Spirits" walk among us..

 

Doctor Who .... your so Right ! .. Spirits do walk among us and our loved ones never leave us. They watch over us just as your parents have done for you. The love of a parent NEVER stops .. on THIS earth or a HIGHER plane . ....I loved your story, it goes to show .......... we're never alone ! ... I truly believe if you would speak out load to your parents while traveling down the hwy ... you'll more than likely feel and see their presence more often. Your Mother knew it wasn't your time to cross over yet .... Thank you for sharing this story.

Did you think to ~ thank your mother for getting your attention ?


4roses

 

Sure did.
It made the second time she, at least I believe the first time was her influence also, saved me from disaster!