Some trucking humor =^)

[juno_hoo]

I know nobody is reading this board but what the he!!; this is one of my favorite topics for a rant.

Posted on the Trucking industry news forum --

Fewer Truckers Getting Behind the Wheel

LAS VEGAS -- Retiring truck drivers have shifted the industry into a shortage. Transportation companies have said the jobs are tough to fill because fewer younger drivers want to deal with the sacrifices that come with the job. With his nephew as...

I guess that's good news because it does get crowded when there is more than one driver behind the wheel, but "retiring drivers????" Get real! I think I can count the drivers I know who have "retired" on my thumbs, unless they previously retired from another career. Maybe they refer to union drivers because they're about the only drivers with a genuine retirement plan. For the rest, retirement means SSI and 'mama' working at Wal*Mart. Quitting, or getting fired from trucking isn't retirement and I do wonder what the hell the writer is talking about.

But you can read the rest of the story here. It goes on to tell us about the 26 y/o making the sacrifice for the betterment of his family, the (mythical) "driver shortage" and how tough it is to hire drivers for "up to" $45K per year. Yep, I'll bet that young man had a choice of a great union factory job, a career on Wall Street or trucking. As the old knight in "Last Crusade" said...

Now get out there and vote GOP.

[bigjoe]

Originally Posted by juno_hoo

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Now get out there and vote GOP.

I will, Ike.

P.S. I may be only semi-retired cause I only do one or two loads a month now.

[ghostof99]

Loved that article Ike – this guy thinks he's going to make 45k a year as a truck driver (not freakin' likely) and even better, thinks that big 45k is going to support his wife and four kids “comfortably.”

I guess comfort is relative... and I'd also guess young Jonathan is married to one of his.

[juno_hoo]

I will, Ike.

That's good for reasons you've never imagined, Bigjoe, but I'd be disappointed if drivers actually took the time to think about politics. Hell, they've got loads to haul...

P.S. I may be only semi-retired cause I only do one or two loads a month now.

Ah yes, the semi-retired truckers... They're everywhere in truck-stops, aren't they? Long past the time that they've run out of dough and desire, they're still out there on the road in their semi.

I'm a fan of people working past retirement age if they want to for several reasons. It's just the sh!tz when they have to and most of today's American workers have to. I think the uninformed writer of my linked piece actually meant "retired" without the necessity to hit the road just to survive. Maybe he was thinking of union drivers or maybe he was unaware that generic companies have no real retirement plans.

[juno_hoo]

"Not freakin' likely" is an understatement but I also get a kick out of it. If he made $45k he'd still never buy a home in a decent place, really educate his kids, save a few bucks, or have a retirement but that's the new American way. His only other option was probably flipping burgers or retrieving shopping carts at Wal*Mart so whatever he makes driving that large car is big money...

I dunno who said it but someone said, "There are those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened." Most drivers fall in that last category.

Hope your day is a good one.

[bigjoe]

Hmmm...did I detect a touch of sarcasm in my semi-retired statement?

I assure you that I am not semi retired in a truck stop. Very rarely over a day from home and if there is nothing I want to haul then I generally just go home. truck stops ****. Times have changed...wife is doing great in her job, I draw social security and life is good...well at least to me it is.