Profile For Howard P.

Hi Josh,

I, too, have hypertension. If you read over 140/80 when they do the physical exam, you're disco. And everybody knows THAT sucks!

If you are being treated for it with meds as I am and you pass the exam (as I have several times) you will get a DOT card good for one year and/or when you apply for a new driving job with a different company. At that time, you will need another exam every year until you're 1) no longer being treated for it or; 2) dead.

Tips for passing the BP test:

If you smoke cigarettes, don't have ANY for the 12 hours before the test. That goes for chew as well. Not easy, but if I can do it, anybody can!

Get plenty of rest the day/night before the test.

Relax - don't go in there stressed out or p_____ off. Deep breathing exercises help me. Divorce lawyers can also be helpful in some cases.

Make sure they do the urinalysis (pee in the cup) BEFORE the BP test. Nobody can maintain low BP when they have to pee like a race horse!

Don't eat greasy foods or drink alcohol for a couple three days before the exam.

Don't take any OTC cold remedy medications for a few days before the test. Almost all of them will raise your BP. If you have a cold, try not to sneeze on the nurse. They don't like that. But you'll just have to tough your way through it.

But that should do it for you if you really have it under control. Good luck!

Cheers, Howard

Cali SUCKS at marking anything!

Why would they bother? If they put up signs, they would have a half dozen different "minority groups" complaining that wasn't in their language and it would cost a fortune. And most of 'em can't read anyway. But they can sure tell ya about global warming.....

Stay safe and good luck, Gator. Don't wanna see you in a ditch!

Cheers, Howard

We've got trucks all over the place here in Lebanon IN. There are two guys jack-knifed in the parking lot, one of them blocking exiting the fuel pumps. At least four that I can see that are just stuck in the lanes of the lot - they can't go forward or backward - they've got their tandems locked in, but all they are doing is spinning on the layer of ice that is down below the 15 or 16 inches of snow lying on the ground. We even have got a roll-over just outside the exit of the truck stop, and there was another accident just North of us where one rig jack-knifed and then consequently got T-boned by the next rig who was following too closely.

There is a line as far as I can see on the interstate of trucks just sitting there still. The high temp tomorrow is supposed to be seven below, and the power has already gone out in the Flying J. Fortunately they've got a back-up generator. Even if I was dumb enough to try and get out of here in the morning there would be no way to get through the tangle of trucks that is piling up outside the truck stop. The wind is blowing so hard that inside my truck it feels like I'm in an earthquake. Yes it's going to be an interesting night. The only positive thing that I can figure is that the inconsiderate Lot Lizard who woke me at 3:20 this morning beating on my truck door will probably be so frozen stiff tonight that she won't be out trying to hustle up more business.

Yeah, Mother Nature just woke me up and made me walk across the lot to use the men's room and we have the same situation here. Even if there was a path from here to the road (which there isn't for anything bigger than a Volkswagen) I don't think this Freightshaker is going to plow through this mess even with the diff locked.

Not that I wanna try. I almost busted my a$$ twice just trying to walk across it!

If they keep that lizard frozen, she may be of use for a while. Spring is still a long ways off.....

Cheers, Howard

I don't know abut these other guys. But I always have an attack of the "pucker factor" when I hear a woman say; "I've been thinking......"

Nothing good comes after that in my experience.

Cheers, Howard

P.S. Don't worry - you'll be fine.

I stopped in Walcott, Iowa, last night, and after driving through Illinois, I ended up stopping at a service plaza in Elkhart, Indiana, for the night. I doubt I'll be in PA by midnight tomorrow night. Not with this weather.

Dave

Don't take any unnecessary chances, Dave. Even if you have a trailer full of gold, it ain't worth dying for.

Cheers, Howard

Not too sure I will be trying to get to my 0800 appointment in the morning. Depends on what I see on the local weather news in the morning.

Ernie

Well, don't try to be a hero, buddy. This is really a bad blizzard. I lived through the Super Bowl blizzard in '72 and this is almost as bad. They're predicting -55 wind chills in MN tonight. That time, we had -80.

I'm not gonna even think about rolling until after sunup. But the way the trucks are jammed in this Road Ranger, I will probably be blocked in until much later than that. Can ya hear the tears running down my cheeks?

I finally figured out how to get this thing to idle without pushing the override button every 5 minutes so I can get some heat in here besides that lame a$$ bunk heater, thank God. That and an empty milk bottle and I'm as snug as a bug in a rug!

Cheers, Howard

Got here and got parked at 0830 this morning after rolling three and a half hours out of Hopkinsville KY. Had to lock the differential to get backed into this choice spot as it was already that slick. I was down to 30 MPH for the last 30-40 miles and was still driving by braille.

As of right now, there's a foot of snow on the ground, all the roads in Illinois are 100% covered, the temp has dropped 20 degrees in the last 3 hours, and the wind is rocking my truck and trailer (79000 pounds) like a pimply faced kid at his junior prom.

I got parked here in the nick of time, I'd say. MODOT says the roads there are pretty bad, too.

I'd also say that the chances of this truck rolling out at 2130 and being in Cedar Falls Iowa by 0600 are slim and none. And I think that was Slim I saw in the ditch with a pickup and a U-Haul trailer about 10 miles east of here.....

Oh well, I guess I'll settle in for a long winter's nap. Y'all stay safe out there!

Cheers, Howard

You might want to check with a vet rep and the Texas Workforce Commission to see what kind of VA bennies are available to you. When I was gathering 411 in prep for making a decision about trucking, the vet rep at the TWC office in Round Rock told me there was no help available for me from them because truck driving school was considered a short term training course.

And as long as it seemed like it was for me living in a truck with a nasty old, hygenically challenged Georgia cracker Prime instructor/trainer who couldn't teach his way out of a wet paper bag, I guess it was short term....

But I have 'Nam era bennies and used a bunch of them getting my engineering degree, so your situation in undoubtedly different.

Cheers, Howard

Howard, you're cracking me up!

I can tell that you are a truck driver at heart, even if you are trained to be an engineer.

Humor is the best medicine, amigo. And I need a LOT of medicine since I quit taking the illegal stuff!

Actually, I was a biker before I was an engineer or a salesman. Not a lot of difference between bikers and truckers. Except truck stops have showers......

Cheers, Howard

Good post, Old School. That guy sounds like I used to feel when I was doing sales. Hated every minute of it.....

Cheers, Howard