Not a lot going on this week, so I thought an update on the diabetes management would be a good thing to write on.

Even though I have been off of all medications since July of 2011, I still test daily, usually three times per day. Up until recently I had been very pleased with my readings, but over the past two months they have been slowly climbing back up and so has my weight.

There is a definite correlation between weight management and diabetes.

So, what happened.

Well, back in August of 2012 my Doctor said don't lose any more weight. What I heard was go ahead and fudge on your food plan. Guess I better get my ear and brain connection checked, something seems a bit broke.

At any rate, a little extra here and a little extra there ended up in a 40 lb weight gain from August to January

If your diabetic, at least in my experience, there is no such thing as returning to my old way of eating. Everything must be weighed and measured and for me my overall calorie intake must not exceed 2500 calories in any one day and preferable about 2000 calories.

Also, that means for me, I must stick to my meal plan which is fairly well balanced nutritionally and supplement with a good multivitamin. Don't underestimate proper nutrition , especially if your diabetic.A really good supplement that I have found can be checked out here:
http://www.heartpro.me/ 
A friend of mine distributes this supplement and if you like what you see on the web site you can contact him to order or get more Info at petrow21@prairie.ca His name is Terry, tell him Les sent you.

Well, I have been back on my food plan about three weeks now and am seeing results already. I dropped about 6 lbs and am seeing lower blood sugar readings.

Food cravings make it hard to stay on a food plan. In the past I suffered from food cravings really bad and I have learned that there are two types of cravings; emotional and physical.

Honestly, most of my cravings were of the emotional type, pent up anger, fear and failed expectations were the primary culprits. Here my re-found relationship with Jesus has definitely helped. Learning how to forgive and relying on Him has really stabilized my emotions and when they do get out of whack I have an understanding ear to bend anytime, any place and if I trust Him he can deal with it.

The physical cravings, I have learned, can be caused by poor nutrition. These type of cravings usually demand a certain kind of food whereas the emotional cravings don't seem to be as food specific, though usually sugar, flour or greasy food products fit the bill, especially if they are in large quantities.

For more information on nutritional cravings here is a website I found helpful: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/behar15.htm

Bottom line here is if you crave foods even after you have ate, then check out your emotional state first, then consider your nutrition and pray about it. The right answer will come if you seek it.

Staying on a food plan for the diabetic is critical, if you don't and your a truck driver, better plan or retiring early with a great medical insurance plan cause your gonna need it.

Keep the rubber side down and God Bless

Les

Well winter is finally here.

From the Illinois border to Loves at exit 168 Newton, Iowa I think I counted 20 cars and six semi's in the ditch, something is wrong with this picture. There isn't a load worth my life so my policy is if chains are required, it's time to park.

Back in the days when I ran Donner Summit everyday, that wasn't my policy, but I guess with age comes wisdom.

At any rate, I have not yet in 20 years had a accident caused by slick roads, (knock on wood). I don't think it's because of anything more than snow and ice scare the heck out of me. I slow down or find somewhere safe to park until the road crews have done their job and then a bit longer for the brain dead to get on down the road.

Yes, there are brain dead drivers out there. They are easy to identify. They tailgate, they drive way to fast for conditions, they cut in and out of traffic no matter how heavy. These drivers clearly don't understand that they are at risk of loosing everything the own or ever want to own. Law suites involving semi's are expensive and aren't won by the driver very often. Perhaps they don't know working for a company doesn't exempt them from lawsuits, especially if there is a fatality.

At any rate it's past my bed-time but wanted to make a quick entry since I have now been back on the road for three weeks, it still sucks.

While home I did put a bit of weight back on but now am back on track. Still free from any type of diabetes drugs all though I have seen a bit of increase in the blood sugar with the weight gain.

In a future post I will tell you all about my experience with short term disability  A word to the wise don't waste a moment trying to get your benefits on your own, hire an attorney immediately it's worth it.

I did finish my second book. It is still being edited but it is available as a free download  here http://tencomandments.weebly.com/ I had mentioned in a previous post that I had returned to my childhood faith and that is the subject of this book. I really don't know how I did this job for so long without a working faith in God, now the loneliness and boredom is so much easier to deal with and those difficult people we all meet are much less difficult when I practise my faith.

Keep the rubber side down and God Bless

Les

Well, Christmas is over and the New Year has been ushered in.

My other writing projects are winding down and are now in the editing process.

Both cataracts have been replaced with implants, which means it's time to go back to work.

