Enviromental Irony

This I thought was kinda funny, traveling the PA pike on the north side of Philly and this truck passed me.  Across the back of the truck the sign reads "EARTHCARE" and just below that it reads "McGovern Environmental."
 All the haze in the pictures is from the exhaust from the truck. Every time this guy hit a uphill grade the black smoke would just roll out of the exhaust like a smoke screen.  
                                  EARTHCARE!!!!!!  HA HA HA!!!!! Makes me laugh......

Unsecured load in KY

We were driving north bound on I-65 in Louisville when we came upon this.
I guess this is some kind of motorized wheel borrow for moving small batches of concrete.  We noticed that the equipment was bouncing around quite a bit. As we got closer we soon found out why....NO TIE DOWNS!!!  ZERO, ZIP, NADA,  not even a piece of rope. 
 As this fool went around the corners the equipment would vibrate for almost a foot in both directions and the tire would stop up against  the little 3" piece of steel sidewall.  Snapped the pictures and got away from this nutcase.  One good sharp corner or a quick stop and this thing is coming off the trailer.....
If anybody knows this company, feel free to pass these pictures on to them and show the owner the caliber of drivers they have.

TOLL ROADS and more

Last week I rented a car in Elkton, MD and drove to Norfolk,VA  for a Tiger Cruise (more on that later)

And drove south on the Delaware toll road (hwy 1) and the two toll booths were $1.00 each.  No big deal...

   I drove back north on Saturday morning and was surprised that the toll is now $2.00!  WHAT!!

 So I ask the toll collector what gives?  "there is less traffic on the weekends so the charge is higher from Friday night to early A.M. on Monday".

  This is so stupid!!  In Chicago everyone is charged more during peak traffic times (AKA: rush hour) and in Delaware they charge more during off peak times....Who are these brainiacs that think this makes sense, charge more when there is less traffic.....

  I have heard on different news programs about the NY subway system raising the rates because less people are using the system and the same with public transport buses. Less people are riding so the rates go up and becomes a bigger burden on the folks that are still riding.....

  What??  If you keep raising the rate to ride public transport that just drives more people away, not bring them back. Chances are that the ridership is down because the rates were getting too high to be within some ones budget.

 I suppose that public transport could always pull an "AMTRAK".  Amtrak runs at a loss year in and year out, and it seems that every 5-10 years they file for bankruptcy and get a huge government hand out to keep them up and running.......(must be nice to feed at the trough like that.....) AND lets not forget the airlines, if Delta or American, (or any others, just take your pick) even hint at going under, they get a nice fat check courtesy of the U.S. Gov.

 AND NOW the big 3 are getting big time $ for not running their business properly...UUUGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! I wish all these CEO, CFO, Head honchos and big wigs would take a long walk off a short pier.....

  Jeez Louise, the big 3 charge 30-50k for a new vehicle and still need the taxpayers money to make ends meet?!   Is it just me or does common sense just scream "you are paying way to much for labor if you can not make a profit off a 30k car!"

 I have never purchased a brand new auto or pick-up truck and at these prices, probably never will.......

  Sorry about this blog, I just started writing and the thoughts just jumped around........

Underwear

 We were at the Pilot T/S in Brooks, KY 3-14-09 waiting to p/u a load on Monday.  I went inside to buy some drinks and while inside decided to use the facility's. This was about 0600 on Sunday.
 I attempt to get a toilet seat cover from the dispenser and "WHOA!!!" no paper covers, but some used and nasty underwear.....What a low life!!! I don't care if some one wants to throw their undies away, but come on!!! There is a trash can not 3' from the stall door!!
 So I made my own paper cover with T.P. and double layered it and did what I needed to do and left. When I was back at the truck and told my wife about it she said I should get a picture and blog about it. I thought "no, it will be gone by the time I get the camera and go back".  So, I just relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the day.




 I went back into the Pilot T/S around 5-530 the same day to get a couple of sub's at Subway and took the camera just in case.  The undies were still there even almost 12 hours later.....Not only is the person that left the undies a pig, but the janitorial crew at this Pilot leaves a lot to be desired too.......

indiana toll road

 While driving across the Indiana toll road last week I saw several trucks and cars stopped by the Indiana state police and probably handing out tickets.  Here is the thought that went thru  my head, " If the Indiana toll road is leased (AKA: owned) by a Spanish/Australian finance group, are we technically driving on foreign soil while on this stretch of highway?  The toll workers are not state employees anymore, the state of Indiana does not take care of maintenance anymore,  so therefore, I do not think that the Indiana state police should be able to write tickets and collect fines on foreign soil........

 I know that this would not stand up in court, but it makes you think.......

escaping chicken leg

  On Wednesday morning at about 8 a.m., I stopped at the Travel Center of America (AKA: T/A) at Lake Station, Indiana to top off with fuel before heading east across Indiana and Ohio.   The place is needing some TLC and upkeep desperately, but I did not expect to see a RAW chicken leg trying to escape from the Popeye's chicken!!    This chicken leg was about 20' from the fuel/service desk door and maybe 50' from the side door to the Popeye's vendor. While fueling I must have watched 4 or 5 T/A employees walk past it while I was there.  
  This is just one of those things that is kinda bizarre in trucking. When I first saw the leg, I thought it may have dropped or fell out of someones lunch, but it was not even breaded or cooked!! So it is obviously escaping from Popeye's.........(talk about fast food....)

Driving blind

I remember when I first started riding with my father and watching him flash the headlights on-off when a truck had passed him on the highway to signal the "all clear". Something has gone wrong......
First, a little history about this concept......Back in the golden age of trucking before the mega truck stops and interstate highways, the trucks were equipped with a small round mirror on a straight stick mounted off the roof line. These were nick named "lollipop mirrors" because it resembled a child's lollipop. Now these mirrors were just about useless going down the road because they vibrated so bad there was no way to see what was behind you.
So, to combat this problem, the drivers came up with an unwritten code to help each other out when passing. During daylight switch the headlights on, then back off. At night, turn the headlights off for one second and then back on again. This did wonders because the passing driver could see a vague shape and might not have been able to see the truck being passed or the end of his trailer, but could see the flash off the lights on-off or off-on.
Who is the idiot that decided that flashing the high beams at a passing truck was O-K?  Is this being taught at truck driving schools? Company traing schools? (It seems like 99% of the time it is a company driver doing this).This is so dangerous that it is hard to belive it actually happens every night. When some moron does the high beam flash to a passing vehicle, the passing driver is now "DRIVING BLIND" because the driver being passed just blinded them with the high beams. Let me explain, when night driving the pupils in the eyes are widely opened to allow the most light in (like a cats eye), when a bright light hits the eye, it causes the pupil to constrict very rapidly and the brain has to play catch up before the vision comes back into focus. During this time the driver might travel 200', 500' or more completely blind!!! HELLO!!!! THIS IS A STUPID THING TO DO TO YOUR FELLOW DRIVERS!!!
IF a truck is equipped in such a way that the headlights can not be switched on-off, or off-on. PLEASE, DO NOTHING !!!!! I can see the end of my trailer and I can see your truck in my mirror. I do not need your help when passing your truck. I have come to the point that I no longer even flash my lights at other drivers and ignore them when I am the one doing the passing. AND to the idiots that keep flashing the lights at me if I do not switch lanes when they think I should, "I am driving my truck, I will decide when it is safe to come back into the lane in front of you. AND I am responsible for the safety of my truck, not you....."
This "High bean flashing" has got to STOP!!!! Even though you drivers think you are being helpful, your not. Some where down the line someone is going to die because of this practice......HMMMMMM, maybe I could get a grant to study this problem.