Magazine / A Likely Story
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COPS AND TURNPIKES
Traveling east across the New York Thruway several miles from Newburgh, I saw a state police cruiser stopped on the right-side shoulder. The blue lights were flashing and, as always, I eased over to the left lane, watching intently for the officer. I... -
VALENTINES DAY EXODUS
This will be the fourth consecutive Valentine’s Day my marriage has withstood the withering barrage of advertising. It hasn’t been easy! You would think it’s impossible to survive without chocolate, cards, jewelry or flowers. Who knows? Maybe i... -
Revival Night In Alaska
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Holiday Hauls & Falls
Christmas is a time for peace on earth, goodwill to men, and new gloves with a matching scarf under the Christmas tree. It’s a time for honest reflection, family reunions and, if you’re lucky, a hot rum & coke by the fireplace. And if you’re an... -
My Tipping Point
I don’t tip some people. In fact, I don’t tip a lot of people. That would include load brokers, funeral directors, flight attendants, or folks standing on the corner of a get-on ramp. I don’t tip the last group in particular, even if they are l... -
TMI
As I sit high above the 4-wheelers, protected by my OVERSIZE flags & banners, the challenge is to process their actions in a coherent flow of information. My objective is to deliver intact, on time, and free of debris. To accomplish this, I am consta... -
Clean Up In Shower 7
Truckstops are a daily fact of life for those of us who measure life in mile markers. A clean, hot shower is a daily reward for an often dirty job. The good news is, there are no CFR rules governing water pressure, elbow room, towel size, or soap dis... -
WHAT’S IN A NAME
Some of our best-known actors, singers, radio entertainers, and politicians don’t use their real name. They do it for any number of reasons including money, spelling, privacy, and notoriety. Some notable examples include Nathan Birnbaum, Virginia H... -
Wedding Day Blues
Shortly after my 50th year on God’s green earth, I decided to get a college education. Not familiar with student loan options, I chose instead to work my way through school. Choosing a major in broadcasting was not the worst thing I could do with $... -
No Rest in The Rest Area
“Not much happens the first few days.” I said to my new student driver. “We’ll mostly just get to know each other.” Easing onto the freeway, floating the gears like an old timer, I drove as if I knew what he needed to learn. I had just met ... -
What The Camera Sees
My mother was a product and survivor of the Depression. Not the kind that has one feeling bad, but the kind of depression that left whole families real hungry and real destitute. The daughter of an alcoholic father and suicidal mother, it was a chil... -
Closer Than A Brother
I was looking at the TV news today, getting agitated with yet another political non-story, and my darling wife was getting increasingly exasperated with me. “Tell me some good news!” she cried impatiently. “Doc is the only good news I’ve hea... -
Corona, South Dakota St. Patrick’s Day Parade
It was an otherwise uneventful day, doing my morning show at a Grant County radio station, when the General Manager approached me during a commercial break. “You and Paul,” he said matter-of-factly. “Are doing the play-by-play today for the St.... -
Truckers & Drug Testing
Most people in transportation know the four basic reasons of drug testing. The first one all new transport workers experience is the pre-employment drug screen. The second is post-accident. Third is the random test, up to twice per year, and fourth ... -
Too Many Choices
Recently my wife and I purchased a new flat screen TV from a nationally known blue & yellow retailer. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Pick it, buy it, deliver it, and install it, no? Uh, no. Little did we think, not having a TV for the past few years, jus... -
Christmas Day On The Road
Christmas on the road brings challenges to the American trucker, even if the only loved one left at home is a teddy bear. Eastbound approaching Rawlins, Wyoming one cold Christmas weekend, I wasn’t thinking “free” or even “hot”, but thinkin... -
Thanks For Nothing
Professional drivers know it’s a drag, to be working through the holidays. One of the worst is Thanksgiving, often characterized by heavy traffic, slow service, and diminishing gratitude. It can also be hours and hours of tedious boredom, punctuat... -
Country Music The Way It Used To Was
Some people driving American streets and highways see trucks as lumbering roadblocks. Others see them as a necessary evil. Still others believe they should be banned from the freeways. It's true: trucks are getting bigger, drivers are getting young... -
Online Dating
Beginning in 2001, while in my fifties, I discovered online dating. What a great idea! No more meeting in bars. No more hoping in church. No more picking up hitchhikers. I should have known better. If something so filled with complexity, chemistry, a... -
Making God Laugh
February 17, 2009 started out like most other trucking days, with a cold shower and hot breakfast near Abilene, Texas. “Nothing can happen today, Lord”, I prayed, “that you and I can’t handle.” Little did I know just how prophetic my praye...