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Inside the BRT Truck : A look inside the BigRigTravels Truck! A 2008 Volvo VN670.

Inside the BRT Truck

A look inside the BigRigTravels Truck! A 2008 Volvo VN670.

Updated: Jan 20, 2009 11:28am PST

How I got the idea for BigRigTravels

I have been asked a few times by email and now in the posts, how BigRi ...

Updated: Mar 21, 2009 7:35pm PST

Answers to Common Email Questions : Here you will find some of the most common questions I get asked by email. Why not put TK on a leash? This question, in one form or another, arrives in my email so often, that I am moving it to the top of the stack! I know some people are able to use a leash for their cats, & it seems many are thinking it has not occurred to me. It has been tried. TK would have had a trick or two to teach Houdini. She can roll once or twice & duck her head in some manner (believe me, it all occurs like lightening) & she is out of the thing! Then she shakes to straighten her fur, looks at me disdainfully, huffs, & walks away laughing. I made the mistake of trying it for the first time outside on the lawn at my parents home. I had to lunge a distance longer than my height & belly flop on the grass & barely caught her back leg as she was leaping to the fence with a "see you later" look in her eye. The harness had not even come to rest in the grass. Various ones of our family tried it on her-- one with experience using one on her own cat--inside the house this time--I do learn. TK is a good teacher. Now to take care of the next question before it arrives, yes, I put it on correctly & had it tight enough. Why No Audio From The Truckcam? This is probably the # 2 question in my emails. Several reasons really. The main one is for my privacy. I call my friends & family, & do not want personal talk to be broadcast to the whole world. Another reason is because you would mainly hear truck & road noise. I do not listen to the radio much. The language heard on the CB sometimes would NOT be "family friendly". Also, by not broadcasting the audio portion of the stream, I can actually squeeze about 6 more camera viewers in. :) Why No Active GPS Tracking? Simple answer is security & safety for myself, my company's equipment, & the customer's freight. Especially in this time of the poor economy, more big trucks are being stolen, broke into, or downright hijacked. When you consider we haul a very large amount of product, it makes good sense to protect it. This is the same reason why I do not tell what I am currently hauling, exactly where or what time I deliver, etc. I have looked for months for a GPS Tracking that would let me set how close it could track me....but they all narrow down to within 10 feet of what they track! I do provide a very accurate "manual map". I update it many times a day & it provides all the general public needs to know. Why does the webcam freeze, show offline, or buffer allot? Several reasons. The Truckcam will say offline when I have reached my limit of viewers. Constantly changing towers, frequent switching between dialup & broadband creates many problems that stationary webcams with broadband or cable connections do not have. Because of the unique conditions of broadcasting from a moving truck, I have not found a streaming service that can handle mobility as efficiently as I'd like. I am always on the look out for improving the way we do things on BigRigTravels, & that includes having the most viewer allotments we can get! Can I embed the Live Truckcam in my website? NO. I ask that you please do not do that. The webcam was designed for use on BigRigTravels and Camstreams. I am only allowed about 85 viewers at one time and that includes ANYWHERE the webcam is displayed. If everybody has it on THEIR website or blog, then soon nobody on BigRigTravels will be able to see it. If and when I can find unlimited streams, then I would not care. But until I find it, please do not embed the Truckcam anywhere. Thanks!

Answers to Common Email Questions

Here you will find some of the most common questions I get asked by em ...

