Gizmo's blog: "Trucking"

"RACE ACROSS ARIZONA"

I WENT BACK OUT ON THE ROAD FOR AWHILE BACK IN 2004 RUNNING MILITARY LOADS FOR "ALAN FARMER" OUT OF TUSCALOOSA ALABAMA. I WAS PULLING AN "RGN" TRAILER AND FOR YOU DRIVERS THAT DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS IT MEANS "REMOVABLE GOOSE NECK". IT'S WHAT A LOT OF YOU DRIVERS CALL A DOUBLE DROP. THIS TRAILER RIDES ABOUT 6 INCHES OFF THE GROUND. I HAD LOADED AT "MARINE CORP LOGISTICS" THERE IN BARSTOW OFF DAGGETT ROAD AND WAS GOING TO CHARLESTON SC. I LOADED 12 CRATES THAT WEIGHED ONLY 1,030 LBS. EACH THAT WERE "BIG ARMY TENTS" GOING TO "OUR TROOPS" IN IRAQ.

MY LOAD WAS A LITTLE OVER 12,000 LBS. AND WAS SITTIN' LOW TO THE GROUND. I WAS IN A 379 PETE ( THE ONE ON THE FRONT OF "THE REALITY OF TRUCKIN' CD" ) IT HAD A 550 CAT, 18 OVER AND I WAS CLIMBING THAT LITTLE HILL OVER THERE IN ARIZONA AROUND THE 46 YARD STICK RIGHT BEFORE YOU GET INTO KINGMAN. I WAS JUST CRUSIN ALONG AND WAS ON THE PHONE TALKING TO "DOLLAR" AN OLD COW HAULER FROM HEREFORD TEXAS WHEN ALL THE SUDDEN THIS "BIG PRETTY CHICKEN TRUCK" CAME CRUSIN BY ME. WELL AFTER HE MOVED BACK OVER IN LINE AND WE BOTH CLEARED THE TOP OF THE HILL WE WERE COMING UP ON THE "TA" THERE AT EXIT 48, WHEN THAT DRIVER GOT ON THE RADIO AND SAID;

"ANY OF YOU DRIVERS GOING EAST BOUND AND NEED THAT FRONT DOOR, IF YOU THINK YOU CAN KEEP UP WITH ME COME ON LETS GO"!

I WAS STILL ON THE PHONE AND O' DOLLAR SAID;

"WHAT WAS THAT"?

I SAID, "O' THAT WAS ONE OF THOSE "CHICKENHAULERS" THAT THINKS HE'S GOT A FAST TRUCK".

AT THIS TIME WE ARE GETTING READY TO GO BY THE "TA" AND HE GETS ON THE RADIO AGAIN AND SAYS;

"ANY OF YOU DRIVERS GOING EAST BOUND AND NEED THAT FRONT DOOR, IF YOU THINK YOU CAN KEEP UP WITH ME COME ON LETS GO"!

WELL AFTER HEARING HIM CUSSIN' ANOTHER DRIVER I DECIDED TO GET INVOLVED.

THAT'S WHEN I PUT MY PHONE ON SPEAKER PHONE AND I TOLD DOLLAR TO LISTEN TO THIS.

I GRABBED MY MIC AND SAID;

"JUST WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY DRIVER, DO YOU THINK YOUR TRUCK RUNS OR SOMETHING"?

HE COME BACK AND SAID;

"I KNOW MY TRUCK RUNS".

I THEN SAID;

"WELL I'LL TELL YOU WHAT I'LL DO". I'LL BET YOU A HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL THAT YOU CAN'T GET ALONG SIDE ME AND TELL ME THE NAME ON THE SIDE OF MY TRUCK!

HE SAID;

"WHERE ARE YOU AT"?

THATS WHEN I SAID;

"I'M UP HERE IN FRONT OF YOU AT THE 51 YARD STICK GETTING READY TO GO BY THE FLYING HOOK"!

HE SAID;

"DO YOU HAVE ANY PROTECTION"?

I SAID;

"WELL HELL YES I GOT PROTECTION". AFTER TELLING HIM FIRST, "I HAD THREE CONDOMS AND A GLOCK", I THEN TOLD HIM SURE I GOT ALL THE PROTECTION A MAN NEEDS SO JUST COME ON UP HERE.

