MR, do you have a report for us on the Johnny Winter performance at the Bricktown Blues Fest?
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend. Another one of those old age things, more than likely.

MR, did you recently change your home page to add the Beatles stuff? Or has it been there all along & just didn’t register with my addled brain? It just amazes me how I can look or listen to something a hundred times & all of a sudden see/hear something I haven’t heard before. Especially the old albums I’ve listened to a zillion times. Probably old age/dementia creeping around.

I just saw a Chase bank credit card commercial using “All You Need is Love”…… Luckily, they couldn’t use The Beatles recorded version, but, this one is so close you have to listen carefully to notice that it isn’t the original….. My question is if all you need is love, why on earth do I need a Chase credit card?……. Maybe in Nevada?…. No, no, that would only buy you sex, not love…… Do I need to explain why I’m blaming MJ (with a little help from Yoko Oh-No)?…….

This

one has no “right” answer although it does have an answer. So, five points to the most creative attempt. Points will be awarded by popular vote at the end of the week when I get back. Enter your best and often.

MATTER IN THE WRONG PLACE IS CALLED WHAT?

…..Will You Still Feed Me?……When I’m Sixty-Four?…… I wonder if Sir Paul ever thought he’d reach 64 when he was just a member of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band?…… Listen to a McCartney song today……. Can’t hurt….. I’m personally listening to Why don’t we do it in the road?, Helter Skelter, and Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da off the 30th Anniversary Limited Edition CD of “The Beatles” (White album) No. 0375041 ……

……Have a good day…. eh?….. I know I will……. When your offspring gives you the “Bongo Fury” CD (Frank Zappa/Captain Beefheart), and a new super metal wallet for Father’s Day, ya know you musta done something right along the way…… And, yes, I am listening to Frankie and the Captain as I write this….. Hope your day is as good as mine is going to be, but, it’ll have to go some to get there…….

Well, actually, I’m a good “Truck Drivin’ Passenger”, although I did get to sit in the driver’s seat for a photo…. J.J. came through on his offer to let me ride along on a short run to Dallas and back….

You definitely get a different perspective on driving when you’re sitting way up above the rest of the traffic and takin’ up about 70 feet of roadway all at the same time….. Boy, are newer cars ugly from that angle…. I wonder if the designers ever looked at them in that way?….. Anyway, this was a brand-new 2006 truck, and man, you talk about all the bells and whistles!…. Automatic transmission, super sound system, cruise control, and all power including power windows and door locks!…. Soft comfortable air-cushioned seats and less road noise than a BMW…. The instrument panel still has more gauges, switches, and thingy’s than a jet airplane….. Notice the “Redneck Horn” button….. Not original equipment, but loaded with appropriate sayings for Yo-Yo drivers to calm your nerves after they pull some of the stunts I saw on our short trip…… Makes you think truck drivers have it made in the shade, and they would if it wasn’t for all the bad drivers on the road, mounds of paperwork, bad roads, bad weather, and definitely not the greatest pay for all the hazards, constrictions, and enormous amount of mental and physical concentration it takes to safely navigate a vehicle of this size on the roads of America…. It was a learning experience I would recommend that everyone should have…. I enjoyed it and I thank J.J. for giving me the opportunity for an inside view of the industry…. I have a new found respect for Truckers….. I don’t think I could do it without runnin’ some Bozo off in the ditch….. Keep On Truckin’, J.J. – Safely…..

OK, try

this one…………..The world’s oldest book is?

Here’s an

easy one…….Buddha died from eating what?

Just thought I’d pass this on to fellow music enthusiasts on this blog. Next weekend-June 16& 17 is the annual Bricktown Blues & BBQ festival. Among the performers will be John Lee Hooker & Johnny Winter. If only I can “Stand the Weather”. Whaddya think, Stevie?

Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson leg presses one ton……attributes

energy in part to “his age-defying protein shake.”

Since I’m planning to run for “The Prez’s” job, I decided to become a new Oklahoma Tourism Ambassador…. I thought that a little more education wouldn’t be a bad thing, so I attended one of our exclusive private schools…. The curriculum there is the benchmark used by all higher education facilities in the state…. The pace was most grueling and taxed every one of my brain cells to the max, but, I struggled through and graduated with honors…. Whew, I want to tell you that was a tough week-end and I wouldn’t want to go through that again!…..

Here’s a photo of me after my graduation leaving the campus on their new ultramodern landscaped entrance on College Ave. going out to to win votes and influence people with the excellent education I received in the great state of Oklahoma…..

First correct answer gets the points.

“WE DON’T

NEED NO STINKIN’ BADGES”. This famous quote comes from where and was said whom, who, whatever?

That’s right, MR‘s gonna run for “The Prez” position….. “Don’t Hesitate – MR in ’08”….. I’ve got two and a half years to build-up a voter base and since I’ve never held a political position before, I’m not corrupted or controlled by “Special Interest” groups….. As I said before, I don’t think our founding fathers intended for lifetime career politicians to run our country….. It should be “Government by the People – for the People”…… A lifetime politician has been separated from the general public so long they can’t possibly have any concept of what “We the People” put up with, so how can they have your best interest at heart?……

So, in order to better serve the needs of the people of this great nation, I’m going to conduct a series of questionnaires starting with MRambler Central….. Here’s the first three-part question (Remember – Answer truthfully – Honesty in Politics – What a concept!…):

a. Do you vote?…..
b. If so, in all elections (local and national) in which you are qualified to do so?……
c. Do you throughly research the candidates or do you just vote on the fly?……

Part “c” is most important….. Voting uninformed is just as bad, if not worse, than not voting at all…..