Updated: Mar 04, 2009 6:24pm PST

All about BigRigSteve's Truck : Alot of folks want to know about the truck, and how I get my trips. First, I am a company driver. I do not own this truck, it is company property for me to use as long as I work for them. So why am I not an owner-operator/independent? Simple. As a company driver, I drive their truck. If anything goes wrong with it, they pay for it. Tires, oil changes, fuel, etc. They pay for it all. I use this same truck until the warranty runs out at about 500,000 miles. Then I get issued a new one. My company does all the load information for me. They send me the trip information over the truck computer, and I go there. Pretty easy. They do all the load searching, expenses, everything. I drive, and collect a paycheck. For me, in MY circumstances, it works for me. Less hassle in paperwork, taxes, expenses, permits, and all that. Ok, now all about the truck. The one I currently have is a 2008 Volvo VN670. It really is not all that bad to live in. It has everything I need such as cabinet space, sleep/bed, etc. You can see photos of the interior here: Inside the BigRig. The truck has two 100 gallon fuel tanks. One on each side. It gets anywhere from 5.0 - 7.5 MPG depending on how heavy I am, mountains, weather, traffic, etc. Sometimes I am not an "18 wheeler". In fact, I can be a 10 wheeler or a 14 wheeler. LOL No, I have not been smelling diesel fumes. More and more of the newer trucks are getting "Super Singles". Those are single tires that take the place of two tires. They are wider (the same width of TWO tires), last longer, and are cheaper in the longrun. You only need one rim now instead of two. I just had my drive tires changed out in December of 2008. These "super singles" tires lasted 224,000 miles! The EMPTY truck and trailer weighs about 33,500 pounds with about half a tank of fuel. I can haul up to about 46,000 pounds of freight. The maximum I can haul is 80,000 pounds total weight. That includes fuel, freight, the truck/trailer weight, the driver and of course, TK. If I ever am overweight by 20 pounds or so, guess how I can fix that? Throw TK out on the sidewalk! Just kidding. LOL That is all I can think of right now, if you have other questions you would like answered in this section, please let me know in the blog.

All about BigRigSteve's Truck

Alot of folks want to know about the truck, and how I get my trips. ...

Updated: Apr 02, 2009 4:57pm PST

The Broadcast Truck : This FAQ gives you a basic idea of what I use, and how I can transmit a live video feed from the truck to the website. The Laptop I have is the Toshiba Satellite P205. 1.85GHz, 2GB RAM, 32-bit Windows Vista. I have a Cobra 400 Watt Power Inverter to power the laptop from the truck's 12VDC system. The web cameras I use is the Logitec Orbit AF and also the Logitec Pro9000. The Mobile Internet provider I use is Verizon Broadband Access Plan (multiple accounts). I use the Verizon Wireless UM175 USB Modems. The Modem is also connected to a Wilson Cellular Truck Antenna to help give me a better range. The webcam image is processed by Booru Webcam Software then uploaded to BigRigTravels.net via FTP.

The Broadcast Truck

This FAQ gives you a basic idea of what I use, and how I can transmit ...

Updated: Sep 24, 2008 12:22pm PST

What Photographic Equipment Do I Use? : I often get asked what type of camera and lenses I use. Since I have been taking photographs since I was a kid, I have learned quite a bit about what makes a good choice for equipment. As with anything, you have to do research and find out what works best under YOUR circumstance, budget, etc. I have long since been a fan of Canon products. I won't go into all the specifications of everything. If you have the interest, you can always do a Google search, and find out ALL the details, and also going prices, etc. A very good source of information can be found at either Digital Photography Review or The Digital Picture. Both are excellent choices to learn about digital photography. The camera body I use is the Canon EOS 400D The lens I use 99% of the time is the Canon 24-70mm f2.8L USM as it has an excellent wide angle and a decent zoom for most situations. The 2.8L is also a faster lens that allows me to shoot with "less than ideal" lighting. In my opinion, the Canon "L" Series lenses are the very best available. Follow the link to read why. The telephoto lens I use begins where my main lens leaves off. It is the Canon EF 70-200mm F4.0L IS USM. For closeup photography, I use the Tamron 180mm f3.5 Di Macro. On rare occasion, I also use a Canon EF 2x II Extender. The Flash unit I have is the Canon 580EX II Speedlight. For the tripod I use the Manfrotto 055XPROB body and the tripod head is the 488RC4. Now I have allowed the shooting details of any image in the main galleries. Just click on an image, and the info will appear under the image.

What Photographic Equipment Do I Use?

I often get asked what type of camera and lenses I use. Since I have b ...