AND THAT DRIVER DONE JUST THAT, HE TOOK OFF AND WENT ON UP THERE.

NOW NOT REALIZING I WAS BEHIND HIM ALL THIS TIME I STAYED ABOUT A MILE BEHIND HIM AND HE WOULD RUN UP ON THOSE TRUCKS AND SAY;

"IS THIS YOU I'M COMING UP ON RIGHT HERE"?

AND I WOULD SAY;

"NO DRIVER THERE AIN'T NOBODY AROUND ME".

WE WERE RUNNING TRIPLE DIGITS WHEN HE WAS GOING DOWN HILL BUT I WOULD ALWAYS HAVE TO SLOW DOWN ON THE BIGGER UP GRADES TO KEEP FROM PASSING HIM. WHEN WE CLIMBED THAT BIG HILL OVER THERE BEFORE YOU GET TO WILLIAMS I WENT ON AROUND HIM AND HAD PULLED OVER ON TOP THE HILL AND WAS OUT THERE CHECKING MY LOAD WHEN HE WENT BY. NOW I REALLY CAN'T REMEMBER EVER GOING THROUGH FLAG THAT FAST BEFORE BUT TO MAKE THIS LONG STORY A LITTLE SHORTER WE ENDED UP GOING FROM THE 59 MILE MARKER TO THE 359 MILE MARKER IN JUST A LITTLE OVER 3 HOURS. IT WAS A NIGHT TO REMEMBER I GUARANTEE IT. ME AND DOLLAR STAYED ON THE PHONE UNTIL OUR PHONES WOULD GO DEAD OR LOOSE THE SIGNAL AND WE WERE REALLY JUST "HAVIN' TOO MUCH FUN"!

ANYWAY, WE CROSSED THAT NEW MEXICO LINE AND PULLED INTO THE SCALES THERE AT THE 11 YARD LINE AND I WAS RIGHT BEHIND HIM, JUST 2 TRUCKS BACK. RIGHT AFTER HE MADE IT THROUGH THE SCALES "HE ASKED ME "WHERE I WAS AT NOW"?

I TOLD HIM;

"I JUST CAME OUT OF THE SCALES DRIVER AND I JUST GOT BACK ON THE BIG ROAD"!

HE SAID;

"OK DRIVER, I'M FIXIN' TO CATCH YOU NOW, SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL GO AHEAD AND GET THAT HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL OUT"!

WELL, I CLEARED THE SCALE HOUSE A FEW MINUTES LATER AND WAS GETTING READY TO GET OUT THERE ON THE BIG ROAD AND HE HOLLERED AT ME AGAIN.

HE SAID;
"WHERE ARE YOU AT NOW DRIVER"? "WHICH ONE OF THESE TRUCKS ARE YOU"?

THATS WHEN I TURNED MY MIC GAIN DOWN ON MY RADIO TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE I WAS FUTHER AWAY THAN I REALLY WAS AND I SAID;

"DRIVER I'M ALREADY UP HERE GOING BY THE GALLUP GET OFF AT THE 16 YARD STICK AND I GOT TO GO, SO I CAN'T BE DRAGGIN' MY FEET ANYMORE WAITING ON YOU. IT WAS FUN WHILE IT LASTED BUT IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN SO YOU HAVE A SAFE TRIP AND BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME".

THAT WAS THE LAST TIME I HEARD ANYTHING OUT OF HIM BUT, AS I WAS GOING OVER THE BRIDGE AT THE GALLUP EXIT, HE HAD GOT OFF AND WAS RIGHT THERE UNDER THE BRIDGE GOING TO LOVES, OR THE "TA", AND THATS WHEN I REACHED UP THERE AND TURNED THAT MIC GAIN ALL THE WAY BACK UP AND SAID;

"YOU KNOW''

" IF YOU CHASE ANOTHER TRUCK, ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE STATE OF ARIZONA, NOT REALIZING HE WAS BEHIND YOU THE WHOLE TIME"!

"YOU'RE PROBABLY A CHICKENHAULER"!

NOW I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT DRIVER WAS THINKING AFTER I SAID THAT, BUT "I KNOW HE HEARD ME"!