Firearms?

*Hint*: I'm from The Old Dominion.

PackRat, I know you are in IL.

NOT. Never be a resident there; just drive through and spend no money.

LOL! I'm currently an Illinoisan... and you're not wrong in your disposition!

Steven, as to your original post, if you're pulling a real high value load it is.possible that the shipper has a.shadow already set up. I once ran a load of Rx meds from Cincinnati to St.Louis. Had to wait for the load to be ready, started late evening with a full clock. Driving across southern IL I am certain i was followed, auto stayed about 1/2 mile behind the whole way, matched my speed 63mph truck in a 70 zone), wouldnt catch up or pass. Notified my dispatcher who said "ok, i will let.them.know"

I later learned from a guy that retired from a west coast PD that his retirement gig is high value cargo security. They follow the high-value loads at a reasonable distance to monitor for hijacking, or more likely, cargo diversion.

Good.luck on the hi value transport, though!

Mr. Curmudgeon, that is truly fascinating! Thanks for sharing that story. You would think they would tell you that you have a security detail so that you don't wonder about the vehicle following you and then you calling it in. But then again, I suppose they don't want to give the driver a heads-up on the security arrangements, just in case the driver would be complicit...

Sorry, my bad. Thought you were in the Joliet area... gotta bounce back to the locator on this one..

No offense intended!!!! ;)

I'm in Joliet, there are a few Illinois residents here. But as far as I know I'm the only one in Joliet.

Mountain Matt - they gave specific instructions from the shipper and my dispatcher that if anything seemed suspicious to notify dispatch. I didn't know it was pharma, I thought expresscrips was a check printer ( DOH!!). Thought it odd at the time, but wasn't too worried (it's freight). It wasn't until I spoke with Andre out on the coast that I figured out why they weren't too concerned. I don't think these guys were worried about a hijacking, they were moving in from Cinci to StLouis... with whatever that might imply. Watching for tailing vehicles has always been part of my SOP anyway, still do it... late night rural driving makes it tough for someone to close tail, and easy enough to shake...

I always like to give a few thoughts on gun threads.

First, let me say that I'm not anti gun at all. In fact, I'm about to get one or two, but just to scare away animals if need be or self-protection from animals in a desperate situation. I live in the mountains and I have some goats and I'm planning to have chickens and such, so it's not a stretch that coyotes or bears could stop by at some point. I've never tried beating away a bear or a pack of coyotes with a stick, and I'd rather not try.

First, keep in mind that a gun is not a deterrent until you pull it out. No one knows you have a gun on the truck, unless you put a sign on the window saying so, which will probably get you pulled over or pulled around back and inspected every other day, and at some point probably thrown in jail. It will definitely prevent you from being allowed on the property at most shippers. That is assuming your company allows it in the first place.

Personally, I would much rather have a deterrent like a big dog that people can see, either because you have a sign on the truck or they see the dog. No one is going to mess with you if you have a big, scary dog. Why would they? They can walk for 10 seconds and mess with someone who doesn't have a dog!

If someone gets so close that I must take action to protect myself, then I've failed to provide a good enough deterrent to keep them at a distance and prevent the attack in the first place. That's my theory. I want to prevent any sort of attack, not get involved in one. I don't want to defend myself if I can avoid it.

The other point I like to make is that rarely do most people get into life-or-death situations. If you're not used to working through life-or-death situations, let's just say you will not handle it like Clint Eastwood! The adrenaline will cause you to tremble violently. Your head will start spinning. You'll get nauseous. You'll sweat profusely. You won't think clearly. You'll question everything - why am I doing this? Is it worth it? What if I kill this guy, will I go to prison? I should have run away instead and let him take what he wanted! Is this how I'm going to die, protecting someone else's cargo that's insured anyhow, or stopping someone from stealing my stupid wallet?

Trust me, 99% of the population will come completely unglued within 5 - 10 seconds of getting into a life-threatening situation.

I'm a rock and ice climber, so I've spent an enormous amount of time in circumstances where one tiny moment of inattention will be the end of you. That is not a situation that anyone can handle naturally. It takes months or years to work yourself up to that point. Military and police train continuously for that sort of thing, but even they often panic and can barely keep themselves together enough to survive when the situation is real. Without extensive experience, you cannot handle the extreme pressure.

We all love to think of ourselves as potential heroes ready to teach the bad guy a lesson. Unfortunately, there's a much greater chance that you'll get yourself killed, put in prison, or hurt/kill innocent bystanders.

I can't tell anyone what to do, but I hope you'll give some thought to what I've said.

Also an Illinois resident here. Unfortunately. I deliver to the west side of Chicago once a week. Sometimes twice. I can honestly say low bridges, and four wheelers that feel stopping at a red light is optional worry me far more than anything else in Chicago. But that’s just me.

