Daniel S Bridger's Trucking Blog

A Few More Stories about "The Boss"

2026-01-30T11:06:00.005-06:00

This is related to the previous post I did, "Salute to the Tasmanian Devil of Third Party Logistics". The post referred to the passing of my old boss that I had the great fortune of working 10 years for starting in 1993. His name is Craig Schneider, who at the time was a Senior Logistics Manager for Ryder Logistics in Salt Lake City and quickly advanced to a Director in the company.

Another BOSS man story. Craig didn't normally talk about it unless you asked him, but he had a photo on the wall of his office with him in a Miami Dolphins uniform. He was actually on Don Shula's team in 1974! That was the year after two consecutive Superbowl championships. Bob Griese, Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris were still on the team. Craig was signed as a lineman, then cut, then signed again. After getting cut again, he decided it was time to get a real job. Good for me, as I then ended up working for him 19 years later. Although he never got to play in an NFL game, he was a hell of an athlete to even get to that level! I'm a fairly long legged guy and I remember having difficulty keeping up with him as we were hurrying through an airport. He was like OJ Simpson, LOL!

Memories of the BOSS (Craig). We were in Vegas working late one night on a startup. As almost always, one person went out to get food so the rest could keep working. That person elected was me and it was decided to go to In-N-Out Burger. Everyone ordered a Double-Double with cheese/onions and fries. Craig said he wanted two. I asked him if he was sure about that, and he said he was hungry. Well, I brought the food back and Craig wolfed down both Double-Doubles with the fries and about an hour later he was in agony, suffering big time. He dismissed us and we called it a night. Got off early! LOL

Craig was a big fan of the TV show Seinfeld back in the 1990's. I didn't watch a lot of TV during that time, being so busy, with an irregular schedule. When out of town with Craig, he always had to be back to his hotel room to watch the latest weekly episode on TV. It was always on Thursday night at 7:30 pm mountain time. On those nights I knew we'd be done working by then, LOL. It wasn't until many years later, I greatly enjoyed watching the series.

And then, there was Emily, who was hired in a clerical position right out of high school about 1996. Her brains and ability quickly became evident as Craig promoted her up the chain into her currant role as Regional Manager at a freight and logistics company. She recently sent me this: "I think of you every time I see great food posts about places that we used to always eat at back in the day lol! I have so many great memories of Daniel S. Bridger, Bob Carter & Jim Maxson, driver trainers I'd never met until I had to pick you guys up at the airport. All Craig Schneider told me is you guys knew his Maroon Ford Taurus. And who ever jumped in it, bring them back to the office, lmfao"

One of Boss Man's often stated quotes "Bottom line, it's chump change!". Often heard when discussing the cost of implementing a new policy or investing in new equipment, LOL!

It was a wonderful 25 years I spent living and working in Utah. So many great friends made, and co-workers that worked together as a great team to get things done! Under the leadership of Craig, he was a major reason I stayed there until retirement in early 2018. Although I surely missed my family and friends back in Wisconsin all those years, it would have been foolish to leave. It's been a hell of a ride and a great one!

Salute to the Tasmanian Devil of Third Party Logistics

My Amazon Author Link

Salute to the Tasmanian Devil of Third Party Logistics

2026-01-09T09:13:00.001-06:00

A Celebration of Life service is being held today in Las Vegas for my old boss, Craig Schneider. He was just 74 years old and only recently retired. I am also now retired and had the very great fortune of spending 10 years working for him starting in 1993. I was working for Ryder Dedicated Logistics in Wisconsin and transferred out to Salt Lake City, UT. Craig was a senior logistics manager there at the time.

That division of Ryder Systems, Inc is a third party logistics provider employing more than 10,000 drivers serving the transportation needs of companies throughout the US. Our major customer in Salt Lake was/is one of the largest independent bottlers of Coca-Cola in the world.

It was a hell of a ride with Craig rapidly being promoted to Director in the company (Ryder). There are only a very few people in the lives of most of us that really make a difference. One of those for me was Craig. Long story, short, he was most responsible for my 25 years spent living and working in Utah. The man taught me so much, and reined me in hard when I needed it. I always appreciated his work ethic and what he taught me about business. A great man that made a huge difference in my life.

Craig was always thinking “outside the box” and throwing out ideas and concepts to customers, colleagues and employees constantly. I remember a customer's high level manager telling me that hearing some of Craig’s ideas would seem so off the wall, but ended up being brilliant. Hence the “Tasmanian devil” and “bull in a China shop” references to him. His leadership style produced amazing results directing a great team that enjoyed working for him throughout the inter-mountain west. Rest in peace Boss!

What follows are some of the online comments I received expressing how respected and appreciated he was from colleagues and former employees:

From BM:

Craig was a hell of a boss and mentor!!!! He stuck up for me when others were trying to take me down. I owe him so much with what I learn in life and management!!! Rest in Peace My Dear Friend!!! Thank you Dan for posting this!!!

From YS:

One hell of a boss for sure. Rest in peace boss man.

From DT:

God Bless him and his family

From MC:

Oh no, what a great loss. One of the greatest guys I ever knew and worked for! RIP Craig!! Thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family!!

From ML:

I am so sorry to hear, he was a great person and boss. RIP

From CW:

He was one of a kind! I learned so much from him in the 15 years I worked with him. He was the kind of boss who believed in his people and brought out the best in them. I was shaped by his leadership and he pushed me to be the best I could be. I will forever be grateful! This world lost a good one.

From NW:

With Dan's comment, Craig gave me opportunities that I never dreamed of. Will miss him

From DC:

Sorry to hear

From BK:

Good man, I have a picture of him and me together of him handing me the 1st place truck rodeo trophy. Condolences to his family.

From JD:

Lousy news. He was his own logistics engineer because he could keep the numbers in his head. More importantly he led his team with an all for one and one for all approach that for a long time produced some impressive results.

From DT:

A Good man

From YM:

That's Craig for ya. He used to make me laugh with his stories of different startups. RIP Craig

From JP:

Amen, brother. Only reason I became COO of *****, was Craig. I owe him for taking a chance on me. Speaking of *****, I retired. Will re-engage somewhere, and take some time for rest.

Bottom line (one of Craig’s frequent expressions), he had such an impact on so many lives, he deserves a tribute. I authored a book in 2020 that describes many of our adventures throughout the 1990s, into the early 2000s, My Truck Driving Life, if you’re interested. From us two haoles working a startup in Hawaii to Las Vegas, Phoenix, Denver, Seattle and throughout the intermountain west, it was a fascinating ride for me, a cheesehead from Wisconsin. I wish I could be there in Las Vegas today, not possible, but this man will live on in my frequent dreams as long as I’m still around. Craig Thomas Schneider, always will be, The Boss!

On this road called life, you have to take the good with the bad, smile with the sad, love what you got, and remember what you had. Always forgive, but never forget, learn from your mistakes, but never forget. People change. Things go wrong. But just remember, the ride goes on. Credit: simplereminders.com

Craig Thomas Schneider Obituary

Aunt Lorraine and her "Safety Sentinel" Speedo

2025-12-18T15:04:00.007-06:00

My Aunt Lorraine was one of my favorite aunts, but she was a pretty scary driver.

Growing up in Milwaukee’s inner core, dad was the only driver in our house until after we moved to the northwest side in 1964. I didn’t even ride in a school bus before then so my exposure to riding with other drivers was very limited. Dad was a skillful driver, took pride in driving and he told me once that his long time dream was to drive race cars.

His older sister, Aunt Lorraine was a whole different matter. She was 4 years older than dad and basically raised all the younger siblings after my dad's mom died when he was only 14 years old.

In the early 1960's, I remember riding a few times in her big Oldsmobile. She scared the hell out of me, seeming not to be paying attention to where she was going. She could not hold the throttle steady, always either on the gas pedal or off of it, especially if she was talking, which was most of the time! She had what they called a Safety Sentinel on her dashboard speedometer. It had a little button to adjust the speed setting you wanted, say 65mph. As the indicator approached 65 the indicator bar would turn yellow and then red when you hit that speed and an irritatingly loud buzzer would sound off. So she would be on the gas until the alarm sounded and then off the gas coasting until she realized how slow she was going. Then hit the gas pedal and repeat the cycle again. It drove me nuts as it seemed she wasn't paying attention. I was always so happy to get out of her car.

I later found out that her driving caught the attention of the police as well, being frequently pulled over. She almost always got a break however, talking her way out of a ticket with just a warning to be more careful.

Later in the mid 60's she bought a brand new Checker Marathon car that was specially built by the Checker Cab company. I think it was built in Michigan and they were for sale to the general public. It had a Chevrolet motor and had enormous back seat leg room due to the special configuration. Throughout the years, it seemed she always had a new dent or scratches on her vehicles and she had a couple crashes I remember hearing about as I got older.

She was fun to be around and always had good stories to tell, but after the first few rides, I always tried to avoid having to go anywhere with her driving. After we moved to the suburb in 1964, mom grew increasingly frustrated being without transportation. She always had a driver license but never drove and dad was against it. In a brilliant move, mom decided to try and get Aunt Lorraine involved to help out. She expressed her frustration and dad’s resistance to his sister and one day she came over to the house. Mom got in Aunt Lorraine’s car and they went out shopping. I came home from school to find a 1962 Plymouth Valiant in the driveway that she bought for $300. Aunt Lorraine stayed until after dad came home from working second shift that night, knowing there was going to be a confrontation.

