And now for something completely different... (favorite line from Monty Python)

[Deborah Lipsitz]

It's always awkward to make an introductory blog posting, so that people get to know me a little, and get some idea of who I am and how I tick.

Until almost 16 months ago, when I was injured on the job, I had either worked full time, gone to school full time, or both, since I accepted my first job at age 14 as a 2nd shift dishwasher for Howard Johnson's.  I enlisted in the US Army just after my 17th birthday.  I've worked in computer programming and hardware repair, as a teacher, a nurse, a Medical First Responder and Instructor, and since 1995 as a trucker.  When not working I went to school to learn a trade that was challenging and where I could, hopefully, help others along the way.  Work-a-holic doesn't even begin to describe how hard I like to work, or the drive to work.  I do pace myself and know my limits, but I am not a happy person unless I am either working at least full time, or in a classroom working towards getting to work (I've done both at the same time on occasion).

Growing up was no picnic.  We were poor most of the time, so we kids learned to grow, fish, trap, or hunt for the food we usually ate, though nothing beat the government cheese blocks we got once a month, which were better than what we made on our own.  We lived hand to mouth most of the time, with the kind of parents that never should have been allowed anywhere near children, let alone to have any (I'll save you the details on that, except to say, trust me, what happened to us was worse than anything you the reader could imagine a parent doing to their own child).  The basic needs of survival were learned through trial and error, right down to making the cloth we used to make clothing and bedding from.  Suffice to say, if society were to totally collapse today, my siblings and I would know how to survive rather comfortably.  It just would have been nice not to have learned such things at the hands of sadists, but you work with the tools life hands you.

So, as you might imagine, I have no use for professional victims, the selfish sort who believe life isn't fair, and therefor the whole world owes them a living, and they are entitled to treat the whole world like dirt.  I have survived things that give therapists dumb enough to ask about them nightmares.  I've served my country for several years, just to have my country turn around later and tell me I'm not entitled to the rights they never once worked to defend.  Whether it's someone who thinks it is okay to beat their kid because their mother drank while pregnant, or a Speaker of the US House of Representatives who weeps openly to garner pity and justify his selfishness, these are the professional victims I have little sympathy for.

I have zero tolerance for bigots.  I firmly believe that at the heart of all bigotry is Man's religious assertion that God was wrong in bringing some people into being, religious ignorance that Man is smarter than God, and the religious arrogance that Man is somehow stronger than God and therefor justified in destroying that which God created.  My faith, education, and common sense tell me that such people are ignorant cowards, worthy only of my contempt for their alleged superiority to others.

I'm also a card carrying, dyed in the wool, screaming liberal (okay, without the screaming, kind of hard on the throat after a while, lol).  Trust me, it does not mean I am a member of the Democratic Party anymore than being a conservative means automatic association with today's Republican Party.  I do not vote along party lines, nor out of fear over trying to keep a worse candidate from winning an election.  I vote my own interests, that of my family, friends, and community, and with one goal in mind, to leave the world a little bit better for the next generation than what I inherited.  About the only differences I see between the Democratic and Republican political parties is corporate sponsorship and conviction rates over crimes committed while in office (or running for office in at least one case).

When it comes to trucking, I am definitely on the side of the driver.  I am serious about personal and professional safety, as well as 100% compliance with the (often chaotic) current regulations.  I have demonstrated since 1997 that it is easy to earn a decent living "running 100% legal."  It is also a lot less hassle, and you get to keep more of your income in your savings account, rather than having to pay fines, court costs, etc.  I have had eLogs since the software became available for my laptop, long before Werner was approved for and implemented their eLog system.  I have also had "dash cams" in every commercial vehicle I've driven since 2001, both to prove 100% compliance, and to protect myself in the event of a collision, on demand, anytime.  I have not received a single ticket, nor been charged with a preventable accident, ever since.  Dispatchers absolutely hate that I do this, but safety and risk managers love it.

I also believe the current CSA rating system is deeply flawed, and is designed solely as an employment screening tool for motor carriers, rather than as a way to deal with rogue carriers who believe profits come well before the safety of their drivers and the general public.  While a driver's score is based on a fixed set of criteria, a motor carrier's point in which the FMCSA will take notice of serious safety issues is based upon what the industry does as a whole.  That means if most carriers are engaged in the same unsafe practices, the threshold before a truly unsafe motor carrier comes to anyone's attention is raised all that much higher.  One carrier I looked up only came under increased scrutiny after they exceeded the unsafe practices of 70% of similar size motor carriers.  Another is nowhere near being reviewed, because their unsafe practices in maintenance is average in the industry, despite 1 violation for every 3 rigs over the last two years over poor maintenance practices, many of which were so bad the rigs had to be put out of service.

Okay, enough about me and how I tick, it is time for me to pretend to be asleep so as not to disturb others in my home (I have a vicious case of pain-induced insomnia, thanks to my last employer).  Everyone be safe out among 'em, and remember, people who really do care are counting on you to arrive home alive and unhurt.

10-4?