The Veteran’s View: By Dennis Mitchell It’s August again, and true to itself, the temperature is rising (unless you’re one of our worldly readers from the land down under – then it’s a bit cooler, I believe). We are a solid month into the celebration of this awesome nation’s 250th birthday with no sign of an end in sight. I do hope you are partying responsibly, because as CDL drivers, we are held to a higher standard. As an OTR driver, I’m reminded of my childhood when I occasionally drive past a county fair dotting the landscape. All the great memories of cold drinks on hay bales, a transistor radio blasting tunes from the times, and root beer floats under the lights of a Ferris wheel take me back. We all claim it was a simpler time and a better time to be young. I’m not sure that’s true, but it’s our perspective or perception, so it feels comfortable to us older folks. The reality may be the same for the youth of today when they look back 30 or 40 years from now. Sure, they won’t have all the cool cars and great music from Mo-Town, but then they will never know the difference. I’m guessing (insert popular artist from today) and a rusted pickup headed to the fair with friends, and you have the makings of a good time – no matter the decade. This summer has been a mixed bag of various emotions – joy, sadness, and triumph over disappointment. First off, we were introduced to our brand-new granddaughter, Kali Mae, born on July 2, to our son Steve (Gringo) and his lovely wife Malorie. I was holding out for a July 4th birth, and I wanted to name her Lady Liberty. Well, that didn’t happen, so I guess grandpa got out-voted. Like many of you who have pets, I have spent countless hours wandering the woods and riding down country roads with our faithful guardian and friend Penny the Pooch. She chose to spend 13 of her 14 years with our family. When we got her she was a rescue pup, but I’m still not clear who rescued whom. Aunt Barb’s Cafe will not be the same without her keeping watch for any and all scraps that might fall. She will be sadly missed, but in the immortal words from a famous movie (Dances With Wolves), “One must leave before another can come.” I think this may have been her way of telling us, “It’s time for me to go, because something new is on the way.” I mentioned that we had some disappointment along the way, too. A short time ago I was cleared to return to work once again, so thanks to some faithful friends and a forgiving shipping schedule, I had started trucking again (not like in the old days, but enough to feel useful). I had made a few multi-day trips to the southern states, along with a few local runs, when out of nowhere disaster struck. Fortunately, I was only two miles from home when this situation reared its ugly head. Let me set the stage. Dispatch called on Monday asking if I was up for another Alabama load. “Sure, I’m rested and ready to go,” I said. It loaded on Thursday, delivered on Friday, and then I figured I’d be home by Saturday. One of life’s lessons I learned early was to never be late! In the Marine Corps, the rule was if you’re only five minutes early, you’re already late. With that mentality, I scheduled to grab the trailer the night before and bring it home to make sure I could make my pickup time. That would give me plenty of time to hook up, check the trailer over, and pre-trip everything. When pulling a tanker, there are a few extra things to check, like having the proper paperwork for pickup, certification for the washout, and checking the discharge hoses. The driver also needs to verify the adapter connections are correct, as oftentimes 42 10-4 Magazine / August 2026 A STUDENT OF LIFE
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