She kind of raised dad into adulthood and he reluctantly backed down against the both of them. It all worked out though as he found out a second driver in the house relieved him of a lot of running around. It also forced him to finally get car insurance as he always figured he didn’t need it. That would have quickly become an issue for me because I was nearing 16 years old and dreaming of getting a driver license and driving a car! So, very grateful to dear Aunt Lorraine for her help!

Link to My Book - My Truck Driving Life

Truck Drivers: Beware the 1099! - Words of Caution

2025-11-02T10:17:00.011-06:00

What follows is a social media conversation I had recently with a truck driver. He was seeking advice about signing up with a trucking company claiming they pay company drivers $100,000 per year (as 1099 income). It sounds great? 100k a year! You can live really well on that, right? But there's a little catch. 1099 statements mean you're being paid as an independent contractor, not an employee. Technically, there's a huge legal distinction between the two and not to be taken lightly.

I lost my patience knowing the guy had already made his mind up. I have not named him for obvious reasons.

HIM: I found a $100,000+ a year job as a company driver., but you are responsible for your own taxes you will be filing a 1099. Inbox me your information.

ME: Probably illegal. Find a reputable company if you're going to be an employee. This one, you'll get screwed.

HIM: how can you get screwed if they 1099 you I never heard of this before explain

ME: OK, John, I'll try. Any good road driver can make over 100k per year with a decent company these days. You said you can make 100k on a 1099. That means you will pay the full Social Security tax, both employer and employee portion,15% total. So you will pay 15k off that 100k knocking you down to 85k just to start. Then, say you want 2 weeks off for vacation. That cuts your gross income another 4k down to 81k. Now, you will need some health care insurance, oh that ain't looking good, figure on another 12k minimum. That knocks you back to 69k. What about some disability insurance in case something bad happens? Another 2k, down to 67k. And you haven't paid a dime yet in federal or state income tax. Now, what about road expenses, like meals, hotels, showers? I could think of more, but, please believe me, you will get screwed. I spent my life in trucking and I've seen so many get taken for a ride. Good luck.

HIM: but this is standard and get an extra $600-$1000 a week should help with benefit. Correct me if I’m wrong plz

HIM: it’s call good business no one forcing anyone it’s a contract you have a right to hire a lawyer if you don’t understand the contract or you can sign the contract and get a lawyer to try to sue that company. This been around for a long time so I will say good luck with that.

ME: Yep, it's your life, go for it! I was just trying to warn you. And you were asking for advice. I knew I was wasting my time, but I tried. Carry on. Oh, and a couple things, since you'll be self-employed, don't forget to budget for a tax accountant/bookkeeper, minimum, a couple grand for a good one (That was quite a few years back, they're probably a lot more now). And you should put a lawyer on retainer, and those guys ain't cheap. And with that independent contractor status, you may now have some legal liability in case you get in a wreck. Better set up an LLC for that (more ongoing costs). Get a separate business checking account to make it easier as you will have to file business tax returns as well as personal. More fees. DO NOT fall behind in your estimated income tax payments, as the IRS will come crashing down hard on you, I've seen what they can do. BTW, I was a driver for 38 years and also had a sideline income tax prep and bookkeeping service for many years, specializing in trucker service. You will quickly find a big fish (the government) and all sorts of little fish circling and taking chunks out of that 100K. Save this post and let me know how it's going in a couple years. Good luck.

I admit, I was short tempered with this guy, but I've seen it so many times. These trucking companies taking advantage of drivers that have no business experience, and most of them are not legal if a company assigns you equipment, tells you where to go. It is illegal to misclassify an employee as a 1099 independent contractor to avoid paying payroll taxes and benefits.

If any of the following apply, you are an employee, not an independent Contractor.

Company drivers: Drivers who use company-provided equipment, follow company-set schedules and routes, and are subject to the company's direction and control.
Lack of investment: Drivers who do not have substantial capital investment in their own equipment and tools.
Exclusivity: Drivers who are exclusively tied to one carrier with no ability to perform services for others.
No control: Drivers who cannot decline loads and must adhere to specific instructions on how to do their job.

I've talked until blue in the face to some drivers that decided to try this, one in particular. He had a wife and young kids and was always near the top in earnings for us as he would do anything, take extra runs, work 6 days a week to make money. He didn't have an earning problem, he had a spending problem, if he had cash, he had a need to spend it. After a while, a small trucking company owner got in his ear, preaching that he could make $2 per mile working for him. "Just buy a used tractor and come to work for me". I couldn't talk him out of it, all he heard was $2 per mile and he was going. He eventually asked me to do his books and tax returns for him. He was in deep, so deep, it ruined his life. He ran hard for this guy, was never home. I talked to him once while he was on the road. He was running in 95 degree heat, his A/C had quit and he couldn't afford to fix it. He had trouble just paying for basic repairs to keep the truck on the road, let alone fixing the A/C. Finally, he went to the trucking company owner telling him he didn't know how much longer he could hold out. The owner told him, he could solve all his problems with a new tractor that got better fuel mileage! It didn't end well, it ended horribly.

There is not one driver, that I know personally, who successfully switched to be an independent contractor. Every one of them eventually went back to work as an employee, with most deeply in debt and paying off their previous obligations. That's not to say it can't be done, there are exceptions, but "why take the risk"? Many years ago my wife (the one I had at the time) asked me why I didn't buy a truck. That was my answer. Truck drivers have a difficult enough life, why add a whole bunch of stress to it, while working for less than a reputable company would pay?

One driver told me he could write off meal expenses as an independent contractor, while employees couldn't. That is true, the income tax reduction reform in the first Trump term did away with the employee business expense deduction. While away from home overnight employee truckers could deduct $65 per day for meal expenses as an itemized deduction. It is important to consider that this was not a tax credit, but a deduction. And only those expenses that exceeded the first 2% of your adjusted gross income were deductible. And, you also had to itemize deductions to claim it. If you compare this as an employee to your company paying half your social security payment (7.5%) as well as matching contributions that most make into your 401k of several thousands of dollars, paid time off, company contributions to your health care, disability and life insurance plans, it's not even remotely close to meal deduction savings.

Link to My Book - My Truck Driving Life

A Canadian Trucker's Point of View

2025-10-30T10:20:00.005-05:00

Karl Krebs is a Canadian trucker who "legally" trucks frequently in the USA:

Karl writes in referance to the link to the article below: "The author discusses the recent decline in the number of Canadians traveling to the United States through the Pembina ND crossing, suggesting that this decrease has been is a form of protest among Canadians. They express frustration over discussions about the potential annexation of Canada, stating could be further from the truth. This liberal-minded media outlet is guilty of falsely spreading fear. I refer ti them as "the false press" or rather than the "fear press."

Anyone who travels to the U.S. as frequently as I do understands the sense of freedom and exhilaration that comes with crossing the 49th parallel. It simply feels better—and is better—to be in the United States whenever possible. Donald Trump is not the issue; rather, we are facing a crisis of leadership in Canada that is prompting many Canadians to seek opportunities elsewhere. It may not be the U.S. right now, especially with the current state of our Canadian dollar, but as someone who spends a significant amount of time in the United States, I can assure you that it remains the best country, bar none. It saddens me to admit that this includes my own experience of living in Canada.

We were once a proud nation, but now we find ourselves feeling defeated. We are under a government that seems indifferent to our ability to thrive and proper in our own country. Currently, Pierre Poilievre is a prominent figure who aspires to be the Prime Minister , but he struggles to figure out how to win an election. This leaves us in a difficult position. I am reminded of the movie "Desperately Seeking Susan"; we are desperately seeking someone to lead this country toward a brighter future. However, I cannot clearly identify who that leader might be, as he has yet to emerge, and the party he would represent does not even exist.

This is just one man's opinion. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below."

The Road Not Taken

"No Name" CDL, Are you kidding me?

2025-10-01T16:49:00.007-05:00

Imagine getting a Commercial Driver License from a state Department of Motor Vehicles and not giving your name? No Name. That's right, you can get a CDL in some states without a name on it! 25% of over 500 drivers in a Oklahoma check station 3 day blitz were illegal. No Name CDLs!!! My jaw dropped when I read this. State Patrol and DOT did a 3 day blitz at a check station just east of the Texas border. I never heard the term No Name CDL before. Are you kidding me? I told myself "this is fake bullshit." Then I checked it out, it's all over the Oklahoma news but so far ignored by major news media. This has to end! Get these illiterate steering wheel holders off the road and shut down the damn illegitimate trucking companies now! During my professional driving career, I lived in two states, Wisconsin and Utah. Having to be issued CDLs from each, I wonder what they would have said if I refused to give them my name? As the famous Vince Lombardi once asked "What the hell is going on out there?

Read it here, credit Americanwire News and Viveck Saxena:

Oklahoma partners with ICE, nabs 120 illegals with blank licenses from sanctuary states

Starlink on Standby - No More a Prisoner

2025-08-15T13:11:00.016-05:00

It’s been almost a year now since we had Spectrum fiber internet installed. So far, we’ve been pretty well satisfied. We’ve had a couple short interruptions, but not very long, less than half an hour total. I do notice momentary interruptions where the signal cuts out for a few seconds and comes right back. Those are more frequent, but it’s never been an issue when streaming videos.

