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BillyT

Pedigreed Bulldog
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Status Updates posted by BillyT

  1. Ksb, not surprising UPS would try drones! a UPS supervisor once told me that their benchmark for a delivery driver was that they should park the truck, and complete the pickup or delivery and be back in the truck before their shoulder harness stopped swinging!

  2. The original concept of seniority both union and non union was to reward a worker for having worked for a period of years at a company and  presumably helped them prosper.Also in a job that requires a level of physical labor and or stress(trucking) as a person becomes older,seniority enables them to earn a load or position that is easier! A straight drop in Indy,as opposed to a six way split in NYC! Lol  I support  organized labor as it was originally intended,a living wage,safe working conditions,and retirement benefits etc. To be quite honest in many cases the "benefits" have gotten out of hand! Around the time the steel industry left America for good a USW got one weeks vacation for every year worked! So a 20 year employee  Got  five months paid vacation! I think that's a bit much! I'm not saying the union drove  the steel companies out of America, those cheap third world wages (that caused China to surpass the U.S. in GNP) were the main factor,but in some cases they did contribute! Also some work rules that required an extra employee where one wasn't  needed didn't help! An in law of mine worked for Otis Elevator,any time they had an " open hole" meaning an elevator opening without an elevator rather than put a screen or barrier across the opening a man had to guard it all night when nobody was working!

  3. Rowdy,,I got the Avalanche mixed up with the Aztek! You're right the Aztek is arguably the ugliest vehicle built...Ever! Also as you said,today's youngsters aren't all hopeless! I was heading for the waffle house in McDonough Ga when I realized I turned the wrong way on the ramp! So I made a u turn on the two lane and got stuck in the wet grass on the shoulder, with a 53 ft dry van! Blocked the whole road! I had visions of a 200.00 tow job when a kid about 19 and his girlfriend pull up in a brand new Dodge 1500 4wd he pulls up in front of me and throws a chain on the ground! I said "you're liable to burn up your tranny guy" " nah she'll do it"!  He says ...and it did! We both got to the Waffle House and he wouldn't even let me buy them dinner! But who else but a certifiable red neck engineer carries a 20 ft log chain in their brand new pickup?😁

     

  4. Rowdy,,I got the Avalanche mixed up with the Aztek! You're right the Aztek is arguably the ugliest vehicle built...Ever! Also as you said,today's youngsters aren't all hopeless! I was heading for the waffle house in McDonough Ga when I realized I turned the wrong way on the ramp! So I made a u turn on the two lane and got stuck in the wet grass on the shoulder, with a 53 ft dry van! Blocked the whole road! I had visions of a 200.00 tow job when a kid about 19 and his girlfriend pull up in a brand new Dodge 1500 4wd he pulls up in front of me and throws a chain on the ground! I said "you're liable to burn up your tranny guy" " nah she'll do it"!  He says ...and it did! We both got to the Waffle House and he wouldn't even let me buy them dinner! But who else but a certifiable red neck engineer carries a 20 ft log chain in their brand new pickup?😁

     

    1. BillyT

      BillyT

      This was around 2000, but good kids still exist!

  5. Red Horse, I am npi ( no political affiliation) but I find most celebrities intolerable! But Streep was dead on concerning Trumps mocking the disabled newsman! We've all seen the clip how the f... can he or his handlers deny it? The first election I was old enough to remember was Eisenhower/ Stevenson 1950 I think, we were Democrats like 98 percent of blue collar people at the time. At some point blue collar people tended to become Republican.You have to be a certain age to remember this! Another thing I remember is that NO presidential candidate was ever rude or impolite (at least in public!) To his or her opponent! This is the person that has to deal on America's behalf with every world leader! I always thought George Bush would be a good guy  to have a beer with,but not necessarily a great world leader! Having said that I think he and Laura had a great idea by leaving the presidential part of their ballot blank! I equally deplore Trump and the entire Clinton dynasty,good riddance,I'd like to think! But we all know better! Ok my rant is over, let's talk about trucks! Well school buses actually! Dropped off my grandkids this morning and was following a school bus. It has a sign "stop when lights are flashing"  they all do right? But the damn sign is in English only! As I understand it you don't have  to speak English to "qualify" for a drivers license, they assign an interpreter right? Every major retailer has signs in English and Spanish,every product you buy has instructions in up to four languages, but

    1. BillyT

      BillyT

      A person who can't speak enough ( or any) English to read the drivers test and will forget like the majority of motorists,most of what they were taught in their drivers test in a short period of time, can run over your children because they don't have a sign on the bus in Spanish to remind them to stop!

