EVERYTHING YOU WILL EVER NEED TO KNOW TO START DRIVING A BIG TRUCK or HOW I BECAME A PROFESSIONAL TOURIST by Steve Richards

Outskirts Press
10940 S. Parker Road - 515, Parker, CO
www.outskirtspress.com
Genre: Nonfiction/Transportation
Rating: Highly Recommended
ISBN: 1598006169, $14.95, 228 pp, 2006

Here are revealed the mysteries of the eighteen-wheeler world!

If you have ever thought about driving the big trucks, then this is the book for you. Steve Richards tells it like it is with a strong voice, good judgment and sound advice, served up with a sharp sense of humor. He covers every aspect: company selection, driver training, learning how to drive, miles equal money, log books, weigh stations, CB’s, cell phones, Qualcoms, directions, getting loaded/unloaded, wasting time, truck stops, mirrors, chains, hot brakes, DAC reports, protecting your CDL, big blowouts, time management, don’t let them cheat you and the best reason to drive a big truck.

Let me give you a sample of Steve’s writing from pages 136-137:

"While these tire explosions aren’t going to happen often, they will always happen at the most inconvenient moments, that is when you are driving your truck. How unusual.

One of my first blowouts happened on Interstate 15 about fifty miles or so east of Las Vegas. It was summertime and the temperature was well over 100 degrees making the highway into a veritable frying pan on which you could possibly torch a nice T-bone. It was hot! On top of that I had a near capacity load on the order of about forty-five thousand pounds in the trailer. A heavy load and a hot road is a good recipe for a tire to explode. There we go with the poetry again.

As for having the correct tire pressure in my trailer tires I do in fact confess to a certain laziness in that department as I believe do the vast majority of drivers out there. This is clearly visible in the huge number of "gators" littering the highways. I have a reasonable degree of certainty that such practice or lack thereof is more than the norm in the transportation industry. . . .

You never really know what will happen to your tires. One time I actually found a seven inch long railroad spike sticking out of one of my drive tires. Fortunately I was in close proximity to my home terminal and got it fixed fast. Your tires are of great importance as they are your one connection between your tractor trailer and the highway. Do not take them for granted. Check them frequently and it will pay off. Ignoring them can provide you with dire consequences."

After you have read this book, you’ll have a better understanding of the trucking world and if such a life would appeal to you. If you decide to become a truck driver, you can thank Steve Richards for sharing his knowledge and experiences with you by writing him at srric@hotmail.com or PO Box 1111, Fallbrook, CA 92088.

Steve Richards is a busy guy into many things. He’s a real estate broker, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, former Denver radio announcer, guitarist & composer, private investigator and published author.

I’m certain Everything You Will Ever Need to Know To Start Driving A Big Truck or How I Became A Professional Tourist will appeal to a wide range of readers–men and women fascinated by the powerful mystique of eighteen wheelers.

Reviewed by Kaye Trout - July 23, 2006 - Copyright