A Trucker's Tale - College Trucking

May 22, 2025 - one year ago

Before enlisting in the Seabees, I attended college for one year. Upon release from active military duty in 1969, I returned to the same university located in Eastern North Carolina.

A Trucker's Tale - College Trucking — *A scraper similar to what I operated for the construction company. Photo courtesy Ed Miller*

Over the next several years, each time my veteran’s benefits ran short, which unfortunately happened pretty often, I would leave school for three months, or one semester, to drive tractor-trailers, or to operate heavy equipment. I would save most of what I earned while working, and then I returned to classes until poverty dictated that I needed to drive once again.

These next stories, all still true, took place over four years, and the memory of them is still quite vivid. Thanks to all who caused them to take place, and I sure as hell hope I make every single one of them proud by relating their stories. They may forgive me, or thank me in some stories, as I changed most of the names. I do not want my ass whipped for telling the truth about someone who might prefer to remain anonymous.

I also realize, by relating these stories, I am neither traveling down new highways, nor am I breaking new ground. Every trucker has also traveled these same roads and each remembers his, or her, own special stories. Our stories touch every emotion from belly-laughs to tear-jerkers, and I’m sure they think of them often, as I do mine. I hope you enjoy reading about the numerous similar predicaments in which many of us found ourselves!

My high school girlfriend’s brother-in-law owned a marina 30 miles from where I attended college. This fellow, and his father, decided they wanted to start a trucking company. They knew my trucking background, and they knew I was going to take a few months off to drive. Cutting to the chase, I ran several trips for them until they learned the perils associated with buying used, worn-out equipment, and they soon decided to give up their trucking dreams so they could devote all their energies to their boating business.

https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/a-truckers-tale-wit-wisdom-and-true-stories-from-60-years-on-the-road/9781954641815.html — *An International CO4070 similar to what I drove for the marina owners. Photo courtesy Ed Miller.*

The first trip I made for this company was relatively short, as I hauled a load of plywood from Eastern North Carolina to N. Wilkesboro, NC. I was within 30 miles of N. Wilkesboro when I looked out of my right-side mirror and saw a lot of smoke. When I pulled-over at a wide spot, smoke was pouring from the right rear wheel of the tag axle. (For those who don’t know about tag axles, they are essentially a trailing axle behind the drive axle of a truck tractor. The tag axle does not help drive the tractor. It does allow the overall truck combination weight to be more evenly distributed).

I got out of the truck with a fire extinguisher in hand in case the axle caused a fire. It was also a good thing I found this wide spot, because a wrecker needed to get close to the wheel on the right side. When the wrecker lifted the axle, the entire wheel assembly, brake drum and all, fell off and rolled into a ditch. Inspection showed that the bearings had gotten so hot that they were fused onto the axle.

While the wrecker held the axle up, I chained it to the tractor’s frame. When the wrecker lowered the axle, it remained at the level it would have been if the wheel had stayed on the axle. I had the wrecker pull the wheel assembly out of the ditch and place it onto the rear of the trailer, where I also chained it down.

I slowly traveled the 30 miles, and when I arrived at the building supply store, the employees and customers must had never seen a tractor with a chained-up axle before, because everyone in the building came out to look. The chained-up axle really was no problem, due to the tag axle not being a drive axle. I later learned that the enforcement community does not have a problem if an axle is chained-up, as I was “waved-through” when I crossed the I-85 scales west of Durham.

The next morning, I had a pretty good idea I would not work for these fellows very long, because the old man told me the bearings had run out of grease due to my incomplete pre-trip inspection before I left on this trip. I objected, because it was a mechanic’s job (not mine) to check the grease, but I figured it would be senseless to argue with this man’s incorrect assessment. Anyway, as I said, another trip or two and I quit working for them.

While driving to and from the trucking job, I passed a construction company’s place of business, and I noticed they owned several scrapers like those I operated in Vietnam. I stopped one afternoon and spoke with the owner. To this day, I still remember W.A. as one of nicest men for whom I have ever worked. He was easy-going and he never seemed to get angry and upset. I learned that he had been in business for many years and that his company was very successful.

I operated a scraper hauling dirt about one quarter mile and unloaded it at the top of a big hole. A bulldozer then pushed the dirt into the hole where it covered barrels that had been thrown in by the property owners. (I wasn’t privy to the barrel contents, and I’m not sure I wanted to know). I had let W.A. know that I planned to return to college in less than two months, and when I left, he wished me well and told me he would always have a job available for me.

I had worked a lot of overtime for the company and saved enough money so that I was able to return to college for two semesters.

When my pocketbook got slim again, the construction company was between jobs, so I went to talk with a trucking company after observing many of its trucks on the highways of Eastern North Carolina. In just a couple of days, I began working for WMTS Trucking, which was both a flatbed and closed van operation. I mostly stayed under flatbeds, and having previously had my ass chewed-out royally by the Army colonel, I never left a shipper without making damned-sure the load was properly secured. If there were enough chains, binders, and nylon straps available, they were all put to use by holding the load in place.

WMTS’s management was okay with me driving for a few months at a time and then returning to college. They never removed my driver files each time I went back to school, so periodically, when the runs were available, I would run a short trip during a weekend. I was very fortunate to have found such a decent group of trucking folks for whom to work. I am also honored to still have them as friends after more than 50 years.

I tip my hat to you drivers pulling flatbeds. The work is hard enough in good weather; it is even worse when it is hot, cold, raining, or snowing. Many times, after getting filthy while tarping and securing loads, drivers must change into clean, dry clothes before getting behind the wheel to settle into their clean truck to start their trip. My limited experience pulling flatbeds taught me to respect the job flatbed operators do. The adage, “Someone has to do it,” does not fit these guys. They do it because they are good at doing the job, they enjoy doing it, and not everyone can do it. Thanks to all flatbed drivers!

Ed Miller ([email protected]) has more than 40 years of management and ownership experience in the trucking industry. Today, he is a part-time tour bus driver, published author of “A Trucker’s Tale”, and regular contributor to Supply Post. He is a father of three and a grandfather of two, and lives with his wife in Rising Sun, Maryland.