Profile For J.W.Dover

One big reason I champion the American infrastructure is because my grandfather was an Operating Engineer. I-280 from San Francisco to San Jose in California was built by him and others in the early 1970's. It is as smooth as glass. It is a model highway for America. I would like to see highways all over America as smooth as glass. They can be a true nightmare in flyover country.

So what's your solution? The climate in the northern states is the reason for potholes. We either complain about the road or road construction. Either way people will be upset. What do you propose happen to keep these roads as smooth as glass?

With multi-lane highways, one are two lanes are closed during repairs while one or two lanes remain open for traffic. I was in Germany with the army in the mid-1990's. The Autobahns were always as smooth as glass. It snowed there during winter. One solution might be to construct more lanes if need be. Always have enough lanes for traffic while other parts of the road are under repair. I never complain about the presence of orange cones on the highways as long as my vehicle keeps moving. Perhaps widen highways as needed?

Old School, the present state of America's infrastructure is no deal-breaker for my considering a career in this racket. I won't complain about what I observe here anymore. The only thing any American can do to try to effect desired changes is circulate petitions, register to vote, get out and vote on election day and write their elected officials to speak their minds. I also believe that manufacturing needs to come back to our country as well. Trump is my man for this November as he was in 2016. My studies have indicated that the majority of drivers support Trump. I also support all those in office who support national concealed carry reciprocity. Fixing America's infrastructure to truly modernize it will put millions of Americans to work. One big reason I champion the American infrastructure is because my grandfather was an Operating Engineer. I-280 from San Francisco to San Jose in California was built by him and others in the early 1970's. It is as smooth as glass. It is a model highway for America. I would like to see highways all over America as smooth as glass. They can be a true nightmare in flyover country. Potholes and uneven pavement are no drivers' friends. OUCH!

It's not the trucking industry itself. It's all the other industries the trucking industry depends upon that troubles the trucking industry. Bad government policy regarding this business also makes life miserable for those who work in it. America's roads and streets are in a horrific state. They truly need to be brought to 21st century specs. They need to be reengineered and rebuilt with trucking as the center concern. This goes for tunnels, bridges and parking facilities as well. I get so sick of reading about how unsafe it is to park and sleep in certain locations. I get so sick of reading about how finding parking is so difficult. That our nation's bridge heights in various cities (most notoriously in the east) don't accommodate this industry is embarrassing to the country. There are no national standards to ensure that both roads and large commercial vehicles fit one another like a kid glove. There is no excuse for it. President Trump called for rebuilding America's infrastructure. President Obama called for this before him. We need to invest in America by making our landscape freight motor transport friendly from coast to coast. Truckers give so much to America. Truckers should be thanked in return with smooth navigable streets and highways and plenty of secure parking everywhere. There needs to be a standardized national truck route.

I should have asked this question, "What can we do or say to improve this situation?"

It's not the trucking industry itself. It's all the other industries the trucking industry depends upon that troubles the trucking industry. Bad government policy regarding this business also makes life miserable for those who work in it. America's roads and streets are in a horrific state. They truly need to be brought to 21st century specs. They need to be reengineered and rebuilt with trucking as the center concern. This goes for tunnels, bridges and parking facilities as well. I get so sick of reading about how unsafe it is to park and sleep in certain locations. I get so sick of reading about how finding parking is so difficult. That our nation's bridge heights in various cities (most notoriously in the east) don't accommodate this industry is embarrassing to the country. There are no national standards to ensure that both roads and large commercial vehicles fit one another like a kid glove. There is no excuse for it. President Trump called for rebuilding America's infrastructure. President Obama called for this before him. We need to invest in America by making our landscape freight motor transport friendly from coast to coast. Truckers give so much to America. Truckers should be thanked in return with smooth navigable streets and highways and plenty of secure parking everywhere. There needs to be a standardized national truck route.

Personally I keep well over a week's worth of food/water on the truck at all times. Do all my cooking in the truck.

And that's before this craziness..

As for miles, they haven't changed, still 2500 - 3300 a week, but I have been hauling more hazmat then usual. Hazmat bonuses are nice!

Cooking on the truck might seem hard unless you are just popping frozen goods in the 'wave. I can also see making cold sandwiches out of an ice chest. There seems to be limited space and no kitchen sink with running hot water, no stovetop, no barbecue grill, no range oven, no chest freezer, no cupboards and no dishwasher. I'm a germ freak. A truck is not a train, RV, yacht or a ship for living spaciousness. My impression was that drivers mostly ate in hearty hot SQUARE meals in restaurants, cafes and diners along the way with pretty waitresses' pouring coffee. Think "Mel's Diner" on the TV show ALICE from the '70's.

