44 10-4 Magazine / April 2026 arrive in 53 foot reefers). If you try this, don’t tell them I recommended it! My fall back in life has always been, “It’s better to ask for forgiveness afterwards then permission ahead of time.” Fortunately, today there are now apps on our phone that can arrange rapid transport to anywhere from anywhere at most anytime of the day/night. This may be a better option than driving to the appointment center. It should also allow you to park and store your equipment in a legal and safe place. I realize there is a cost to parking in secured, monitored lots, but in most circumstances, this will be cheaper and easier to repower the load if necessary (for extended stays) or to place a security perimeter around it (electric surveillance). Many of the nicer facilities have monitored and certified check-ins and outs for accountability and insurance purposes. If in doubt, have your dispatch or a responsible party do the research and set this up for you. I understand you only hope to be there for a few hours and we are all counting our coins when trying to save a buck or two while on the road (remember when I mentioned some drivers are only thinking 15 minutes ahead), but if you are sick enough to go to the ER, then you might want to plan a bit further ahead than just for today. Let me explain the process for what happens when you get to the medical center. First off, if it is a hospital, once you get inside, the mobile device you are holding will probably lose signal. Second, all of the attending personnel are going to be asking you tons of questions, so you won’t have time to use the phone anyway. Third, they often give you something to relax, and you just might fall asleep (with the exception of when they are pricking, poking, prodding or prompting you to consume some pills that look like M&M candies but taste like bitter root tablets. Much of this is fresh in my mind because I just went through it. Thankfully, I wasn’t under a load or on the road, but the underlying reason is still the same... driver, you are just bullheaded and won’t listen to any reason! I was one of the fortunate few who had a second party badgering me to go to the ER and get checked out since, according to my wife, “The rattle in my chest sounds awful.” Once a driver, always a driver, and old habits are hard to break. I had started some home projects that needed to be finished before the spring weather breaks, when everything gets mudded in. I didn’t feel at all sick or stressed, so I continued to plug along, working as hard as my breathing would allow me to. I had recently been seen by my regular physician, and they didn’t appear concerned about the cough, so I blew it off, too. After two weeks of stressful breathing, I finally consented to a quick trip to the ER. 15 minutes after my check-in I was slapped, strapped and snapped into the CT scan machine, then things went downhill fast. 20 minutes into this quick little visit, I got escorted upstairs to an observation room for monitoring. In went the IVs and, as they say in the movies, “Let the fun begin.” Three days of blood draws and cultures for, you guessed it, pneumonia! Then, another day or so to be sure the meds were working. Getting the diagnosis was the easy part – at that point, I needed the rest. What I didn’t need was the big financial strain that comes with every hospital stay. Even if you have good insurance you may still find yourself with unexpected bills, including truck expenses that continue to roll along, with or without racking up any miles. For you company drivers out there, your parent company may repower your complete unit with a new driver to take over for you. Remember, they have a responsibility to the shipper to fulfill their obligations as a carrier (time sensitive freight). In some cases, it’s far cheaper to relocate a driver after an extended stay and possible recovery time than to hold a load over and risk possible damage to future potential customers. Your health is critical and needs to be a priority, not only for you, but for your company, as well. Make sure you are communicating with dispatch and the safety department as they will be far more agreeable when it comes to getting you the health care you need while out on the road. These same guidelines apply to local drivers, as well, since most of you have sick days available (even if they are not compensated with pay they are still there for your convenience). Use them wisely and avoid the downside of “Damn, I feel like crap!” April is a great transition month, and we all get a little excited at the prospect of those warm, sunny days of summer. But, they will be far more enjoyable if we transition into them slowly and use a reasonable amount of restraint when considering our health. “Your health is your wealth, so spend it wisely.” I’m recovering at home after an extended stay in the hospital and now I’m on a pharmaceutical regiment that could choke a horse (not to mention break the bank). One of the meds states, “No Operating Heavy Machinery or Large Equipment” when taking this medication. We all know the responsibility we assume when getting behind the wheel. As professional drivers, I would expect each and every one of you to be fully compliant and in control of the unit you are operating at all times. In hindsight, maybe I shouldn’t have acted so foolishly, pushing myself to do the impossible, when it wasn’t really necessary. If only I had listened to the advice of someone close to me when the weather was warm last week. If so, I wouldn’t be sitting here brokenhearted, sick and tired, and not able to get started! Motor safely, drivers, and always take care of your health, 10-4!! n
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