I met Sam!

Just south of Huntsville, TX on the east side of I-45 is a 67 ft. statue of Samuel Houston.  I pass this statue periodically when a load takes me to or from Houston and every time I pass it I wave at it and say “Hi Sam!”

Yes, I know I’m a dork.

The 67 ft. statue sits on a 10 ft. platform, making the total height 77 ft.  This blows my mind when I think about it.  My truck, hooked to a trailer is approximately 75 ft. long.  I can’t give you an exact measurement because I have no idea where my tape measure is, but that makes this statue taller than my truck is long.  Holy guacamole!

So, I pass this statue periodically and I have been telling myself for years…. “Someday….”

“Someday” came last weekend on my way back from vacation.  I’d actually decided a few weeks before vacation that I was going to stop and see Sam on my way back.

On the trail to the statue, there is a replica of Sam Houston’s face, where I stopped and took this picture.  The replica face is the same size as the statue face, so you can get an idea of the enormity of this statue.  I knew nothing about him except that the city of Houston is named after him.  There is so much fascinating information about him online.  This would be a three-day read if I listed everything I found interesting so I’m just going to include a few highlights.

 1.  Sam Houston was born in Virginia.

 2.  He was a congressman in and later the governor of Tennessee.

 3.  Sam relocated to Texas, which at the time was still a part of Mexico after he ruined himself politically for beating William Stanbury with a hickory cane on Pennsylvania Ave in Washington, D.C.

 4.  He was a leader in the Texas Revolution and his victory in the Battle of San Jacinto secured Texas’s independence from Mexico.

 5.  Sam was the President of the Republic of Texas and supported annexation by the United States, he later went on to become a senator and then governor of Texas.

Seriously, I had no idea this guy was so fascinating.  Sometimes I think education is wasted on the young.  The older I get, the more I appreciate history; and man, do I love Wikipedia!

The Harder I Work, The Luckier I Get!

          I had a fabulous time on vacation last week.  This picture was taken at the Yucatan Reef Resort, a short distance from Progresso, Mexico.  I got a massage on the beach while I was there.  Talk about pig heaven!  I wrote the rest of this post the night before I left on the cruise.

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         I’m writing this week’s post from a hotel in Texas, just north of Houston.  I’m on vacation this week.  While technically I’m already on vacation, in my mind my vacation doesn’t start until tomorrow when I sail out on a cruise ship headed for Mexico.  I’m writing the post now (Sunday night), but it will not go up until I get back next weekend.  Next week I will post some pictures.

          When I told them I was going on vacation, I actually had a couple of people tell me I was lucky.  That confused me.  Luck had nothing to do with this vacation.  I earned the time off.  I planned the trip.  I saved for the trip and then I paid for the trip.  It wasn’t luck; planning got me this vacation.  Luck, whether good or bad, is something that happens to us that is completely out of our control.  If you’ve ever been to a casino with me, you know that luck rarely works in my favor.

          When I came back to work last year, I was talking about this vacation before I pulled my first load.  I was talking to a friend about going with and he said “I can’t afford to do that.”  I explained to him that if he took $20 out of the $100 advance he gets twice a week and stuffed it in a Pringles can he would have $2,000 saved for vacation in a year.  He hadn’t thought of that.  That’s about what I’m spending on this vacation.  It’s not rocket science.

          It amazes me how many people I talk to that don’t plan for anything, they just wing it and count on luck.  I heard a saying and I don’t remember who said it so I can’t give proper credit, but the saying goes… If we fail to plan, we plan to fail.

          Successful people don’t rely on luck.  They choose a goal, create a plan and then go to work on that plan.  This doesn’t just apply to vacation, but to anything in our lives that we want to accomplish. 

          Talk to me, what do you need to stop relying on luck for and start planning?

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Peeps: Chaplin Olen

     One of my favorite things about working at Freymiller is the people.  When I go to the yard, I get to see people that I honestly like and I think for the most part the feeling is mutual.  When they ask me how I am doing, they genuinely care about my answer. 

     Chaplin Olen is one of those people.

