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Ragman, I'm out and back like you, but on the occasions I find it necessary to spend time standing down, I use the rest stops. I may try a Flying J if I have to stop at a truck-stop (Flying J seems to be the only one big enough to allow vans to park any length of time). I've only stopped at one...

One reason, as I understand it, that many companies require a DOT physical for van drivers has to do with insurance. The insurance company may require it. Certain types of freight require DOT compliance, regardless of what you drive. Haz-mat that requires placards falls under this category. A...

I don't have much experience sitting at a freight dock at a factory-- seems they want me out of there as fast as I do. O'Hare airport-- that's another matter. It's rare indeed that I get a fast turn-around there, getting a load onboard takes forever.

I decided not to take a run last night from Alsip, Illinois to the South Bend, Indiana area last night because I, personally, wasn't safe to drive (tired). Looking at the weather in the general area, it looks like my decision was right for more than one reason. The Indiana Tollroad had to be...

I'm nowhere near expert enough on the rest of it, but I have to side with Layout on one thing anyway. The Great Lakes, and specifically Lake Huron/Michigan. have been quite low. The snow melt will bring the lake levels up closer to "normal" and for people as dependent on the lakes as we are...

I live in and am based in Illinois. That qualifies me to answer LDBs charge because the other guy he's responding to doesn't. Even if the DES DID translate the website into Klingon, I doubt that the cost matters just a whole lot when compared to the amount of money this state shovels into the...

OK. Let's try to make this simple, shall we? On snow, if you behave yourself you have some control. I drive a four-wheeler which is a couple of dirty words to some of you, and it's rear wheel drive to make it worse. If I watch what I'm doing it's possible to keep it on the road OK. Not too...

A couple of stray thoughts: Don't do this business without a contract. That contract is all you have standing between you and getting ripped off with no recourse. It states, or should state, what is expected of the parties to the contract. It tells you on what basis you get paid and what the...

Just maybe--- During the time I was a courier, I had an issue with my Ford going through fuel pumps. I really began to hate the frequency it could go through pumps, and I found that anything other than a dealership-installed pump was worthless since off-brand pumps could be expected to give...

I have a question. Moot, you've been through 8 alternators. That seems like a lot, I have had to have one replaced in all the time I've owned vehicles. Maybe I'm just lucky, but it makes me wonder what in tarnation is going on to chew through 8 alternators. So--- what happened??? Possibly...

Personal experience: I had to have my Sprinter towed from Tuscola, Illinois to Villa Park, Illinois. 160 miles or thereabouts. It cost me over 600 for the tow. So, a 400 mile trip--- ain't gonna be cheap any way you slice it. If the owner had to go down to wherever the van was left to pick it...

If you can find a place where it will be out of the way, hanging it on the wall is actually one of the best ideas. The part that actually touches the wall never gets hot so you don't have to worry about that, and securing the device so it won't move while you're driving makes a lot of good sense.

Several years ago I saw an RV trailer go up after a propane tank explosion. Mounting the tank outside didn't seem to help the outcome much for the trailer. Fire is one of the risks we take when we use fuel-- of any kind-- to keep warm and keep our vehicles moving. Some fuels are riskier by...

Mental note for future reference: First, before doing anything else, find a place to secure the tank so it's out of the way and won't move. Second, don't mess with moving either the tank or the heater while the line is pressurized. Taking the time to de-pressurize the line just may save you from...

Those of y'all that are walking around with your noses in the air, thinking you're better than your neighbors, may want to use an umbrella when it rains. Helps to prevent drowning, you know. I use a Big Buddy, found that the small tanks left something to be desired so now I run a large tank...

I had a run to Battle Creek from Elk Grove Village, Illinois yesterday. Had to re-route, so of course the Indiana toll road got hit by lake-effect snow too. Judging by the condition of the road and by what I heard, they probably should have shut down the Interstates because they were getting too...

Get the biggest and newest that you can afford, the closer you can come to paying for it cash the better. You will be living in this machine, so get it insulated. I use 3/4 inch foamboard, truth is I should have gone 1-1/2 inch. Get a good heater, winters can be brutal and you'll find that...

When one of these numbers call, I let it go without answering. Later, I look up the number on Google and invariably it's a scam site. Honest businesses do not hide behind spoofed phone numbers. Anybody who would call from a spoofed number is not honest and I don't want to do business with...

Way back in the days when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, I used the big atlas for cross-country trips, then tried to get local maps when I got to town. The local map will have all the streets in it, so that helps quite a bit. Sometimes maps fail, then I would call the non-emergency police number--...

With those of us driving vans, fueling at the halfway point makes sense for another reason. You have an electric fuel pump in the tank, and keeping fueled up means the pump has to do less work to overcome the pressure head and it keeps the pump submerged in fuel so it runs cooler and stays well...