Updated: Jun 06, 2008 7:48pm PST

Taking the Road Less Travelled... : HOW DO I BECOME A CHRISTIAN? Would you believe, there is a road for that, too! It’s called the Roman’s Road. I have traveled it myself. We get on at Romans 3: 10 where it says: “As it is written THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO, NOT ONE.” A short turn around a corner, just down the road, we come to Romans 3: 23 where it says: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Now be watching for our exit from Ch. 3, we're taking Romans 5:8 “But God showed His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” We come up on a BIG warning sign, red lights & all, at Romans 6:23 where we are clearly warned: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Wow! With that taken to heart, we steer on over for several lanes to Romans 10: 9-13 where we come upon these beautiful billboard type passages: “If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, & shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; & with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says WHOSOEVER BELIEVES ON HIM SHALL NOT BE ASHAMED. For there is no difference between the Jew & the Greek: for the same Lord over all is merciful unto all that call upon Him. FOR WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.” You are a “who-so-ever“. I hope you will chose to travel this road to safety. If you will, you're at a Y in the road of life. From here please go to: www.needhim.org

Taking the Road Less Travelled...

HOW DO I BECOME A CHRISTIAN? Would you believe, there is a road for ...

Updated: Apr 19, 2009 4:49pm PST

Interested in Becoming a Trucker? : HOW CAN SOMEONE GET STARTED IN TRUCKING? CAN YOU GIVE ME SOME ADVICE? Well, I thought long and hard about how to answer this. I can share with you what worked for me, and give you the research tips that will enable you to make an informed decision. The world of trucking is as diverse and varied as an industry can get. Here are some questions you will need to ask yourself: CAN YOU BE FLEXIBLE? Trucking is not a 9-5 job. There are no weekends, no holidays, no sick days. When the wheels are not turning, you are not making money. Though they try to hit it, even your pre-requested time off can’t always be counted on to come through. That makes it hard to be home, or any particular place, at any particular time. HOW I DECIDED WHICH COMPANY TO DRIVE FOR: This is your most important decision. I went out to the truck stops for several weeks and interviewed individuals about their feelings toward the company they drive for. The drivers are certainly more than happy to tell you their complaints or likes about their company. You can learn alot by listening to them. I kept notes & looked for recurring trends. Like did a certain company have payroll problems & were there plenty of miles and trips offered to keep drivers busy. Don’t imagine you can trust the TV commercials, and recruiters. Asking real live working-drivers will give a more realistic view of what a particular company is like. Ask plenty, the more drivers you get to talk to, the less chance you will sign up with a company that has disgruntled drivers. WHAT KIND OF TRUCK DO YOU WANT TO DRIVE? The trucking industry has several different types of trucks. There are Tankers, Flatbeds, Dry Vans, Drop Decks, and Refrigerated trailers. Each one has their own good and bad points. ASK DRIVERS ABOUT THEIR USUAL WORK DAY. WHERE DO YOU WANT TO DRIVE? Most companies have dedicated lanes which means they have certain parts of the country they run. Others run all 48 states. Some companies will have both. WHEN WOULD YOU RATHER BE DRIVING? Well, this is sort of a trick question to see if an answer jumped to your mind. This will likely not be a choice for you, but it is something you must consider as reality. You will drive during the day. Sometimes you will drive all night. There will be times you have to be at a dock door at 3AM. Or 1130PM. You may pull into a dock, crawl into your bunk for a nap, then be awakened 4 hours later to haul your rig out of the way. You must be able to exist on varying sleep schedules & still be clear-headed & alert. You will encounter ice storms, blizzards, black ice, high winds, snow, hail, heavy rain all day, or for 3 days straight, & always late afternoon sun blinding you as you drive West. As a trucker, you will be out on the roads under every imaginable condition, as well as holed up somewhere from time to time waiting out blizzards. `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` There is no way I can cover all the details of being an over the road trucker, but here is my personal feelings towards trucking and they are my own, and they work for me. For me, everyday is a vacation. I love to drive. I love the open road. As I look out my windshield, I always have something different in view. I can start my day wearing short sleeves, and by the end of my shift, I am wearing a heavy jacket and gloves! I have driven through ghost towns on deserted back roads of Kansas. I have driven through the mountains in the winter where I could not go faster than 10 mph because of the ice. I have seen the sun come up on the East coast, and the sun set on the West coast. I have been on remote roads where I did not pass another vehicle for 200 miles! Trucking and photography go hand in hand for me. I get paid to drive, see the country, and do new things. When I have the time in between loads, or in transit, I try to get out and visit the local towns, or scenic places. Some places I have driven I just could never put into words. America has more variety in weather conditions and terrain than I ever imagined. To sum up I must say trucking is not a job, it is a life. I live in my truck. 24/7/365. I have a HDTV, internet, often hot food, sometimes cold canned rations. My pet, my phone, & my email give me company & keep me in touch with family & friends. I can go down the road fully doing my job while talking & laughing with someone in any part of the country. Sometime I plan on short visits with relatives here & there, stop in for supper or meet them at a truck stop where they drive over to see me. My showers are in the truck stops, so is my Laundromat. (Sometimes, so is my dentist.) It’s just something you have to like in order to live this way. I hope all I’ve written gives you some pointers & maybe some things to think over as trucking is a job like no other. I’ve heard it said today’s truckers are yesteryears cowboys, living in the saddle, facing the elements, making do, figuring each situation as it presents itself. Except we have a roof at night. Overhead the stars are still near.