    2. Red Horse

      Red Horse

      Billy- agree on the mocking-absolute BS that he was NOT mocking this guy-as I understsnd it, he had personal knowledgr of this guy-so he KNEW what his affliction  was.

  6. General Ike you're pretty close to Orlando,It just occurred to me after the Pulse nightclub situation that the Westboro Baptist Church didn't fly the entire congregation there to celebrate, as they

  7. Mike,she might require you to weigh that ground round  on a certified scale before she would accept it! Lol

    1. Show previous comments  1 more
    2. Mike

      Mike

      Hey Billy, I can go by the CAT Scales anytime for her.

    3. BillyT

      BillyT

      That's what I was thinking!😁

    4. Mike

      Mike

      Hey Billy, I can go by the CAT Scales anytime for her.

      Hey I've never seen this part of my profile before. Don't know how to navigate it yet.

  8. General Ike you're pretty close to Orlando,It just occurred to me after the Pulse nightclub situation that the Westboro Baptist Church didn't fly the entire congregation there to celebrate, as they

    1. BillyT

      BillyT

      General Ike sorry about the incomplete post what I  was trying to say was those Westbrook Baptist pos used to demonstrate at the funeral s of our deceased vets because they said the U.S. supported gay rights, so thought the Pulse situation would make them happy! I guess the less said the better,let's get back to trucks!

  9. As usual Teamster Grrrl,your points are well taken! While I agree in principle with many of Trumps "promises" most are half campaign rhetoric and the other half monetarily and politically impractical! While I would prefer a utopian world where all immigrants entered America like KSBs wife and many others in a legal manner,we are stuck with many who have been here for years that didn't.we don't have space in our overcrowded jails,or the money to deport the others! So give the ones who have no felonies a pass and have them report to processing centers and get an I'd card that will make them legal to work till they become citizens.Have them report annually until they become citizens with instant deportation the penalty for not reporting on time! Find the money and personnel to deport the criminals! Having said this establish a date for these procedures and deport anyone still here who doesn't comply! I suspect that most of those who are here illegally would be happy to begin life "out of the shadows" and work towards citizenship! After the established date Double the personnel and efforts to deport any new illegals and make all new prospective citizens go thru the previous procedure to become citizens!Yeah, I know it isn't fair, but neither is life! Also find a way to make Mexico help police our borders maybe a head fine on illegals! Or a tax on Mexican companies profits on the products they export here! Bet the companies wouldn't be as easy as we are on their " fellow citizens" if it affected their profits!

  10. Mike, while you are looking for a proper horn button if you can find the horn relay you could run a separate wire off it to something hot under the dash with an accessory  fuse to one of those old fashioned horn buttons they are still sold in parts stores.Just find a place to mount it that's accessible but doesn't screw up the dash!

    1. BillyT

      BillyT

      Underdog, on the subject of our once proud steel industry,my best friend is from Warren oh and were talking the other night about Copperweld, U.S. Steels Homestead Works is another tragedy,The largest Bessemer converter in the world now houses a Dave and Busters restaurant and a couple other minimum wage type facilities! The o/o hauling " untarped slab" from Homestead to Clairton works (less than 20 mi) were earning 1000.00 a day with old day cab R models!  The problem as I see it is not unions,it's union greed the reason we needed unions in the first place was corporate greed! 

  11. BillyT

    Happy birthday DCR! Ever wonder how you got that old? I do every  day! I'm always amazed how cheap retired fire trucks go for! An 87 Ford f 700 with 16000mi 3208 cat With a straight 6speed from a local retirement community's volunteer dept listed at 8700$ admittedly a non purpose built c/c,but not broken in at that mileage! Wouldn't hazard a guess at what it sold for new!Almost certainly could be had for any reasonable offer!

  12. Congratulations! Your guys did it! Betcha can't buy a hotel room in " The Windy"😯

    1. RowdyRebel

      RowdyRebel

      Don't need to...got enough family & friends up there I can always find a FREE place to crash.

