Aunt Lorraine and her "Safety Sentinel" Speedo

My Aunt Lorraine was one of my favorite aunts, but she was a pretty scary driver.

Growing up in Milwaukee’s inner core, dad was the only driver in our house until after we moved to the northwest side in 1964. I didn’t even ride in a school bus before then so my exposure to riding with other drivers was very limited. Dad was a skillful driver, took pride in driving and he told me once that his long time dream was to drive race cars.

His older sister, Aunt Lorraine was a whole different matter. She was 4 years older than dad and basically raised all the younger siblings after my dad's mom died when he was only 14 years old.

In the early 1960's, I remember riding a few times in her big Oldsmobile. She scared the hell out of me, seeming not to be paying attention to where she was going. She could not hold the throttle steady, always either on the gas pedal or off of it, especially if she was talking, which was most of the time! She had what they called a Safety Sentinel on her dashboard speedometer. It had a little button to adjust the speed setting you wanted, say 65mph. As the indicator approached 65 the indicator bar would turn yellow and then red when you hit that speed and an irritatingly loud buzzer would sound off. So she would be on the gas until the alarm sounded and then off the gas coasting until she realized how slow she was going. Then hit the gas pedal and repeat the cycle again. It drove me nuts as it seemed she wasn't paying attention. I was always so happy to get out of her car.

I later found out that her driving caught the attention of the police as well, being frequently pulled over. She almost always got a break however, talking her way out of a ticket with just a warning to be more careful.

Later in the mid 60's she bought a brand new Checker Marathon car that was specially built by the Checker Cab company. I think it was built in Michigan and they were for sale to the general public. It had a Chevrolet motor and had enormous back seat leg room due to the special configuration. Throughout the years, it seemed she always had a new dent or scratches on her vehicles and she had a couple crashes I remember hearing about as I got older. 

She was fun to be around and always had good stories to tell, but after the first few rides, I always tried to avoid having to go anywhere with her driving. After we moved to the suburb in 1964, mom grew increasingly frustrated being without transportation. She always had a driver license but never drove and dad was against it. In a brilliant move, mom decided to try and get Aunt Lorraine involved to help out. She expressed her frustration and dad’s resistance to his sister and one day she came over to the house. Mom got in Aunt Lorraine’s car and they went out shopping. I came home from school to find a 1962 Plymouth Valiant in the driveway that she bought for $300. Aunt Lorraine stayed until after dad came home from working second shift that night, knowing there was going to be a confrontation.

She kind of raised dad into adulthood and he reluctantly backed down against the both of them. It all worked out though as he found out a second driver in the house relieved him of a lot of running around. It also forced him to finally get car insurance as he always figured he didn’t need it. That would have quickly become an issue for me because I was nearing 16 years old and dreaming of getting a driver license and driving a car! So, very grateful to dear Aunt Lorraine for her help!

Link to My Book - My Truck Driving Life

Truck Drivers: Beware the 1099! - Words of Caution

What follows is a social media conversation I had recently with a truck driver. He was seeking advice about signing up with a trucking company claiming they pay company drivers $100,000 per year (as 1099 income). It sounds great? 100k a year! You can live really well on that, right? But there's a little catch. 1099 statements mean you're being paid as an independent contractor, not an employee. Technically, there's a huge legal distinction between the two and not to be taken lightly.

I lost my patience knowing the guy had already made his mind up. I have not named him for obvious reasons.

HIM: I found a $100,000+ a year job as a company driver., but you are responsible for your own taxes you will be filing a 1099. Inbox me your information.

ME: Probably illegal. Find a reputable company if you're going to be an employee. This one, you'll get screwed.

HIM: how can you get screwed if they 1099 you I never heard of this before explain

ME: OK, John, I'll try. Any good road driver can make over 100k per year with a decent company these days. You said you can make 100k on a 1099. That means you will pay the full Social Security tax, both employer and employee portion,15% total. So you will pay 15k off that 100k knocking you down to 85k just to start. Then, say you want 2 weeks off for vacation. That cuts your gross income another 4k down to 81k. Now, you will need some health care insurance, oh that ain't looking good, figure on another 12k minimum. That knocks you back to 69k. What about some disability insurance in case something bad happens? Another 2k, down to 67k. And you haven't paid a dime yet in federal or state income tax. Now, what about road expenses, like meals, hotels, showers? I could think of more, but, please believe me, you will get screwed. I spent my life in trucking and I've seen so many get taken for a ride. Good luck. 