Previously, after a three year nightmare with CenturyLink/Brightspeed, we installed Starlink in 2023 and were extremely pleased with it. All was great except for the $120 per month cost. So, when they laid fiber in our neighborhood last year Spectrum offered us 1 Gig high speed internet for $70 per month, price guaranteed for one year. That year is almost up, so we’ll see how much they jack the rate up. I had left my Starlink equipment in place and paused service at no charge in case of Spectrum issues.

The last few weeks I’ve been getting notices from Starlink that they now offer standby service as an option on their plans for only $5 per month. (Since I first posted this, I have found out that Starlink has now discontinued the "Pause" option. Your choice now is to either cancel or go "Standby". Supposedly you can still cancel and resume your service at any time.) On Standby, if you keep your equipment plugged in, Starlink will be on and operational at very low speed 500 Kbps. That is enough to allow emergency messaging, software updates, and basic online functions. It also keeps your system updated.

Yesterday, I decided to give it a try and opened the app which I haven’t used since last year. It was easy to reactivate my equipment to standby and they took out about $3 for partial month going forward. Because the system had been paused and unplugged, it took about an hour to get all the system updates and the dish to orient itself to the satellites.

Once it was done, I switched my phone to Starlink to see how it worked. I was able to go on email and Facebook and while it was slow, it worked and was usable. So now, if Spectrum goes out I can switch in a few seconds and still be online. And if I decide to go back to full service Starlink, I can switch my plan with the app in a few seconds, go downstairs and switch the router from the Spectrum modem to the Starlink and should be good to go! Note: On the Gen II Starlinks you need an adapter to bypass the internal Starlink router. You can order one from Starlink for $17. But that makes it SO easy to switch as you don’t have to connect each individual device over again.

Update 8/21/25: I received the adapter from Starlink today, went downstairs and plugged it in. I then went to my phone and switched over, Starlink did a quick reboot and update and it's working fine.

No more a prisoner of ANY internet service provider. And that's great relief after the insane, customer abusing Brightspeed years! And, I would have no hesitation to switch back to Starlink if Spectrum starts gouging us customers.

How I Switched to Starlink for a Net Increase of Only $24 Per Month

My Amazon Author Link

My (One Week) Project Car

2025-08-07T15:01:00.015-05:00

In 1969, after blowing reverse gear in the transmission and junking the first car I bought, I was in the same predicament as before. I had a motorcycle for transportation, but when needing a car due to weather, I had to borrow one of my parents' cars. And, I knew winter in Wisconsin was coming pretty quickly. I had a part time job after school at a Clark gas station, so riding the school bus was not going to enable me to get to work on time.

Within a month or two a guy at work told me he knew somebody with a car (1953 Dodge) that was free to take away. Well, the words car and free rang in my ears as I perked right up. I asked him if it ran and he said yes, all it needed was the brakes fixed. So we went over to his house to take a look. It was a kind of ugly brown and kind of beat up but the body was in OK shape. I didn’t care what it looked like and I said if it runs, I’ll take it. He said “OK it’s yours for a dollar to make it a legal sale” and asked how I was going to get it home. I replied that I’ll drive it and get it there and he signed off on the title while I gave him a dollar. I also didn’t tell him I was only 16 and underage to legally buy a car.

After getting a ride back to his house, I got the keys and jumped in. It had a straight 6 motor and 3 on the tree manual transmission. It started up and I drove it slowly home and when having to stop would leave it in gear and turn the engine off. The hand parking brake didn’t work or I would have tried using that. It’s funny how hearing the word “free” kind of caused me to neglect looking very carefully at the car. I noticed as I was poking along Silver Spring Dr. at a few miles per hour a blue haze behind me from burning oil coming through the tail pipe. Getting back home I parked it in the driveway and started to look the car over a bit more, finding two tires nearly bald. Opening the hood there was smoke and fumes caused from oil getting on the exhaust manifold. Looking underneath there were some wet spots on the motor from oil leaks already dripping on the asphalt. Not exactly a chick magnet. I had to keep telling myself “it was free”.

Well, then dad gets home from work. “What’s that car sitting out there?", he asked. I told him and said I got it for free, all it needs is the brakes fixed. He asked “How did you get it here with no brakes?” I told him how. My dad could be a man of few words, especially with me. I remember these, “Get that thing out of the driveway!". He was not happy and I went out and parked it on the street in front of the house.

So, there it sat for about a week. I imagine dad went out and looked the car over after I went to work, but he didn’t say anything or tell me. I was still young and knew nothing about fixing cars. Although I was reading every Hot Rod and Car & Driver magazine I could get my hands on, I had no idea of brake systems and how they work. As I started to realize that I may have made a foolish decision, I kept a low profile around the house, made myself scarce and stayed quiet.

The following Saturday, my dad came in and asked “What are you going to do with that car?” I told him I wasn’t quite sure and he said “Don’t you think that the reason the car was free was because it isn’t worth fixing?” I said “Yes, I suppose so.” He then said “Then get the car title and start heading down to the junkyard and I’ll come pick you up". And, that was the second trip for me to Larry’s junkyard in Butler, with many more to come! I wasn't having very good luck buying cars.

A day or two later mom came up to me and said she was going to stop driving for the time being. She was pregnant with her last child, my sister Karin, and was content to just stay home and didn’t have a need to go anywhere. Altough, knowing mom, I knew she was sacrificing her freedom for my benefit. So, I took over the 1957 Chrysler New Yorker after that and my car shopping was over for a while. And I was a happy guy! That car had a 392 hemi motor and could easily bury the 120 mph speedometer needle!

My Amazon Author Link

Old Car Stories and Life Lessons

2025-07-22T15:28:00.007-05:00

I obtained my driver’s license when I turned 16 years of age near the end of 1968. Being in my junior year of high school, I had a motorcycle for transportation but had to borrow one of the two family cars when needed due to weather. My parents had two cars, one a 1957 Chrysler New Yorker that I ended up with later. I usually had access to one or the other but I longed to have my own vehicle.

Not long after getting a job at a Clark station two weeks before my senior year of high school in 1969, my boss, Chuck Oleson, tipped me off to one of his very elderly regular customers who told him that he had decided to quit driving and sell his car. He lived only a couple blocks north of the station on Hopkins and I asked Chuck for a referral to go see the car. Chuck called him and I went over to his house. There sat in the driveway a “really clean” 1955 Plymouth Savoy 4-door sedan with absolutely no rust on it, spotless interior with plastic covers on the bench seats which were like new! Under the hood was a straight 6 cylinder motor and a three-on-the-tree manual transmission. I’m not certain, but I think the mileage on the vehicle was not much more than 50,000. I asked what he wanted for it and he said $50 if I promised to take care of it! I had $50 and the deal was made (with my fingers crossed). I didn't even ask my parents before bringing the title home because I was too young to own and register it. I begged my dad to come over there and see it. After driving over there, he agreed it was a good deal, and signing off for it, we took it home.

Well, being stupid young me, I’m glad I never saw him again, having to explain what happened shortly after. I bought the car and only had it for a few days. I drove it to Chuck’s station to display my great deal to the guys. Being 16 years old, I decided to show off and do a burn-out by flooring the gas and popping the clutch. Well, all that straight 6 motor would do was squeak the tires. That wasn’t good enough for me, so I put it in reverse, figuring the weight transfer would lighten the load on the back tires, enabling a smoky backward burn out (Randy style).

I blew reverse gear in the transmission!

With pieces of the shattered gear in the transmission I could still drive it in the forward gears but the chucks of metal getting mixed up in the oil would cause a crazy loud bashing as the car was moving forward. I actually drove the car around for about a month with no reverse and wondering when the thing was going to seize up on me. At that time I was young and had no idea of how to fix cars. It wasn't until the following year that a buddy of mine started showing me how to fix/replace the stuff I blew up on my cars.

I gave my dad some bullshit story about it “just coming apart” when I was backing up. I’m sure he knew what I had done but took mercy on me. He told me it was not worth fixing and followed me to Larry’s junkyard, one of three vehicles that ended up in their final resting place. Later on I got to know Larry, the junkyard guy, pretty well as I had to buy lots of parts from him to fix future cars. But, that's another story.

Life’s lessons!

My Amazon Author Link

Team Driving: "Not for the faint of heart!"

2025-06-29T12:39:00.009-05:00

It was either 1996 or ’97, our regional director received word that seasonal extra help was needed for a national account customer. Their business involved transporting fresh cut floral greens and wreaths from their production "farms" throughout the country to retail outlets. The Christmas season was the customer's busy season and the account manager was asking for volunteer drivers to spend six weeks running team to support the operation. Volunteer drivers would be guaranteed $1,000 per week minimum to those that would commit. I had just completed the orientation of a new young driver named Dave. I was going to be riding with him for two weeks training anyway so I asked if he was interested and he said yes, without hesitation. He was trying to save up cash so he could move his wife and kid to Salt Lake City from Greely, Co. He had left them at their apartment to come to Utah for a decent job as she was still employed at a meat packing plant in Colorado.

There were four of us drivers that agreed, making up two teams and off we went, getting a couple Ryder rental tractors and heading up to Belfair, Wa. We picked up a couple of Ryder refridgerated trailers from a Ryder shop in Tacoma and went over and got loaded. Leaving out, Dave and I decided on running a 5 on, 5 off schedule. Being the first extended time for me running team, it was quite an experience. I hardly got any sleep the first couple days bouncing around in the sleeper. We had decent conventional Freightliners with air-ride but that made little difference. It was a real struggle until finally, I was so dead tired that my body had to sleep. Once past the initial couple days it was better, but still, team driving is a hard life. I don’t know how they can do 10 on, 10 off with the new regulations.

