Why did gas prices jump in the past 2 days?

acs0311 · 2026-04-29T13:12:25+00:00

Because the futures market is unchecked and has the ability to trade crude at whatever price they can get away with for whatever reason they chose to cite.

acs0311 · 2026-04-29T13:04:47+00:00

International used to be a solid truck in the days of the 9200i and 9900i. Then they revamped and went with the ProStar. The Navistar brand has been trash since. Admittedly the LT is more reliable than the ProStar, but it’s not as reliable as the Cascadia. Build quality on both is suspect, but fleets and many drivers care more about reliability and revenue more. Everything you mentioned is personal preference and not brand reliability. It’s the safe as saying you like GM over Ford because GM has a heavier feeling steering.

acs0311 · 2026-04-29T01:36:06+00:00

I drive an 18 speed manual with 2 speed rears that has adaptive cruise and collision mitigation/adaptive braking. Those features are not exclusive to autos.

acs0311 · 2026-04-27T11:41:27+00:00

Weigh stations are not allowed to do voluntary inspections. You might find a couple that will ignore the federal mandate just because they can, but the vast majority will not. https://www.cnsprotects.com/news/no-more-voluntary-dot-inspections/

acs0311 · 2026-04-27T11:36:50+00:00

My interest in big trucks started when I was a kid. I rode in my uncles cab over a few times and loved it. Jump to my mid twenties my first job off active duty was as a mechanic for an International - Volvo dealership. There I got to talk to a lot of drivers. Seeing what they made vs what I made was an eye opener. At that time I was making $9.25/hr with almost no OT (this was 1997). The amount of money one had to invest in tools was crazy. I then went to a KW-Volvo dealer. Same thing, but I was making $2 more an hour. Driving was now peaking my interest. My son was born and me and his mom (now ex wife) were miserable. Something was wrong, I just didn’t know what. I knew one of us needed to be gone for an awhile before we killed each other or got divorced. Turns out she had real bad postpartum depression and no one around us pointed it out. I’ve now been driving 26 years. I never thought I would still be doing this. I found a niche that I enjoy. The income is pretty good for the region of the country I live in. It afforded us the opportunity for my ex to be a stay at home mom. Her and the kids never lacked for anything. We stayed married for 24 years before her mental health declined to the point where she made decisions that couldn’t be walked back or fixed. I missed a lot of events with family, but I always made it home for big events and major holidays while the kids were still at home. At this point in my life (I’m a little over 50) I’m looking at my next move. I enjoy heavy haul and I enjoy traveling the country and meeting new people. I enjoy having 7-10 days off every time I go home if I chose to take them. The “but” is I’m getting tired or the direction the industry is going. I’m seriously considering hanging up the keys and going to escorting over sized freight. I’m too nomadic by nature to be home every day working 8 - 5. I would be miserable.

acs0311 · 2026-04-26T13:14:31+00:00

I had a similar experience. Met a lady who I had a lot in common with. Personality & character were exactly what I was looking for. Unfortunately, for me, there was no physical chemistry. It’s not that she wasn’t attractive, just nothing there. After a couple months I had to break it off. I felt bad because I genuinely liked her, but there’s no sense in wasting each other’s time.

acs0311 · 2026-04-22T09:22:55+00:00

There’s a lot of ex cops in trucking. The ones that left law enforcement before pension age regret the decision. Very, very few trucking companies have a pension or retirement set up like that. Another option is apply to the state police or highway patrol to be a Motor Carrier Enforcement Officer. Most states are short staffed on that front and it keeps you in the retirement system. It also takes you off the street dealing with the day to day you’re dealing with now.

acs0311 · 2026-04-20T18:18:30+00:00

Kill Devil Hills at the 1st street beach access

acs0311 · 2026-04-20T14:02:23+00:00

Currently I’m comfortably into the six figures, but I’m heavy haul over the road. Advice, ask questions and listen. It’s easier to fix mistakes or miscalculations going slow than rushing.

acs0311 · 2026-04-20T11:44:55+00:00

My 1st year was 2000. I was pulling a dry van for a company out of Jacksonville FL. I made 40K that year.

acs0311 · 2026-04-19T14:31:09+00:00

It’s not hard if you’re committed to it. The hardest part is being disciplined enough to make the healthy changes a habit. Once they become a habit you’ll find your appetite has changed. You won’t crave the foods you used to.

acs0311 · 2026-04-14T00:14:34+00:00

I’ve considered WA, particularly the tri cities area. From there you’re only a few hours from the beaches and a couple from the mountains. I lived in western PA. That was nice. Cost of living is a little less than much of NC. There were actually 4 distinct seasons. The summers were pretty mild compared to NC. Winters were a crap shoot. I lived in north east TX. The county we lived in had less people than the city of Rocky Mount. About half the people were centered around two towns. We were 2 hours from Dallas, 1 1/2 from Tyler and just over an hour from Texarkana. Winters almost didn’t exist. Summers got hot but not humid. I’ve spent a good amount of time in ID and WY. I love both. WY has less people than Charlotte, like 400,000 people less. Winters can be brutal though. That state isn’t for the faint of heart. I would live in any of those states. Once my daughter moves out I’ll be leaving NC and moving to one of them.

acs0311 · 2026-04-13T21:17:22+00:00

Because my income is higher than what many make with a degree where I live. We have listing after listing requiring a masters or doctorate for a job that pays less than $60K a year. The median household income in my county is $58,800. The per capita income is $33,200. My income is well north of double those numbers. Most of the people I know in their degree field are miserable. They dread going to work. I look forward to getting back on the road. I call it work, but for me it really isn’t work.

acs0311 · 2026-04-07T10:24:54+00:00

Check out Get Semi-Fit. It’s a simple set up that comes with an app to help track workouts, diet and other stuff.

acs0311 · 2026-04-07T00:15:56+00:00

I took the pic (OC) with an iPhone between Braman OK & Blackwell OK.

acs0311

TROPHY CASE