Letting Go A Piece Of Myself

I feel a little roughed up today.  I got to thinking about something that happened last week.  With my birthday coming up that meant it was time to renew my driver's license.  After a lot of thought I gave up my Class A (trucking) license.  After Carroll Fulmer essentially blackballed me from the trucking industry, I knew I would never drive a semi again.  So it didn't make much sense to carry the endorsement on my license.  Here's why.

If I were to get a ticket of any sort, I can't take the classes to get the points off my license.  And due to the way insurance companies will jack up your rates for any points, I thought it was best to give up my Class A.  Especially if I'm not going to use it. 

If you go to some of the first of my blogs on this site you will see they are about trucking school and trucking in general.  It has been a part of me since 2008.  It like, "how do I not be a truck driver?"  Some of my best songs for my band are about truck driving.  In fact, I think my best song is, in part, about truck driving.  It's such a part of me, and I feel like I've just killed it off.

Despite all the crap that I went through with Covenant, I liked the job.  I had a few great runs, and a great co-driver in Eric.  It was all the paperwork, and things that got screwed up at the front office that I didn't like with them.

Going to Carroll Fulmer was the worst mistake I could have made.  It was one lie after another, and they sent me to some of the shittyist places I've ever been.  There's no way they should have sent me to some of those places.  And all the crap they put on my DAC report just killed any chance I could get on with another company.  In the end it just wasn't worth what any trucking company was paying.  There's a reason they always need truckers. 

So like a lot of things in life, the world isn't split into perfect and awful things (or jobs in this case.)  There was a lot I liked about it.  And there was a lot I didn't like about it.  But regardless it was a piece of me.  And that I will miss.

And for memory's sake, here's a picture of my last truck with Covenant:

And here is a picture of my favorite truck, Trouble.  She was the first one I got after training.

Carcass

When I worked for Covenant Transport out of Chattanooga, TN., there was one thing that really bothered me.  They had a policy that stated that drivers had to bring back a tire carcass to a terminal if they had a tire replaced on the road.  If the driver didn't do that, they would then charge the driver $300 for a new tire.

Even I had this happen to me.  I actually had two tires die on me while driving out on the road.  I had to bring those tires to a terminal, and get a receipt for two dead tires.  Actually, they had me drive empty from Atlanta to Chattanooga to drop off those two tire carcasses. 

Why they have this policy in place I have no idea.  I burned up $100 in diesel just to drop off dead tires.  When tires are repaired at a T.A. or Petro, they take digital pictures of the tires and send them to the breakdown department at Covenant.  That way, breakdown can make sure the repairs are necessary, and okay them at that moment.  So why would I need to bring in the tire carcasses?

It got me to thinking... (Note: While driving I have a bunch of time to think.  A dangerous habit, I know.)  What if I hit a deer?  Would I need to bring in a deer carcass?

(In all fairness, I wasn't going to show a real deer carcass.  That would just be awful.)

This would lead to all sorts of odd questions.

1.  How much of the carcass would I need to bring in?
2.  Would a head be okay, or would I need to bring the whole thing in?
3.  Is it okay if I field dress (gut) it before I bring it in?
4.  Can I come in soon?  The buzzards keep following me down the interstate.
5.  It's summer.  This thing is really starting to smell.
6.  It's winter.  This thing is frozen to the back of the truck.
7.  Actually, where would I put it?  I have a tire rack on the back of the semi, but should I just strap the deer to the hood?
8.  If I hit the deer in one state, am I allowed to cross state lines with a dead deer?
9.  When I go through the agricultural stations, will they let me pass or will I need a permit to carry dead deer on my hood?
10.  Say, what are you all going to do with that carcass once you have it? 

Again, I spend way too much time thinking.  But then again, with Covenant Transport you never know.