Driving A CAR Is Weird!!!

Yesterday I had to turn in my beloved Frightliner in Texas and the company rented me a mini-van to take all my stuff up to Michigan for knee replacement surgery. I’ve driven my car very little over the past two plus years. It took a while to get used to a car again. I kept reaching for the jake break lever every time I needed to slow down. I almost pulled into two weigh stations. I did pull in to a rest area and without realizing it, I went to the truck lot and had to make a u-turn to the car area. Oh, and fueling up is very painful when you have to pay for the fuel yourself. Ouch! And, of course, not having an air horn was a big adjustment, lol.

First off, good luck and a speedy recovery after the surgery. Luckily, I drive a pickup truck when not in the Volvo but man is it weird to jump on the bike to get some wind therapy.

I've moved into the right lane for the weigh station before. Back when I drove a manual truck I tried pressing the clutch in my SUV. Even taken a few turns wide like I'm dragging a set behind me.

Good luck on the surgery. My dad's friend had it done, he said the first few weeks are rough, but after that it was great. Wished he had done it years sooner.

I hope all goes well with your surgery, Bruce.

You may have mentioned it in an earlier post - and if you did I apologize since I haven't checked in for a while - but, how long do you expect it to be before you can drive a truck again?

Are you getting paid for medical leave?

I hope all goes well with your surgery, Bruce.

You may have mentioned it in an earlier post - and if you did I apologize since I haven't checked in for a while - but, how long do you expect it to be before you can drive a truck again?

Are you getting paid for medical leave?

Hello RD! Your extended absence has been noted. Good to hear from you again.

To answer your questions, the estimate is that I could drive a truck in about 4 weeks after the surgery. A lot of that has to do with my ability to climb in and out of the cab. But since I’m getting one knee done and then the second knee, the entire process is estimated to be about 3 months. I’ll be on FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) and FMLA is good for 3 months. I really hope to accelerate the process somewhat, so I might be back to work sooner than the 3 months. Then again, I might enjoy the time off enough to take the entire 3 months.

I signed up for short term disability insurance when I started my job, so that will provide me with income while I’m off. Plus I get Social Security payments. The company doesn’t give any paid medical leave, but I will be fine with what I do have.

So then, how about you? What have you been up to? Give us an update on you and if you are still driving. I’ve spoken to several others here about you, but your disappearance has been a mystery.

Hey, thanks for asking, Bruce. I'm glad to hear you're so well prepared for your upcoming medical leave. Good thinking ahead!

I had hoped to buy a house before the end of this year. I was really close to my goal of $100,000 down payment.

But life had other plans. I had to help my younger sister out in an emergency, and gave her $20,000 to help her get a new car. My brother had some major issues with his teeth and I gave him $10,000 for dental work.

I didn't mind though because for years I was the black sheep, the deadbeat, who always relied on my siblings to help me out. So the scales have been balanced in my opinion. It was my brother after all whom I stayed with during home time, rent-free, who was the biggest reason I'd been able to save so much money in the first place. I'll just have to wait a little longer to get a house.

Still driving for Barr-Nunn and business has been picking up over the past several months. 3 months ago we had just under 300 drivers and now we have over 450.

Oh, and I applied to Walmart in April...DENIED!!! I'm not going to lie, that was very discouraging. I will try again at some point.

I've moved into the right lane for the weigh station before. Back when I drove a manual truck I tried pressing the clutch in my SUV. Even taken a few turns wide like I'm dragging a set behind me.

Good luck on the surgery. My dad's friend had it done, he said the first few weeks are rough, but after that it was great. Wished he had done it years sooner.

yeah, I used to exclusively drive manual vehicles. I still reach for the clutch on from my old pickup... will probably still reach for it for years to come. I was actually taught to drive my pickup like I am always pulling a trailer, which means whenever I need to take a sharp turn I am halfway freaking out about a non-existent trailer.

Wishing you well BK. Sorry yo hear about the plans delay RD. But you're an honorable guy, have faith it will work out.

Thanks Davy!