Profile For Craig T.

I should have made my question more direct. But it looks like this will be a dead end thread for me anyway. For any other future truckers that might find this thread useful, there's more kinds of trucking than OTR, flatbed, intermodal, or dump trucks and stuff. You can seek out niche jobs that require a CDL but are not so well known.

Stuff like pumpdown wireline, hydroseeding, slickline, sweeper trucks, water hauling, sewage related, civilian contracting for military, and probably many more I don't know about. I personally prefer seasonal work that's fast-paced and pays well. Learning about how to get prevailing wages and maximize overtime gigs obviously doesn't hurt. What does hurt is not being able to negotiate salary. Getting a Class A does not mean you can't get cross-trained and use multiple skill sets in a specialized industry.

Pay close attention to what gear is for which speed range. For example, say in my truck 6th gear is ideal for 15-25 mph, 7th is 25-35mph, 8th is 35-45 mph ... all you have to do is know what speed you're at and with experience comes smoothly feeling out what RPM she likes to take it in (the truck).

If you're also driving a 13 speed, and those speed ranges seem to roughly work for you as well, memorize this

6th gear for 15mph translates to 1+ 5= 6 (when you look at the odometer and it says 15, just add the numbers together.) 25 mph translates to 2+5 = 7 (7th gear) 35 mph... 3+5 = 8 45 mph ... 4+5 = 9

Mentally run this through you head some when you're not driving. It'll start to come naturally once you know it and relax a bit.

Get rid of it. Be a free man and unburden yourself from as many material things as possible.

Hello, I've got a Class A and did a year of OTR through Prime. Then I disappeared for 8 months doing dirtbag things. Worked as a hydroseeder/trucker when I came back to civilization for a winter before leaving to go do hippy volunteer things for 4 months. Now that I'm back on the market for paid compensation, I'm wondering what else is out there.

Considering going to North Dakota or something to learn how to do wireline work. Any other suggestions you may have? Doesn't have to involve a CDL and I'm somewhat of a masochist. I'm not getting married, not having children, and my retirement is already planned. So I'm free to go anywhere and not burdened by material things like a house. Only limited by credentials and experience for things like becoming a Smoke Jumper. Where can I go and be hired by my can-do attitude, physical fitness, and dependability for getting the job done well? I have a set standard for myself though - I either do it for free or at least $20/hour (matter of principle.)

If I find it to be enjoyable for multiple reasons, I wouldn't mind doing it for years as I am running out of random things I'd like to do before death. May finally go ahead and pull the trigger on the military next year since I've been putting it off for getting memories that I'm happy to die for. Your input is appreciated especially if your initial reaction is to dislike me so long as your talking points are rationally sound ;p

It definitely helps if you live near a major metropolitan area.

I've thought about why I should and should not join the military ever since high school. I've been gaining more insights, more wisdom, and more reasons not to join every single year of my life. There's a bunch of personal reasons not related to any kind of righteousness, spite, or patriotism for why I would want to put myself through it. These reasons simply won't go away no matter what bit of new information comes my way.

I'm asking this here because I know there's a lot of veterans in this industry. The vast majority of the people I meet nowadays are progressive, incredibly sweet, and somewhat of a incognito hippy/educated/professional mix who has never done a real day of work throughout their entire lives.

I've essentially come to the point where I've got to make a final decision. I turned 27 while thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail this year which I think means I'm coming awfully close to the cut-off age to the things I would like to get involved in. The main reason I haven't joined the military at this point is because I've discovered several life passions of mine that I can't maintain while in the military. If I don't join, then there's one sure thing in my life that I wouldn't be able to cross off my "been there, done that" list. Which is pretty damn important to me. If I do join and something happens to me, there goes the possibility of pursuing the things I've fallen in love with. At the same time, I'm trying not to live forever and I'm committed to not having my own children.

For those who need to know what I have in mind so they can figure out how crazy/stupid I am; I'm looking at Marines, Rangers, maybe SF, maybe Recon, or maybe go for PJ. The cherry on top is that I would enlist instead of going straight to OCS.

In the meantime, I'm pretending to readjust back to civilization after loosing 34lbs on the PCT this year. I'm not someone that can easily loose a few pounds to begin with... so I'm going back to work (not OTR trucking, it's amazing what kind of opportunities are available with a class A and a bit of experience if you're free to go anywhere) and getting my general fitness/health back up to my kind of normal. If I don't go military next year, I'll be completing my triple crown on the CDT and continuing my other life passions until I die.

Cheers if you like to read a lot.

If anyone cares, I'm currently thru hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. After trucking OTR for a year with Prime Inc I'm so happy to be back doing what I love the most. I did the Appalachian Trail in 2014 and will eventually complete a Triple Crown. If you're curious about what it's like to hike all day everyday from Mexico to Canada, please check out my trail journal!

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=20547

Also feel free to ask me any questions you may have, I just won't be able to check this forum much. Direct messaging me will guarantee I will read your message... eventually. Sometimes Im off the grid for many days at a time.

Keep on trucking!

Are you planning to hike the entire length? How many days hiking are you planning? I see it goes from Campo to Manning Park. Because of weather and temp, I would think you would start at Campo CA and go north. How are you going to do it?

yes the whole trail. Northbound from Campo.

As for JD I just told them my situation (when it was a month ago while I was still trucking) and was excused.

I just got off the road (turned my truck in and voluntarily left. I'm leaving for Thailand in a few days and now I see a summons for Juror Duty the day after I think I'll be coming back. However, 4 days after that is my approved permit start date to start a Pacific Crest Trail thru hike. Which is over 2,660 miles and it's my one shot to go for it.

I don't mind serving but I absolutely am not willing to sacrifice my thru hike or my trip to Thailand. If I respond I feel like it will be denied.

Any advice? I know just can't ignore it. Should I say I'm still in a big rig?

Everything everyone has said + more extra water. emergency food emergency clothes (by emergency I mean that you don't touch it unless you need it) Duct tape Rubbing Alcohol (first aid/melting ice) WD-40 bolt cutters 911 treatment (just in case the diesal gels up) anti gel (just so my diesal doesn't gel up in the first place) jumper cables tire chains multi tool adjustable wrench Ice scraper big enough for a truck electrical tape gorilla glue rags bags of sand sunglasses toll cash rolls of quarters emergency poop kit **** jug