HIM: but this is standard and get an extra $600-$1000 a week should help with benefit. Correct me if I’m wrong plz

HIM: it’s call good business no one forcing anyone it’s a contract you have a right to hire a lawyer if you don’t understand the contract or you can sign the contract and get a lawyer to try to sue that company. This been around for a long time so I will say good luck with that.

ME: Yep, it's your life, go for it! I was just trying to warn you. And you were asking for advice. I knew I was wasting my time, but I tried. Carry on. Oh, and a couple things, since you'll be self-employed, don't forget to budget for a tax accountant/bookkeeper, minimum, a couple grand for a good one (That was quite a few years back, they're probably a lot more now). And you should put a lawyer on retainer, and those guys ain't cheap. And with that independent contractor status, you may now have some legal liability in case you get in a wreck. Better set up an LLC for that (more ongoing costs). Get a separate business checking account to make it easier as you will have to file business tax returns as well as personal. More fees. DO NOT fall behind in your estimated income tax payments, as the IRS will come crashing down hard on you, I've seen what they can do. BTW, I was a driver for 38 years and also had a sideline income tax prep and bookkeeping service for many years, specializing in trucker service. You will quickly find a big fish (the government) and all sorts of little fish circling and taking chunks out of that 100K. Save this post and let me know how it's going in a couple years. Good luck.

I admit, I was short tempered with this guy, but I've seen it so many times. These trucking companies taking advantage of drivers that have no business experience, and most of them are not legal if a company assigns you equipment, tells you where to go. It is illegal to misclassify an employee as a 1099 independent contractor to avoid paying payroll taxes and benefits. 

If any of the following apply, you are an employee, not an independent Contractor.

• Company drivers: Drivers who use company-provided equipment, follow company-set schedules and routes, and are subject to the company's direction and control.
• Lack of investment: Drivers who do not have substantial capital investment in their own equipment and tools.
• Exclusivity: Drivers who are exclusively tied to one carrier with no ability to perform services for others.
• No control: Drivers who cannot decline loads and must adhere to specific instructions on how to do their job.

I've talked until blue in the face to some drivers that decided to try this, one in particular. He had a wife and young kids and was always near the top in earnings for us as he would do anything, take extra runs, work 6 days a week to make money. He didn't have an earning problem, he had a spending problem, if he had cash, he had a need to spend it. After a while, a small trucking company owner got in his ear, preaching that he could make $2 per mile working for him. "Just buy a used tractor and come to work for me". I couldn't talk him out of it, all he heard was $2 per mile and he was going. He eventually asked me to do his books and tax returns for him. He was in deep, so deep, it ruined his life. He ran hard for this guy, was never home. I talked to him once while he was on the road. He was running in 95 degree heat, his A/C had quit and he couldn't afford to fix it. He had trouble just paying for basic repairs to keep the truck on the road, let alone fixing the A/C. Finally, he went to the trucking company owner telling him he didn't know how much longer he could hold out. The owner told him, he could solve all his problems with a new tractor that got better fuel mileage! It didn't end well, it ended horribly.

There is not one driver, that I know personally, who successfully switched to be an independent contractor. Every one of them eventually went back to work as an employee, with most deeply in debt and paying off their previous obligations. That's not to say it can't be done, there are exceptions, but "why take the risk"? Many years ago my wife (the one I had at the time) asked me why I didn't buy a truck. That was my answer. Truck drivers have a difficult enough life, why add a whole bunch of stress to it, while working for less than a reputable company would pay?

