Profile For Bill R.

I too once questioned Second Amendment rights for truckers. After much research, I learned that as much as I hated to admit it, As a trucker your second amendment right is gone. Why you ask? I have a permit for Tennessee. Well? Not every state honors that permit. And all it takes is one ****ed state trooper doing a search on me to land me a felony and cost me the job and possibly land me some prison time.

I can keep an employer from finding out my weapon. I have done it for years at my current employer. I have worked for them for 6 years. Carried my 9mm every single day, They never found out. That's because I carry deep concealed and unless you did a frisk and pat down, You would never find it. Even if you did frisk me, You'd still have to see it to know it was a gun, otherwise, I'd just say it was some very private medical device that I wasn't comfortable talking about. No employer is going to risk the legal repercussions of a strip search. An officer, however? They would be more than willing to risk it and would indeed be covered once they found the weapon.

They were trying to pass a law that forced all states to honor any permit provided by any state, But so far it has not been allowed to pass. Until that day comes where you can't be federally prosecuted just because that state doesn't honor your permit? You can't legally carry that weapon and have no second amendment right in this field of work. I am sorry my friend. That's just how it is.

Now for some who may question why you'd want to carry a weapon? Let me give you a fine example a friend of mine gave me once.

"Forced dispatch. While you can express distaste for certain areas, If they give you a load going to a particularly dangerous area such as Chicago or New York City? Well... You might as well find a new company to work for."

In my opinion, Chicago (Sorry people of Chicago, Its nothing personal) is nothing but a cesspool of crime and violence. While I have not started trucking, I dread the day a delivery to or from that forsaken place ever gets sent to that Qualcomm . I dread the thought of going there without some form of gun protection.

I too once questioned Second Amendment rights for truckers. After much research, I learned that as much as I hated to admit it, As a trucker your second amendment right is gone. Why you ask? I have a permit for Tennessee. Well? Not every state honors that permit. And all it takes is one ****ed state trooper doing a search on me to land me a felony and cost me the job and possibly land me some prison time.

I can keep an employer from finding out my weapon. I have done it for years at my current employer. I have worked for them for 6 years. Carried my 9mm every single day, They never found out. That's because I carry deep concealed and unless you did a frisk and pat down, You would never find it. Even if you did frisk me, You'd still have to see it to know it was a gun, otherwise, I'd just say it was some very private medical device that I wasn't comfortable talking about. No employer is going to risk the legal repercussions of a strip search. An officer, however? They would be more than willing to risk it and would indeed be covered once they found the weapon.

They were trying to pass a law that forced all states to honor any permit provided by any state, But so far it has not been allowed to pass. Until that day comes where you can't be federally prosecuted just because that state doesn't honor your permit? You can't legally carry that weapon and have no second amendment right in this field of work. I am sorry my friend. That's just how it is.

Now for some who may question why you'd want to carry a weapon? Let me give you a fine example a friend of mine gave me once.

"Forced dispatch. While you can express distaste for certain areas, If they give you a load going to a particularly dangerous area such as Chicago or New York City? Well... You might as well find a new company to work for."

In my opinion, Chicago (Sorry people of Chicago, Its nothing personal) is nothing but a cesspool of crime and violence. While I have not started trucking, I dread the day a delivery to or from that forsaken place ever gets sent to that Qualcomm . I dread the thought of going there without some form of gun protection.

I've delivered to Chicago plenty of times. Never had an issue. The only thing I ever encountered in Chicago was a road got paved over and raised the height of a bridge. The sign posted 13'8", but the new pavement made it about 13'6".

I find it interesting how people who are 2nd Amendment advocates always forget part of the Amendment:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Two of the first THREE words! Packing and trucking do not mix.

So if I am waiting to be unloaded at dock, That counts toward my 10 hours? Why am I waiting for them to unload it? Is there just not enough space or something, lack of manpower?

Your ten hours has to be uninterrupted. Space is a premium at most shippers. So, even though you are stopped, the ten hours does not work if you are forced to leave the shipper/receiver.

I was curious what some of you experienced guys and gals would suggest for must have equipment and oddities, things that make life on the road easier or the job itself more enjoyable? My trainer has already suggested Sirius XM is a good investment.

Well, it depends a lot on what your truck is going to have in it. There are many things you are going to want, but some might already be installed.

Must:

2500 Watt min, inverter Refrigerator Microwave Cell phone

Those are essentially required (for me)

Like to have:

Satellite radio Crock pot (one of my faves is to start the day by making dinner in the crockpots and they slow cook all day and I got to enjoy the smell all day) Laptop

I am sure I am forgetting things, but that is a decent start.

Wow, so you have to go to the end, turn around, come back, enter in the drive before the one you want, go past your dock and back in there? That is a tough one.

I am going to go turn around, pull past the entrance to the docks, and back in to the dock area from the street, so I do not have to blind side it.

While backing into docks is not easy, to me, that pales in comparison to backing into a truckstop parking lot.

Those places are full of super truckers who never once had a hard time.

Having driven for Veriha, I would say that you are starting with a good OTR company. Here is what you can expect from them. You will be home on either Friday night, or Saturday before noon. It is true, on occasion you will get in before noon on Friday, but don't count on it. Benefits are pretty good and the 401k is good, these are not GREAT benes, but good enough.

Sometimes miles are a bit scarce, but not usually. The people at Veriha are usually straight up, and their maintenance (Master Fleet) is easy to navigate and get repairs. Overall, a pretty good way to start.

Regarding what Dan said earlier: "...going OTR is easier overall than staying local because you're going to spend a lot of time on the Interstates, in large distribution centers, and truck stops. You're not doing nearly as much difficult backing and city navigation as you would be doing at most local jobs where you get home every night..." There are a few places that Veriha might send you that you DO NOT want to go in the beginning. If they want you to go to Reynolds Wrap in Louisville, KY, tell them that rooks should not go there (it is TOUGH to fit). But, staying local, usually you keep going to the same places over and over, so while it is more backing, you get used to it much faster. When starting out OTR, you will not get the experience for backing in as quickly.

As far as your gf at home time, etc, the only way to know how it is going to affect you and your relationship is to do it. The advice about job hopping is a good one. You need to stick with something for a while now. Third job in a few months is a bad sign. Sure, you will still be able to be hired,but there are many many companies you DO NOT want to work for, and those will be your only option if you keep switching jobs. Best of luck!

Wilder Rd sucks too, the traffic is bad, and I have seen many a driver, clearly frustrated, while in the cab. if you run there again, Best times to drive anywhere in Bay City, is between, 8pm,and 5am, most days.

I go there all the time now. I think I have been there four times now. And, btw, I think the Michigan interstate highways really suck.

Just remember that you know how to drive. Do what they say, get through it, get on the road. That's all the advice I have.