After a couple weeks we were back up in the northwest getting loaded to go to Tennessee and I could sense that my partner was getting homesick missing his family. I had been thinking about running back through Salt Lake to get home for a couple hours but decided to go through Colorado so he could stop and see his wife. Bear in mind that I also had a wife at home, but deferred to get him some time with her and his kid. Well, we drove up to their apartment and he introduced me to the spouse. I could sense a palpable tension between them so I decided to go outside, telling Dave I would wait for him in the truck. A couple of hours later Dave comes out and announces that he was quitting! Just like that. The dude just walked off the truck on me, his wife telling him to either stay or not come back. It’s about midnight and I was pretty pissed off. He packed his stuff out and I just started driving, not wanting to wake my boss up, knowing she could do nothing at that time of night.

The next morning I called Michelle to tell her what happened. She called the account manager and they came up with a plan to fly another driver from Oklahoma into Kansas City where I could pick him up and he would finish out the commitment with me. Late that night I pulled into a truckstop near KC where he had taken a cab from the airport and met Doofus. He got his stuff on board and I told him I would drive the first shift, 5 on, 5 off. One of the first things Doofus said to me “I don’t know how you can drive all night, I have problems staying awake”. Not a good way to start off with me and I informed him what “team driving” consisted of. A short time later he says “ I hope we don’t go to New York, I’m wanted there”. Needless to say, Doofus and I didn’t start out on very good terms.

We made it to the Nashville area where we delivered and then got stuck for three days while they looked for a load. That wasn’t so bad though as we got a motel near the Nashville truck stop downtown and I was able to get away from my "partner" and tour the downtown honky tonks over the weekend. Being guaranteed $1,000 per week meant we didn’t have to worry about getting the miles. By Monday, they still couldn’t find us a load so we were told to dead-head to DeLand, Florida for another load of “greens”. That load took us to San Antonio, Tx, the location of the customer’s headquarters. I had driven in and my "partner" was up for the next driving shift. We spent several hours unloading and reloading for the northwest and I told him several times to jump in the sleeper and rest so he could be ready to go. I might as well have been talking to the wall as the jerk didn’t listen to me. Late in the afternoon they finished loading and I could tell he was tired. I was pretty irate and told him I would drive for a couple hours so he could sleep.

After we switched out it was dark and I went back into the sleeper and dozed off. A couple hours later I was startled awake with the truck running on the gravel shoulder and violently veering off as dipshit jerked on the steering wheel. I tore open the curtain and asked him what the hell is going on with his response being “I got tired”. That was it for me as my adrenaline took over telling him “pull over, I’m driving”. We were out in the middle of nowhere so I took the wheel until I could find a truckstop and payphone. I called my boss, told her what happened and said “either he gets off the truck or I will”. That was it for Michelle also as she told me to take him to the Albuquerque airport, saying they would fly him back to where he came from. I never let him back behind the wheel and drove all night to get rid of him. When he woke up I told him what I had done, what I was told to do, and he remained quiet as a mouse the rest of the way as I was in no mood for conversation.

After getting rid of him I called Michelle and found that the other team from Salt Lake wanted to split up and that Jim was willing to jump on my truck to finish out the six weeks. What a relief! Jim was another driver trainer from our Salt Lake City account and a true professional. We got along great and finished out the time together. But, ever since then, I’ve had no desire to ever run team again! A note about young Dave: About a year later, he showed up at our office wanting to know if he could reapply for a job. “Ummm, no!” was the response. He had definately burned his bridge. If I had been there when he came in, I would have asked him if he was still married.

Driving Miss Daisy? No, it's Mrs.Pritzker

2025-06-05T13:05:00.016-05:00

Every time I heard or read the name Pritzker for the last couple of years, it seemed so familiar. That name is often in the news as the current governor in our neighboring state of Illinois is JB Pritzker. Now, the governor and I are on very opposite sides of the political spectrum, as you would correctly assume. But his name seemed so familiar, like I heard it before. The name is distinctive. But why? It’s been bugging me for a long time.

I was thinking last week about my late father. He retired in 1979 after 30 years at Chrysler/AMC and he and mom moved to Florida with my three youngest siblings. During the 1980’s mom would work part time for a firm that provided services for the elderly. I remember my dad telling me that he would occasionally drive a woman around on errands and appointments when she needed him. On the couple occasions he talked to me about it, he would always refer to her by name, Mrs. "So-and-So". He had also mentioned she was a wealthy widow from Chicago and said the family was in the hotel business. Suddenly, it clicked, Chicago? Illinois? Distinctive name? Wealthy family? Could she have been a Pritzker? Last week, I even asked my younger siblings if they remembered the name of the woman that dad used to drive around. They all said no.

That made me even more curious and led me to look up the Pritzker family. Well, I’ll be! I discovered a Rhoda Pritzker that had lived 10 miles from my parents home. She had married Jack Nicholas Pritzker, who was a great uncle to the current Illinois governor JB Pritzker. The family indeed built the Hyatt hotel chain and family members still have a large holding in the company. Jack and Rhoda bought the home on Casey Key in Florida in 1970. Her husband died in 1979, the year my parents moved To Sarasota.

So, my dad had his little “Driving Miss Daisy” job helping a Pritzker widow. He would drive over to her house when she called. She also wanted her car “exercised” as she didn’t drive. So dad would get her big station wagon out of the garage and off they would go. Mystery solved!

Rhoda Pritzker died in Casey Key in 2007 at the age of 93. Her funeral was held in Chicago. The latest sale of her old house was in 2016 for $1.75 million.

My Amazon Author Link

Sobering News on the State of Trucking in the US

2025-05-01T15:11:00.008-05:00

This Texas crash occured in March, reported by The Gateway Pundit:

"A Travis County judge on Tuesday slashed the bond for Solomun Weldekeal-Araya — a foreign national and 18-wheeler driver — from $1.2 million down to a jaw-dropping $7,000, despite his role in a tragic crash that left five people dead, including a child and a baby.

The deadly pileup occurred last month on Interstate 35 in North Austin, involving 17 vehicles and 17 people, resulting in fiery devastation and multiple injuries.

Adding fuel to the fire, Araya, who is reportedly on a visa from Ethiopia, was previously cited for going 63 in a 30 mph zone, an offense that should have jeopardized his CDL. Records show he had a court date scheduled just a week after the fatal crash.

Independent journalist Sarah Fields reported that Araya is an asylum seeker on a work visa who barely speaks English and is employed by a network of questionable LLCs currently under investigation by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

The Gateway Pundit previously reported that according to public records and whistleblower claims, Araya was driving under a Texas-based company called ZBN Transport LLC. The company shares a physical address—9180 Forest Lane, Apt. 202, Dallas, TX—with at least a dozen other transportation LLCs registered in the same North Dallas apartment complex, each under slightly different names or unit numbers.

One of those names, Bay Area Lines LLC, even appeared on a truck inspection record just a day after ZBN was flagged—suggesting a pattern of companies swapping names daily to dodge regulatory scrutiny.

Industry insiders claim that while occasional business name changes aren’t unheard of, daily swaps signal red flags. “This kind of name-flipping is used to reset inspection scores, hide violations, and continue operating dangerous equipment with impunity,” one trucking compliance expert noted."

This infux of illiterate steering wheel holders working for illigitimate trucking companies has been going on for years! It's about time something is done!

I've gotten responses from a state trooper and a current Illinois DOT officer. They both included their names but I won't post them here:

"I'm an a Illinois DOT officer and have been since 2008 i agree 100% . Then we have state law which is even more ridiculous. All CFV (commercial farm vehicles) farm plated are exempt with 150 miles from CDl, D & A testing,medical card and HOS, everything but maintenence. Had a farmer tell me he hires alot of people from Somalia. They then come here work for him for dirt cheap with no qualifications at all and need nothing. Makes you feel really safe on the roads. I deal with it daily people can't speak English even worse laying under their 80000 pound truck yelling for them to brake only hoping and praying they don't run you over. Even when we could put them OOS for non speaking they would get a relief driver get down the road and switch back anyways.

State Trooper: "I see tons of foreigner truckers that we stop that speak ZERO English and all conveniently have a birthdate of Jan 1 of some random year. Huge number of them come through Minnesota, wonder which “squad” congresswoman is responsible for that?"

News Credit: https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/05/outrage-travis-county-judge

Automotive Backup Cameras - Early Aggravation to Tolerance

2025-04-19T15:00:00.003-05:00

2022 Ford Escape

I guess this post certainly shows my age (72). It’s been getting close to ten years now since I first started driving a car with a rear view camera.

2016 Nissan Altima

I bought a slightly used 2016 Nissan Altima in early 2017. As standard equipment it featured a backup camera with a 5 inch display in the dash. Those early units were a far cry from what they have in today’s new vehicles. The Feds began mandating rearview cameras in all new automobiles starting in 2018. I can’t remember the Altima having any type of audio alarm or sensor warning if you got too close to other objects or pedestrians. In fact, before long I was thoroughly fed up with it and never used it. At night, trying to back down a dark driveway, the view from the camera was useless and there was not enough illumination from the camera to see more than a couple feet behind the vehicle. And the glare from the interior screen impaired my ability to visually see out the windows or mirrors leading to very unsafe consequences. I actually remember having to roll down the windows in order to use my mirrors and cut the reflective glare. I couldn’t find a way to dim the screen or shut the damn thing off. The only thing I found useful was in backing to an object in daylight hours, such as up to a trailer or parking. You could see with confidence how close you were. Otherwise, I completely ignored the thing until it got me angry with the night time issues.

