Trucking, the Joy of Sirius Radio, and Working another Holiday
09/02/2010
Happy Labor Day weekend to everyone lucky enough to enjoy life. I have to work on the road; and I mean really get after it. I have to unload early in the morning, make three California pickups, and deliver in Oklahoma sometime early Monday.
But that isn't the biggest problem; my radio quit. It says "amp fault" on the readout. I have no noise whatsoever. I can't listen to Sirius, get a CD, or use the am/fm.
This means I am missing the weather channel (with a hurricane in progress), mideast peace talks are on, (but I will never get to hear how we failed), and all of my favorite artists (Rage Against the Machine, Primus, The Beastie Boys, and others) will not have the joy of keeping me awake in those sleepy moments.
My radio has done this before. But this time it seems final...as if it has finally completely shorted out. It hasn't worked since Flagstaff. This means I have had time to think, and that makes me dangerous.
Sirius has changed the way truckers do their jobs. Gone are the lonely days and nights of silence, CB radio arguments, and suitcases full of tapes and CDs. We can listen to the Weather Channel while driving through the Nevada desert. You can't even find a local am station out that far. And Sirius has given truckers opportunities to engage in regular society and keep up with current events.
I am at the Freedom Truck Wash in Kingman, Arizona, and the guys here are really helpful. When I told them my radio had crapped out, they offered all kinds of help.
Just minutes ago they asked me to pull my truck out of the wash bay, and guess what!!! I have noise again.
Maybe I won't miss my deliveries and pickups after all, and I will know every turn Earl makes.
The holiday is looking a lot better.