It's with mixed feelings that I return to work, I Love my Job but I Love my family more. It would be so nice if the trucking industry could find a way to allow us drivers to spend more time with our family s and still be able to make the wages we need in this expensive economy.

It's tough emotionally to be a truck driver and very few non drivers have any real appreciation for what we must endure spending weeks and even months away from our loved ones. Most drivers have been divorced more than once because it is also tough on the spouses. It takes a real commitment to each other to endure the forced separations.

It's tough on kids too.

I thank God that since I have been making my living this way that I live in a time and age when electronic communication has developed to the point where it has, but it's still not the same as being home.

This is a big consideration for anyone considering truck driving as a career  Sadly few people will ever be honest with themselves in this arena, the money blinds them to reality, and it's only after you have been on the road for awhile that the reality sets in. That reality is that you will be a stranger in your own home.

The distance between you and your spouse is always present even when you are home, both of you know that at some point you will again leave and it stands in the way of the deep bond most of us want to form. Some people find ways around this subtle form of isolation, I haven't, if you have, please share it with us.

The loneliness I experience on the road has been made easier by listening to books on tape or Cd and now iPod. Of course the chapels at truck stops help when you can find one that is open. What has helped the most has been developing a relationship with God, I can talk with Him anytime, of course it's not the same as face to face with another human but He does know my needs and provides just in time when I trust Him.

The writing projects help too. So does learning how to play the harmonica, it's one of the few instruments you can play while driving and has provided me with many hours of enjoyment.

My book, "So, You want to be a Truck Driver" has so far been a disappointment  In the two years it has been available I have sold less than ten copies.guess I need to find some money in our budget to promote it. Any ideas e-mail me at shipit007@yahoo.com subject line, book, thanks.

Till' next time, keep the rubber side down and God bless.

Hi all, once again it's been too long since my last post, been busy with other writing projects so this one kinda got pushed to the side.

Just about a month ago I got grounded again over health issues, this time cataracts, thought I had just gotten a bad set of glasses so, set an appointment with my optometrist and after explaining to him what was going on he said let me take a quick look and thirty seconds later he says, "advanced cataract disease both eyes". What that means is I am nearly legally blind and can't go back to work until I have had the surgery in both eyes.

The left eye was scheduled for surgery last Tuesday but since the insurance company is allowed to discontinue you without notice and can take their sweet time in getting out the COBRA paperwork and processing the payment, I arrived for surgery only to be turned away. Of course the Insurance recived our payment that afternoon. What is really pissing me off isn't that so much as now they are re-instating me from the first of the month, when they had cancelled my coverage and charging me for 20 some odd days that I didn't have coverage. In my ever humble opinion this is a form of theft, what other industry do you know of that can charge you for services not given?

One of the other projects I have been working on is getting my book "So, You Want To Be A Truck Driver", available through Amazon, which it now is, and I have lowered the price. If you know some one who is thinking about launching into truck driving as a new career you may want to get them a copy of this book as my perspective is very different from others who have written on this subject. I tell stories from my career, have some new photos and of course kept the twelve question personality test to see if the perspective driver has what it takes to be one of us "road warriors".  You can get it here:
So, You Want To Be A Truck Driver
You can even preview some of it at the above link.

All writers ought to edit others work once in a while it helps to improve your own skill and that is one of the other projects I have been working on. If the author decides to take her work public I'll let you know here.

And I am working on another book, this one is a departure from what i have been writing about but is just as important. A driver must maintain his physical health, mental health and spiritual health to be a true professional, (in my ever humble opinion anyway). So, my next book will be about my spiritual beliefs and is currently titled, "The Ten Commandments, a guide to Holiness", I hope to have it available by January 2013.

Got to sign off for now, keep the rubber side down.

Les

Third Edition, "So you want to be a Truck Driver?" is now ready I added some new pictures and had it professionally edited. Think gifts for your young friends, neighbors or relatives who have expressed an interest in learning how to drive truck, my focus is on the life-style and gives info that others don't.
You can get it in print, PDF or reader format:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/booksbylesauger
Thank-you
Les

HOS.... *#@$%!!!

6/17/2012

Midland 40-Channel Hand-Held CB Radio 75-822
Cobra Mobile CB Radio with Dual Watch C18-WXSTII
Roadlife Publications 788 Truckstop Guide Pocket

I have got to gripe! These Hours of Service rules (HOS) really suck.

I have been operating under these rules for awhile and honestly whatever pencil necks came up with these rules are true idiots, Their purpose was to create a safer environment for all of us and they would have been successful if they hadn't done two things; the 14 hour rule and taking away the 5 hour split sleeper berth.