So, on to 2019 when we bought a new Ford Escape SE. We didn’t have all the bells and whistles on it and it came with an eight inch LCD screen. The rearview camera was a big improvement especially at night. I didn’t notice any problems seeing out the windows after dark with the camera on. Still without sensors for audio warning, I seldom used it except in rare parallel parking scenarios.

In 2023, we traded for an unsold new 2022 Escape that the dealer made us a great deal on. This one featured many more options, including a large eight inch high definition display for infotainment and backup camera viewing. Included with the camera is cross traffic audio alert to warn of pedestrians and cars crossing as your backing, in addition to a fixed object warning. I haven’t really noticed any issues seeing out the windows at night with the camera on. I must say it’s a vast difference from what I had in 2017!

We've had this car for about two years now. But, thinking about it, I still hardly use the camera! After 56 years of driving I just can’t make myself use that camera to back out of a parking space or back down a driveway. Other than quick glances at the screen, I use my mirrors and keep my head on a swivel while backing. Previously, driving trucks for 37 years, using my mirrors is too instinctive. Looking forward at the center of the dash while backing is just so unnatural. So, I guess, that’s the way it’s going to be until I’m gone. I do appreciate hearing the audio warnings of cross traffic however. It does have a reassuring effect. It’s such a different world these days since I first got my driver’s license in 1968.

Happy Easter!

My Amazon Author Link

Crime Story TV Series - Vintage Las Vegas and Cool Cars!

2025-04-02T11:09:00.005-05:00

Do you like to see Las Vegas the way it was in the late 1980’s? Or, how about seeing the really cool cars of the late 1950’s and early 60’s?

We ran across this TV series starring Dennis Farina called Crime Story that ran for two seasons starting in 1986. The series setting starts out in Chicago in the early 1960’s. Farina plays a Chicago Lieutenant cop chasing down mob figures and transfers his team to Las Vegas after a few episodes. Before Dennis Farina started his acting career he spent 18 years in the Chicago police department advancing from a patrol officer to detective.

In Las Vegas, a lot of scenes were shot inside the old Bob Stupak’s Vegas World that eventually became the Stratosphere, now named The Strat. About 1989, my wife and I went to Vegas World using one of Stupak’s promotion club deals. They would give you $1200 in slot play tokens, vouchers for table game play with a room and meals for 3 days for $400 per couple. We actually broke even on one trip out there from Wisconsin. Since the series was shot in the late 80’s, it was cool seeing all the original decor, layout and even the same carpeting in the TV show! Lots of action on Old Fremont St. downtown before all the changes and great scenery.

And then, the cars! So many late 50’s and early 60’s pristine classics! Farina had the best set of wheels, a jet black 1957 Chrysler 300C convertible. It had a factory 392 hemi engine with 2 four-barrel carburetors producing 375 hp. In some scenes you can clearly hear the powerful engine as the car accelerates. No wonder Farina wanted to drive that car for both seasons. It's like watching a vintage car show. They didn’t abuse the car too much in chases, as I’m sure the owner would have had a problem with that. Too many cars to list from an early 60’s Corvette to T-birds, Cadillacs, late 50’s Fords and so many others.

With the TV show produced in the 1980's I was unaware until finding it on Amazon Prime a few weeks ago. There’s about 40 episodes over two seasons and we just started the second and final season. The show has enough action to be entertaining. There were quite a few guest stars in the first season including Debbie Harry, Paul Anka, Gary Sinese and Julia Roberts among others. It’s available to stream on Amazon, Tubi, Peacock and others.

And, I just was sent a recent photo of the original car this afternoon (Edit 4/3/2025), after posting to another group. The original car is in Chicago (Pic on the right)! The friend of the owner said he has had it since the 1970's! I asked if the car was for sale and was told the guy will never sell, has two of them, and his two daughters will each get one when he passes. Guess I'll just have to own it in my dreams!

Message received from a car owner, "I owned the 1959 Cadillac used in the filming in 2 seasons in Vegas. At first it was white, and the next season it was painted brown. They paid me $50 per day, and kept it 2 months! When I got it back, it was full of 30 MM spent cartridge rounds. They wanted to blow it up in the final episode, and I refused to sell it, so they had to change the ending of the show."

My Amazon Author Link

My Truck Driving Life

2025-03-19T10:58:00.007-05:00

In 1980, I didn't just need a job, I needed a new career. Throughout the 1970's I was a franchised gasoline station dealer for Clark Oil and Refining in Milwaukee, WI. After a long legal battle, which we won in court, the oil company's main mission became forcing the dealers out and taking back control of the stations with salaried managers, thereby eliminating franchised dealers.

Seeing the writing on the wall and also wanting to relocate to a small northern Wisconsin town I needed to do something to support myself. I looked into buying a couple of small businesses, one a pizza joint and the other a liquor store. After working out a price for the liquor store, I couldn't get any bank financing, so that fell through. Factory jobs in the rural north in 1980 were few, far between and didn't pay very well. With frequent layoffs due to varying economic conditions, I needed something steady, reliable, with the ability to make decent money. Being 28 years old, I didn't have a lot of time to waste.

My decision was to get myself qualified to drive tractor-trailers and start a driving career. I had been trained as a straight truck driver in the Army Reserve, which provided me some familiarity with diesel engines. I knew I was a decent driver, but was worried whether I could do it all day, every day for a living. So, while I still had the gas station, I signed up for the Diesel Truck Driving School in Sun Prairie, Wi and started training.

So began a successful 38 year career that I retired from in 2018. It wasn't all sunshine and roses, but after a couple stutter steps, I managed to make a decent living througout and was able to put away enough to enable a comfortable retirement. In 2020, I published a book about my experiences which is available by linking to the author link below. Available as an inexpensive eBook, paperback or hardcover.

My Amazon Author Page

My Truck Driving Life

Pioneer QX-949 Quad Receiver - The Cat's Meow in the 1970's

2025-02-12T14:49:00.007-06:00

For a few years in the early 1970's 4 channel quad stereo receivers became all the rage. in 1973, Pioneer came out with their top of the line QX 949 that was capable of Discrete 4 quad. I was young, single and able to purchase one around that time. The receiver was huge and weighed about 50 pounds, costing around $800 without extras like speakers and turntable. Of course, if you wanted the ultimate quad experience, you also had to buy albums that incorporated the technology. I think that's what ultimately led to failure in the marketplace, as the equipment needed was quite expensive back then. Also, you would certainly lose some of the advantage unless you were seated near the center of the surrounding four speakers.

But that set could put out amazing sound at 40 watts per channel, 160 total. I bought a reverb, and 4 big speakers, having that setup for more than 30 years! Those were the party days!

Also, you would certainly lose some of the advantage unless you were seated near the center of the surrounding four speakers. But with the super cool display, you could custom tune the output of the individual speakers!

My Amazon Author Link

Where Would We Be Without Drug Companies? Consider This!

2025-01-21T12:22:00.004-06:00

Why? Why all the hate for pharmaceutical companies?

I know a guy. Well, it would be more accurate to say that I know of a guy, or that I used to know a guy. I didn’t request permission to identify this guy, so I won't. But this guy's story should be told. Why? Read on.

This guy, in his mid-teens in the 1980s, was at a crossroads. Grades were not that great in school. He, and his entire family, had an extremely traumatic experience earlier in his life. He kind of grew distant and quiet. But he picked the right friend, who had a great family that surely helped inspire him. He became a really good athlete in high school football. Got a summer job at a cheese factory but seemed to quickly figure out that was not what he wanted to do with his life.

Soon after, there was an amazing change when he hit the books in school and his grades came way up. After high school, he and his buddy went off to college. He received a Bachelor of Science Chemistry degree at University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in 1993 and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1998 at the University of Utah. After earning his Ph.D., he accepted a Postdoctoral Fellowship at University of Utah with Prof. Gary E. Keck.

While studying in Utah, this guy met his future wife, a great gal from Ohio, who also got her Ph.D in chemistry. They have successfully raised two daughters.

After his education, this guy was hired by Pfizer Pharmaceutical with he and his wife moving to Connecticut, where she was also hired. He began his industrial career as a Research Scientist at Pfizer Inc. and was promoted to Research Fellow in 2012. He then was promoted to Drug Discovery Design Lead. During his time at Pfizer he received numerous awards; the most notable was the W.E. Upjohn Award for innovation. He has over 90 patents, publications and external presentations including two most cited articles, one in the journal of ACS Chemical Neuroscience (2010-2014). He has authored nearly 40 scientific papers. Beyond developing new medicines targeting Alzheimer's disease, this guy has developed compounds to treat Schizophrenia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy and allergic rhinitis.

After Pfizer cut back funding of his department, he was hired away by a competitor, Aquinna Pharmaceutical, as Vice President of Research for a couple years. In 2020, this guy and a fellow Ph.D friend from Pfizer co-founded a new company Rgenta Therapeutics, Inc. with his title being Chief Scientific Officer and his partner Chief Executive Officer. They currently have a new drug, a potential treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in Phase 1 of a clinical trial.

