Tango tango papa 2140,
07/06/2024.
Have we seen the actual reality of a
monster to crime,
or merely an illusion, the product of a
tortured brain.
Good. Good morning. Good afternoon.
Good evening Tom Miles here with you coming
to you this evening from Shy.
Wyoming.
So it's been... I just looked to spend
oh, well,
more than a month, probably like more like
a month and a half since the
last
podcast.
So
kind of running up or
right up at the
edge of retiring at this point.
I'm about... At midnight, I have to wait
till midnight Mountain time
to,
or after to deliver the low that I'm
currently sitting on. I've been
here in Cheyenne
since,
I guess I got here not too long
after after 12 noon.
And so I came to this truck stop
and I've kind of been hanging out here,
the rest of the day.
Right now, it is what time is it?
It's almost 09:00
Mountain time.
So I I still have to wait
a little over 3 hours
before I can
drop and hook this load, and then the
next load picks up
it actually... It's got a loading date on
the eighth, which that is,
Monday to day, Saturday.
So it's got a loading date on the
eighth in Lexington,
Nebraska, and then that load delivers
same day on the,
you know, like, in the morning, like 11:30
in the morning central time.
Yes Saint. Joseph,
Missouri.
And then
after that,
I have the option of,
since it know, I've got the option probably
of dropping the truck off, they have a
terminal in Kansas city that actually has a
shop.
And so I could drop the truck off
there,
then
get a rental car,
you know,
load all my stuff up, you, clean the
truck out, load all my stuff up and
then
drive home.
Unload all the stuff and then take the
rental car to the
airport because that's where the all the
Those sorts of rental agencies are at.
These days,
mostly in airports,
especially 1 way rentals. If you're gonna rent...
You can rat a car locally, and there
are some rental,
agencies that are located it in town, but
those aren't... You have to return the car
or the vehicle, you have to return the
vehicle where you, you know, same place you
picked it up, and you can rent it.
People will rent vehicles like that for a
few days or whatever.
But in the case, if you want to
rent, you know, for 1 place and then
turn it into another place, then those are
typically nowadays at airports. So
But in any case,
drop... You know, take the thing to the
airport and then
probably get an Uber ride home, but I
know of course, I'd have to go home
first with
rental vehicle and unloaded and then,
probably take it back the next day. So
let's say, I get home late in the
evening on the
eighth
I'd have to unload and then
you know, either late in the evening or
early in the morning.
Unload all of my stuff out of the
vehicle and then take the vehicle the airport,
you know, because it's gonna be a... In
that case, it'd would be a 24 hour
rental.
Now another option that we had talked about
would be me taking the truck home,
depending on where I unloaded at.
Let's say I he delivered to like Clark,
La arkansas, some like that.
Take the truck home,
unload the, you know, unload all of my
stuff out of it and then take it
over to the
terminal in Tulsa, and then I could either
rent a car
backed, you know, for tulsa to the airport
and then overhaul.
Or I got to looking and I found...
I figured out that I can get just
in a long Uber ride. It's about a
hundred and 20
miles or whatever,
roughly from
Tulsa to home,
and
so it would be just a longer Uber
ride and that would cost about the same
as
branding a v coal.
You know, with much less hassle.
So
that's... That would be an option. But since
I'm gonna be unloading at Saint. Joseph, and
I was supposed to be out, you know,
this was also to be done by the
eighth,
July the eighth,
since...
Yeah, S saint. Joseph was very close to
Kansas city and they have a terminal In
Kansas city,
and it's not that much farther from Kansas
city home. It's about 200 and let's say
02:40 miles, something like that.
So that that will work.
So that's probably what I'm mean
is probably probably what's gonna end up happening
probably what I'll end up doing.
So
In any case,
it's
kind of looming,
you know, thing... You know, it's like I've
told people everything
has a beginning,
and the middle, and it has an end,
and
you know, do you want the in? You
know, basically,
you know, how do you want something to
end? Do you want to just deliberately ended
it do you want it to
kind of end accidentally? And, Do you want
your
You want your life to be a comedy,
There's 2 choices. You either have a comedy
or a tragedy.
And,
you know, an sure... Yeah. I I don't
know. I guess, to some extent it's your
choice or you, you know, you have a
you have
some element of control over that, whether it's
you, life ends and a comedy or a
tragedy.
And I think a a acc a comedy
is preferable than to a tragedy. I would
say.
So...
But in any case, you know, I'll end
it, and it'll kinda be on my terms,
it won't be that I, you know, that
I'm in at some point, I'd...
Obviously, if I continue to do this, I'd
become incapable
doing the job adequately.
And, although I'm probably nowhere
near that at this point
because know, we have drivers that are
older than I am that continue to do
it. But
at the same time,
You know, I, you know,
Why should I push my lock?
As I probably mentioned this before, I figured
out that I'm spending 1 quarter
of my take home pay.
On restaurants eating in restaurants twice a day
is taking roughly a quarter
of my take home So for every
every, let's say, every fourth paycheck is just
going for restaurant meals, which is kind of
ridiculous.
Especially with the the hours that, you know,
I'm flipping my hours around a lot of
times
depending on the load in order to make
something work.