First let me talk (or complain) about the 14 hour rule. The 14 hour rule says that from the time I start my pretrip to the time I end my day all eleven allowable hours of driving must be completed. So what happens if I have a lousy sleep period and don't get the rest I need, can I pull over and take a nap? Sure, I can, but, my body requires I sleep 4 hours for a nap to be any good otherwise I am more tired than when I laid down. So, if I do need a nap and do lay down, start with 14 minus 4 hours, minus 0.25 for pre-trip, minus a half an hour for fuel, minus a half an hour for a meal, minus a half an hour for time to get ready to sleep and to get woke up and another 0.25 hours for post trip inspection and now I only have 8 hours of drive time. I worked fourteen hours but have only 8 hours worth of pay, so do you think I am going to take a nap? NO WAY!!! I'll drive tired and hope for the best.

Second gripe is the stupid rule concerning the split sleeper berth, the old way of five on and five off worked very well for me since my body only needs a maximum of 6 hours of sleep a day and four hours twice a day is optimal. The old rules allowed for me to get the rest I needed and allowed me to work 15 hours in a twenty four hour period. I am out here on the road to work not sit in a truck stop goofing off cause some idiotic bureaucrat thinks they know it all when they couldn't be as smart as a rock if they tried.

Oh well, it promises to get worse so I guess I'll just grin and bear it.

Version 3 of "So You Want to be a Tuck Driver?", should be available by the end of the week, will post a link here.

Found a really useful site for meal planing and tracking you might want to check out,  https://www.choosemyplate.gov/SuperTracker/default.aspx

Currently down 163 lbs from top weight In January of last year, blood sugar averaging 104 with no med's and blood pressure down as well, the food plan mentioned in a previous blog really works, try it!

4/23/2012

Thought I would write a little today about fixing food on the road.

My current workplace/home

A lot of drivers don't think that they can eat healthy on the road because of the space problems as well as the lack of a kitchen, so they grab fast food or even worse, junk food at the truck stops. Seems these day that all of the truck stops have abandoned selling any kind of healthy choices for us, guess it's the old profit margin thing, the good news is even with very little space and some careful shopping you can eat well and eat for your health.

In my last post I gave the food plan that I have been using for the past 14 months that has been responsible for my now 165 lb weight loss and the reversal of my diabetes. This food plan costs me about 70 to 80 dollars a week to eat on and I am seldom ever hungry. The biggest “secret” to this food plan is shopping at Wall Mart.

Typical Lunch on Food plan

Most Wall Marts are truck friendly and have big enough parking lots for us to park in without problems, please be courteous and don't overstay your welcome or that may change in the future and for God's sake don't dump your pee bottle in their lot!

Wall mart is carrying a plain wrapper brand now that provides almost everything that I need, it's called Great Value and it really is a great value, not only that, but Great Value brand doesn't add all kinds of unnecessary ingredients like sugar or extra salt, and unlike previous plain wrapper brands the food actually tastes good.

You will also note in my food plan that I use a lot of salad, there is a secret here too. Buy the 12 oz. bags of pre-cut salad, why? Because it wont go limp on you for at least 6 days. The pre-cut salad is packaged in nitrogen and as long as you keep it at about 38 degrees Fahrenheit and don't puncture or open the bag, wilting wont take place. I use an ice chest in my truck and the salad keeps just fine for a week. Longer than a week or if I let the chest go over a day without ice then I will have some loss.

Concerning salad dressing, I use GV's Italian dressing it is somewhat lo-cal very good tasting isn't loaded full of sugar and is cheap. One of the big bottles last all week.

You really don't need a microwave or hot plate to eat on this food plan. I didn't have a microwave in my truck for a long time and the only problem I ever encountered was on those rare days that I had to park somewhere where a microwave was not available then I had lunch for breakfast and had breakfast when I could get to a microwave, my oatmeal was the only thing that needed to be cooked as I bought pre-cooked meats (look in the freezer section of Wall Mart).. The Great Value brand sells pre-cooked chicken patties (don't get the breaded ones) that weigh 3 oz each so I didn't even need a kitchen scale. Read the labels and know what you are looking for in portion size and it's easy enough to figure out. The same brand also sells pork and turkey sausage which is delicious and will hold in an ice chest for a week without spoilage. In some Wall Marts, Great Value also has pre-cooked hamburger patties that also weigh 3 oz's. It does take a little looking to find these items but they are there in most of the super stores.