Mountain Matt - they gave specific instructions from the shipper and my dispatcher that if anything seemed suspicious to notify dispatch. I didn't know it was pharma, I thought expresscrips was a check printer ( DOH!!). Thought it odd at the time, but wasn't too worried (it's freight). It wasn't until I spoke with Andre out on the coast that I figured out why they weren't too concerned. I don't think these guys were worried about a hijacking, they were moving in from Cinci to StLouis... with whatever that might imply. Watching for tailing vehicles has always been part of my SOP anyway, still do it... late night rural driving makes it tough for someone to close tail, and easy enough to shake...

I gotta ADD to this; that's ROFLMAO, funny, 'Mudge!!! Check Printer being PAYROLL CHECKS!!!! STILL could be HVL ~!!!

My S/O did a 'few' HVL's while OTR , don't remember if it was USX or Transport America (wasn't FX/LH....for sure!)

He didn't even tell ME about it ... at ALL. I used to watch the OHGO cameras on 30 & 77 & 71 and he wouldn't even tell 'me' his routes. They drove in tridem convoys. Three trucks. Never 'asked' about a hidden 'security' vehicle; and don't guess I will, in this stage of the game, LoL! Those 3 trucks stuck together . . . always. Potty breaks, et al....and only ran daylight.

Very interesting thread, thanks for this twist!

~ Anne ~

ps: I'm pretty sure my S/O keeps his tin in the Jeep, via FAB Express protocol; but he's not OTR, so... yeah.

My company has a don't ask don't tell policy on firearms. I also have a CCW from my home state that is portable to almost every Western state. That being said, I choose not to carry on the truck. I do have bear spray, a stun gun and a tire thumper. My big mean attack dog is a 20 lb black pug. I've never felt scared anywhere I have been (even that time I woke up with the cops taking cover in front of my truck lol). As a 54 year old female that drives solo, if anyone should feel the need to carry, then I should...but I don't (I also do Western 11 and don't get to too many scary cities).

I have several concerns with carrying a gun on the truck. First off, I lose more stuff in this sleeper than in my 2400 sq ft house. I might not be able to find it if I needed it! I had to deliver to a federal facility and they searched my truck. The security officer told me to "hide" my stun gun and not to taser anyone :D (It probably helped that I was making him a cup of coffee while he searched lol) If I'd had a gun, it would have probably been taken and held or I'd been denied delivery. It's just not for me at this time.

I have a CCW and regularly train, explicitly for reasons that Brett listed. Most humans are barely capable of gross muscle movements in life threatening situations let alone the judgement and finite muscle movement required to use a firearm.

I have mixed feelings. As yet, I have not elected to carry. I personally would keep my sidearm on my person as per normal for me, even while driving,

Many, if not most state ccw laws require us to honor private residence and business restrictions on carrying. If it's clearly posted and we violate it, we are subject to prosecution. That presents difficulties as many customers explicitly prohibit weapons on site.

All of the states I drive in in my region honor my states permit, and most allow for car carry, (meaning open carry in the vehicle) all states are required to honor open carry in theory, but the reality is that if one pushes the issue, you will loose at this time. I do have USCCA insurances, but don't want to have to use it.

The biggest reason I don't carry though is that my company prohibits it, while there are cases pending against companies preventing employees from defending themselves and providing remedy if you have been injured because you were denied that right, they are not likely to succeed under the current regime. The policy they have may influence my decision to either switch companion or go lease op/ owner op in the future as they are not under a no carry policy.

The other point I like to make is that rarely do most people get into life-or-death situations. If you're not used to working through life-or-death situations, let's just say you will not handle it like Clint Eastwood! The adrenaline will cause you to tremble violently. Your head will start spinning. You'll get nauseous. You'll sweat profusely. You won't think clearly. You'll question everything - why am I doing this? Is it worth it? What if I kill this guy, will I go to prison? I should have run away instead and let him take what he wanted! Is this how I'm going to die, protecting someone else's cargo that's insured anyhow, or stopping someone from stealing my stupid wallet?

Trust me, 99% of the population will come completely unglued within 5 - 10 seconds of getting into a life-threatening situation.

I'm a rock and ice climber, so I've spent an enormous amount of time in circumstances where one tiny moment of inattention will be the end of you. That is not a situation that anyone can handle naturally. It takes months or years to work yourself up to that point. Military and police train continuously for that sort of thing, but even they often panic and can barely keep themselves together enough to survive when the situation is real. Without extensive experience, you cannot handle the extreme pressure.

Someone tried to rob me at gunpoint in Stockton, Ca. They didn't get my money. I did not tremble violently. I'm betting that more than 1% of the population aren't wimps. Heck, even my mom stood her ground against black bears when I was a kid, to protect us. Although... my neighbor was out shooting rabbits and he almost shot me. the bullet whizzed by my ear like an ornery hornet. That actually did get to me. I ran inside scared. I guess how I react is unpredictable. Someone trying to rob me made me angry and ice cold, but almost getting shot didn't. Anyway, whatever.

On the actual topic of carrying I gun, I doubt I ever will. It seems like too much of a liability in all sorts of ways. Ammo costs too much these days to even shoot as a hobby.