  13. Well the fire truck I posted about being stolen in the Tampa Bay area has been recovered! According to the news bulletin,the mentally deficient thief paid 300 dollars to have another man's 56 Ford fire truck towed to the thiefs location and then in another slick move posted it on E Bay! There being so many 56 Ford fire trucks on the market it wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb! Lol

    1. BillyT

      BillyT

      fxfymn on the subject of safety,I've been watching our local garbage contractor when they pick up our trash, and the helper always rides on the back step of the packer as the driver backs up to the stop or when driving to the next stop. I'd be willing to bet that this is against company policy,but if the helper had to walk up to the cab and back from the cab to the garbage cans at every stop he would wear himself out and add a significant amount of time to the run! This practice would be noticeably safer if the truck had a some sort of a cage on the rear of the truck that the helper could lean into so if the driver hit a bump the helper wouldn't be thrown off! I suspect that the reason this device isn't on the trucks is it would encourage the helper to do something he's not allowed to do but everyone including mgmt knows he does! Sorta a "catch 22" deal! I also wonder if the helper is denied workmans  comp. If he's injured when riding on the back of the truck! Can you members in the refuse business give me any input?

  14. Damn Other dog, you've picked up and delivered at almost all the same places I have in the 70s Armco, walker,Did you ever pick up firebrick at S.Webster and Pedro in Southern Ohio? I drove for JV Mcnicholas out of Youngstown oh. We've probably loaded next to each other!

    1. BillyT

      BillyT

      How about Empire Detroit in Portsmouth Ohio? Cleanest steel mill I've ever seen! The dock floors were painted I'd almost swear they mopped them! So many proud American workplaces and workers,all gone!

  15. T,Grrrl, no completely honest person would ever be in a position to run for any major political office period! It's been the lesser of two evils as long as I can remember! Interesting that "working" people for many years were traditionally democrats, at some point that changed,never saw it coming! On the more pleasant(mostly) subject of false hooks I suspect most of us have had them,not everyone will admit it! I had a driver come up to me once and ask directions as I was under a trailer,but before I heard the "snap" and rocked the trailer! I finished the hookup and pulled right out from under the trailer! Fortunately it was empty so I could easily crank down the dollies an d get back under! After that I developed the habit of crawling  under and making sure the bar was across behind the kingpin! Both candidates are equally dishonest, and self serving but trump is impulsive like a three year old, and could press that " red button" without thinking thru the consequences! Clinton is cunning and would realize that her and her family could die along the rest of us in a nuclear explosion,and is self serving enough to only press the button as a last resort!  on the subject of the pipeline, we were screwing the native people long before slavery,and they have a long memory! I had a load of sheepskins that took me across Pine Ridge reservation and it is one of the most desolate places I've ever seen!

  16. Ksb, I agree that we are choosing between the lesser of two evils!In reality not much less! If you follow me! One of the problems in America is we have it so easy we take for granted the freedoms we have and have had so long we don't see how fast they are going away! And once the effing election is over we will go back to ignoring how our "representatives" in gov't are working for the special interests that own them! They know the average chump is so busy with their daily routines that they are unaware of how they are being screwed!! It's no accident that the majority of those who hold higher offices are attorneys first! I believe that once they learn how the law works they become 

  17. On the Delo/Rotella question, it's like religion and politics lol But I naturally have an anecdote! In 1978 I was fabricating a wet tank for my cousin's dump trailer,and we got into a discussion about motor oils.He asked what oil I used in my welding truck ( a c30 Chevy 350 ) I said Quaker State Deluxe.WTF are you putting that garbage in your engine for? He asked politely! He is a diesel mechanic and I think he also has an air frame license as well,so I respect his opinion on anything mechanical! He went into a 20 minute dissertation (fueled by several rolling rocks), on the virtues of Rotella T motor oil Cummins,Mack,Military,rated etc. He used to tune up all his neighbors cars,said several of them with sticking lifters and smoking exhaust(from short trips and low quality oil) were cured by one Rotella oil change! I've been using it ever since in all my vehicles and lawn equipment and have never had an engine failure.I use Castrol 0w20 in my wife's corrola because Rotella doesn't make it! In all fairness I think commercial fleets are equally divided between Rotella and Delo So my results may have been similar with Delo,I'm satisfied with rotella!

  18. OD,GPS can be misleading! I followed a set of directions to a customer once,Got 300yds from his facility, and it's on the other side of a railroad  track without a crossing!! The roadbeds 3 foot high! Had to drive miles  to get to the place!