Which brings me around to the point of this story. This doctor worked his way through advanced degrees on his own. Whatever grants, scholarships, loans he could get, he would also work. His education took him until he was close to 30 years old before he started making real money. I don't know how long it took him and his wife to pay off their debts.

The survival of their new company is dependent on investors paying to fund their research, which is ongoing. Research and development costs are enormous. With drugs in clinical trials, if successful, could be life saving to many. Researchers and scientists need to be paid for what they do. Their investors take risks and need to be compensated if and when their products get to market.

Drug companies? Of course, there’s bad actors out there, as there are in any business or profession. The opioid scandal involving some drug companies was shameful. But, also shameful, was the lack of oversight from the Federal Food & Drug Administration and their failure to safeguard the public. There needs to be oversight, but, come on, thank God for the good they also do.

The many thousands upon thousands of dedicated guys/gals that work hard every day trying to cure disease. Many spend a third of their lives before their education is complete, which it really never is, as they have to continue to study throughout their working lives. Which is what they do, like this guy. And we should appreciate all the great work that these guys and gals do every day, for all of us.

My Amazon Author Link

A Landmark Moment in Motorist Advocacy

2025-01-02T16:03:00.002-06:00

I am a member of The National Motorists Association, believing in their cause for more than 50 years. Having written several posts about them, I am re-publishing this info I received in their New Year's email. I hope you would consider joining the fight against the war that is still being waged on the motoring public.

On January 2, 1974, President Richard Nixon signed the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act into law, which included a key provision: the National Maximum Speed Limit (NMSL) of 55 mph on interstate highways. The stated goal of the law was to conserve fuel during the oil crisis of the early 1970s, but it soon became a source of frustration for American drivers. While the government aimed to reduce energy consumption, the NMSL quickly proved ineffective, leading to longer travel times, massive ticketing, and more driver frustration without achieving the desired results. And so was born the Citizen’s Coalition for Rational Traffic Laws, eventually to be renamed the National Motorists Association.

As people who are deeply committed to motorists rights, we take great pride in the role that the NMA played in the effort to repeal this unworkable and unpopular law. Under the leadership of Jim Baxter, the NMA launched a tireless campaign to overturn the NMSL. Jim understood that speed limits should be determined by road design, safety conditions, and reasonable drivers’ decisions—not by a one-size-fits-all federal mandate. The NMA worked relentlessly, organizing grassroots campaigns, reaching out to lawmakers, and rallying the public to join the cause.

Our message was simple: speed limits should be based on rational principles, such as the 85th percentile speed, not arbitrary rules that make the vast majority of reasonable and safe drivers into violators.

Our efforts culminated in 1995, when the National Highway System Designation Act was signed into law, effectively repealing the NMSL. This victory was a monumental step forward for the NMA and for all Americans who believe in the freedom to drive responsibly. By returning the authority to set speed limits back to individual states, we were able to restore common sense to the way we manage our highways and roadways. States could now set speed limits based on engineering, road design, and local driving habits—factors that made more sense than a blanket 55 mph limit.

The repeal of the NMSL was not just a win against a bad law—it was a victory for the principle of rational traffic policy. It demonstrated the power of grassroots advocacy and the importance of organizations like the NMA in protecting the rights of drivers. And we couldn’t have done it without the tireless efforts and financial support of our members and donors.

But our work didn’t stop there.

Since the repeal, the NMA has remained vigilant, advocating against unnecessary restrictions on motorists and continuing to fight for fairer, safer, and more reasonable road policies. Whether it's pushing back against speed traps, opposing unjust traffic enforcement measures like red-light cameras, or advocating for better highway infrastructure, the NMA has always been at the forefront of protecting motorists' freedoms.

As we look back on January 2, 1974, and the signing of the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act, it's important to remember the legacy of the NMSL repeal and the ongoing fight for motorists’ rights.

The road ahead may be long, but together we’ll keep pushing for common-sense policies that protect the freedom of the open road.

TAKE ACTION:

If you're not yet a member of the NMA, we encourage you to join us in this important mission—because the fight for motorists' rights is never over.

VOLUNTEER

DONATE

NMA NEWS

My Mustang Boots

2024-12-04T12:50:00.003-06:00

In 1964, I was 12 years old when Ford introduced the all new Mustang. They were certainly great looking cars and the manufacturer had one of the most successful vehicle launches in their history. They sold more than one million of them in the first two years of production. Soon all the other car companies were coming out with the “long hood, short deck” copy of the pony car.

A couple of years later, being about 14 or 15, I was in a Father and Sons shoe store in Milwaukee. I think it was around Fond Du Lac and Hampton Ave. I don’t know what kind of shoes I originally went in for, but as I walked down an aisle, I came across a display that had some boot/shoes called the Mustang. As soon as I saw them, I had to get myself a pair of those babies, one way or another! My jaw dropped as I inspected a pair, impressed with the really cool Mustang logo, pointed toes, and inch and a half heels. There was a vertical zipper on the inside ankle to easily get them on and off. I found a pair that fit and wasn’t leaving without, thankfully I had enough money on me to buy them. Only after I left the store, while on the way home, did I start to think about what my parents might have to say about this purchase!

I don’t remember them giving me much grief about it. I used my own money that I had earned, so I wasn't too worried they would force me to take them back. My plan was to keep my new Mustang Boots forever, so the next day I went and bought some metal cleats to nail on the heels to protect them from wear. It was the weekend and after hammering the cleats on the heels, I was looking forward to school on Monday.

Monday morning came and I was proudly clicky-clacking my way down the hall at school and started walking around a corner. I had never worn shoes with cleats before and failed to consider that those metal cleats could be slippery on the linoleum floors. As I came around the corner I slipped and almost fell on my ass in front of a couple girls. Quite an embarrassing moment! That surely took some spring out of my step as I had to think about how I walked the rest of the day. The following morning as I was coming down the hall again, a teacher came out of a classroom stopping me! He informed me that cleats were not allowed in school and I was to remove them after I got home, or else! If I came back with them on, I would be sent home. So, I went home and clawed them off, and wore the soles off before eventually having to toss them, but I sure loved those shoes!

My Amazon Author Link

"I Wanna Farm"

2024-11-07T12:45:00.007-06:00

This grandfather (Gary) is married to my cousin, Pat. And Patricia is my Aunt Lillian's daughter. Great story about great people!

A few more really good Characters from Bonduel, Wisconsin.

A short story of a
good man and his grandson.

I had a photoshoot tonight.

The kid was such a good kid.

Like, really good kid. Something about him I adored.

He was humble.

Kind.

Wholesome.

Polite.

He was just such a good kid.

Me- what are your plans after school?

Him- I wanna farm. I wanna work on my grandpa’s farm.

I don’t know why but it felt like a burst of fresh air when he said that.

I’m not a farmer. I wasn’t raised on a farm.

But it had a lot of meaning. Like he’s the type of human people are talking about when they say “our hope for our future”

That is him. Our hope.

Sounds dramatic since I just met him. But his words were heavy.

We don’t hear “I wanna farm”

His soul was beautiful.

It all made sense when I found out who his grandpa was.

When I moved to Bonduel I had a less than reliable car.

I didn’t have much money. Ok. No money.

I definitely didn’t have money for car repairs

I needed a lot of repairs.

I trusted a local mechanic that the police chief told me to go to.

A different police chief at the time. Not my husband. I didn’t know him yet.

I brought my vehicle to the shop.

He fixed it.

I went to pay

He told me it had already been paid for.

The mechanic wouldn’t budge.

“It’s paid for. No balance is due”

His eyes were soft but his tone was strong.

The parts needed for the repair I knew weren’t cheap.

But he wouldn’t budge

“No payment due”

I brought my car back for other issues.

My bill was always very small.

He and his wife were always so kind to me and my two kids.

I didn’t know anyone in town. Let alone trust a mechanic.

He either barely charged me. Didn’t charge me. Or Offered small payments if need be.

I think about them often.

I think about many people that helped me along the way.

I believe that’s important. Keeps you grounded.

Now let’s get back to this photoshoot and why this has anything to do with what I’m taking about.

We went to my client’s grandpa’s house.

His grandpa is the mechanic.

The mechanic that helped me at my absolute worse times.

It all made sense.

This boy.

This boy has the same heart as his grandpa.

When I found out who his grandpa was I explained to my client, the mother of this good kid, the daughter of this good man in the story, I wanted to pay it forward for what her father has done for me.

She insisted on paying.

Kind eyes. Strong tone like her father.

We settled on an amount.

Bonduel is filled with good.

Our world is.

Find it.

Raise them to be the good.

This family are a few good ones.

“I wanna farm”

My favorite thing I’ve heard from a young kid.

We have coffee tomorrow.

We open at 6am.

The Mill Coffee Lounge

Bonduel, Wisconsin

Stationed for Success

2024-07-31T16:20:00.007-05:00

I got published in the current Aug/Sept issue of the bimonthly Our Wisconsin magazine. This past January the editor sent me an email asking if I would be interested in writing a story about my old Clark gas station days in Milwaukee. I submitted about 1400 words, he liked it and allotted two pages for it. They edited it down to about 900 words to fit. The original manuscript is shown immediately below, with the edited final magazine publication following. I think the editor did an excellent job.

Stationed for Success (Original Manuscript)

Clark Oil was the Wisconsin innovator of modern mini-mart gas stations!