Interested in Becoming a Trucker?

HOW CAN SOMEONE GET STARTED IN TRUCKING? CAN YOU GIVE ME SOME ADVICE? ...

Updated: Jun 07, 2008 7:47pm PST

Talk of a Trucker : What truckers call certain cities: Amarillo, TX - Big A Boston, MA - Bean-Town Chicago, IL - Windy City Chattanooga, TN - Choo-Choo New York, NY - Big Apple Charlotte, NC - Queen City Detroit, MI - Motor City Los Angeles, CA - Shaky-Town Indianapolis, IN - Indy 500 Knoxville, TN - K-Town Louisville, KY - Derby City Dallas, TX - The Big D Nashville, TN - Guitar San Francisco, CA - Gay Bay Kansas City, KS - Bright Lights Reno, NV - Sin City St Louis, MO - Gateway Tampa, FL - Cigar City San Antonio, TX - Alamo City Birmingham, AL - B Town Milwaukee, WI - Beer Town Durham, NC - Bull City Houston, TX - The Dome Atlanta, GA - Watermelon 500 Terms Truckers use: Alligator - Blown Tire In Road Alligator Radio - CB With "ALL Mouth and NO Ears" Ankle Biter - Small Child Antler Alley - Deer Crossing Baby Bear - Rookie Cop Back Door - Behind You Back Door Closed - Rear Of Convoy Covered From Police Back 'em Up - Slow Down Backslide - Return Trip Back Off The Hammer - Slow Down Bear - Police Officer Base Station - Radio At A Fixed Location Bear In The Air - Police In Helicopter Bear Bait - Speeding Car Bear Cave - Police Station Bear Trap - Stationary Police W/Radar Big Slab OR Big Road - Interstate Blew My Doors Off - Passed With Great Speed Catch Ya On The Flip Flop - See Ya On Return Trip Full Grown Bear - Highway Patrol County Mounty - Sheriff Clean Shot - Road Is Clear Of Police Ahead City Kitty - City Police Comin In Loud & Proud - Strong CB Signal Bulldog - Mack Truck Bumper Sticker - Car Too Close To Bumper Cash Register - Toll Booth Chicken Coup - Weigh Station Chicken Lights - Extra Lights On A Truck Comedian Center - Median Strip Comic Book - Trucker's Log Book Covered Wagon - Flatbed Truck With Sides And A Top Cover Diesel Cop - DOT Bird Dog - Radar Detector Big Hole - Top Gear Bobtail - Driving Tractor With NO Trailer Attached Brake Check - Traffic Is Slowing Ahead, Possibly To A Stop Crotch Rocket - Motorcycle Deadhead Drive - An Empty Truck and Trailer To Get A Load Elsewhere Dispatcher Brains - Hauling A Very Light OR Empty Trailer Dragon Fly - A Truck Who "Drags" Up a Hill And "Flies" Down Double Nickel - 55 Miles Per Hour Dry Box - A Plain Freight Trailer With NO Refrigerator, etc. Evil Kenevil - Motorcycle Cop Flip Flop - U-turn or Return Trip Four Wheeler - Car Freight Shaker - Freightliner Truck Georgia Overdrive - Put Into Neutral Going Down A Hill To Increase Speed Granny Lane - Slow Lane Greasy Side Up - A Car With It's Wheels In The Air Ground Pressure - Weight Of A Truck Hammer Lane - Left Lane [Fast Lane] Hammer Down - Move Faster Handle - CB Nickname Home 20 - Your Home Landline - Wired Telephone Large Car - Very Fast, Nice Truck Left Coast - West Coast Meat-wagon - Ambulance Motion Lotion - Diesel Parking Lot - A Truck Hauling Cars Pickle Park - Rest Area Pole Cat - Skunk Radio Check - Does My Radio Work? Sesame Street - CB Channel 19 Salt Shaker - Snow Plow Shooting You In The Back - Police who are backed up out of sight hitting you with radar where you can't see Shake The Bushes - Run ahead of others to lure out the bears Stand On It - Stand On The Fuel Pedal Taking Pictures - Police Using Radar 10-4 - OK/Copy 10-33 - Emergency 10-20 - Location 10-36 - What Is Correct Time Travel Agent - Dispatcher Triple Digit Ride - Truck That Can Exceed 100 MPH Turkey Day - Thanksgiving Yard - Trucking Terminal Yard Stick - Mile Marker Wally World - Wal-Mart Wiggle Wagons - Double or Triple Trailer Trucks