One driver told me he could write off meal expenses as an independent contractor, while employees couldn't. That is true, the income tax reduction reform in the first Trump term did away with the employee business expense deduction. While away from home overnight employee truckers could deduct $65 per day for meal expenses as an itemized deduction. It is important to consider that this was not a tax credit, but a deduction. And only those expenses that exceeded the first 2% of your adjusted gross income were deductible. And, you also had to itemize deductions to claim it. If you compare this as an employee to your company paying half your social security payment (7.5%) as well as matching contributions that most make into your 401k of several thousands of dollars, paid time off, company contributions to your health care, disability and life insurance plans, it's not even remotely close to meal deduction savings.

Link to My Book - My Truck Driving Life

A Canadian Trucker's Point of View

Karl Krebs is a Canadian trucker who "legally" trucks frequently in the USA:

Karl writes in referance to the link to the article below: "The author discusses the recent decline in the number of Canadians traveling to the United States through the Pembina ND crossing, suggesting that this decrease has been is a form of protest among Canadians. They express frustration over discussions about the potential annexation of Canada, stating could be further from the truth. This liberal-minded media outlet is guilty of falsely spreading fear. I refer ti them as "the false press" or rather than the "fear press."

Anyone who travels to the U.S. as frequently as I do understands the sense of freedom and exhilaration that comes with crossing the 49th parallel. It simply feels better—and is better—to be in the United States whenever possible. Donald Trump is not the issue; rather, we are facing a crisis of leadership in Canada that is prompting many Canadians to seek opportunities elsewhere. It may not be the U.S. right now, especially with the current state of our Canadian dollar, but as someone who spends a significant amount of time in the United States, I can assure you that it remains the best country, bar none. It saddens me to admit that this includes my own experience of living in Canada.

We were once a proud nation, but now we find ourselves feeling defeated. We are under a government that seems indifferent to our ability to thrive and proper in our own country. Currently, Pierre Poilievre is a prominent figure who aspires to be the Prime Minister , but he struggles to figure out how to win an election. This leaves us in a difficult position. I am reminded of the movie "Desperately Seeking Susan"; we are desperately seeking someone to lead this country toward a brighter future. However, I cannot clearly identify who that leader might be, as he has yet to emerge, and the party he would represent does not even exist.

This is just one man's opinion. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below."

The Road Not Taken

"No Name" CDL, Are you kidding me?

Imagine getting a Commercial Driver License from a state Department of Motor Vehicles and not giving your name? No Name. That's right, you can get a CDL in some states without a name on it! 25% of over 500 drivers in a Oklahoma check station 3 day blitz were illegal. No Name CDLs!!! My jaw dropped when I read this. State Patrol and DOT did a 3 day blitz at a check station just east of the Texas border. I never heard the term No Name CDL before. Are you kidding me? I told myself "this is fake bullshit." Then I checked it out, it's all over the Oklahoma news but so far ignored by major news media. This has to end! Get these illiterate steering wheel holders off the road and shut down the damn illegitimate trucking companies now! During my professional driving career, I lived in two states, Wisconsin and Utah. Having to be issued CDLs from each, I wonder what they would have said if I refused to give them my name? As the famous Vince Lombardi once asked "What the hell is going on out there?

Read it here, credit Americanwire News and Viveck Saxena:

Oklahoma partners with ICE, nabs 120 illegals with blank licenses from sanctuary states

Starlink on Standby - No More a Prisoner

It’s been almost a year now since we had Spectrum fiber internet installed. So far, we’ve been pretty well satisfied. We’ve had a couple short interruptions, but not very long, less than half an hour total. I do notice momentary interruptions where the signal cuts out for a few seconds and comes right back. Those are more frequent, but it’s never been an issue when streaming videos.

Previously, after a three year nightmare with CenturyLink/Brightspeed, we installed Starlink in 2023 and were extremely pleased with it. All was great except for the $120 per month cost. So, when they laid fiber in our neighborhood last year Spectrum offered us 1 Gig high speed internet for $70 per month, price guaranteed for one year. That year is almost up, so we’ll see how much they jack the rate up. I had left my Starlink equipment in place and paused service at no charge in case of Spectrum issues.

