Robert M. Stillwell
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The truckers are fed up and now will take the highways back !!
A trucker,an aurthor, an electrician, and an ordained member of the clergy, Robert Stillwell has led a full life and still finds excitement in everyday.
620 to Raybob” squelched the radio. “Come on” Raybob replied. “what’s your 20?”.” I’m pulling in to the Round store”. Now Ol' Raybob was a character, he always wore special striped bib overalls just like his Granddaddy had. Raybob was constantly studying the world around him. He was always ready with a story from the Discover Channel or something he's run across somewhere that was curious. He was red headed and slow talking but a truer friend you would never have. As I staggered into the rustic store, I spotted Raybob sitting at the table in the center of the store reading the newspaper. “Man do you ever do any work?” I snarled . “What about you?” Raybob answered without looking up from his paper. ”Put that damn paper down and listen up”. “First let me ask a question, Did you have any trouble getting over here this morning?” “Oh, you know about the usual, some idiot passed me and then cut right in front of me to turn is all, had to lock ‘em up to keep from having him for a hood ornament.” Raybob grumbled.” I knew it, it’s all the time nowadays, something has to be done and I think I’ve got a pretty good idea, let me run it by you”I started. Raybob 30 seemed to settle into his chair for another one of my wild and crazy brain storms. “Lets say this morning when that dude cut you off , you were to have called up the highway a bit to another driver and a couple of them slowed up and waited for that dude to catch up to them, the whole time your still coming up on his six, right? “We’ve all had them thoughts before Bob, forcing some dude over and kicking hell out of him.” “Ain’t talking bout kicking nobody, just a short lecture on the safety zones around a semi weighing around 80,000 lbs. “Th ree or four big rigs block you in and force you to the shoulder, three or four truckers get out and come to your car door and give a well thought out informational lecture on safely traveling our U.S. Highways, I don’t even think it would be illegal.” “Th e word would start to spread, and at least, on our little stretch of the Super Slab, maybe they’d have a little more respect or hopefully even take another road”. Raybob seemed to shudder a little, “Are you serious?” “Your crazy Bob Stillwell”. “Your going to get shot, or what if the guy jumps out and kicks all ya’lls butts?’ I stood up to leave and looked down as Raybob picked his paper back up, “well, just think about it for a while, OK?” Raybob just grunted…. I wasn’t the least bit disappointed, it had gone down pretty much just like he had expected it to, I'd known Raybob all my life and had never convinced him of nothing on the fi rst go round. For the most part Raybob would come around after the fact and say “I guess you were right”. But I couldn’t let that happen this time, it was too important and I needed Raybob and his many followers to get the thing off and started. From 1991 to 2001, the number of large trucks involved in fatal crashes increased from 4,347 to 4,793-up 10%. Th e number of large trucks in fatal crashes per 100 million vehicle
