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When World War II
started, all the boys in my high school class were excited about
entering the service, and I was no exception. However, the
description of infantry training did not appeal to me but trucks
did, so I decided to try for an army transportation unit. While
driving on the farm I had learned how to double-clutch, but I
figured I’d need to know more than that. When I learned that a
driving job had become available with the town highway
department, I quit school in order to get some real truck
driving experience before Uncle Sam called.
I was given a 1939 Chevrolet
dump truck to drive that had no booster brakes and, of course,
no power steering. Back then in the northern Catskill Mountains
of New York the roads were dirt, so most of my driving consisted
of hauling and spreading gravel. The town only had an old steel
wheel, towed grader, and they wanted the gravel spread thin. I
soon discovered that by leaving the tailgate flat, the PTO in
gear, and maintaining the proper speed, I could spread the
gravel out perfectly. For the whole story, subscribe to Old Time Trucks®
and read the June/July 2005 issue. |
Schoolboy Adventure