And
and I am exposing myself to
more danger sometimes than I would like.
Now, that doesn't happen all the time, but
I can give you an example, a few...
I don't know it's been over a week
ago. I was out in
Southern Oregon.
There's this
highway that goes across Southern Oregon Us 20.
It's just a 2 Lane road, and... But
it's got a fair amount of
traffic on it, and a lot of these
people are in a big hurry. And, on
that. So part of it is, you know,
it's
kind of wide open and more flat, and
so people can... You know, the people can
go ahead and pass. And they do have
some passing lanes here and there.
So people can go ahead and pass, but
then there are other places where it's hill
and C, and
you know,
yeah, you know truck that's loaded, you're gonna
go be 1, You know, you can slow
down.
So
I was in 1 of these areas and
this all of a sudden, there was this
other truck that I guess he got frustrated
because I was going to slow as a
big truck.
Going too slower than he wanted. So all
of a sudden here he is pat passing
me.
But it's in an area where all of
a sudden, there's the pops up over the
hill, there's this oncoming, it's a pickup pulling
a trailer,
and they're
debt... I mean, they're close to head on
question. You know? So this guy I, you
know, when I saw what was happening, this
guy was passing me.
I immediately put on brakes pretty hard because
I... You know, I didn't... Because it... You
know,
didn't know if there was gonna be an
honor, you know,
head on collision or what was gonna happen.
So been in any in in any case,
this guy in the in this truck.
He see... You know, he realizes there's... He's
about to be involved in,
an eminent
head on collision. And so he jerks
back into the right lane right in front
of me and just barely misses the front
of my chuck,
had I not
had the impressions
to
severely break
my own speed,
he would have hit the front of my
truck and there would have been a major
accident with multiple vehicles involved.
You know, why... You know, So
there's really no point in me kind of
continuing to expose myself to this sort of
danger.
You know, I and that doesn't happen all
the time, but it does happen.
You know where people... When it's not early
just peep, you know, because people love to
blame people in cars or whatever, but there's
a lot of trucks that just really stupid
things. Like that.
You know, and So if, you know, and
if people drive that way, they may get
away with it for a while.
You know, you may think you're getting away
with things for a while. But sooner or
later,
that sort of be... You know, if you
don't learn lessons, that sort of behavior is
gonna get you into trouble.
You know, You may end up, you, might
end up taking out other people in the
process.
So, you know, an incident like that just
serves to reinforce
idea that, hey,
probably be a good idea just you know,
back back away from this.
So
I will probably end up with some sort
of a
job. As, you know, it's probably...
Let's say it's some sort of a part
time job. I just don't know yet.
There are
I do have some a couple of options
that I directly know about, and
so we'll see
See what happens.
But I... You know, I I needs to
do be doing something.
You know, the idea that I'm just gonna
sit at home and kinda t my thumbs
and watch Netflix or or or Youtube or
whatever.
That's a very bad idea.
A little bit of its fine,
full as a full time endeavor,
not so much.
So...
But, you know, I am gonna miss, you
know, kinda miss this job. Despite the fact,
you know, I enjoyed I've enjoyed it most
of the time, but it... You don't, in
the
recently, it's got to where the enjoyment factor
become less and less.
But at the same time, I'm probably gonna
end up
over time. I'm gonna end up.
As we all tend to do, we sort
of ideal the past, we sort of forget
the
negative things
that happened.
We are are negative elements, let's say.
And remember, you know, kind of ideal
versions of
positive
feelings.
And we all we all tend to do
this.
In and it's and so that I very
much expect that to happen where, you know,
I'm gonna look back nostalgic, and I'm gonna,
oh, I miss these people. I missed this.
I missed that.
But
at the same time,
you know, like I say, I think it
is time to bring it close.
In honor and and basically kind of open.
I can look at it to some extent
opening a new chapter. I'm not sure what
that chapter is just yet.
But,
opening some sort of new chapter and doing
something else.
And it... You know, if it's could be
driving a truck it, but it if it
is, it's only gonna be part time, and
I'm not...
Yeah. They about the maximum I'm gonna be
willing to spend overnight. It's gonna be 1
night a week, and that's it.
And no more than
probably no more than a couple of days
a week.
And that's it.
And if it can't fit into that, then
it's gonna be some something else.
Even if it's just, you know, another possibility
would just be
playing around with the,
you know, giving uber rides.
I think that would be that would be
something too worthwhile to kind of experiment with.
So So...
But anyway,
I've got a message front... The V message
Joel sent me not long after I
published the,
previous
short podcast where I kind of, you know,
announced that I was gonna be retiring
by July the eighth,
And so I'm gonna go ahead and play
that. So here is Joel.
Hey, Tom. It's Joel black here.
Just listen to last show. Following he had
1 and I just... Appreciative,
and I
congratulations on your retirement. I just had someone
who tired
at work
Friday here was, her last day.
Oh,
and
the I 53, so I'm at least
12 years from retirement.
So I've got
some that I... Some money it took from
my job
and I'm getting some from a my current
job,
2 04:01 k.
