THE MILLION MILE CLUB

Now that you know some CB lingo, I can describe some events more realistically and less academically; this is, after all, just work. Coming across I90 this week from Chicago to Syracuse, NY I ran into typical horrible weather. I90 from IL to Albany,NY is a hazard in the winter because of very high winds and lake-effect snow. The greasy (look at your CB lingo guide) road combined with high wind makes it especially hazardous if you are light or deadheading (which I was). An empty box is like a 13.6' high and 53' long sail. When on icy or snowy roads it can easily blow into a car or jackknife. In IN I heard on the radio that there were 2 "big trucks across the road" (jackknifed) and that I90 was temporarily shut down. Just as I heard that and decided it was time to stop There was huge wind gust that blew my box into the lane next to me--if there had been a 4-wheeler there they would have been slammed with a 13,000 lbs. trailer. The rule of thumb is that if you look in your mirror and the trailer is dog tracking it is time to pull off the road until conditions improve. Of course on the radio all I heard now was arguments and debates about not being a cowboy or not being a pussy and stopping. Usually the "Don't be a cowboy" camp wins--as it should! I put in my 2 cents by asking if any load was worth endangering yourself or others. Of course all the old timers chimed in that they agreed. If you think about it, an old timer with several million safe miles is an amazing and commendable feat. It takes about 8 years to drive a million miles. This is called the million mile club. To do that without an accident or incident, to me, is truly amazing. The way I see it it would be impossible to do this and be a cowboy at the same time. I met one old timer who had 7 million safe miles. I listened to every word he said like they were gold. Many new drivers think that these experienced old timers are nerds, and that listening to their stories (or lack of them because of few incidents) is a waste of time. Many Newbies think they know it all already. This trade is the only trade I know of that is never the same from one day to the next. In order to boast a million safe miles you have to have had zero incidents--even one not your fault. If you had 980,000 miles and a 4-wheeler rear ended you, the safety clock would go back to zero.