One quick note about oatmeal. All oatmeal is “quick oats” don't let the merchandisers fool you into paying more than you have to. Follow the directions (½ cup dry oats and 1 cup water) and watch that it doesn't boil over in the microwave. I do not use sugar but I do flavor my oats with about a half teaspoon of cinnamon and sometimes cut up my apple or orange and add to it.

For dishes I use Rubermaid resealable containers, they can be used in a microwave and they double as storage containers ( they are cheap too) cleanup is easy, just wipe with a paper towel until you can get to a sink with hot water.

Well, that's it for now, happy trucking.

2012 Update

340 lbs Feb. 2011

Didn't realize it has been nearly two years since I wrote on this blog last, wow does time fly by fast.Much has happened since my last post so I will try to be brief..

.

I did receive my Federal waiver to return to work while using insulin but had decided to return to school instead. So, I went out and got my school bus endorsement and drove as a substitute driver for the remainder of the school year and returned to my former employer on a part-time basis.

I was to begin college In June of last year but my wife and I had a falling out and separated two days before my first class, sucks. The separation meant I was homeless, so, what to do? I know go back to truck driving full time.

I have been back in the saddle now since June of 2011, nothing has changed, same 'ol crap.

My wife and I did get back together but are now separated again and she is pretty serious about getting a divorce, I am too since we just can't seem to get along for more than a few months at a time

Dec 2011, 210 lbs

Here is the best news for you drivers who are facing diabetes, in the past year and a half I have found a way to reverse mine and it does not include exercise unless you want to, (faster results if you do I suspect). I will be sharing it all on a new website just as soon as I can get it put together.

I finally found an editor that didn't charge me an arm and a leg to edit “So, You Want to be a Truck Driver” and will be posting links to that as soon as the revision is ready and available. Think gifts for your young people that want to quit school and drive truck or that office worker you know that thinks his job really sucks, or that young dock worker that thinks he/she wants to drive the big steel. My book tells it from my unique view, that is truthful, easy to read and includes a simple twelve question quiz that will give the reader an idea if their personality is cut out for this kind of work.

Thank-you to those that had bought the book in it's unedited version, if you had, please e-mail me at shipit007@yahoo.com and I will send you a copy of the edited version for free as soon as it is ready for press.

Well, God bless you all till next time

Les

The Numbers are in!!!

04/11/2012

The Numbers are in!

I went to my Doctor Monday before last and had blood drawn and what I am doing is working so well......... judge for yourself

Item	04/04/11	04/02012
A1C	6.9	5.8
Weight	310	189
Cholesterol	165	123
Triglycerides	93	51
HDL	27.4	35
Insulin	5 times a day (sorry don't remember the dosages)	None since July 2011 nor any pills since then

Okay, I am not going to keep anyone is suspense anymore, I will share what I am doing right here today, but first a few preliminary’s.

Most of us truck drivers get no exercise except to walk from the parking lot to the restroom, our life is from the drivers seat to the bunk and back 6 to seven days a week. That has not changed with me. Nothing else in my life has changed, the stresses are the same, (maybe even worse) the work is the same, I still drink tons of coffee, (no soda, don't like the stuff) and smoke 2 to 3 packs of cigarettes a day.

There is one major change besides the diet and that is I have begun to develop a relationship with the God of my youth. I am convinced that without His help all of this change in my body would not have been possible.

Also, the only thing I have changed is my diet and here it is:

Les's Food Plan Breakfast ½ cup oatmeal cooked with 1 cup water and cinnamon to taste 6 ounces of protein 1 piece of fruit ( apple or orange ) Lunch 2 cups of salad (Italian dressing) 16 oz. Of can green vegetable ( I use either spinach or green beans) 6 oz protein 1 piece of Fruit Dinner Same as Lunch 2 Snacks per day are allowed choose between 6 oz of plain yogurt or 3 oz of protein or 1 piece of fruit For my protein I use primarily chicken and tuna but sometimes use pork or beef . Tuna, for me, seems to stabilize my blood sugar better than any other protein but too much tuna is not good for you so I keep it limited to 1 can a day. The weights are cooked weights. If you wanted to use other fruits I would use the standard serving for that fruit. No “canned in syrup” fruit If I use yogurt I use unsweetened plain. Also, I don't use sweeteners or added salt, all other seasonings are fine. Nor do I use butter margarine or cheese of any kind. Any questions feel free to e-mail me at shipit007@yahoo.com

There it is folks, plain and simple.

