BillyT

Anybody see the news report about the trucker trapped in his wrecked rig for two days in western Canada? I saw the tail end of the report! Looks like something from " Highway from hell" the driver's gonna be ok fortunately!

When I was in the auto salvage business they paid me five bucks to haul away a complete corvair or rambler American (because of the weight) so some stroke watches a couple of auctions and they're worth ten grand!

Anybody see the big truck street rod on u tube with two 8v71s bolted back to back?

Cool to look at and the dude's obviously a craftsman, but I agree with you guys about destroying a rare antique! This from a guy who always thought it'd be cool to reverse the body on an early 50s Studebaker chassis (so the engine would be under the trunk lid) and the thing would look like it was going backwards! There is actually a person in Hernando County Florida who has about a 16 ft wooden rowboat with some kind of a chassis under it ! And they actually drive it around! Of course Florida has no state inspection,so you can(and many do!) Drive almost anything on the highway! This is cool for folks like us who actually work on and maintain our equipment! However the average person,when not forced by law to have their car inspected annually for safety will neglect it until it is unsafe! That's why there are so many vehicles with lights not working!

Always thought that peach in Gaffney looked like a fat person bending over! The high performance car looks like it can barely haul.that ugly spoiler around!

Carlotpilot, I was in a truck stop one time and this young dude was in a condo cab Freightliner across from me and he got out of the truck and opened the passenger door and out came a pregnant wife,a toddler about two, a dog,and a goat! ....obviously a country boy!😁

Hvy Gunner,I agree about the unqualified drivers in the large RVs, also in the large rental trucks! We can thank the rec. Vehicle and rental truck lobbies for that! How many of those people in a 60 ft rv could pass the simplest tests for a class B CDL! When the CDL came out there was a mad scramble to get rid of straight trucks over 26000 gvw so the companies that used straight trucks wouldn't have to hire qualified drivers(hence pay decent wages!) Remember how the cdl was gonna get ALL those unqualified drivers off the road?😁

Nice color combo!

Teamster Grrrl, that old truck vs rail has been going on since we were all little kids and will be going on when we are all gone! At this point in time nothing can compete with the rail and steel wheel for gross tonnage hauled cheaply! That being said most railroads are supported by government subsidies! Just ask Warren Buffett if he considers railroads a good investment! Having been a union car hauler and a union freight car repairman (at the same time for a while) gave me a unique perspective on both industries! Another advantage of the rail is the components of a rail car are so overbuilt that they seldom fail even when they're worn out! And believe me,many of them are worn out! I was always amused when some anti truck stroke would say "Lets get rid of all those trucks and put everything on the rail!. Ok pal then let's put a siding in your back yard! I hauled cars out of a railhead,you wouldn't believe the condition some of them were in when they came off the rail! They would shunt them off on a siding and guys would steal parts off them! In one infamous incident they pulled the whole front ends and the engine and trannys off them! Obviously an inside job!

Rowdy! The thing is designed to discourage farm animals up to 2500lbs! That thing could "tickle you to death!" All kidding aside, if you still felt soreness a day later you should have your doctor check you out! I don't know your age or medical history but I suspect if you're anything like me you would rather drink used motor oil than go to the doctor but sometimes it's a good idea! I recently had some minor cardiac surgery and it will make you realize what a thin grip we can have on life!

I just read that Takata and many of the manufacturers Ford for one were aware of the defective air bags as early as 2004!

Rowdy, my pickup predates damn near everything! Power steering,power windows etc! I suspect I have the last vehicle in central Florida with manual Windows!

We were flooded out of our home during tropical storm Debbie in 2012 stayed at Holiday Inn Express for three days 90bucks a night was at the end of the tourist season! Top buck of course! However had a full breakfast bar and a lady who would cook your food to order if desired! When I was still driving I would sometimes have to go out of state to pick up a tractor in a rental car, discovered that if a motel was owned by an Indian or middle eastern person (90 percent!) They would negotiate the price if you asked! After all, where most of them were born it was assumed you never paid the first asking price on any product or service! Rowdy on the subject of air bags having been in the emergency wrecker business and arriving at the accident often before the police or paramedics I believe in air bags! Also anti lock brakes and a rear camera! That's it! I understand that the newest cars are going to be required to have automatic braking and lane drift warnings! This is a manifestation of the insurance lobby who have our legislators bought and paid for! A defensive driver who keeps the proper following distance and is not distracted can avoid the majority of accidents! These incompetence mitigation devices only raise the price of new cars !

What a beauty!,My dad used to drive a chain drive Sterling dump truck in the forties.

Just got a recall notice on my wife's 2012 corolla ! We aren't supposed to let anyone sit in the front passenger seat until Toyota can come up with a solution! The solution would seem simple,replace the damn air bag!

I agree with Terry, but have you checked your oil stick for water? A failed oil cooler would be the ( hopefully cheaper solution!) If you've got water in your oil it could be a cracked head,valve seat,head gasket etc! And time to talk to a qualified mechanic!,as coolant diluted oil could damage your engine...quickly and it would really get expensive!

I have wondered for years why long after front disc brakes were standard on all American cars and four wheel discs were available on performance and higher end cars, you never saw a big truck with disc brakes! The technology has been available from years,as they were advertised as an option on some class 8 trucks! I just naturally assumed cost was the issue! Since every mechanic is aware that disc brakes cool better, are self cleaning, and have fewer moving parts than a commensurate drum brake system!

Most maintenance managers I've known would love to have unsafe or marginal equipment repaired,as they are aware of the tragic results of not addressing these issues! However they have to deal with the "bean counters" in the executive suite who cannot see beyond the lost revenue from sidelined equipment!

Something I just thought of however ....an autonomous truck never runs "out of hours"!

I'm waiting to see how an autonomous truck loads and.unloads 12 cars damage free! Ties down and tarps two steel coils, cares for and nurtures a load of cattle or hogs! The list is endless! As always when dealing with management that have never done the job they supervise, whose only goal is bottom line, the results, at least from the prospective of the driver will be questionable! How will the truck sense if the pavement is icy,etc?

According to Car and Driver's long term test Camaro is the " most bang for the buck" among the top three muscle cars!

I agree with teamster Grrrls comments on true overall efficiency, but having seen some of the results of putting the present crop of trainees at the wheel of a tractor and 53 footer, can't imagine putting them in a set of 40 ft pups! Don't expect the insurance carriers will be too thrilled with the concept either! We may see a self driving 53 footer first!

Car and Driver made a caustic comment a couple issues ago concerning the advent of "self driving trucks"! They also did a report on the exponential increase in heavy truck involved crashes! The report surprisingly, was fair and balanced( no pun intended !) Predictably the readers comments included recommending the use of self braking and other incompetence mitigating technologies,being unaware that they are already in use! I suspect that 99percent of our members are already safe defensive drivers, but the major carriers are getting their driver pool from the same group of incompetent individuals that are driving automobiles! A recent survey indicated that a large percentage of drivers have no interest in driving(hence the push for self driving automobiles!) Most of our members have at least a basic knowledge of mechanics and physics some are journeyman mechanics! These skills are necessary to safely operate a heavy vehicle! I believe that many prospective truck drivers are simply interested in trucking because in the present lean job market it provides above average pay without a college degree! The majority will find that they hate it and that attitude will show in their driving and attitude towards safety!I realize it's ancient history,but most of the drivers of my generation enjoyed driving and took pride in their skills!As a result I believe the self driving truck will be here in no time, and the "learning curve" will result in some really spectacular crashes and carnage on the highways!