Search results

If you're in a van, libraries can be a godsend. Clean toilets (at least 1st thing in the morning), climate-controlled, some of the upscale ones have coffee bars. The one in Troy, MI has a snack bar with microwavable food in vending machines. Google maps is good at finding them -- use "Public...

Was going to pick up in Medina, OH and head back home to Michigan at 2AM... got the call that it was a dry run 1AM. Ahh, the pleasures of the road life. Dry run money should cover gas home though, if nothing comes up today.

Hard to know what happens. I was behind an 18-wheeler on I-75 near Bowling Green, OH and he just wandered off the road and up the embankment for an overpass. Twisted his rig part-way over, but not entirely on its side. There was no explosion indicating a blown tire or anything. I suspect he...

Similar deal: Snow squalls & white-out conditions on I-96 up near Fowlerville led to a huge pileup. 3 dead. Important safety tip: Unless you're right next to a guardrail or other protective feature, STAY IN YOUR VEHICLE in a big wreck situation. Odds are, you're safer inside with a some...

The worst place I consistently encounter is I-75 in Cincinnati. There's always a wreck or vast amounts of traffic on that stretch from the Ohio River to I-275.

Beyond the overall business slowdown, unless your vehicle has all the bells and whistles, it's kind of miserable in winter. Short days, long nights and cold. "Cabin Fever" can be an issue. More so if loads are scarce and you're sitting for a day or two in bitter cold. Plus, snowstorms can...

I appreciate the lifestyle. But the money isn't fantastic, at least in vans. And forget about having much of a social life.

It's those last few miles in heavy city traffic and oddball freight docks that will take time to overcome. But if all you want is to hitch a trailer to a tractor unit outside of LA and have it haul a load straight through to a warehouse in New Jersey... not so hard. An existing company like...

Met a Transit Connect guy in Wisconsin who was taking a skid (with maybe 400# of parts) to Laredo, TX. He was going to make a tidy profit on the run, but was going to have to get a motel room on the way down. Sleeping in one of those little Transits seems pretty impossible unless you're 22 or...

I've never turned one down, but I can imagine situations like the loose parts or really gross, smelly drums of unidentified chemicals might be a problem. And my carrier would back me on these. Worst stuff I've dealt with was printed material. Stacked in bundles (or plastic mail trays) on a...

I'm a Sam's member. Cheap pizza (and other food like salads), good prices on fuel, and because I bought tires there, free rotations for life of the tire. Plus, they're in every sizable city, whereas Costco tends to be in more upscale areas. I don't pickup/drop in those so much. If they did...

400K miles on my 6.0L Chevy gas engine. Still starts and runs well. Pretty much any decent mechanic can work on these, as they're also used in Chevy trucks. Parts are commonly available too. Can get an oil change wherever is convenient. Takes a lot of stress out of the equation.

Pittsburgh... I suppose if their system can navigate that mess, it will work anywhere!

One of my steady customers in Troy is relocating 40 miles north. I expect this project was part of that calculus. Combined with lower labor costs out in the sticks, lower property taxes, local politicians happy as heck to welcome new industrial business, etc etc. Hard to keep things on a tight...

Funnest part is when you REALLY have to answer nature's call, but the front restrooms at Wal-Mart are being cleaned at 7AM. Then you're rushing to the back of the store trying to figure out where those toilets are! One time, those had padlocks on them. Fortunately, there was a Lowes next door...

Just got a refurb Ryobi 2200 at Home Depot for $411. Plenty enough to run the little 5500 BTU AC unit in the back window. We'll see how quiet it is. Size is right and only weighs 55 pounds. Supposed to have 8 hours fuel capacity too. Old generator was some "Ramsond" brand POS (Chinese?) I got...

People hand the keys over to drivers they wouldn't rent a house to. And the truck is worth more than many houses!

I was sorely tempted at the J north of Dallas along US-75 last year. 95 degrees in July and my little AC was straining to keep up. But the risk of getting booted out was greater than the reward of not dealing with my generator in 95 degree heat.

I imagine for the first several years the technology will be limited to long-haul trucks outside of major cities. Rig would be driven to a staging area near the freeway/tollway on the edge of town. Then local driver exits and truck auto-drives off. Hundreds of miles later, it sends a message...

I make "x" amount per year. Per hour means nothing to me. That's for the poor souls who sit all day at a very loud machine cranking out the parts I carry.