KEN'S KORNER - NOVEMBER 2005

MY THANKSGIVING
By Author, Educator and Big City Driver Ken Skaggs

Isn’t it funny how time flies when you’re having fun? It seems like just a couple of years ago that I started writing this column, but, in reality, it has been five years! This month, this article, is my sixty-second in as many months, beginning my sixth year last month. I can honestly say that this is the longest time I have ever spent at any one job in my entire life. So, it’s really a milestone for me (or, should I say mile-marker). It’s been one heck of a ride, too.

So much has happened over those five years. There have been a lot of changes made in trucking, as well as in my life. There was the change in hours-of-service. There were the new fuel efficient engines. There was 9-11, as well as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. 10-4 Magazine has grown considerably too. I have seen 10-4 Magazines all over the country. Several times, I’ve noticed them sitting in trucking company magazine racks, in driver’s rooms in truck stops in the most remote places, and even at a NASCAR race in North Carolina. Over the last five years, I went from company driver to owner operator, to store owner and E-bay seller, back to company driver and part-time auto dealer. And now, I am trying to get into radio. It’s true, I’ve always wanted to host my own talk show. I’ve been on the air several times as a guest. I’ve even worked as an intern years ago, but I always wanted to do my own show. I’m putting together an “air-check” now with the hopes of landing a paid gig (cheap plug ahead). Hey Matt McAllister at KTYD, if you’re reading this and need a traffic reporter or something, give me a call!

The last five years has brought plenty of good times and some hard times too. This roller-coaster ride has been full of ups and downs, but I can honestly say that every time I go back up, I go up higher than I was before. And I’m not afraid to take a risk, which has often helped me, though sometimes that backfires. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. After all, nothing good comes easy. Throughout all of that, I still managed to put out an article each month (though sometimes I wonder how I did it).

Despite all of my trials and tribulations, I really do have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. First and foremost, I am very thankful to be a part of 10-4 Magazine. I was always a guy with a lot to say and they gave me a soapbox to stand on. Now if only I can get a radio station to do that (another cheap plug, but I can’t help myself). But seriously, 10-4 Magazine has been an incredible opportunity for me. I always loved to write. I wrote the book on preventing traffic jams right here in 10-4 Magazine and it brought me a lot of recognition. Thanks to 10-4, several radio stations regard me as a traffic jam expert. Jesse White, the Secretary of State of Illinois, liked my ideas and used them in his Aggressive Driving Campaign. So again, I say thanks 10-4! And thanks Jesse White and all of the radio stations who have called me.

I would also like to thank all of the good drivers out there. You know who you are. I’m talking about the drivers who stay cool when the pressure is hot. While four-wheelers are doing circles around you and constantly slowing you down and getting in your way, you remain the consummate professional. And so to you, I say thanks. Thank you for not tailgating me. Thanks for letting me cut in front of you. Thanks for the friendly blink of the lights. Thanks for your patience and skill. Thanks for keeping my kids safe and not letting your emotions rule you’re driving. It’s easy to lose your temper when others around you have already lost theirs. But for those that stay calm during the storm of four-wheelers, again, thanks.

I’d even like to thank the bad drivers out there. Really. Without all of you, I would never have gotten angry enough to try to educate people on the right way to drive. All of you drivers who tailgate and “push” four-wheelers out of the way, thank you. Thank you for not getting it. Thank you for lane-dodging, tailgating and speeding. Thank you for all of the rude comments on the CB when I try to straighten you out. Thanks for the road rage (those were some great articles). Thanks for the bad attitude (that was a good one too). Thanks for giving me the finger after you screwed up, as if it was my fault. Thanks to you, 10-4 Magazine has given me this opportunity, so please except my sincerest thanks. But please, quit doing that stuff now!

To all of the ninety-plus companies who hired me throughout my life (except for CX Roberson), thank you. I’m sorry I quit so soon, but I really did appreciate it at the time. And thanks to all of the trucking companies out there who are always hiring. You guys give job-hoppers like me real job security, even when unemployed. Thanks for the dental insurance that I was always sure to use up before I quit. Thanks for all of the good runs when I complained about the East Coast. Thank you for paying me on time every time (again, except for CX Roberson - they still owe me money). Thanks for getting me home for the holidays. Thanks for giving me a nice truck to drive (except for Celadon).
To everyone who has ever read my column or visited my website at www.bigcitydriver.com (another shameless plug), thank you. Thanks for reading 10-4 Magazine. Thanks for advertising in 10-4 Magazine too. And thanks for listening to this rant (you’d think I won an Oscar). Happy Thanksgiving everybody.

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