Bullheaded

You got it Joey!

I'd call it that anyway, even though Trudeau passed a law saying he is going to put me in jail now if I use free speech. Go ahead! Lock me up you piece of crap! LOL

No, May 14.

It's over man. And why I'm so bitter with life now. had to give up the only thing I ever wanted to do....trucking. But I'll never get another one now. Between those prices, the new regs and the new drivers on the road......no thanks. I just saw a listing here in Canada for a USED Pete with a high rise bunk. Said "Heavy Haul Tractor" but it had a Paccar MX510 engine and 40 rears 🤣 But anyway....it had 300 and some thousand miles on it and the crack head was asking $220,000. Bahahahaha. I'll give you $70,000 for it bud. LOL

I know there was never a doubt in my mind.

Lots of good stories of us all starting out. Good memories. I'll add to mine....I did first drive my father's friend's C500 Kenworth. But when I got my first real full time job it was with that Ford LTS with the 5&4. I remember the day the owner called me. My friend used to work for him and had to quit so he recommended me since he knew I could drive that big C500. Anyway, the gentleman that owned the Ford says on the phone "have you ever driven a 5&4 transmission?" I replied no. "Well you're just going to haul in the steel mill so you'll have all day to figure it out.. be here in the morning." And that's all it was. And I really owe a ton of gratitude to Mr. Lenny McQueen for trusting me and giving me my start.

Recovered! Two 329 Cat's and a 450 Hitachi. Now the work begins.

Sorry I'm late to the party Bob! Just travelled home from mine yesterday and when I got home Elon let me down and my my Starlink wasn't working. Hope you had a great birthday!

First truck I ever drove full time was a Ford LTS 8000 with an 8V53 and a 5&4 Then got another LTS with a 6V53 and a 13 speed.

We should make them all test with a 6-71 and a 5&4 LOL

I miss the Mack 12 speed. Used to drive an MH Ultraliner with an E9500/12 speed pulling a 5 axle Raglan Hydra-glide dump trailer and a three axle belly dump. That was a fun truck to drive.

I know all about working with contractors like that with my dump truck. Which is why I am laughing about that post I put up of the big ore truck flipping and all their other mishaps in the mine here. I hired out to that contractor when I had my dump truck and they are a bunch of dicks. Got some real good employees and foremen on the job sites.......but the upper office staff think everyone is a dime a dozen and you aren't worth a crap. So I am enjoying watching all their fails.

No, the orange one I posted a pic of was new. $750,000 Canadian. This red one, one of two were bought used. They are Cat powered with Allison's and the new orange one is an X15 525 with an Allison. And this will be second time this unit gets floated out of here for major repairs. Our speed limit is 60 KPH/40 MPH. I ran a few loads with one of the Cat wiggle wagons and the dash display showed our hills at 14 and 15%. And these big Western Stars grossing 95 to 100 tonne.......as soon as they hit a hill that Allison goes right to first gear and all they can do is crawl. They just floated in another excavator, a bigger Hitachi and they are supposed to do the recovery tomorrow but it is now POURING rain and supposed to change to snow tonight and tomorrow. Should be a real treat. LOL

Valid points for those that have bad knees and health issues. And yes, there is something absolutely wrong with society now. Ever since I called it quits trucking, I went to work in a mine. We make very good money and it BLOWS MY MIND how many still don't care, have no common sense, no brains and are so lazy. I grew up a worker and it KILLS me to see all this stupidity. Also agree on another comment. I once came to a stop light at the bottom of a big hill that once through the intersection merged back into a single lane from a double. I was beside a Mack Pinnacle/M-Drive pulling a live bottom trailer. I didn't want to get stuck behind it on the hill and thought this will be easy pickings with my 550 Cat. Well I was shifting like I was in El Rodeo Du Camion race and it left me, LOL Automatics are fast. And again, another problem for newbies with inadequate training.

I only have 36 years and HAD to get out, LOL

It's a Western Star 6900XD. I have a post here with pics of the brand new one....in the Other Brand Trucks section under Western Star 6900XD I think. And it's still in there on it's side. They haven't made another attempt yet, and it's supposed to rain then snow tonight, so should get interesting, LOL What's that expression? "More money than brains."

Where's the beer fridge and liquor cabinet? LOL

LIKE LIKE LIKE Mowerman!!!! I love DM's.

Oh no! I said it! The Canadian government is going to come and jail me now. LOL

I posted this as a reply in another thread, but what's everyone else's take on this? [This is kinda related so I'll say it.......a friend and I had a conversation the other day and we both said we think one of the biggest problems on our highways today is the invention of the automatic transmission in class 8 trucks. They shouldn't even be allowed. Think about it.......back in the day, you had to have at least a sliver of talent or skill to drive a big rig. If you couldn't shift, then everybody knew, maybe this isn't your thing, or at least you MADE yourself a driver. The ability to upshift and downshift was the first indication of whether you were ever going to catch on or not. Now, hire any new comer to the country that can drive a Toyota Prius, has a pulse and can sit upright in a seat and throw 80,000 plus pounds on and away you go! You're a trucker now! Until it all goes terribly wrong when you realize that big rig doesn't stop or handle like your Toyota.] The last time I drove home from the mine here, I was going to play a game. I started counting every HOLE through a missing section of guard rail where every new Canadian crashed his transport just this winter alone. In just this this under 200 mile stretch of the Tans Canada Hwy 17. I had to stop counting in the first 60 miles because I was getting annoyed trying to remember that big of a number. That company that installs the guard rails up here is going to be rich this summer!! And I am not meaning to be racist here when I say new Canadian. But just search our local news outlets like Sootoday.com and read the names and look at the pics. Or watch the towing shows on Discovery channel. The proof is all right there. I'm not centering anyone out, just repeating know facts.

This is kinda related so I'll say it.......a friend and I had a conversation the other day and we both said we think one of the biggest problems on our highways today is the invention of the automatic transmission in class 8 trucks. They shouldn't even be allowed. Think about it.......back in the day, you had to have at least a sliver of talent or skill to drive a big rig. If you couldn't shift, then everybody knew, maybe this isn't your thing, or at least you MADE yourself a driver. Now, hire any new comer to the country that can drive a Toyota Prius, has a pulse and can sit upright in a seat and throw 80,000 plus pounds on and away you go! You're a trucker now! Until it all goes terribly wrong when you realize that big rig doesn't stop or handle like your Toyota.

No, I think the big grooves are the grader cutting a ditch for drainage before this happened.

Says he blew a steer tire on driver side? I don't know? But I blew a 425 series balloon tire on the steer of my old 9400 International tri-axle dump loaded in a corner at 55 MPH, blew the hood and fuel tank right off and I just jaked to a stop on the shoulder. But I only had 30 tonne on. But this is a contractor working here that does the ore haul and road maintenance (and they do a crap job with both) and they have that attitude that drivers are a dime a dozen, and they don't fix anything properly.

For all you modeler's out there that always want chassis pics, I tried to get some for you, but it was a little too packed with mud, LOL This is what 100 tonnes gross looks like when it goes into the mud. I floated two excavators there and they had two rotator tow trucks and we couldn't budge it. Next plan is to dig it out more and bring a 349 ex and a D8. Driver was really lucky. The entire driver seat is burried under big chunks of ice and mud, he got pushed out of seat.

They even look like they are smiling, LOL