By Daniel S. Bridger

Early in February, we were escaping the Wisconsin winter in Gulf Shores, Alabama and pulled into a Murphy USA gas station to fuel. The station was busy as I navigated around the lot to find an open pump. Noticing, as I put my card in, only one hose and one type of fuel was dispensed at that pump, ethanol-free 93 octane premium. Since that was what I wanted, it was perfect. It also got me thinking about my Wisconsin Clark Oil days as a service station attendant while in high school and later on, a franchised Clark dealer throughout the1970’s into the 1980s.

The founder of Clark Oil, Emory T. Clark, was a building contractor in Milwaukee who built a gas station at 60th and Greenfield in 1932. The owner could not pay and he had to take possession of the property. Emory ran that station very successfully and started expanding throughout the years to over 1400 stations across the midwest by the 1980’s. Up until the early 1970’s Clark only sold premium gasoline. Selling the finest gas at a fair price, with exceptionally quick service was their forte. The stations were also radically different from the standard industry model that combined gasoline sales with mechanical auto service and repair. Clark stations did not have service bays, and had much smaller buildings with expansive (many with floor to ceiling) windows. Dealers could display convenience items that customers could see while the full service attendants were fueling their cars and cleaning windows.

A substantial percent of profits also came from tobacco sales. Racks of cigarettes enclosed in cabinets were fastened to the outside pump islands where attendants could grab what the customer ordered and hand to them at their car window. Attendants wore coin changers on their belts and had a wad of cash in their pocket to make change without having to run inside. In good weather, I would have a small table out between the fuel islands with a credit card imprinter to quickly handle credit sales. Many customers not needing fuel would drive in for fast and easy “carhop” service, with Clark becoming their primary go-to place to obtain smokes. During the late 1960’s an effort was made to introduce more and more convenience items such as ice, milk, soda and snack items like chips, Twinkies and HoHos. Of course, standard auto needs like oil, anti-freeze, window wash, snow brushes, etc were also available. Clark had their own brand of stamps, which customers would paste into a book and redeem for cash when full. Tuesdays were always the slowest day of the week for gasoline sales so Clark would offer double stamps on that day to increase sales volume.

I was a very fortunate fellow to come across Clark Oil and Refining in my teenage years. My buddy Ross had a job with a franchised dealer at Hopkins and Silver Spring in Milwaukee. Being only 16 years old in 1969, I had a summer job working at a small steel fabricating shop. It didn’t take long for me to realize I wasn’t cut out for that kind of work and my boss knew also, which resulted in me being fired. I was desperate to find something I could do to make money, so I asked Ross if he could get me an interview with Chuck Oleson, who was the Clark dealer. After going to see him, he said the only opening he had was for a third shift attendant. There were only two weeks before my senior high school year began, but he told me if I could cover it until school started and did a good job, he would work me part time during my last two semesters. My first couple nights starting my 10pm shift, Ross agreed to stay with me for a couple hours of training. I remember struggling and getting panicky the first few times making change for customers as I tried to subtract in my head the purchase price from the amount they gave me. Ross would say “Count up from the purchase price!”. It was so much easier, I had it figured out in less than an hour. Hooray! I made it through the first two weeks, although I got ripped off by a slick quick change artist on my last night before school started. I knew that guy got me for something and sure enough, I was $20 short checking out. But Chuck understood and kept me onboard.

My first Milwaukee winter working outdoors fueling cars was certainly a challenge! But, they taught me some tricks of the trade, like making certain to have at least two pairs of decent work gloves. There were electric heaters in the station for heat and we would put one pair on the heater while outside pumping fuel. When our hands were nearly frozen stiff, we would race inside and exchange gloves to keep going. And, of course, we were always seriously busy the colder the weather!

And that’s how it started, I found a job that I didn’t hate doing and things were looking much better. I needed money to indulge my passion, which was driving and I had to pay for gas to do it! My dad handed off the old family car to me after he bought another but I was responsible for maintenance and the cost of operating it. Chuck was an absolutely great man to work for and I owe him so much. After nearly two years, he unselfishly recommended to Clark Oil that I would be a good candidate to get my own station, becoming a franchised dealer.

That came to be at the end of 1971 when I signed a lease with Clark Oil for the station at Santa Monica and Hampton Ave in Milwaukee. In those days you could become a franchised gasoline dealer with Clark for about $3,000. That included a $1000 security deposit as well as funds to pay for inventory. I would order gasoline by the truckload and have 10 days to remit payment. Being 19 years old when I took over the station, I certainly did not have that kind of cash and the banks had refused to even consider me. My parents didn’t have the extra cash either but an uncle lent me the money and I repaid it faithfully at $180 per month.

My career with Clark Oil lasted until 1982 and ended after I had moved to northern Wisconsin and into a new career as a truck driver. Emory T. Clark sold the company in 1981 to Apex Oil, dying in 1984 at the age of 78 from cancer. Apex and subsequent owners failed to keep up with the changing store designs and layout needed for the newer self-service station operating models and went through some pretty rough years, being sold off numerous times. The company is now known as Clark Brands and still owns a refinery in Illinois.

All in all, my experience with Clark had such a positive effect on my life. As a high school graduate without much life experience, I learned by watching, while also making mistakes along the way. The experience gained in running a business, bookkeeping and accounting principles, employee, customer and vendor relations helped me immensely later in life. Working for Chuck was great because he hired so many excellent employees that have become lifelong friends. Chuck knew how to handle people and his employees worked hard for him because they liked and respected him. He helped not only me but four other of his employees get their own stations. Unfortunately Chuck Oleson passed away too early in 2015. He was a great example for me and a man that helped me become a better person.

My Amazon Author Link

Related story: The War Between Clark Oil and it's Dealers

How I Switched to Starlink for a Net Increase of Only $24.00 Per Month!

2024-06-04T12:27:00.005-05:00

We bought our current house in 2020 and suffered through three years of misery with CenturyLink (now Brightspeed) internet. I won’t go through the whole drawn out story of this company having the worst customer service that I have ever encountered. Just suffice to say, the company advertised my area had 25 Mbps available, then said I could only get 10 Mbps and was provided a max of 6 Mbps. And that was on the best day, most of the time, during the day and on week-ends, there were constant service interruptions. Very rarely could I even think about streaming a movie until after 6 or 7 PM. Our DSL internet and landline phone cost about $70, which wasn’t bad, except the internet was just about useless.

I was on the waitlist for Starlink for quite a few months when they raised the monthly rate from $90 to $120 just as service became available in my area. I canceled the order and waited some more. Finally in August last year I was so fed up I told myself “to hell with it” and ordered it again. One of the best decisions I ever made and it didn’t cost as much as I thought!

While the equipment cost is substantial at $600 (now about $300 on sale), you own it and can resell at will, and, I believe you have time to return it for a full refund if not satisfied with the service. The monthly $120 dollar service seems pricey but here’s what I did. I had an unlimited data plan and hotspot on my cell phone for only one reason. That was to have the internet at home when Brightspeed was down, which was so frequently, it was beyond belief. I was paying $55 per month and switched to a $35 plan. Starlink is a month to month service which you pay by credit card on file and you can suspend or cancel service at any time, for any reason. There are no taxes or extra fees other than the $120 monthly charge. Since I get 5% cash back on my credit card, my actual cost is $114 monthly.

So, I canceled our landline and DSL internet saving $70. The only calls we got on landline were scammers anyway. My cell phone plan change saved another $20 per month, so my total savings was $90. Starlink dollars out of pocket is $114 minus the $90 saved equals a net cost increase of $24.00! And if I could convince my significant other to switch her cell phone to a cheaper plan, the household savings would be even greater, maybe close to the same previous cost!

And how is Starlink working? In the 10 months we’ve had it there’s been one 22 minute outage that occurred other than any standard utility power outage from storms. The router and internet will go down if the power goes out, but I solved that problem by getting a UPS battery backup with integrated surge protector for it. My download speeds are consistently well above 50 Mbps with uploads above 20Mbps. More than enough to do anything online without any issues. Of course if you have access to fiber or cable internet, that would be worth considering, but for us rural areas, Starlink is great. It’s sure made me a happier person!

Other Post Links:

Starlink on Standby - No More a Prisoner

Directv-or-Dish-which-is-better?

Another-Reason-to-Dump-Directv-for-Dish

My Amazon Author Link

21 Years of Stupid

2024-02-25T13:32:00.008-06:00

Caption: After selling all the gasoline he was allocated for Novemebr, Daniel Bridger Thursday put up this sign and closed his service station until his new quota begins. Brigder's station is at 4751 N. Santa Monica Blvd. - Sentinel photo by Ron Overdahl

In 1973, OPEC cut off oil sales to the US and the west because of our support for Israel. I was a franchised Clark station dealer at the time. On Nov 30th, the Milwaukee Sentinel published a reporter’s photograph of my station being temporarily closed for lack of fuel. The second image shows the front page headline of that morning’s same newspaper. Little did I know the future consequences of what was about to happen.

Those events began a miserable 13 years of the insane national 55 mph speed limit. My livelihood was severely affected by the sporadic gasoline deliveries as well as my employees’ income, so I had a "dog in the fight”. What followed was a ridiculous national mandate by the federal government put in place by the Nixon administration. The law was widely ignored nationwide until many jurisdictions discovered a goldmine with fines/citations as a major source of revenue. Speed traps galore sprang up as a result. Those common sense states that refused to enforce the national speed limit were threatened by the Carter administration in 1977 with the loss of highway funding if they didn’t fall in line. The law was proven to be almost useless as far as conservation and soon took a back seat to the enormous revenue stream. Many fed up citizens avoided traveling on the safer limited access highways to run the back roads and avoid speed traps. The actual fuel savings computed by the federal government? Between 0.5 and 1%! This injustice dragged on until 1987 when they relented by raising it to 65 mph on certain limited access rural highways, finally repealing it altogether in 1995 after 21 years.