    1. other dog

      other dog

      Yeah, I heard that- I don't even use GPS, just a Rand McNally and a phone. The phone is the thing now, I used to carry a brief case full of city maps! I think I still have most of them.

    2. BillyT

      BillyT

      So did I OD! Had the big street by street map of NYC and one for Miami amazing documents, actually showed the name of each business in the individual buildings! Of course these would have to be updated periodically. When those little GPS screens first came out they were 800dollars! Now about 90dollars on sale,went down just like computers! When they first came out this young driver was in back of me in rural Pennsylvania and every time we were approaching a  little cross street he would say ok you're coming up on Jones lane and there it was! Went on like this for miles! I was amazed!

    3. BillyT

      BillyT

      OD, don't feel bad about deleting the pictures I delete stuff by accident all the time!  You posted something about chicken so I'm doing a survey." What t.s. or restaurant in America has the best fried chicken" I'm voting for the little independent t.s near Jackson Ohio on rte 35, takes a long time to get it,because they bread each order individually,but worth it! Also like the "southwestern chicken rice soup" and " Omars taco soup"  at Triple T in Tucson. Been a few years,maybe they are gone or bought out. Tell us about your favorite truck stop!

  19. On the ignition switch issue on the fire truck, a sometimes fix is spray wd 40 into it will remove moisture and often dissolve residue.Works on big truck trailer plugs and marker lite connections too. Another product good for that application is the electrical cleaner they sell in computer stores.

  20. If there are any Cabover fans on the site the Tampa bay craigslist has two brand new Argosy double bunk glider kits for sale ( hvy equip) Actually good looking in a modern way !unlike those godawful ugly earlier ones with the ridiculous swing out staircase.Look like the Cabover version of that new international conventional.

    1. BillyT

      BillyT

      The international conventional I compared the new Argosy to is called the lone star.Is there any corporate connection between Freightliner and Navistar? The company alliances change hourly! So I can't keep track! KSB,or Teamster Grrrl ?

    2. BillyT

      BillyT

      Snoball, I just checked outbehindthebarn's waterloo Iowa reference! That cab style is the one I think of when I hear " crackerbox". In fact it's identically spec'd to the one I learned on,except for the long wheelbase. That Craigslist has all kind of good stuff! In fact by and large the Midwest has the best selection of vintage " iron" anywhere.The little dodge dump that runs and drives is about as cheap as you can get into a running antique truck anywhere! Many of the farm trucks aren't exposed to the salt as much as road trucks,because it's seasonal! I used to love to get a weekend layover at a McDonald's in the "corn belt" and listen to the old farmers sit around and b.s.about crops and weather,and the people are so friendly! However, they do have that "winter thing"😁

  21. What is you're home track ? Ohio is a big state! In my opinion one of the top "gearhead" states after California especially the Youngstown Akron area.

    1. Show previous comments  1 more
    2. BillyT

      BillyT

      Thanks for the reply, I have a very good friend who runs at Quaker city when he runs locally, (he's from Warren) but he's involved with an IHRA team so is all over the country.

    3. Freightrain

      Freightrain

      A friend has a son that runs with a NHRA top fuel team.  He has switched teams a few times over the years and currently with Schumacher Racing.  He was blower man, but been a while since I had an update and can't say what he does now.

    4. BillyT

      BillyT

      Thanks for the reply, I have a very good friend who runs at Quaker city when he runs locally, (he's from Warren) but he's involved with an IHRA team so is all over the country.I grew up 20 mi from PID.,like running thru a tunnel!

  22. T Grrrl, have you ever heard one of  the anti truck citizens say get rid of trucks send it all by rail! Makes sense to me! After all the steel wheel is the cheapest method per ton at present to expedite freight,also the least polluting. Keeping that in mind, where in you're backyard shall we put that siding!!asshole. And who will pay for it you and I of course we've been paying for the subsidized railroads for decades! In addition to my 3 million miles of trucking I have four years as a freight car repairman at one of the only self supporting railroads in AMERICA.the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie RR.in Mckees Rocks Pa. The P and L E's number 1 customer was Jones and Laughlin Steel Corp. So when the major steel companies took the profits the United Steel Workers generated and bought new state of the art mills in China,Brazil and elsewhere( under a different name of course) Our railroad went under.You almost would have to be a railroader to understand the abysmal condition of our railroads and their roadbeds and infrastructure!

