Well, I guess I should tell you a little about myself. I am 38 years old, I am married and I have a (step) daughter that I consider to be mine. I have been the only daddy she has known, so to this day she still calls me dad. She is a mother of three herself, so yes I have three grandchildren whom I would not trade the world for. My lovely wife and I have been married for 15 years, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I grew up on a farm, and was doing most of the work unsupervised at age 8. I lived with my dad and mom until I turned 22 years old, I moved out and got a public job as a heavy equipment operator for a small excavating company. I did this until, October of 96′ when I decided to become a truck driver.
I graduated top of my class with a 99.6% overall grade. Trucking came easy to me, even though I had never been around tractor trailers before Oct. 1996. After getting my first OTR job, I didn’t want to drive anymore I lasted 30 days (number of days I was out). I quit driving, I could not stand it. I soon found there were a few select people in this world, and a Truck Driver is one. I decided again this is all I wanted to do, so I went back and been doing it ever since.
Until my troubles started, they began back in 04′ after having a horrendous crash, while pulling a HAZMAT tanker. Evidently the accident threw me around because my back has not been right since. I made the mistake of saying “I am fine” at the accident scene. I was rear-ended by another tractor trailer, in a 28 vehicle pile up, I was number 25 involved. But, I didn’t hit anything with my truck, I had gotten stopped before.
Then in 05′ I was seriously injured in a work related accident, I had been struck in the head by a truck hood, while I was working under the hood. The wind picked up the hood and slammed it shut! I received one herniated disk, and three bulged disk in my neck, plus damage to my back as well. I was off work for over two years because of this, and still have trouble today.
Then, recently I had back-back right ankle/foot injuries that have done me in. Plus the fact I am deaf in my left ear, and steadily losing the hearing in my right ear. The doctor released me back to work, and my company told me to go take a physical, and I failed the physical. Because of hearing, and also because I could not do any of the “extras” my company had added to the physical as part of their requirements.
So, an end to truck driving came to me on July 1st, 2009, almost 15 years.
I will end this by saying, I am full of a LOT of knowledge about the industry. You will find this out by reading my blog-post. I am an active activist for truck drivers. I will NOT ever sugar coat anything, I will tell you like it is, anyway in closing.
If you like what I write, then come back often, if you DON’T like what I write, then come back often because the subject matter around here changes constantly. Thanks for reading this about me.
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