Post by tonytrout on Nov 28, 2013 6:34:36 GMT -5
Hey, everyone!
I just wanted to introduce myself and I want to apologize for the length of the introduction in advance.
My name is Tony Trout and I have loved big rigs ever since I was a small child because my late father was an OTR short-haul/long haul truck driver. I say "was" because he tragically & unexpectedly passed away when I was only three years old while he and my Mother were driving in New York on February 5, 1980.
My mother was along for the ride that day. He had been feeling unwell that day and, somewhere during that time, he had told my Mother that he had "drug her around in that old truck long enough" and, here's where it gets errie, was going to stop driving after this particular trip and get a stay-at-home job so he could be there with us and watch me grow up. However, he had been feeling un-well that day. On the way back home, he began feeling faint and yelled to my Mom in the sleeper that he was "passing out" and Mom quickly tried to get to him and stop the truck. By this time, he had already slumped over the wheel and it was difficult for Mom (who also drove) to handle the truck. She managed to get his foot onto the brake and get the truck stopped but it took several tries for her to flag someone down to help her get Dad into the sleeper and start to perform CPR. Sadly, for our family, it was futile because he had suffered a massive heart attack while at the wheel and was gone before he hit the wheel.
Sadly, I remember very little about him but I do remember trips we would take to Gainesville, GA on short hauls to pick up stuff like eggs (at least, that's what I remember him hauling because he drove a Mack "F" model rig with a reefer and worked for Turpin Trucking Co. out of Hiawassee, GA. One time, he even had Mom put me in his lap while he was driving and let me "drive" along with him - and I thought that was the coolest thing ever!
Because of my father being a driver, I always wanted to be a driver but, my disability (Cerebral Palsy & Hydrocephalus) has shattered that dream so, I live that dream vicariously through the other trucks I see on the highway if I make long trips to Asheville, NC for doctor appointments.
I've never gotten over my fascination thirty-four years later with big trucks - and never will! I love the smell of diesel fumes and hearing those engines! I, especially, love seeing a truck with a reefer trailer because it brings back bittersweet memories about my father.
I apologize for the length of my introduction but I'm glad that I have joined here and I thank you for having me - even if I'm not a driver. I hope that doesn't bother anyone.
May ALL of you here, including the Mods, have a wonderful Thanksgiving this year and remember to tell your family that you love them every day because you may never get that chance again. I didn't get to say, "Goodbye", to my Dad - and that has haunted me for the past 33 years....
Thank you for having me and I hope that the introduction wasn't too long...
Take Care/God Bless/Happy Thanksgiving,
Tony Trout
I just wanted to introduce myself and I want to apologize for the length of the introduction in advance.
My name is Tony Trout and I have loved big rigs ever since I was a small child because my late father was an OTR short-haul/long haul truck driver. I say "was" because he tragically & unexpectedly passed away when I was only three years old while he and my Mother were driving in New York on February 5, 1980.
My mother was along for the ride that day. He had been feeling unwell that day and, somewhere during that time, he had told my Mother that he had "drug her around in that old truck long enough" and, here's where it gets errie, was going to stop driving after this particular trip and get a stay-at-home job so he could be there with us and watch me grow up. However, he had been feeling un-well that day. On the way back home, he began feeling faint and yelled to my Mom in the sleeper that he was "passing out" and Mom quickly tried to get to him and stop the truck. By this time, he had already slumped over the wheel and it was difficult for Mom (who also drove) to handle the truck. She managed to get his foot onto the brake and get the truck stopped but it took several tries for her to flag someone down to help her get Dad into the sleeper and start to perform CPR. Sadly, for our family, it was futile because he had suffered a massive heart attack while at the wheel and was gone before he hit the wheel.
Sadly, I remember very little about him but I do remember trips we would take to Gainesville, GA on short hauls to pick up stuff like eggs (at least, that's what I remember him hauling because he drove a Mack "F" model rig with a reefer and worked for Turpin Trucking Co. out of Hiawassee, GA. One time, he even had Mom put me in his lap while he was driving and let me "drive" along with him - and I thought that was the coolest thing ever!
Because of my father being a driver, I always wanted to be a driver but, my disability (Cerebral Palsy & Hydrocephalus) has shattered that dream so, I live that dream vicariously through the other trucks I see on the highway if I make long trips to Asheville, NC for doctor appointments.
I've never gotten over my fascination thirty-four years later with big trucks - and never will! I love the smell of diesel fumes and hearing those engines! I, especially, love seeing a truck with a reefer trailer because it brings back bittersweet memories about my father.
I apologize for the length of my introduction but I'm glad that I have joined here and I thank you for having me - even if I'm not a driver. I hope that doesn't bother anyone.
May ALL of you here, including the Mods, have a wonderful Thanksgiving this year and remember to tell your family that you love them every day because you may never get that chance again. I didn't get to say, "Goodbye", to my Dad - and that has haunted me for the past 33 years....
Thank you for having me and I hope that the introduction wasn't too long...
Take Care/God Bless/Happy Thanksgiving,
Tony Trout
