Show off. In 10+ years as a commercial driver I only drove about 500,000 miles. I started in May 1979 and had to complete the full (16hr) Smith commercial/defensive course before I could get behind the wheel. Also a mandatory Smith 4hr annual refresher. No problem. I was paid to do it. I drove for Purolator Courier/Emery Air Freight/Consolidated-Emery Air Freight until November 1989 without changing jobs. My job just changed employers. I had completed military aircrew training from July thru November 1978. Military aviation stressed situational awareness. The catch phrase was âBe Readyâ. That is what you describe in your post and probably why we are still alive.
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Ah, was that the Consolidated with the green and red that went belly up all of a sudden? I used to see them all the time and never understood for sure why the front bumpers were cut off. I thought maybe it was so they couldnât be pushed back into the front tires in an accident but that didnât really make sense to me.
Front bumpers on most heavy trucks are pretty flimsy outside of the fame rails and if you hit a deer the steel bumper would fold back and hit the tire, either cutting or jamming it. This disabled the truck, delaying freight and making an expensive tow, often hundreds of miles.
They first put rubber bumper ends on cheap freight trucks and then eliminated the ends. This is less of a problem with owner operators and truckload companies that donât have shops because they get the truck fixed at the closest shop.
The old line union freight companies maintained their own shops and fixed most things there.
Consolidated Freightways went out of business in a multi-year plan to get rid of the union. First they started 3 non union companies- Conway East, Central and West and started shifting the freight to them.
The Teamsters fought them tooth and nail in court and won in the East and West but the company won in the central district. The company then closed Conway East and West, expanded Conway Central to both coasts and let Consolidated Freightways go bankrupt, taking as much of the companyâs debt with it as possible.
I thought that I would revive this thread in order to post a relevant editorial cartoon.
Roughshod indeed!!!
Reminds me of a little question and answer joke from 5th grade:
âWhat part of a car causes more accidents than any other part?â
âThe nut behind the wheel!â
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