A Diesel Haze

I grew up in the construction industry and made pretty good money at it. I reached a pretty high level in the Phoenix area, was an "in demand" lead for multi million dollar custom homes and few would turn me away as a forman on larger projects like simi-custom to tract home and condos. I was also a damn fine problem solver and could find solutions to almost anything that didn't require tearing it down and starting over. (and I saw a few like that)

I've was a farm kid as well, spent a lot on time on tractors, trucks or various sorts and have an knack for most "machines"

The housing crash in the late 80s put me in a truck full time. I went from an "in demand" electrician, working at the top of my field to working for a placement agency a few hours a week, for half the money. I just made the leap and went to work moving rock. When the highway projects in AZ ran out, I went to long haul.

In 2000 I had had enough, I surpassed 1 million miles in my first 12 years and could hardly stand the looks a truck.

5 years in the computer and service support industry put me right back in a truck. I just can't work that close to people, day after day.

I had a great local job in the Phoenix area, end dump, transfers, supers. Did some lowboy, dovetail and RGN work as well. The type matters little to me. (Knack for machines)

Then came the housing crash, the big one. Sub-Prim lending, selling houses to people that can't make rent down at the local flop house. Greedy land developers overbuilt Phoenix and surrounding areas to the breaking point. There are now more repossessed homes in Phoenix than new ones. Phoenix offers a $15k tax credit to someone, anyone, that will buy one of these places. Places that were pricing at $450K suddenly were going for $130K.

Back in a truck full time.

Now just a few years later, with my parents in failing health and no other members of my family able to or qualified to care for them, I find that I'm going to have to leave the OTR business again.

Helen and I rode around the country together, we only went trucking again because we were able to leave the kids to their own devices. Our "baby" is 6'2" and in his twenties. Our own health issues and the murderous cost of "health care" cost us a house and pretty much everything else. We had nothing to lose in trucking together. I drove, she did paperwork and took pictures of almost everything in the country.

Helen has training and a background as a care giver. She has had to leave the truck several times to deal with family issues. My grand daughter in late 09, now my mom after a long battle with breast cancer is having major issues with blood pressure and 2 4mm aneurysms were found in her brain. Helen is out of the truck permanently, or until the obvious result is reached.

So I get to find a way to disconnect from the industry again. Anyone thinking this is an easy process has never thought it through. I have to move from a earning position with one company to an earning position with another and I have to manage it with out loosing what little we have left to us.

Man, being a responsible adult sucks.

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