Keith A. Hamblin
March 13, 1996
Ya Know? I never thought I would say this but I kinda miss the days when the F.C.C. was governing the citizens band radio frequencies. I also wish we still had to get a license to operate the C.B.
Yeah Yeah, I know that was BIG BROTHER and normally I would be adamantly against that guy. The problem is there are some demented people out on those airwaves and they can make it pretty miserable for the folks who just want to check the road conditions or say hello to a passing friend.
It wasn't all that long ago that I felt it necessary to keep a two way in my wife's car. I knew that I could count on one of my trucker brothers to help her out if she broke down or had trouble with some bad guy. These days I won't even turn my little radidio on if my wife or kids are with me..
There are a lot of us talking about our "Image Problem" lately. We are tired of and worried about the bad rap we are taking from the press and from the general public. In my opinion the press nor the public need look very far to find something to influence them negatively against us. Just flip on the ole' one-nine and imagine your mother is sitting there listening with you. Now imagine your mother is alone and broke down. She flips on that two-way you gave her for Christmas a couple years ago, looking for help. Five minutes later she is walking down the highway hoping the next town isn't really as far as that last sign said it was. She didn't dare ask those filthy mouthed truckers for help.
Now before you get all upset and start cussing at me, I want you to think about a few things. First of all, I know as well as anyone that in many cases it is not the truckers who have the foulest mouths. It is those guys who I guess had terrible childhoods and now have nothing better to do than buy more power for that base and then try to make the world pay for whatever it was their parents must have done to them. That gets us all riled up and I'm as guilty as anyone, but soon everyone is yelling at each other and the poor hand just trying to get local info for his next drop ends up pulling over to use a phone.
I hate to say it but I think one thing we are just going to have to start doing is pulling over to use a phone ourselves. Maybe if 20 or 30 of us a day were bothering the F.C.C. about that potty mouth, super base, he would soon be out of business.
Not to long ago I was traveling Westbound I-80 across the sisters in South/Western Wyoming. I heard an old man get on the radio and ask a trucker for directions to the Flying J in Evanston. The man was retired and he and his wife were just traveling around "spending the kids money" as he put it. The trucker who answered him was very helpful and polite. He gave the man directions then they chatted for awhile. When we got to the exit in Evanston, the trucker told the old man this was it and to be safe, etc. etc. The old man was very thankful and as they were saying their goodbyes the old man made the mistake of saying "Thanks Good Buddy."
I don't know if you hands remember, but that used to be a special term you only used for hands you really liked. It came from the days of "Will and Sonny" and of course the "Rubber Duck" It was a good term and not used too much unless you really appreciated a hands help or whatever.. I don't know what low-life changed that term so that it meant something bad but I sure would like to run into him someday.. WE WOULD DISCUSS IT OVER COFFEE!!! Well you have probably already guessed it but when that innocent old man called that trucker "good buddy" that kind, helpful trucker turned into a raving idiot.. The old man was flabergasted. He kept appologizing and then when that didn't do any good he got mad too. He asked the trucker to watch his language because his wife was with him. This made the trucker even worse.. I felt ashamed that I was also a trucker. I followed that old man into the flying J to appologize to him for the things this other guy had said.. Don't ask my why, I just felt like I had too.. Now I got to tell you, even after me talking to the guy, I can't imagine him leaving with a very high impression of truckers. I don't blame him...
If we really want to improve our image like so many of us are talking about, then we better take a hard look at the way we act in one of our most visible places.. It would be nice if truckers were the only ones allowed to use one-nine but we are not. We need to watch ourselves and we need to find some way to police the fools who won't watch themselves. After all, your mother might be listening. I would like to say that we should take a "potty mouth" to task and whip him with his own antenna but this is a family page so I will just say, take a "potty mouth" to the truck stop and DISCUSS IT OVER COFFEE!!!
Sorry, I just felt it needed to be said. For the record, I am also tired of hearing advertisements on the two-way.. This goes for you too TRUCKERS ASSOCIATION. It is a pain to listen to and it is illegal.. Advertise your pre-paid calling cards in Truckers USA and Trucking News. Leave the C.B. for road and local info...
Anyway, this is the KAMF6651 Screamin' Demon goin' 10-7. WE CLEAR!!!
Ha, you thought I forgot did't you....