The last few weeks I’ve been getting notices from Starlink that they now offer standby service as an option on their plans for only $5 per month. (Since I first posted this, I have found out that Starlink has now discontinued the "Pause" option. Your choice now is to either cancel or go "Standby". Supposedly you can still cancel and resume your service at any time.) On Standby, if you keep your equipment plugged in, Starlink will be on and operational at very low speed 500 Kbps. That is enough to allow emergency messaging, software updates, and basic online functions. It also keeps your system updated.

Yesterday, I decided to give it a try and opened the app which I haven’t used since last year. It was easy to reactivate my equipment to standby and they took out about $3 for partial month going forward. Because the system had been paused and unplugged, it took about an hour to get all the system updates and the dish to orient itself to the satellites.

Once it was done, I switched my phone to Starlink to see how it worked. I was able to go on email and Facebook and while it was slow, it worked and was usable. So now, if Spectrum goes out I can switch in a few seconds and still be online. And if I decide to go back to full service Starlink, I can switch my plan with the app in a few seconds, go downstairs and switch the router from the Spectrum modem to the Starlink and should be good to go! Note: On the Gen II Starlinks you need an adapter to bypass the internal Starlink router. You can order one from Starlink for $17. But that makes it SO easy to switch as you don’t have to connect each individual device over again.

Update 8/21/25: I received the adapter from Starlink today, went downstairs and plugged it in. I then went to my phone and switched over, Starlink did a quick reboot and update and it's working fine.

No more a prisoner of ANY internet service provider. And that's great relief after the insane, customer abusing Brightspeed years! And, I would have no hesitation to switch back to Starlink if Spectrum starts gouging us customers.

How I Switched to Starlink for a Net Increase of Only $24 Per Month

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My (One Week) Project Car

In 1969, after blowing reverse gear in the transmission and junking the first car I bought, I was in the same predicament as before. I had a motorcycle for transportation, but when needing a car due to weather, I had to borrow one of my parents' cars. And, I knew winter in Wisconsin was coming pretty quickly. I had a part time job after school at a Clark gas station, so riding the school bus was not going to enable me to get to work on time.

 

Within a month or two a guy at work told me he knew somebody with a car (1953 Dodge) that was free to take away. Well, the words car and free rang in my ears as I perked right up. I asked him if it ran and he said yes, all it needed was the brakes fixed. So we went over to his house to take a look. It was a kind of ugly brown and kind of beat up but the body was in OK shape. I didn’t care what it looked like and I said if it runs, I’ll take it. He said “OK it’s yours for a dollar to make it a legal sale” and asked how I was going to get it home. I replied that I’ll drive it and get it there and he signed off on the title while I gave him a dollar. I also didn’t tell him I was only 16 and underage to legally buy a car.

After getting a ride back to his house, I got the keys and jumped in. It had a straight 6 motor and 3 on the tree manual transmission. It started up and I drove it slowly home and when having to stop would leave it in gear and turn the engine off. The hand parking brake didn’t work or I would have tried using that. It’s funny how hearing the word “free” kind of caused me to neglect looking very carefully at the car. I noticed as I was poking along Silver Spring Dr. at a few miles per hour a blue haze behind me from burning oil coming through the tail pipe. Getting back home I parked it in the driveway and started to look the car over a bit more, finding two tires nearly bald. Opening the hood there was smoke and fumes caused from oil getting on the exhaust manifold. Looking underneath there were some wet spots on the motor from oil leaks already dripping on the asphalt. Not exactly a chick magnet. I had to keep telling myself “it was free”.

Well, then dad gets home from work. “What’s that car sitting out there?", he asked. I told him and said I got it for free, all it needs is the brakes fixed. He asked “How did you get it here with no brakes?” I told him how. My dad could be a man of few words, especially with me. I remember these, “Get that thing out of the driveway!". He was not happy and I went out and parked it on the street in front of the house.

So, there it sat for about a week. I imagine dad went out and looked the car over after I went to work, but he didn’t say anything or tell me. I was still young and knew nothing about fixing cars. Although I was reading every Hot Rod and Car & Driver magazine I could get my hands on, I had no idea of brake systems and how they work. As I started to realize that I may have made a foolish decision, I kept a low profile around the house, made myself scarce and stayed quiet.

