If You Have STUFF - Thank A Trucker!

It's National Truck Driver Appreciation Week August 26 - September 1
It's passed time motorist educated themselves about Sharing the road with Big Rigs. There's some discussion about it going on at Topix/Truckers.
Tips on Safe Driving Around Trucks - The Truckers Speak
Learn About The "No Zones"

In honor of the event, here are a list of trucking links you may or may not be aware of:
(Be aware I don't know much about O/O being owner/operator because we aren't. In fact each time we touch on the subject, I visibly shrink from the conversation. Anywho...anything trucking discussed herein is for newbies and experienced company drivers.)
These are the endorsements a trucker can obtain/must have to haul certain loads. In some cases, having these means more bucks, but possibly greater risk. Taken from the CDL Program.

• T - Double/Triple Trailers (Knowledge test only)
  
• P - Passenger (Knowledge and Skills Tests)
  
• N - Tank Vehicle (Knowledge Test only)
  
• H - Hazardous Materials (Knowledge Test only)
  
• X - Combination of Tank Vehicle and Hazardous Materials

L.O.A.D.S.org - Loved Ones and Drivers support has a fantastic group of forum posters, mostly wives. If you're new being a trucker's wife, find out how others cope, how to explain to young children what Daddy does. Find out what foods to pack and how to get/keep your trucker healthy. (I'm an occasional lurker there)

To find out the low-down about a company, one has to ask the drivers themselves. Somebody has already been there, done that. The best places to find out the skinny is truckers message boards:
ClassADrivers. boards
TheTruckersReport forums
TruckingBoards.com
RoundTable at Truck.net
JobsInTrucking
Most of these boards have a thread where jobs are posted. Last week Daddy-O had an interview with a company who had posted for "drivers wanted" almost a year ago. (The posting may have been stale, but the company is still kickin') We went to their website and filled out an online application and whatdoyouknow...then came a phone call. We're still waiting on their final decision.
One last link - because I didn't know it existed so I'm adding it here and bookmarking it...
Trucker News on Topix - updated continually from thousands of sources around the net.

The Happy Medium
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