Limited space? Sure is.

No sink? Nope

No running water? Bottled water isn't just for drinking.

No stove, oven, grill, freezer chest? Sure there are, just have to supply your own that's either 12v or your inverter can run.

Cupboards? Plenty of cabinets and other creative storage solutions.

Dishwasher? Nope. Two options here. Bring your own and handwash in sinks at truckstops. ( No thanks) or use disposable silverware plates bowls.

I can supply myself with food for a week for 50 - 75$ at Walmart. Or.. I can spend about 20$ per meal at a sit down restaurant in a truck stop... assuming your not sleeping at a shipper/receiver/rest area. Which one makes more financial sense?

Probably a lot of frozen foods, TV dinners, etc, that can be nuked and disposable eating-ware. Cold sandwich-making materials. Can drivers get good tender lean roast beef, cheese and fresh breads/French rolls for sandwiches along the way? Delicatessen is pretty hearty and convenient on the go. Salami and cheeses. One can buy throw-away bowls for cold cereals. There's throw away cups too. There used to be a time when drivers could get all-they-could eat ham and eggs at truck stops for about $2.00. An old barber of mine told me that years ago. I can get a full meal at a Perkins for $14.00 including tax and tip. A driver trying to save money then might do a sit-down dinner or lunch every three days over the road as a treat. I would think Per Diem helps with most food expenses on the road. Lets' face it: a truck, ladies and gentlemen of the white line fever, is a not a mobile mess hall. It would kinda be nice if company terminals had sit-down dining facilities for drivers all over the nation like army mess halls. Logging camps for lumberjacks have mobile/field mess kitchens. Truck drivers are kinda "living in the field" (in army parlance) by they are constantly jumping.

J.W. Dover replies:

"Anne, I've been buying Crystal Geyser in 1-gallon jugs for years now. I was raised on store-bought spring water from birth. Well water is nasty. Tap water is hard, full of chemicals. I would not survive without spring water."

We actually have 'quite' the filtration/purifying system for our well water; which does come from local 'springs' .. and it's free, fluoride free, and germ/chemical free. We prefer it over bottled water, and it's lighter. Yes, it is.

Re: the 'foodstuffs...' When my husband was OTR (and he was for about 6 years) I would cook, tupperware up, and freeze many a meal for him. He had a fridge and a microwave; he's not the cooking type. It worked well; and of course he would have 'canned goods' ie: Dinty Moore or whatnot, for backup should problems (as they tend to out there) arise.

Restauranting on the road is great, yet pricey. If you've kept up with the news as of late, most restaurants are CLOSED for dine in; takeout only. It's all over the 'trucking' news channels...and I've posted links elsewhere (just click on my name/avatar and it'll show you all my posts.)

Wish you well on this journey, once again!!!

Anne :)

ps: You wouldn't have a brother, cousin, or uncle named Todd, would you?! (<<< He's heavy into wheelbarrows as well, and hails from the PNW..! He has a cousin named Tom C., if that rings a bell.)

No, Anne, nobody in my family woodpile with such names as above. My brother's name is Sam. I have a cousin named Wilbur. My maternal great uncle was Tom O. The wheelbarrow reminds me of crisis times like our current COVID opredeal. It makes me envision post-WWI Germany when people there had to carry a barrow-full of marks to the store for a loaf of bread. There doesn't seem to be a gasoline shortage though so I guess I won't need the wheelbarrow to go to Walmart to haul groceries home. Gas prices now are uncommonly low across the nation considering these times. We can all thank Uncle Don for "Drill, Baby, Drill!"

There is no real shortage at truck stops. Every other stop is out of cases of.bottled water.. but all have gallon jugs and bottles in coolers. Most never carry toilet paper anyway.. but there are plenty of wipes and soaps.

The main difference is no eat in dining.. no roller dogs or self serve food.

I ran meds all last week... this week is dairy. Plenty of miles. Our terminals are now screening drivers when they enter. A few drivers have been quarantined due to illness but havent tested positive.

#EndThePanic

No eat-in dining? No actual cafes, full-service restaurants and diners in business along your way? It sounds like it's time then for Hungry Man TV dinners, other 'waveable frozen goods and cold sandwiches.