The following Saturday, my dad came in and asked “What are you going to do with that car?” I told him I wasn’t quite sure and he said “Don’t you think that the reason the car was free was because it isn’t worth fixing?” I said “Yes, I suppose so.” He then said “Then get the car title and start heading down to the junkyard and I’ll come pick you up". And, that was the second trip for me to Larry’s junkyard in Butler, with many more to come! I wasn't having very good luck buying cars.

A day or two later mom came up to me and said she was going to stop driving for the time being. She was pregnant with her last child, my sister Karin, and was content to just stay home and didn’t have a need to go anywhere. Altough, knowing mom, I knew she was sacrificing her freedom for my benefit. So, I took over the 1957 Chrysler New Yorker after that and my car shopping was over for a while. And I was a happy guy! That car had a 392 hemi motor and could easily bury the 120 mph speedometer needle!

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More of my classic car stories:

Classic Car Stories:1970 Pontiac GTO - Dick Hands me the Keys!
Classic Car Stories: My Buddy's 1968 Plymouth GTX
Classic Car Stories: My Hemi Chrysler
Classic Car Stories: My 1965 Buick GS400
Classic Car Stories: Mopar Man to Chevrolet
Classic Car Stories: My Second Corvette
Classic Car Stories: My First Corvette
Classic Car Stories: My 1993 Camaro Z28
Classic car Stories: My Three Camaros - One Good, One Bad and One Great!
Classic Car Stories: Mom's 1961 Plymouth Valiant

Old Car Stories and Life Lessons

I obtained my driver’s license when I turned 16 years of age near the end of 1968. Being in my junior year of high school, I had a motorcycle for transportation but had to borrow one of the two family cars when needed due to weather. My parents had two cars, one a 1957 Chrysler New Yorker that I ended up with later. I usually had access to one or the other but I longed to have my own vehicle.

Not long after getting a job at a Clark station two weeks before my senior year of high school in 1969, my boss, Chuck Oleson, tipped me off to one of his very elderly regular customers who told him that he had decided to quit driving and sell his car. He lived only a couple blocks north of the station on Hopkins and I asked Chuck for a referral to go see the car. Chuck called him and I went over to his house. There sat in the driveway a “really clean” 1955 Plymouth Savoy 4-door sedan with absolutely no rust on it, spotless interior with plastic covers on the bench seats which were like new! Under the hood was a straight 6 cylinder motor and a three-on-the-tree manual transmission. I’m not certain, but I think the mileage on the vehicle was not much more than 50,000. I asked what he wanted for it and he said $50 if I promised to take care of it! I had $50 and the deal was made (with my fingers crossed). I didn't even ask my parents before bringing the title home because I was too young to own and register it. I begged my dad to come over there and see it. After driving over there, he agreed it was a good deal, and signing off for it, we took it home.

Well, being stupid young me, I’m glad I never saw him again, having to explain what happened shortly after. I bought the car and only had it for a few days. I drove it to Chuck’s station to display my great deal to the guys. Being 16 years old, I decided to show off and do a burn-out by flooring the gas and popping the clutch. Well, all that straight 6 motor would do was squeak the tires. That wasn’t good enough for me, so I put it in reverse, figuring the weight transfer would lighten the load on the back tires, enabling a smoky backward burn out (Randy style).

I blew reverse gear in the transmission!

With pieces of the shattered gear in the transmission I could still drive it in the forward gears but the chucks of metal getting mixed up in the oil would cause a crazy loud bashing as the car was moving forward. I actually drove the car around for about a month with no reverse and wondering when the thing was going to seize up on me. At that time I was young and had no idea of how to fix cars. It wasn't until the following year that a buddy of mine started showing me how to fix/replace the stuff I blew up on my cars.

I gave my dad some bullshit story about it “just coming apart” when I was backing up. I’m sure he knew what I had done but took mercy on me. He told me it was not worth fixing and followed me to Larry’s junkyard, one of three vehicles that ended up in their final resting place. Later on I got to know Larry, the junkyard guy, pretty well as I had to buy lots of parts from him to fix future cars. But, that's another story.

Life’s lessons!

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Team Driving: "Not for the faint of heart!"

