[Muleteam1]

>>I went to truck driving school and drove tractor trailer for about a year.<<

You were lucky. I had a father-in-law as an instructor and during those early marriage years, he was not yet sure he liked me. I can tell you, backing a 40,000 pound load of swinging meat up a shaky ramp onto a railroad piggyback flat car is no way to learn to back a truck. It will, however, remove any foolish youthful thoughts of immortality.

[Quix]

LOL.

I vividly picture things far too easily.

[Tailback]

I got lucky, I fell into by pure accident a job with a garbage company after a year driving flatbeds. Then 5 years later a buddy in my national guard unit told me about an opening at a county public works department.

Having that truck school certificate has kept me from ever being unemployed, but driving over the road is no picnic. If I ever get laid off at the county, I'd crawl over broken glass to get back on with a garbage company. My last choice would be going back over the road.

[Tailback]

backing a 40,000 pound load of swinging meat up a shaky ramp onto a railroad piggyback flat car is no way to learn to back a truck.

Your father in law sounds like a tough guy to impress, I hope marrying your wife was worth it, sounds like it probably was. So was mine.

That truck school experience has served me well in the military. I can't tell you how many times I've had the supply sergeant or first sergeant come to me to back water buffalos, field kitchens, generators, or fuel trailers into very tight spots and onto railroad cars. My skills driving truck has kept me out of many a detail because they always want me close at hand "just in case".