This is a truck

This is a truck. There are many like it but this one was mine.

It was a military surplus M35A2 two and a half ton truck (known as a "deuce-and-a-half") made by AM General corp. in 1968. It had six-wheel drive, a PTO winch, and all the attitude in the world. The military transferred it to a fire department when they were done with it, and when the fire department no longer needed it they put it up for auction and I got half of it. I talked my pal Aaron into buying the other half.

While putting myself through grad school, I used to buy and sell these trucks all the time. Granted most of them were in better shape, having come directly from the military, but this one was for sale close by and I wanted a little extra money and the fun of playing with one more deuce for a while. I brought yy good friend Aaron of The Shekel blog in because I was a bit short of cash and I knew that I could turn it around for a profit so why not cut a pal in? His understanding wife wasn't too keen on this deal but she let him play and we bought the thing.

Why do I bring this up now? Because I went to DMV the other day to renew my license and I was forced to give up my Commercial Driver's License because I can not currently pass a DOT physical. Apparently without a left foot, I can't engage the clutch on a big truck any more. Now I haven't driven trucks professionally for a long time, but the last time was my part-time duece sales business and I remembered what those stiff-springed clutches used to feel like, and how after a day of running one my left leg would be feeling it for a while. And I think that when I get my new foot, I may just find and buy another deuce-and-a-half just to have one around. Heck, they're big, they're tough, they're loud, they annoy the neighbors and they always need work. With a cab that's always freezing cold in the winter and baking hot in the summer, what's not to love?


Anyway, Aaron and I eventually sold that one and made a fair profit for the time and money that we put in. And I hadn't looked back on that truck or any of the other ones I'd owned or driven until DMV told me that I can't drive a truck any more. So now that's on my list too--get my new foot then get my CDL back, and if I've still got the bug and can find one nearby at a decent price, get another deuce and park it under the trees alongside my house. It'll be great on these hilly one-lane dirt roads around here and heck, if all the neighbors can have their little 4x4 ATV's, why can't I have a slightly larger "ATV" of my own?