It was either 1996 or ’97, our regional director received word that seasonal extra help was needed for a national account customer. Their business involved transporting fresh cut floral greens and wreaths from their production "farms" throughout the country to retail outlets. The Christmas season was the customer's busy season and the account manager was asking for volunteer drivers to spend six weeks running team to support the operation. Volunteer drivers would be guaranteed $1,000 per week minimum to those that would commit. I had just completed the orientation of a new young driver named Dave. I was going to be riding with him for two weeks training anyway so I asked if he was interested and he said yes, without hesitation. He was trying to save up cash so he could move his wife and kid to Salt Lake City from Greely, Co. He had left them at their apartment to come to Utah for a decent job as she was still employed at a meat packing plant in Colorado. 

There were four of us drivers that agreed, making up two teams and off we went, getting a couple Ryder rental tractors and heading up to Belfair, Wa. We picked up a couple of Ryder refridgerated trailers from a Ryder shop in Tacoma and went over and got loaded. Leaving out, Dave and I decided on running a 5 on, 5 off schedule. Being the first extended time for me running team, it was quite an experience. I hardly got any sleep the first couple days bouncing around in the sleeper. We had decent conventional Freightliners with air-ride but that made little difference. It was a real struggle until finally, I was so dead tired that my body had to sleep. Once past the initial couple days it was better, but still, team driving is a hard life. I don’t know how they can do 10 on, 10 off with the new regulations. 

After a couple weeks we were back up in the northwest getting loaded to go to Tennessee and I could sense that my partner was getting homesick missing his family. I had been thinking about running back through Salt Lake to get home for a couple hours but decided to go through Colorado so he could stop and see his wife. Bear in mind that I also had a wife at home, but deferred to get him some time with her and his kid. Well, we drove up to their apartment and he introduced me to the spouse. I could sense a palpable tension between them so I decided to go outside, telling Dave I would wait for him in the truck. A couple of hours later Dave comes out and announces that he was quitting! Just like that. The dude just walked off the truck on me, his wife telling him to either stay or not come back. It’s about midnight and I was pretty pissed off. He packed his stuff out and I just started driving, not wanting to wake my boss up, knowing she could do nothing at that time of night. 

The next morning I called Michelle to tell her what happened. She called the account manager and they came up with a plan to fly another driver from Oklahoma into Kansas City where I could pick him up and he would finish out the commitment with me. Late that night I pulled into a truckstop near KC where he had taken a cab from the airport and met Doofus. He got his stuff on board and I told him I would drive the first shift, 5 on, 5 off. One of the first things Doofus said to me “I don’t know how you can drive all night, I have problems staying awake”. Not a good way to start off with me and I informed him what “team driving” consisted of. A short time later he says “ I hope we don’t go to New York, I’m wanted there”. Needless to say, Doofus and I didn’t start out on very good terms. 

We made it to the Nashville area where we delivered and then got stuck for three days while they looked for a load. That wasn’t so bad though as we got a motel near the Nashville truck stop downtown and I was able to get away from my "partner" and tour the downtown honky tonks over the weekend. Being guaranteed $1,000 per week meant we didn’t have to worry about getting the miles. By Monday, they still couldn’t find us a load so we were told to dead-head to DeLand, Florida for another load of “greens”. That load took us to San Antonio, Tx, the location of the customer’s headquarters. I had driven in and my "partner" was up for the next driving shift. We spent several hours unloading and reloading for the northwest and I told him several times to jump in the sleeper and rest so he could be ready to go. I might as well have been talking to the wall as the jerk didn’t listen to me. Late in the afternoon they finished loading and I could tell he was tired. I was pretty irate and told him I would drive for a couple hours so he could sleep. 

After we switched out it was dark and I went back into the sleeper and dozed off. A couple hours later I was startled awake with the truck running on the gravel shoulder and violently veering off as dipshit jerked on the steering wheel. I tore open the curtain and asked him what the hell is going on with his response being “I got tired”. That was it for me as my adrenaline took over telling him “pull over, I’m driving”. We were out in the middle of nowhere so I took the wheel until I could find a truckstop and payphone. I called my boss, told her what happened and said “either he gets off the truck or I will”. That was it for Michelle also as she told me to take him to the Albuquerque airport, saying they would fly him back to where he came from. I never let him back behind the wheel and drove all night to get rid of him. When he woke up I told him what I had done, what I was told to do, and he remained quiet as a mouse the rest of the way as I was in no mood for conversation. 

