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Posted 5/29/2008 8:38 PM (GMT 0)
Hey all, it has been awhile since my last post on here but just wanted to let everyone know that I'm doin good out here on the road and have had no problems so far. As the topic says, i set a new record for my bag and went 6 days between changes. I was alittle worried about goin that long but i did not have the opportunity to change it cause of time restriction on the load i was hauling. In case you forgot, I drive a truck cross country. Ne-way, I was surprised that I was able to go that long but to be sure though, i won't try it again.
Posted 5/30/2008 12:27 AM (GMT 0)
Wow! I know others have luck going that length of time, unfortunately I don't! Glad it worked out for you and didn't cause any problems!
Posted 5/30/2008 1:30 PM (GMT 0)

Cool to hear about your new record clyde01.  I too was an OTR driver and was wondering how that is working out for you.  I just had a total colectomy so I am new to this in respect to driving.  Are you having any problems with lifting restrictions or problems with changing appliances and such?  Any advice would help, I am currently on family medical leave but will possibly look for something a little closer to home.  Just wanting to get advice on possibly returning to the road.

John

Posted 5/30/2008 8:16 PM (GMT 0)
Hey slim, i have no problems of any kind as far as driving or lifting. I have been back out on the road since December last year and i thought would have problems but so far so good. I use a two piece appliance by Hollister, it is the New Image type and it works real good, especially when it comes to relieving the gas buildup that happens. You might try that and see if it works for ya. The only problems I have really is getting the time to get my shower to change my appliance. But other than that it has been smooth sailing.

thanks for asking, if I can help u in ne way let me know. Who did u drive for? I drive for CRST.
Posted 5/31/2008 1:27 PM (GMT 0)

I drive/drove for CFI, the new Con-way.  I can understand on the no time for changing and shower, that seems to be a problem industry wide with the way the dispatch/notification process is.  I will have to try the two piece to see if that helps.  As you can see I just had the operation so it will be a little while before I have to make a decision.  Thanks for the info.

John

Posted 6/3/2008 11:10 PM (GMT 0)
Cool, i found that the two piece system works really well for me. I tried one piece setups b4 and had problems with leaks after a couple of days due to the way the appliance was made and the placement of my stoma. The two piece solved that. At first I could not wear my regular britches like I used to because of the waistband would sit right against the stoma. I decided to start wearing overalls instead and now I'm alot more comfortable and I have room for expansion. I am able to wear blue jeans but only in a much bigger size, I normally wear a size 32 in the waist and now I have to wear a size 36 instead. To keep them from fally down I wear suspenders as well, LOL

Anyway, good luck and I hope you get to come back out on the road.
Posted 6/4/2008 2:06 AM (GMT 0)
clyde i'm glad ur doing well :o). i usually go from saturday to saturday...thats what 7 days? it works pretty well, no rusing to change bags before work at 6 am and i get to shower without the bag and get my ugly little stoma nice and clean ;o)
Posted 6/4/2008 4:30 AM (GMT 0)
clyde, this isn't really ostomy related, but i am just curious Where do truck drivers sleep when they are on the road, and where do they take showers?
(if that's too nosy i am sorry!) i have always wondered that, and i dont' know any truck drivers to ask!
Posted 6/7/2008 3:19 AM (GMT 0)

I'm not Clyde but I have driven over the road for 15 years so I guess I can answer that.  Most generally drivers sleep in the bunk that is behind the driving compartment on the truck.  They have made some serious advancements since I started so some of the bunks are actually comfortable these days.  I use to carry a small t.v., had an apartment sized fridge, a George Foreman grill, my laptop and a few other items.

A few companies have regular motels or barracks type arrangements at their yards that the drivers use but this is very rare.  As far as the showers go almost all of the truck stops have showers that a driver can use.  They charge around $10 or if you fuel there then they let you shower for free.  Also some of the more major companies have shower and laundry facilities at the terminals that the driver can use for free.

John

Posted 6/7/2008 4:04 AM (GMT 0)
well that is just super cool! how do you run a tv or a fridge in a truck? (i know this has nothing to do with anything, and i am sorry, i just have always been so curious about this!)
Posted 6/7/2008 5:28 AM (GMT 0)
John, Clyde and Summer,

I have to "fess up"...  I have always wanted to learn how to drive a semi.  Not necessarily for any other reason other than to say that I have driven one.  I have driven pick ups with the shift on the column, farm tractors, VW bugs, I can back a trailer hooked on a pick up truck -- but I have never driven a Big truck.  Someday....  before they take my license away from me, I plan on doing it!   If it has wheels and an engine, I'm interested in it.  And, yes, I am a NASCAR, NHRA, USAC, IRL fan ... like I said, wheels and an engine!!!

So, Summer, thanks for asking all of your questions, and thanks to John for answering them.  I'm curious too.

 

Posted 6/7/2008 8:03 PM (GMT 0)
Most of the electrical items have to use some sort of inverter to run since the truck setup is DC current and the items need AC current.  Some have them built in, like my t.v. and fridge were.  The t.v. plugged straight into a cigarette lighter and the fridge had to be wired straight to the batteries.  The other items like my laptop and George Foreman grill I would run off of an inverter that has household plugins on it to plug AC items in.  All of these items would eventually run down the battery supply so you would have to idle the truck some to build the charge on the batteries back up.  As far as t.v. reception, I could get some local broadcast if I was close enough to a bigger city or if I was at a truckstop that offered it I could use a service to hook cable to the t.v. through a window port and watch "regular" t.v.