     Chaplin Olen is not a Freymiller employee, but he has been a consistent presence around the Freymiller yard for about 7 years.  I met the Chaplin when I went through orientation in January 2012.  I was surprised, yet comforted to find a Chaplin in residence here because our society seems to be moving away from traditional beliefs.  I was going through some major life challenges when I came to work here and the Chaplin's calm demeanor, quick smile and genuine concern for my well-being was one of the first signs that I had come to work at the right place.  He quickly became MY Chaplin.

     What makes him so perfect for the position he holds is the fact that he spent many years doing exactly what we, the drivers, are doing.  He understands how difficult it can be to deal with the problems at home when we are away from home for 3 weeks at a time.  He offers a unique perspective that so many pastors in other truck driver ministries just can't grasp.

     Chaplin Olen is very real.  When I talk to him about what's going on in my life, he doesn't pretend that he doesn't understand my struggles, he has been through most of them and he isn't afraid to share his own experiences.

     Chaplin Olen is SAFE.  He doesn't judge and it's okay if your beliefs don't line up with his.  He doesn't go into shock if a word slips out that you wouldn't want a toddler to repeat.  What he cares about is your heart.  He is here to help you carry the weight of the world.

     If you haven't done so, next time you're at the yard, take 10 minutes and go talk to him.  He has a converted trailer at the west end of the yard, behind the main office building.  He is an awesome man of God, doing what he knows God has called him to do... be there for you.

Shoulder Safety

It is pretty much common knowledge that stopping on the shoulder of the road is a huge no-no; okay, at least among truck drivers. I don't really think 4-wheelers give it any thought at all.

         We're taught to never stop on the shoulder, but out here in the real world where I live and work sometimes I do not have a choice.

         So let's classify "sometimes I don't have a choice" as another piece of common knowledge.

         Okay, we had to make an emergency stop on the shoulder. It seems that at least once a week I have a big truck come off the shoulder from a dead stop right into the right lane, right in front of me. Sometimes I can get over; sometimes I have to stand on the brakes.  I want to share how I was taught to get back out on the road safely in this situation.  please keep in mind that the following is in reference to getting back on the highway, not what you're doing while you're stopped, and for the record, your 4-way flashers are on throughout this whole process.

1. Check your mirrors. Now do it again. When there is at least 1 truck coming up on you in the right lane is not a good time to come out.

2. Stay on the shoulder until you build up some speed. I was taught to drive on the shoulder through the low side of the transmission. (Approx. 20mph if you're driving an automatic.)

3. When the lane is clear, switch to your turn signal, come over into the lane, switch back to your 4-ways, then get back to the business of getting up to your highway speed.

4. Your 4-ways stay on until you reach top gear.

Please people, use some common sense in situations like this. Emergencies do not consider whether or not we are in an ideal place for them to happen but we can still do our best to handle them safely.

The Loose Nut Issue

          When I was young, probably less than 10, a woman was talking to my dad about her car.  She was telling him about something it was doing.  After she left, I looked up at my dad and asked him what was wrong with her car.

His answer?

          “There is nothing wrong with that car but the loose nut behind the wheel.”

          Fast-forward 30+ years.  I admit that I am not the most mechanically inclined person on the planet.  Most of the time I tell people that I’m mechanically inclined enough to take something apart but not usually enough to put it back together correctly.  I was not ashamed to stand in our shop and tell David Freymiller that I saved him more money by NOT working on his truck.

          There is a reason I drive trucks, not work on them.  Once, I melted the plastic piece that the headlight socket screws into because I didn’t get it back in properly.  I have been IQ tested twice and scored in the genius range both times.  I told the mechanic who fixed my headlight that this was the work of a genius.

          More than once, I have had to explain what the truck was doing to either Hoop or David and ask them how they wanted me to write it up so it would make sense to the mechanic who would inevitably work on it. I find it ironic that with as many people who have told me how well I write, I draw a complete blank when I get a Gripe Sheet in my hands.

          I can’t tell you how many times I have stood at our shop desk being stared at in disbelief while I stomped my foot and insisted “this is not a loose nut issue!”

          We have had several drivers come off the road and go to work in the shop.  I admire them; I’m probably even a little jealous of them.  They can do things that I can’t.  I’m confident in my abilities, but I’m also honest about my weaknesses.  I have a very small collection of tools because my ability to use them is so limited. 

          Okay, somebody ‘fess up.   I know I can’t be the only genius with this problem!