But
Ultimately, I don't... I really don't have enough
to retire give at 65, I think, maybe
we'll see. Maybe I'm wrong.
Maybe you we'll get a year
with great stock aren't bit.
But
he.
I don't know if you've been paying attention.
No.
On
social networks there like Facebook,
in the last
couple years,
I say it taken the lease that long.
I've lost a
close to 93 pounds. Now, I haven't been
done the
fully gotten rid of the carbs, but I'm
managing when it how many
of everything I.
So for example,
I wanna have chips. I only measure out
when I'm gonna eat
That's it.
It's all I do.
And
sat last sunday, I I did a 9
mile hike
which is half of
almost half of what I need to do
for the event that I'm training for an
office which I'm doing a, a 20 mile
hike around the Berg, State Park here in
Ohio at Southeast Ohio that is Gloucester,
to be exact.
And.
I got 4 other guys who are gonna
be doing or 3 other guys are doing
doing it with me. So I'm really excited
about that. That's coming up in August.
So
But
I hear you. I hear you.
Yeah. I I don't wanna, you know, and
when I retire, I got plenty of things
to do. So I'll have things to do.
Take care. Thank you, Joe.
So,
yeah, it's
kind of amazing.
You know, knew, you know, someday this day
would come.
But,
you know, And and even though sometimes it
seems like things are far off.
And now, if you're really, you're really in
the grand scheme of things they're are not.
They're not that far off.
You know? Because,
you know, and you look back and you...
You know, you may... Remember when you're a
teenager
and you remember, you know, remember when you're
in her twenties.
Then then your thirties, and then in your
forties and all of a and, you know,
you think well, I'm not in my twenties
anymore,
You know? And in,
fifties and
and I Now sixties and almost, you know,
pushing 70, which is kind of hard to
believe.
69 right now.
So the next one's gonna be 70.
So,
you know, it
time does it kinda has a way of
kinda of creeping forward.
So
I don't know.
Like I say, I I could continue doing
this.
There's really no reason that I couldn't, but
at the same time,
certainly elements that I'm just done with and
and particularly,
you know, driving in the... I don't like
driving in the northeast
part of the country.
You know, like, you know, pencil places like
Pennsylvania,
upstate New York. That really doesn't is that
much of a bother, but then you get
into places like
Connecticut,
you know, Connecticut
and up in that air it is more
of a problem because there aren't as many
truck stops, and you... It's just not as
don't particularly like that well. But
the worst part is the, you know, the
northwest and then particularly the northwest
in the weather, the northwest and the summer's
is not bad
or the western part of the countries and
the summer's not bad, but then you get
into the
end of the winter and then the potential,
you know, for snow and then you got
tired truck tire chains you know, and that's
that's the worst.
See absolute worst.
You know? So I I don't know. I'm
just
not...
Don't after face said anymore, not going to.
And so halfway through the year is is
good jump off point.
So
like I say, we'll see what happens. I,
you know, like I say, I'm gonna end
up with some sort of part time job
or, you know, I'm sure that it's not
probing not gonna be full time. If it
is, it's gonna be something, you know, not
very, you know, it's not gonna be driving
a for sure.
But if it is driving a try then
it's gonna... Like I say, it's something gonna
be 1 night a week and maybe, you
know,
like rip out so more in a trip
back, and that's it for the week.
Maybe taking 2 days and then the rest
of the week off.
You know. So and I like I say,
there's... I've got options.
There are other options, and so we'll just
see how it goes.
If there's, you know, there really is no
point in me continuing to
kind of expose
myself to the level of danger that I've
been exposing myself.
So
You know, and it's a good idea. You
know, it's to have some sort of a
challenge and sort of, you know, kind of
way george Peterson talks, you know, if you've
ever listened to any of The Jordan Peterson.
You know, He says, you know, it's kinda
take up your car awesome,
start appeal with it, and, meaning, you know,
you find something useful to do. It's... That's...
And, you know, and if it's not... If
it's something useful, that you're doing,
meaning kinda useful for other people.
Then,
you know, it's a struggle.
You know, and I think struggles are good.
But
at this point,
this particular struggle
kinda
it just isn't worth it anymore.
For me, this, you know, the the equation,
high it doesn't is kinda stop making sense
to suck to whatever degree.
So...
But in any case,
we'll see what happens. It's
like I say, it's coming right down to
the wire this point.
And,
Monday,
you know today was Saturday,
and then we have Sundays tomorrow, and then
we have Monday and Monday
is probably
the last
day.
And that will that.
So
anyhow, I think I'm gonna go ahead and
cut this off
hopefully, I...
Once I,
you know, am back home and kind of
retire and what have you.
I will
I won't wake wait a month and a
half before the next podcast.
Probably will
be able to kinda hope, you know, possibly.
I'm not gonna make any promises, but possibly
do somewhat more frequently than I have been.
So we'll see what happens, but I'll I'll
kinda let you know. I'll I'll try to
put up a some of a podcast, even
if it's a short podcast,
sort of letting, you know what happened how
it went, etcetera, etcetera.
So sooner rather than later.
So in any case, hope everyone is having
a great weekend so far,
and I will catch you later. Remember, Trucker
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