Talk of a Trucker

What truckers call certain cities: Amarillo, TX - Big A Bost ...

Updated: Jun 07, 2008 8:15pm PST

Anatomy of a Delivery

I have decided to write this article to explain what happens while I ...

Updated: Mar 11, 2009 10:40pm PST

Mountain Driving and Runaway Truck Ramps

About the runaway truck ramps..... They are very common in most eve ...

Updated: Mar 12, 2009 8:04pm PST

Trips and Dispatches : So how do you get your trips, locations, and delivery times, BigRigSteve? Since I am a company driver, the company tells me where the next trip takes me. I use a truck computer called QUALCOMM. It is the way drivers communicate with dispatchers, planners, safety, etc. My company employs people that search out and find companies that need their products transported. Not being a planner myself, I am not sure how they go about finding my next load. All trips sent on the qualcomm have pickup location, delivery locations, times, instructions, etc. I do not have any choice. All times are set by the customer. The shipper decides when to fit me into their schedule, and same for the receiver. Some trips are what we call JIT - (Just In Time) deliveries. JIT trips are for very time sensitive items as produce, meat, flowers, etc. Though trips are handed to me, it's up to me to use my brain & do all I can to make it happen. I watch the weather & if a storm is behind me, I drive all allowable hours so I can keep ahead of it & drive dry roads. I try to pace my time to get through mountains in daylight, even if it means skipping a meal sometimes, I'd rather eat on the other side after dark. If we are late delivering, some customers will take you later that day because they need the product right now. Other warehouses make you reschedule for the following day. Other shipments are scheduled with plenty time to get to the delivery location. Sometimes there is even a day or two extra. Those trips are the ones that give me time to stop and photograph the places I go along the way. No matter what the schedule demands, safety is what matters most. As the driver, I have the final say about stopping on account of weather conditions, need of sleep, etc., but it has to be a genuine concern, not laziness. Sometimes delays happen due to winter road closures, ice storms, or wind storms. You most likely have seen me change trips suddenly, and swap trailers with another driver. That happens when something delays a driver (truck breakdowns or running out of legal hours) and if the load can still be delivered on time if given over to another trucker, they will keep it on schedule. Sometimes drivers will swap loads to simply aid in one of them getting to their hometown for home time. Sometimes delays are due to shippers taking excess time to release the driver and loaded trailer. No matter what is going on, SAFETY is priority. As for myself, and my company, we would rather be late than to drive tired, or illegally. Arriving later is better than never arriving at all due to getting in an accident on a mountain somewhere! We do everything we can to arrive and depart as the customer requests. But out on the road, ANYTHING can happen between "here and there".

Trips and Dispatches

So how do you get your trips, locations, and delivery times, BigRigSte ...

Updated: Mar 18, 2009 3:36pm PST



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