After getting rid of him I called Michelle and found that the other team from Salt Lake wanted to split up and that Jim was willing to jump on my truck to finish out the six weeks. What a relief! Jim was another driver trainer from our Salt Lake City account and a true professional. We got along great and finished out the time together. But, ever since then, I’ve had no desire to ever run team again! A note about young Dave: About a year later, he showed up at our office wanting to know if he could reapply for a job. “Ummm, no!” was the response. He had definately burned his bridge. If I had been there when he came in, I would have asked him if he was still married.

Driving Miss Daisy? No, it's Mrs.Pritzker

Every time I heard or read the name Pritzker for the last couple of years, it seemed so familiar. That name is often in the news as the current governor in our neighboring state of Illinois is JB Pritzker. Now, the governor and I are on very opposite sides of the political spectrum, as you would correctly assume. But his name seemed so familiar, like I heard it before. The name is distinctive. But why? It’s been bugging me for a long time.

I was thinking last week about my late father. He retired in 1979 after 30 years at Chrysler/AMC and he and mom moved to Florida with my three youngest siblings. During the 1980’s mom would work part time for a firm that provided services for the elderly. I remember my dad telling me that he would occasionally drive a woman around on errands and appointments when she needed him. On the couple occasions he talked to me about it, he would always refer to her by name, Mrs. "So-and-So". He had also mentioned she was a wealthy widow from Chicago and said the family was in the hotel business. Suddenly, it clicked, Chicago? Illinois? Distinctive name? Wealthy family? Could she have been a Pritzker? Last week, I even asked my younger siblings if they remembered the name of the woman that dad used to drive around. They all said no.

That made me even more curious and led me to look up the Pritzker family. Well, I’ll be! I discovered a Rhoda Pritzker that had lived 10 miles from my parents home. She had married Jack Nicholas Pritzker, who was a great uncle to the current Illinois governor JB Pritzker. The family indeed built the Hyatt hotel chain and family members still have a large holding in the company. Jack and Rhoda bought the home on Casey Key in Florida in 1970. Her husband died in 1979, the year my parents moved To Sarasota.

So, my dad had his little “Driving Miss Daisy” job helping a Pritzker widow. He would drive over to her house when she called. She also wanted her car “exercised” as she didn’t drive. So dad would get her big station wagon out of the garage and off they would go. Mystery solved!

Rhoda Pritzker died in Casey Key in 2007 at the age of 93. Her funeral was held in Chicago. The latest sale of her old house was in 2016 for $1.75 million.

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Sobering News on the State of Trucking in the US

This Texas crash occured in March, reported by The Gateway Pundit:

"A Travis County judge on Tuesday slashed the bond for Solomun Weldekeal-Araya — a foreign national and 18-wheeler driver — from $1.2 million down to a jaw-dropping $7,000, despite his role in a tragic crash that left five people dead, including a child and a baby.

The deadly pileup occurred last month on Interstate 35 in North Austin, involving 17 vehicles and 17 people, resulting in fiery devastation and multiple injuries.

Adding fuel to the fire, Araya, who is reportedly on a visa from Ethiopia, was previously cited for going 63 in a 30 mph zone, an offense that should have jeopardized his CDL. Records show he had a court date scheduled just a week after the fatal crash.

Independent journalist Sarah Fields reported that Araya is an asylum seeker on a work visa who barely speaks English and is employed by a network of questionable LLCs currently under investigation by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

The Gateway Pundit previously reported that according to public records and whistleblower claims, Araya was driving under a Texas-based company called ZBN Transport LLC. The company shares a physical address—9180 Forest Lane, Apt. 202, Dallas, TX—with at least a dozen other transportation LLCs registered in the same North Dallas apartment complex, each under slightly different names or unit numbers.