Stupid people are hogging up goods from supermarkets all over America like this is a Third World War and there's no tomorrow. They are complete selfish idiots! They are hogging up bread, toilet paper, bottled water, hand sanitizer, liquid soap and Lord knows what else. I wrote my elected officials yesterday all the way up from President Trump down to my state legislators to demand the government mandate that grocery retailers impose rations on consumer goods so everybody has a fair chance to buy things they really need to survive. It's not the bug itself that scares me, it's the utter madness of man!! I was wondering how you long-haul drivers are dealing with getting everyday provisions for human living over the road. Like a horseman over the desert, you need your full canteen, your gun, your knife, your snakebite kit, your bedroll, your beef jerky and your corn dodgers. Are you able to get food? Bottled spring water (tap water sucks)? Do laundry? Eat? Sleep? Get soap? Deodorant? Everything else? Is this virus costing you money of of pocket? Are your living expenses over the highways going up over it? I can imagine truckers now are busy as beavers trying to move goods ASAP to restock stores. I can't see many working for megas and losing any miles these COVID 19 days. Be safe. Avoid social contact. Keep hands washed with hot soapy water always. We need drivers all over the nation so we don't starve to death. God bless.

Haya, J.W. ~ Welcome to TruckingTruth ! I was just personally wondering, are you 'in' the trucking industry, or any part of the logistics spectrum of such? Just curious. Either way, welcome, and don't be shy...!

I could go on and on... but ~ we live in the country, deep in Ohio, and drink tap water/well water (yep!) and live off the land as much as we can.. .so we are good here...no hoarding necessary, LoL. Our corner store (mom & pop place) stays well stocked for us locals, and the Amish mixed in around here. Our little town actually did NOT run out of T/P and sanitizer ~ go figure ~ !

RE: Food/supplies on the truck ~ My husband is a trucker, and delivers corrugated products...packaging for food, of course...so he's keeping busy, and safe. I cook him breakfast at home before he leaves (noon'ish) and pack a lunch he takes, and have supper ready for him around midnight/2am when he returns. No need for restaurants.

I know, many of the drivers on this site (most, actually) are OTR.... It's HARDER for them to have food access, yessir. Viking, when my hubby was OTR I sure DID pack him a week to 10 days of food.. and yeah, he'd eat out in between from time to time, but was always PREPARED~! (Like YOU!)

And..straying from the topic...I did. Apologies. Here's one town/county's way of helping these OTR drivers, and I think if more LEO agencies followed this lead, it would help pull people TOGETHER without being in a 'social' environment, per se, with all the restaurant closures:

(Shout out to PJ... former LEO.. whatcha think?!?)

LEO's help truckers stay fed amidst restaurant closures . . .

As always, be safe, guys and gals. Thanks for all you DO !!!

Anne :)

Anne, I've been buying Crystal Geyser in 1-gallon jugs for years now. I was raised on store-bought spring water from birth. Well water is nasty. Tap water is hard, full of chemicals. I would not survive without spring water.

Personally I keep well over a week's worth of food/water on the truck at all times. Do all my cooking in the truck.

And that's before this craziness..

As for miles, they haven't changed, still 2500 - 3300 a week, but I have been hauling more hazmat then usual. Hazmat bonuses are nice!

Cooking on the truck might seem hard unless you are just popping frozen goods in the 'wave. I can also see making cold sandwiches out of an ice chest. There seems to be limited space and no kitchen sink with running hot water, no stovetop, no barbecue grill, no range oven, no chest freezer, no cupboards and no dishwasher. I'm a germ freak. A truck is not a train, RV, yacht or a ship for living spaciousness. My impression was that drivers mostly ate in hearty hot SQUARE meals in restaurants, cafes and diners along the way with pretty waitresses' pouring coffee. Think "Mel's Diner" on the TV show ALICE from the '70's.

Stupid people are hogging up goods from supermarkets all over America like this is a Third World War and there's no tomorrow. They are complete selfish idiots! They are hogging up bread, toilet paper, bottled water, hand sanitizer, liquid soap and Lord knows what else. I wrote my elected officials yesterday all the way up from President Trump down to my state legislators to demand the government mandate that grocery retailers impose rations on consumer goods so everybody has a fair chance to buy things they really need to survive. It's not the bug itself that scares me, it's the utter madness of man!! I was wondering how you long-haul drivers are dealing with getting everyday provisions for human living over the road. Like a horseman over the desert, you need your full canteen, your gun, your knife, your snakebite kit, your bedroll, your beef jerky and your corn dodgers. Are you able to get food? Bottled spring water (tap water sucks)? Do laundry? Eat? Sleep? Get soap? Deodorant? Everything else? Is this virus costing you money of of pocket? Are your living expenses over the highways going up over it? I can imagine truckers now are busy as beavers trying to move goods ASAP to restock stores. I can't see many working for megas and losing any miles these COVID 19 days. Be safe. Avoid social contact. Keep hands washed with hot soapy water always. We need drivers all over the nation so we don't starve to death. God bless.