Profile For Matthew H.

Joe's Diner at the Ayerco truck stop near Palmyra, Mo, West of Hannibal. South side of Hwy 36. It's a regular stop for me when I run through the area. I'm there as I type this, taking my 30. Had their tasty meat loaf lunch special with three sides for less than $10. I ordered, ate, paid, used the bathroom, bought some caffeine on the store side, and walked back to my rig and had 10 minutes left on my break. 1 minute now.

It's been a good while since I've posted anything on here, in part because I took a brief hiatus from big riggin'.

Anywho...I'm back to being a wheel man and would like some input regarding the old school, older than I am, Cobra 138XLR AM/SSB radio.

I am buying one at a pretty cheap price that is in "works as it should" condition according to the seller. Once I have it, I'm taking it in for a bench test to see where it's at on everything.

My question for those of you familiar with these old beasts is what components should I consider replacing or upgrading due to their age? Any particular components known for failure? If needed, I'll have it recapped and also get the transciever aligned.

Any input you guys share is welcomed and greatly appreciated!

I'm right there with you Turtle! Grandpa (mom's side), my Dad, and me. Uncle's and cousins on the road too. Love it! I told my twin sons that they should consider teaming together when they get to be old enough. Haha!

I'm currently running freight for JB Hunt in a hired truck. They've been doing right by me so far and I'm an outsider to their company. As far as how it is to be a company driver for them, I'm of no help.

Many legitimate points made by Old School! Great advice is definitely the "norm" here!

The first few years were rough for me, but I toughed it out because I love the job.

After several years of Class B driving, I upgraded to Class A. I almost broke 40k for that year, which was far better than the Class B work. Lol. A few years later, running Class A and in much the same way as described in this article, I'm earning almost as much as a first year Wal-Mart driver. Haha.

The time may very well come when drivers are replaced by technology, but only after a lot more research and development takes place. We may never see that day and I would be okay with that because I don't want a "regular" job and I don't want to see autonomous vehicles taking over the highways and byways. I like driving too much to let a computer have all of the fun.

Gauges

A great/positive attitude is absolutely essential to being a successful driver for sure! I had a t-shirt as a freshman in high school that said, "Attitude is everything. The choice is yours." It took me awhile to really understand what that meant, but once I did, every aspect of home/work life improved for the better.

The people you see slandering carriers, dispatchers, shippers, recievers, etc...generally have a toxic, negative attitude and when they put their bad energy out into the world, it comes right back to them. When it does, instead of correcting their attitude problem, they do as mentioned...point fingers and blame others.

"Finished product" pet food 41,390lbs 721 miles