One of those names, Bay Area Lines LLC, even appeared on a truck inspection record just a day after ZBN was flagged—suggesting a pattern of companies swapping names daily to dodge regulatory scrutiny.

Industry insiders claim that while occasional business name changes aren’t unheard of, daily swaps signal red flags. “This kind of name-flipping is used to reset inspection scores, hide violations, and continue operating dangerous equipment with impunity,” one trucking compliance expert noted."

This infux of illiterate steering wheel holders working for illigitimate trucking companies has been going on for years! It's about time something is done!

I've gotten responses from a state trooper and a current Illinois DOT officer. They both included their names but I won't post them here:

"I'm an a Illinois DOT officer and have been since 2008 i agree 100% . Then we have state law which is even more ridiculous. All CFV (commercial farm vehicles) farm plated are exempt with 150 miles from CDl, D & A testing,medical card and HOS, everything but maintenence. Had a farmer tell me he hires alot of people from Somalia. They then come here work for him for dirt cheap with no qualifications at all and need nothing. Makes you feel really safe on the roads. I deal with it daily people can't speak English even worse laying under their 80000 pound truck yelling for them to brake only hoping and praying they don't run you over. Even when we could put them OOS for non speaking they would get a relief driver get down the road and switch back anyways.

State Trooper: "I see tons of foreigner truckers that we stop that speak ZERO English and all conveniently have a birthdate of Jan 1 of some random year. Huge number of them come through Minnesota, wonder which “squad” congresswoman is responsible for that?"

News Credit: https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/05/outrage-travis-county-judge

Automotive Backup Cameras - Early Aggravation to Tolerance

2022 Ford Escape

I guess this post certainly shows my age (72). It’s been getting close to ten years now since I first started driving a car with a rear view camera.

2016 Nissan Altima

I bought a slightly used 2016 Nissan Altima in early 2017. As standard equipment it featured a backup camera with a 5 inch display in the dash. Those early units were a far cry from what they have in today’s new vehicles. The Feds began mandating rearview cameras in all new automobiles starting in 2018. I can’t remember the Altima having any type of audio alarm or sensor warning if you got too close to other objects or pedestrians. In fact, before long I was thoroughly fed up with it and never used it. At night, trying to back down a dark driveway, the view from the camera was useless and there was not enough illumination from the camera to see more than a couple feet behind the vehicle. And the glare from the interior screen impaired my ability to visually see out the windows or mirrors leading to very unsafe consequences. I actually remember having to roll down the windows in order to use my mirrors and cut the reflective glare. I couldn’t find a way to dim the screen or shut the damn thing off. The only thing I found useful was in backing to an object in daylight hours, such as up to a trailer or parking. You could see with confidence how close you were. Otherwise, I completely ignored the thing until it got me angry with the night time issues.

So, on to 2019 when we bought a new Ford Escape SE. We didn’t have all the bells and whistles on it and it came with an eight inch LCD screen. The rearview camera was a big improvement especially at night. I didn’t notice any problems seeing out the windows after dark with the camera on. Still without sensors for audio warning, I seldom used it except in rare parallel parking scenarios.

In 2023, we traded for an unsold new 2022 Escape that the dealer made us a great deal on. This one featured many more options, including a large eight inch high definition display for infotainment and backup camera viewing. Included with the camera is cross traffic audio alert to warn of pedestrians and cars crossing as your backing, in addition to a fixed object warning. I haven’t really noticed any issues seeing out the windows at night with the camera on. I must say it’s a vast difference from what I had in 2017!

We've had this car for about two years now. But, thinking about it, I still hardly use the camera! After 56 years of driving I just can’t make myself use that camera to back out of a parking space or back down a driveway. Other than quick glances at the screen, I use my mirrors and keep my head on a swivel while backing. Previously, driving trucks for 37 years, using my mirrors is too instinctive. Looking forward at the center of the dash while backing is just so unnatural. So, I guess, that’s the way it’s going to be until I’m gone. I do appreciate hearing the audio warnings of cross traffic however. It does have a reassuring effect. It’s such a different world these days since I first got my driver’s license in 1968.

Happy Easter!

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