One thing that needs to be mentioned here is that this plan is for men and if you are a woman it has been told to me that you need to knock the protein level down to 4 oz per serving.

My nutritionist who works with my endocrinologist did approve this plan, one further note is if you cannot stick to this plan and make it your lifestyle than there may be one more thing you need to look at but I am not able to discuss it here so please e-mail me privately and we can “talk” about it at shipit007@yahoo.com.

Lastly, you DO need to make up your mind that this is not a diet it is a lifestyle change and your life is in serious jeopardy if you don't do it. The difference between a lifestyle and a diet is this; a diet ends when the goal is reached and “normal eating” resumes, hence the weight and health issues come right back.

Good Luck and God Bless

Les

PS further blogs will discuss how to implement your new lifestyle.

Drivers Know Your Break-Even!

What is it with some of you drivers out there? I just can't believe how utterly without business sense some of you are. Do you not know that if you're not rolling with a load, you are losing money? When you turn down a load that will at least meet your break-even point you are selling it to one of those work-for-nothing trucks that are killing our industry.

WHAT, you do not know what a break-even point is?

Listen guys and gals, two points to make here: first, if you own a truck or are leased you are running a business, so what if it is on wheels. Second, if you don't know how to run your business and can't even answer a simple question like, "what is your break-even point," you will fail at your business. I bet those guys that you keep complaining about for depressed rates know what their break-even point is.

Why am I complaining? Because, since I got benched due to my need for insulin, I have been trying my hand at finding loads for you clowns. Now I know why brokers hate drivers as much as drivers hate brokers.

Let's start with some basic economics 101. Total earned dollars, minus cost. equals profit.

What I mean is, if a 1000 mile run pays you $1000 dollars, and your cost for those two days is $800.00, then you made $100.00 per day for two days. That's obviously $1.00 a mile or $55 dollars an hour gross pay. Your net pay is 20 cents per mile, or $11.00 an hour. You get to work 11 hours a day, so you get to make 121.00 dollars a day to put in your pocket and spend any way you want. Your break-even point on this load is 80 cents a mile.

Since I don't want to make this a book right now, I am going to focus on your break-even point.

What are your costs?

    * Truck Payment

    * Insurance

    * Maintenance

    * Fuel

    * Miscellaneous, like tolls

    * Taxes and permits

These costs are further broken down into two categories: fixed cost and non-fixed cost.

In the fixed cost category you will have your truck payment, insurance, maintenance and any other expense that does not change no matter what.

In the non-fixed cost goes everything else except showers, food and drink, and non-breakdown hotels. These items come out of your profit, and to some degree, are returned to you through your per Diem at the end of the year with the taxman.

Break-down cost are difficult to determine since none of us have a crystal ball, but they must be planned for, The same goes for tires. Take your best educated guess.

Now, take all of your projected costs, averaged out over the year, and add them together.

Next determine how many days in one year you will definitely not be working, and don't forget your 34 hour restarts.

Take that number and subtract it from 365. The result is the number of days you will be available for work.

Divide the total amount of your projected costs for the year by the number of days you expect to work, and you have the minimum dollars per day that you need to break-even. To calculate your daily cost to a cost per miles, divide it by 605 miles (the average miles you can drive per day at 55 m.p.h. legally), and you get your break-even point. Any dollar amount over this is your profit.

Let's say you have determined that your real costs are about $1.10 per mile. If your broker offers you a load at $1.40 a mile, you now know that you will make a profit of $0.30 per mile, or $16.50 an hour. That is a good wage when compared to other businesses or an hourly wage employee.

But let me show you something you may not have considered. If you refuse that load and wait another day for a better paying load, you just lost $665.55, and for what, another 0.10 cents a mile or $ 66.50 a day? That extra day waiting lost you a real $599.00. Do you think you can make that up during the year? Maybe, if you give up one of your home time days. You see, your costs continue even if you don't work.

I know some of you will say that sitting idle doesn't use as much fuel as running. That, is true, but your fixed costs remain the same no matter what, and that is what your real costs are when you refuse a load.

The bottom line is to know what your break-even cost is so you can make smart business decisions and not lose your butt by sitting on it when you could be working.

O.O.I.D.A. has some great tools and links to help you figure these things out, find them here: http://www.ooida.com/

If you know someone thinking about driving truck for a living, tell him or her about my book. It covers the basics very well and even helps them to evaluate themselves to determine if they would like driving truck for a living. You can check it out here, Be A Truck Driver.

Leslie R Auger has driven Big Rigs of all kinds for the past 16 years.