Peggy, I see that you are a racing fan, another of my interest.  I spent a little time racing dirt tracks five or so years ago and hope to return in spite of my ostomy.  I will never make the big time you mentioned but hope to satisfy my competitive side on the weekends.

John

Posted 6/8/2008 1:01 AM (GMT 0)
John,

We have a neat little dirt track here in the town that I live in and the Outlaws visit here every year.  In fact, maybe you will appreciate this, Steve Kinser is from my town.  Tony Stewart is from the next town over - about 30 miles or so away.   We've been to Eldora, Tony's track too but not for the Prelude tho that would be neat to see.   I had the opportunity to do the ride-along Petty Experience in Daytona a few years back.  High speed was about 150-160 mph.  Way cool!  *Post ileostomy too and btw, those seat belts in the Simpson racing seats were no problem.* 

Sorry to everyone that is not a gear head!  I do like my racing events!

 

Posted 6/8/2008 2:51 AM (GMT 0)
i figured that the tv needed a converter, i was wonderign about the battery issue, but now i know! and the cable thing is really cool, i didnt' know truck stops had all that stuff!
And i would think that having an ostomy would make it easier to race. i always wonder what happens if they have to go to the bathroom, you wouldnt have to worry!
Peggy, Dale Jarret is from right around here, and we have alot of racing stuff going on around here all the time!
Posted 6/8/2008 3:47 AM (GMT 0)

Summer,

Dale is a good guy.  His home area is one place that I would like to visit in the fall sometime. 

I am actually watching the IRL race in TX right now.  Hope I can stay awake!  My eyes are really getting heavy.

Posted 6/8/2008 4:56 AM (GMT 0)
he is a very very nice guy. I used to work at a country club here, and he was a member there, i had no idea what he looked like. There is a little restuarant there, serves hot dogs, fries, the golfers come in for snacks. Well, one day, there was a man sitting there eating food, and i was sort of pretneding to clean so i could watch the soap opera. THere was a tv in the dining area, and the man was watching it too, he must have figured out what i was doing, cause he started laughing at me. And he then he asked me a question about the characters, i don't remember what it was, i started talking to him. And he says, come sit with me and watch this. So i thought, well if a member told me to, i guess it's alright, and i go sit down and he says, Wants some fries? and i say, no that's ok. and he is like, well here i cant' eat them all and gives me some of them, so i sat there with him eating fries and watching the soap opera. I had no idea who he was. Well the next girl came in for her shift as the soap opera was ending. And i got up and cleaned the table, well she is like "Do you know who you were sitting with?" and i said, a member, he asked me too, thinking i was in trouble. She said, that was Dale Jaret! that's the closest i ever came to a famous person, lol.
Posted 6/8/2008 2:34 PM (GMT 0)
Summer,
What a great story! I once hung out at a jazz club in Denver with Bryan Adams. It was in the early 90's at the height of his career, so I did know who he was. He was very laid back and nice. :-)
Cecilia
Posted 6/9/2008 2:14 AM (GMT 0)
bryan adams? i love him! did you get him to sing for you?
Posted 6/12/2008 4:46 AM (GMT 0)
Little late in my post but my thought at reading the above post about getting a free shower when you fill up your rig was that heck with the price of gas now days and the size of your tank(s) they ought to be giving away full spa treatments along with a hour or two with a massage therapist! lol.
Posted 6/15/2008 12:41 AM (GMT 0)

Robert P said...
Little late in my post but my thought at reading the above post about getting a free shower when you fill up your rig was that heck with the price of gas now days and the size of your tank(s) they ought to be giving away full spa treatments along with a hour or two with a massage therapist! lol.

That is no lie.  I was talking to a few of my friends the other day and they said between the card companies and the truck stops that one or the other has it set up to cut off pumping fuel when it reaches $999.99.  They said that they have found as of recent that they are now unable to completely fill their trucks because of this.  I remember signing a few of my receipts for around $700.00 and about having a cow but never anywhere close to $1,000.  Just remember this when you see the price of everything going up in the stores, the trucking companies have to pass that cost on to be able to stay in business.  So thanks to the fuel companies and their greed we consumers end up picking up the bill.

John

Posted 6/15/2008 4:01 AM (GMT 0)
how big of a gas tanks does a semi have?
Posted 6/15/2008 5:00 AM (GMT 0)
Summerstorm, the average for an OTR truck is 200 gallons, 100 on each side.  They do make 150 gallon tanks so you could easily go to 300 gallons and some guys that know they are hauling light loads will put 2 tanks on each side so 400 to 600 gallons.  The average fuel mileage is 5 mpg so 200 gallons will only get you about 1,000 miles.  Fuel weighs about 7 lbs per gallon so going to far overboard could cause problems with the weight that you can carry.  The max for an averge tractor trailer is 80,000 lbs total truck and cargo weight that you can legally carry.  When I owned my own I only had 2-100 gallon tanks but keeping my empty weight down was critical.  Since each state is different in their pricing I spent a lot of time on the internet planning my fuel stops to get the best possible pricing.  I also spent a lot of time NOT idling my truck to save fuel so I would wake up cold or hot depending on where I was at.  Just a small price to save money I guess.

John

Posted 6/15/2008 9:45 PM (GMT 0)
600 gallons??? that is a lot of gas! and at only 5mpg, wow that is craziness.
thanks for answering though
Posted 6/15/2008 10:34 PM (GMT 0)

I could go into all the outrageous numbers like how much revenue a truck makes vs. how much the driver makes but it would make your head spin.  I would get so disappointed when I owned my own truck and did my annual report to see that most of the money went to people who sit behind a desk and have nothing to do with the actual work and see that I was just barely getting by.  That is why I sold my truck, LOL.

John

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