This message was self-deleted by its author

[Tobin S.]

This message was self-deleted by its author (Tobin S.) on Tue Feb 24, 2015, 05:53 PM. When the original post in a discussion thread is self-deleted, the entire discussion thread is automatically locked so new replies cannot be posted.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Oh boy, my dear Tobin...

What a sad, sad story. He wanted to be with his family more...........and that wish killed him. It put him in harm's way.

I'm so sorry that happened to him, to the cop, and to you. At Christmastime, as well...

I know you're being super careful.....but I can't help but say drive safely!

[Tobin S.]

3. 10-4, Peggy.

Yeah, that guy was on his way home, too. He was just a few miles away.

[trof]

2. I flew huge airplanes for many years.

I've had some close calls.
You job is infinitely more personally dangerous than mine was.
Of course if I messed up, 300 people went with me.
Stay safe.

[Tobin S.]

4. "I've had some close calls."

Holy shit! Flying scares the shit out of me without the close calls. How often does it happen that you have a close call and nobody in the back ever knows the difference?

[trof]

6. Most of the time, passengers are not aware.

You never inform them unless the situation is about to become evident to everyone.

[mnhtnbb]

10. Like aborted landings.

My last trip to NY--LaGuardia--was that way.

We're on final and all of a sudden, whee.....back up we go and around to try again...because somebody
was cleared to take off from the runway where we were going to land. Oops. Glad it was
a clear day because I'll bet the captain made that visual decision to abort. When he announced
what he was doing--after we were back up and turning--he made it sound like just another day at the
office and somebody else had gotten in his way.

[madinmaryland]

5. Thanks for your story, Tobin. I have missed them.

I am glad you were able to make it home that night, but sad you lost a friend. I assume you were headed back to my neck of the woods that night (Dayton).

[Tobin S.]

8. You're welcome.

Yeah, I used to live in Dayton and work out of there. I hauled GM freight. When the plant closed, so did the trucking terminal where I used to work. That really hit that town hard.

[Earth_First]

7. I hear you, friend...

I drive for a living in the winter as well (not OTR) but I work in snow/ice removal in order to get the commute as safe as possible for everyone.

Most times, it's overnights; where the majority of the traffic is other's whose main objective is to get the job done as efficiently and safely as possible. In the ten years I've been doing this, I've had only one incident. However, one that nearly cost me my own life.

It was near the pre-dawn hours (4 or 5 a.m.) traveling Northbound just under the limit and well within speeds dictated by the conditions; when I approached a siding to a business park. I could see the municipal truck was approaching the stop sign. Assuming that the operator had seen me (there was/is at least 1/2 mile visbility from his vantage point) I continued Northbound. However, the operator did not see me and proceeded without stopping. As luck would have it in this situation, I was t-boned by a ten-wheeled plow truck at 40 m.p.h. I was in a 6-wheeled F-550. One hundred yards or so later, I was able to control the vehicle across two lanes and come to a stop. I remember very little of those 15 seconds.

During the ensuing police reports, the municipal supervisor showed up and attempted to pin the situation on me for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle. The responding officer informed me that I had done nothing wrong, was not ticketed. The municipal driver was ticketed on several violations including failure to yield to oncoming traffic.

Be safe out there, folks...if not for the safety of yourself...the safety of others around you!

[Tobin S.]

9. 10-4.

[bamademo]

11. People make fun of the South for shutting down roads in snow and ice.

But we don't have snow tires. I'd rather stay at home.

[Tobin S.]

12. You don't have salt trucks.

Up north, salt trucks can take care of a great deal of the snow problem. In the south, you don't get nearly as much snow and ice, if any at all some winters, so I guess it doesn't make sense for the road departments to stock salt.

[mnhtnbb]

13. It's not the lack of snow tires that is the problem, it's the dummies who don't know how to drive

in snow...or worse, think because they have 4 wheel drive they can drive on ice.

I lived--and drove--in snow country for 12 years. You can't make me go out
in the little itty bits of snow here in NC--and definitely not on ice--because
so many of the drivers are just crazy here.

[Tobin S.]

14. In defense of southern drivers,

I think if they had to deal with more snow and ice they would be better at driving on it. If you live in a place that may only get a few inches of snow a year, you won't be accustomed to driving in it. Also, see my post above about the salt trucks.

[bamademo]

15. I had a 4 wheel drive pick up and drove on snow in Alabama.

It's the idiots that don't think they have to slow down that bother me.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

16. Automatic DU Rec for a Tobin Trucking Story.

I know you are going for a degree in business but, I think your true calling is writing, Tobin.

Say Hey To Jen for me

[Tobin S.]

17. Thank you for the rec and the compliment.

Maybe I'll pursue writing more when I have the time. Right now I'm just about paying the bills.

[denbot]

18. I like my boss and pay, but I am seriously thinking of driving local.

You can't imagine the stress of sudden whiteout conditions with no safe pull out for miles, and ice and steep grades to deal with before there is any chance of a safe haven.

As a truck driver I an really sorry to see the end of summer.

[Tobin S.]

20. I hear you

I did that otr stuff for about five years of my career. I still hate the winter, but I don't loathe it the way I used to when I went out west a lot.

[wain]

19. Tobin, how well you write

I don't get on much anymore, but I have always enjoyed and valued your stories. I always remember the advice you once gave me to always let a truck move over when they signal. I can see in this story the maturation of your writing skills and of your personal self-confidence earned by hard work in your educational development. You have much for which to be proud in your personal growth.

[Tobin S.]

21. Thank you very much.

That means a lot to me, wain.