It’s Saturday – the weekend – the markets are closed – and other than the Amtrak/”truck” accident in Nevada, there is isn’t much going on in the world of trucking. If you a gay trucker, however, you’re celebrating the legalization of same-sex marriage in NY. I planned to work today while watching the Casey Anthony trial, but no sooner had the judge sat down before a packed courtroom, everyone waiting and ready for the next revelation, then he adjourned the proceedings until Monday at 8:30am. I ended up with a Sugarland Live DVD to keep me company in the background.
Now this may seem like a stupid question – when is a truck a truck? We all hear the morning news reports that an overturned “truck” has traffic all screwed up and you’re going to be late for work. Hundreds of people sitting there stuck saying to themselves – those damn truckers, the driver was probably too tired or was on drugs or drunk or was texting his girlfriend in jail. Yeah, that IS what the public says and thinks. Get off the road a while, fly around in your car and you’ll be saying it too. It doesn’t take long after parking your rig to become a 4-wheeler.
So, as you creep along what some truckers jokingly call a parking lot, then start seeing the first responders and the flashing lights and the news reporters, then come up right next to the accident and you realize that it is NOT a truck. It’s not what some people call a “semi”, not a long ’53 box connected to a 10 wheel Volvo or Freightliner, not a dump truck or a FEDEX step van – no, not at all – it is a old beat up rusted Datsun pick-up. You say to yourself, that’s a lousy whatever, but it “ain’t” no damn truck. And that’s my point.
Do a Google search on trucking news. You will get about 3500 hits. Today, the very second item is this “Ford F-150 keeps on trucking.” Is a F-150 a truck? Here’s what the article says: “the 2011 pickup is no swayback. Driving down the road sitting high above traffic is pretty empowering. It gives new meaning to “King of the Road.” Most cars I’ve owned and driven I’ve had to haul myself out of, but this is the first vehicle I’ve driven that I’ve had to use the running board to get into.
Didn’t you used have to drive a 18 speed long nose Pete to be a king of the road? A king of the road driving a F-150, I don’t think so. I’ve always considered drivers of pick-ups truck wanna-bees. I’m OTR in my KW pulling a 48K load of steel and a pick up rides up next to me with his “gay” mini-smoke stacks, chrome and rubber bull testicles hanging from his (or her) trailer hitch – is this dude kidding me. Did he fail his CDL examination or couldn’t pass the Swift road test? He’s not driving a TRUCK, he has a car with a bed and fat tires. It’s “sorta” like what used to be a station wagon with the rear roof part cut off.
Here’s more – “Step on the gas and the truck springs to life with excellent pickup and there’s no hesitation when you ask for extra in traffic. Handling is also better than expected, but don’t forget it’s still a truck.” Oh really? A fork is a fork, a gun is a gun, chewing gum is gum, but a pick-up – again – is not a REAL truck. I alluded in my opening to the yet another Amtrak accident, this time in Nevada, with a truck.
The Reuters news piece says it this way: “Federal transportation safety investigators on Saturday were at the scene of a crash between a tractor-trailer rig and an Amtrak train in Nevada, where they say more bodies may still be found in the wreckage. Authorities say the driver of the truck crashed through closed rail crossing gates and ignored warning lights before colliding with the train, which was en route from Chicago to Emeryville, California with more than 200 passengers on board.”
This morning in Chicago on WLS-ABC-7-TV reported: “A truck smashed into a road sign on the Dan Ryan Expressway near 18th St., shutting down all southbound lanes early Saturday. The sign was heavily damaged and collapsed onto the expressway at approximately 3:45 a.m. No injuries were reported. Lanes were still closed at 8:30 a.m. Traffic was being rerouted to exit near the junction with the Stevenson Expressway. ” A truck? Pick-up or tractor-trailer rig?
Well, the damaged sign is a high overhead one – how the truck hit the sign is unknown, although from the photo it might have been an oversized (too high) load, but no one cares about that – it’s just another truck driver screwing things up. One’s things for sure, it wasn’t a pick-up!
Webster’s dictionary is no help whatsoever and seems as confused as the rest of the world about what a truck is. Here’s their definition – “a wheeled vehicle for moving heavy articles – a strong horse drawn or automotive vehicle such as a pick-up.” They’ve got to be kidding.
For you “truck” lovers, the F-150 review can be found here: TRK/F150/LOTRMJG
If you liked that post, then try these...
No comments:
Post a Comment