So that's how it began.

I was incensed, feeling like we were being punished due to the US failure to protect our national interest and security. President Nixon actually first proposed a national 50 mph speed limit for motor vehicles and 55 mph for trucks. Of course POTUS would never have to cross Montana or Texas by car at 50 mph! By the time of Jimmy Carter’s 1977 crackdown, in my mid 20’s, I had become a militant “professional speeder”. With a progression of radar detectors starting with an Escort, then Passport, and eventually a Valentine One and CB radios, the war was ongoing. My mission was to travel using a reasonable speed based on weather and traffic conditions. Most of the time that highway speed was quite a bit above the “double nickel” that President Carter demanded we should travel. Note: I was reasonable, not reckless.

It was years before I even considered driving as a profession. Although I had numerous close calls with various Smokey Bears, Sheriff's deputies and "local yokels", I was able to maintain a reasonably clean driver's license which fortunately enabled me to pursue truck driving as a career a few years later.

I have long believed that using the decades old, scientific, "85th percentile rule" in setting speed limits was and should remain the national policy. I long ago sold my last radar detector because of the much more sensible speed laws in most states. But, alas, there is an ongoing movement underway by the “nanny state” trying to discredit the 85th percentile policy. Please support the National Motorists Association, a non-profit that advocates for the motoring public. You can Google them online if you wish to join or link here. National Motorists Association Newsletters are free to sign up for.

My Amazon Author Link

The True Cost of Electric Vehicles

2023-10-29T15:48:00.003-05:00

First-of-kind analysis reveals true cost of owning, operating EVs without govt. subsidies

October 25, 2023 | by Vivek Saxena

Article thanks to Vivek Saxena and American Wire News Service. Link to the original follows below:

A study by a conservative think tank has determined that electric vehicles would cost oodles more if it weren’t for all the subsidies.

The study from the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) found, for example, that the average 2021 electric vehicle “would cost $48,698 more to own over a 10-year period without $22 billion in government favors given to EV manufacturers and owners.”

“EV advocates claim that the cost of electricity for EV owners is equal to $1.21 per gallon of gasoline (Edison Electric Institute, 2021), but the cost of charging equipment and charging losses, averaged out over 10 years and 120,000 miles, is $1.38 per gallon equivalent on top of that. Adding the costs of the subsidies to the true cost of fueling an EV would equate to an EV owner paying $17.33 per gallon of gasoline,” the report reads.

“And these estimates do not include the hundreds of billions more in subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act (2022) for various aspects of the EV supply chain, particularly for battery manufacturing. It is not an overstatement to say that the federal government is subsidizing EVs to a greater degree than even wind and solar electricity generation and embarking on an unprecedented endeavor to remake the entire American auto industry,” it continues.

Yet, the report notes, the public’s response to this endeavor has been “tepid” primarily because most Americans can’t afford the upfront (not to mention the long-term) costs of an electric vehicle.

“Car lots are swelling with unsold EVs (Muller, 2023), and the Ford Motor Company is losing over $70,000 on each EV it currently sells,” the report notes.

The report’s overarching goal is “to analyze how regulatory credits, hidden costs, and subsidies disguise the real cost of electric vehicles (EVs).”

“With the Biden administration’s continued push for electrification and states such as California implementing laws to ban the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035, ‘Overcharged Expectations: Unmasking the True Costs of Electric Vehicles’ reveals the regulatory tricks at play and how these costs are socialized on to taxpayers and gas vehicle owners. This study was also submitted as part of a public comment on the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s proposed fuel economy standards,” a press release from TPPF states.

The press release also includes a statement from the report’s author, Jason Isaac.

“The Biden administration and leftist states such as California have pushed for widespread electrification in less than 20 years through government subsidies and coercive regulations, but the price you see in the lot is not the true cost of an electric vehicle,” he said.

“Electric vehicle owners have been the beneficiaries of regulatory credits, subsidies, and socialized infrastructure costs totaling nearly 50 thousand dollars per EV. These costs are borne by gasoline vehicle owners, taxpayers, and utility ratepayers, who are all paying a hefty price for someone else’s EV,” he added.

The report also found that electric vehicles receive roughly 7x more in federal fuel efficiency credits than they actually provide in fuel economy benefits.

Also, the report determined that electric vehicle charging stations will cost roughly $11,833 per electric vehicle every 10 years — costs that will have to be shouldered by taxpayers, regardless of whether they personally own an EV.

In conclusion, the report argued that “the true cost” of an electric vehicle is light years ahead of the cost of a traditional vehicle.

“The stark reality for proponents of EVs and for the dreamers in the federal government, who are using fuel economy regulations to force manufacturers to produce ever more EVs, is that the true cost of an EV is in no way close to a comparable [internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV)],” the report reads.

“Without increased and sustained government favors, EVs will remain more expensive than ICEVs for many years to come. Hence why, even with these subsidies, EVs have been challenging for dealers to sell and why basic economic realities indicate that the Biden administration’s dream of achieving 100% EVs by 2040 will never become a reality,” it continues.

According to Fox News, the report’s publication comes as Democrats on both the federal and state levels continue to attack gas-powered vehicles while promoting EVs.

“Biden has set a goal of ensuring 50% of all car sales are zero-emissions by 2030 and his administration has pursued rigorous restrictions on gas-powered vehicles,” Fox News notes.

Most recently, the Biden administration announced new emissions rules that “are significantly more stringent and … cover a wider range of heavy-duty engine operating conditions compared to today’s standard,” as reported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The problem, according to truckers like JKC Trucking co-owner Mike Kucharski, is that the new rules could bankrupt truckers and thus destroy America’s supply chain.

Appearing on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” last month, he explained that the “regulations are not practical and impossible for five reasons,” including the fact that “the costs are astronomical” and “truckers will not be able to afford these things.”

“A new clean diesel long haul tractor typically costs in the range of $180,000 to $200,000. A comparable battery electric tractor costs upwards of $480,000. That’s about a $300,000 upcharge, [which] is cost prohibitive for the overwhelming majority of motor carriers,” he said in a separate statement to Fox News.

Link to the original article posted by American Wire is below:

True Cost of Owning/operating EVs

My Amazon Author Link

Remembering Sox & Martin at Union Grove

2023-05-13T13:38:00.007-05:00

I believe it was the summer of 1967 when my best friend Tom and I were both 15 years old. We didn’t possess driver’s licenses yet, but we were rabid car guys. Tom’s dad had a Ford and my dad a 1957 Chrysler with a 392 hemi in it. Of course, I was a big Mopar fan while my buddy was loyal to Ford. The Sox & Martin race team and Don Garlits were my drag racing heroes.

We lived in Milwaukee, Wi and my dad agreed to take us to The Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove, Wi for the Olympics of Drag Racing contest one Sunday afternoon. Sox & Martin were running Super Stock that year in a 1967 Plymouth Barracuda, I believe.

We had pretty good seats fairly close to the starting line, but everyone was standing, as Ronnie pulled up to stage for his first race. I don’t remember who he was racing against but when the green lit up, Ronnie came off the line pulling a huge wheelie while getting a holeshot on his challenger. He came right by us with the front wheels off the ground and in the lead as I jumped and yelled “holy f**k!” I was between my dad and Tom when he (Tom) elbowed me in the side to shut up. I then realized in horror what I said and was afraid my dad was going to kill me, but he didn’t say anything. I’m sure he heard me and must have decided to let it go, but I was so embarrassed.

I believe they won the Super Stock title that week-end. It was pretty exciting for us two kids dreaming of getting our licenses soon! Ronnie Sox died of cancer at age 67 in 2006, I think Buddy Martin is in his late 80’s now. Great memories!

My Amazon Author Link

Daniel S Bridger's Trucking Blog

A Few More Stories about "The Boss"

Salute to the Tasmanian Devil of Third Party Logistics

Aunt Lorraine and her "Safety Sentinel" Speedo

Truck Drivers: Beware the 1099! - Words of Caution

A Canadian Trucker's Point of View

"No Name" CDL, Are you kidding me?

Starlink on Standby - No More a Prisoner

My (One Week) Project Car

More of my classic car stories:

Old Car Stories and Life Lessons

Team Driving: "Not for the faint of heart!"

Driving Miss Daisy? No, it's Mrs.Pritzker

Sobering News on the State of Trucking in the US

Automotive Backup Cameras - Early Aggravation to Tolerance

Crime Story TV Series - Vintage Las Vegas and Cool Cars!

My Truck Driving Life

Pioneer QX-949 Quad Receiver - The Cat's Meow in the 1970's

Where Would We Be Without Drug Companies? Consider This!

A Landmark Moment in Motorist Advocacy

TAKE ACTION:

My Mustang Boots

"I Wanna Farm"

Stationed for Success

Clark Oil was the Wisconsin innovator of modern mini-mart gas stations!

By Daniel S. Bridger

How I Switched to Starlink for a Net Increase of Only $24.00 Per Month!

21 Years of Stupid

The True Cost of Electric Vehicles

First-of-kind analysis reveals true cost of owning, operating EVs without govt. subsidies

Remembering Sox & Martin at Union Grove