    1. BillyT

      BillyT

      Mack man, that's amazing that a Napa clerk was that clueless,of the "chain" parts stores Napa caters to commercial accts. Most of the clerks are older and understand paint and body supplies, etc.Would expect that at AutoZone or advance! Alvada is near Findlay,couldn't place it used to stop at the Pilot there. I agree about two tone Daytons with chrome Mack hubcaps or bearing caps on early Macks!

  23. T Grrrl, have you ever heard one of  the anti truck citizens say get rid of trucks send it all by rail! Makes sense to me! After all the steel wheel is the cheapest method per ton at present to expedite freight,also the least polluting. Keeping that in mind, where in you're backyard shall we put that siding!!asshole. And who will pay for it you and I of course we've been paying for the subsidized railroads for decades! In addition to my 3 million miles of trucking I have four years as a freight car repairman at one of the only self supporting railroads in AMERICA.the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie RR.in Mckees Rocks Pa. The P and L E's number 1 customer was Jones and Laughlin Steel Corp. So when the major steel companies took the profits the United Steel Workers generated and bought new state of the art mills in China,Brazil and elsewhere( under a different name of course) Our railroad went under.You almost would have to be a railroader to understand the abysmal condition of our railroads and their roadbeds and infrastructure!

    1. TeamsterGrrrl

      TeamsterGrrrl

      Agreed, some of the shortlines are in pretty miserable shape. That said, the BNSF maintains the track that runs by me better than our state maintains highways.

    2. BillyT

      BillyT

      T,Grrrl, thanks for the reply,you're right, having lived most of my life in the "pothole capital of the world" I understand about  unmaintained highways!

  24. Marcel 67, what a joke, I hate trucking in NYC, Jersey,and most of the lower east coast for all the usual reasons, but I still did the S.Bronx,Manhattan,Chicago,Spent the night once at the old Hialeah t.s. with a drop in Miami.( where the TA is now) only t.s. where you could get a beer at the counter! I figured I'd be dead in the morning so I sure didn't wanna die sober!😁 Why don't the wet nosed strokes want to go to California? I LOVE California. Just wash the truck,adjust the brakes and wait for Banning to close if possible! If not just make sure your paperwork is in order! I'm assuming they know how to get their paperwork in order!

  25. Watched most of the Marilyn Monroe post interesting!

    1. BillyT

      BillyT

      Gotta rant on a subject you will all agree on!! How often do you get 100 percent agreement on anything!  Question "when is a truck not a truck"? Read a ladies comment in Consumer Reports today.She  Was saying that her seatbelt use and the air bags and "crumple zones in her late model minivan probably saved her life. Who can't agree with that certainly not me! I quote "A truck pulled out in front of me"! Define "truck" madam! I promise you 90percent of the85 percent non trucker subscribers are picturing a thundering 18 wheeler with a criminal sociopath at the wheel!! Since she didn't elaborate, here are a few potential scenarios: A pickup, a straight truck under 26000gvw therefore requiring no cdl, the same straight truck with an undocumented immigrant at the wheel( since they are permitted to receive a drivers license including an interpreter) in many states! If you require an interpreter, how do you read the road signs? I've got a buddy down the road who is a legal Cuban immigrant whose dad spent 11 yrs in Castro's prison, and I used to load in Miami where the foreman, another legal immigrant gave me his impeccably maintained 64 Chevrolet to go get takeout food. So I'm not anti immigrant just anti illegal immigrant! The media has been using the word truck for years to describe many vehicles that don't fit OUR definition of " truck" because it  evokes the average citizens bias against large usually professionally driven vehicles. My favorite example of this is familiar to most of you who run the Southeast, I believe it's on I 65 in Kentucky there was a school bus crash where all or most of the children burned to death I have tears in my eyes 30 years later just thinking of it! Well the state of Kentucky initially put up a memorial saying it was a  "truck bus crash" Well the truck was a Toyota p.u with some drunken asshole at the wheel and the trucking  industry complained so avidly that they changed the sign!

    2. BillyT

      BillyT

      Ever see one of those ads on tv " Involved in a semi trailer accident," call (insert name of one of the hundreds of "ambulance chasing" law firms) The vast majority of major carriers will settle out of court even if they aren't at fault! Barring really obvious cases (proven dui or drug use by the claimant etc) Than face  a jury! Due to todays level of anti truck bias! Truck involved accident cases are a law firms gold mine!

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