I want to personally thank you for participating in this survey….. Your answers will determine whether I should continue the quest for great government or just remain on the Titanic with everyone else……

OK Kids, Lets debunk the myths surrounding the latest profession du jour. First, lets get acquainted, I have been involved in the industry all of my life, I always wanted to be a driver just like my father was for over 45 years. I considered it an honorable profession, Back then.

Most people’s view of the “Truck Driver” comes from the cheesey movies of the ’70s and all the bad stories on the news, but, as some of you have said it was a trucker who came to your rescue in your time of need. This is the case more than you hear of.

The 1st thing that happened to this industry was in 1980 when congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act also known as “Deregulation” This was to make companies more competitive. Before this Companies had to apply for permits and operating authority in each individual state, and this was up to the state whether or not it was granted. If you did not have authority to operate in another state you had to “Trip Lease” to another company to travel through that state, this also meant that they got part of the profit from your load. An example: If you loaded in San Antonio, TX going to Denver, CO you had to call ahead to 2 different companies (other than your own), Stop at each of their terminals in TX and CO and get copies of the permits, and stop at the KS port of entry and pay $2.00 for a 1 trip permit.

Well, deregulation ended all of this, any company could apply for and get authority to run all 48 states and this was guaranteed by the ICC. Some have said that they went broke after deregulation. Those independents who did not have the money up front to get their authority went under or leased to a company like we were. Lots of the big companies who made a lot of money by being the only companies who served a certain area and made huge sums from Trip lease funds went by the wayside. I.E. Lee Way, Transcon, Campbell express, Be Mac, C&H etc. But it made the industry more competitive, but more cut throat. This also gave little up start companies a door to go through, Enter JB Hunt, Warner, Schneider, etc. They were always around but you only saw them in certain areas of the country Now with the help of some big bank loans they were able to become the major players that they are now. With this change also came the need for new drivers ( This and the prosperity of the ’80s).

Now Back in the day, if you wanted to drive a truck you went about it in 1 of 3 ways, either you learned on a farm driving a hay truck, you had a dad or uncle who tought you how to drive, or you learned in the service and got a driving job after your discharge. After the need increased came the advent of the “Truck Driving School” where seasoned veterans taught persons how to handle a rig and do paperwork. This usually took about 2 months but the industry needed drivers faster so the curriculum was cut to about 6 weeks. Now it is approx. 3.5 weeks. You then get hired on with a company and run team with a “Driver Finisher” for up to 50,000 miles before they turn you loose solo.

Back when I started you could count on a Truck Driver if you were in trouble( I Can remember if you stopped on an off ramp to relieve yourself by the time you were finished there were 5 drivers there with their tool boxes thinking you were broke down) THAT WAS THEN THIS IS NOW!!!!

Todays industry is based on unrealistic schedules, unfeeling, uninformed Dispatchers, Shippers and receivers who think “I have to be here for 8 hours so whats your hurry” Mechanics who think the driver does not know a damn thing, and companies and recruiters who think “So what, Quit, I will have 5 more to replace you this afternoon” The biggest problem in this industry is that the companies say they are “Keeping Quality Drivers”. Well, most recruiters will tell you exactly what you want to hear to get you to sign on the dotted line and then when they get you in it’s all out the door. You find out that they have a “Forced Dispatch Policy”, which means “you go where we tell you to go or go home and get wrote up or fired”. When you get back you get all the crap loads.

As for all the ads for drivers in the papers, today there is more freight to move than ever before, and companies will never have enough drivers, and as MR said the roads would be jammed with just trucks. They say in their ads “Make 50 to 75k a year driving a truck”. Yes you can, If you never want to see home again. In order to make that kind of money you have to be on the road 11 hours a day 6.5 days a week driving 4000 miles a week in order to bring home $1,ooo.00 a week to make $52,000.00 annually. Do the math – it don’t add up. Most companies also figure into that 50k figure your fuel and safety bonus. You have to get a certain fuel mileage average and drive so many miles in a given period to get that. Now in all that they don’t take into consideration: Road construction, Traffic, Weather, Delays at docks, Breakdowns and the “Hours of Service” laws that we now have. There’s another point the new HOS rules have. They state ” a Driver can only drive 11 hours a day after 10 hours of rest. and you can only be on duty 70 hours in any given 8 day period.” So, therefore, in order to make the “big money” you have to live in that cab.

Now, the company that I work for is a little better than that, I don’t make much money per mile but for giving that up, I am home most weekends, have a brand new truck( a 2006 Freightliner Coronado With an Automatic transmission) and usually know what my next load will be, and do not have a Satellite communication device attached to my truck ( A Qualcomn).

I hope this has helped to educate you all about the industry and what we do out there, I will be happy to answer any questions about the industry and speak with anyone who is considering getting into this industry and give them an honest answer I know I have only scratched the surface. I will post some stories about some of my exploits some other time. Thanks for your time.