Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/490954
DIVERSIONS 40 | Overdrive | April 2015 How does a weigh station work? Technology of various kinds – infra- red scanners, lasers, photographic plate readers and the like – has revolutionized truck weight and safety MVNWZKMUMV\+PZQ[.QٻMNIUQTQIZ\W Overdrive readers for his "rolling CB" interviews with custom truckers, took interest in weigh-station tech and put in a request to feature the Interstate 75 Wildwood weigh station in Florida. After he got the green light, he began planning around Overdrive's upcoming 2014 Pride & Polish event at the 75 Chrome Shop in Wildwood. He got several drivers competing at the event on board for what might OWLW_VQVPQ[\WZaI[\PMÅZ[\K][- tom-truck convoy ever with a weigh station as its ultimate destination. The fascinating video also explores the more human side of the back- and-forth between law enforcement and the trucking community. Search "how does a weigh station work" at OverdriveOnline.com. – Todd Dills Wisconsin-based owner-operator Bryan Dax's massive Red Giant Diamond Reo combo was one of many custom trucks that took part in Big Rig Videos' videographer Chris Fiffie's new "How does a Florida weigh station work?" half-hour documentary. Michelle Mintling never will forget May 23, 2014: the day she had her ÅZ[\KWTWVW[KWXaIVLJMOIVWVMWN the toughest battles of her life. Michelle and her husband, Dennis, are Texas-based team operators, leased to Landstar Systems. They've spent the last nine years hauling everything from baby diapers to mili- tary vehicles, enjoying the freedom of the road and their time together. If you're over 50, have a diet high in fatty or red meats, are overweight WZPI^M[]ٺMZMLNZWUJW_MTLQ[MI[M scheduling routine colonoscopies is a good idea. Other at-risk factors are smoking, inactivity and a family history of colon cancer. When discovered early, colon cancer is highly treatable, even if it has spread to the lymph nodes. Surgery, followed by chemotherapy, has a high success rate. The key is early detection, as Dennis and Michelle learned. Dennis encouraged Michelle to have a complete physical, with a colo- VW[KWXa,]ZQVO\PMÅZ[\XZWKML]ZM Michelle's doctor removed a question- able polyp to test. She learned a week later that she had cancer. She went back into surgery the next day and spent a week in the hospital. She was diagnosed with stage 3 colon KIVKMZIVL[PMJMOIV\PMÅZ[\WN rounds of chemo. Being apart from Dennis for months was one of the biggest challenges she faced, but she kept a positive attitude. Also, she was fortu- nate that the chemo treatments didn't make her sick and that her blood counts remained normal. On Dec. 31, 2014, Michelle not only got her clean bill of health but also passed her DOT physical, cleared to drive commercially again. She and Dennis have been reunited on the road and have started a Facebook group, "Trucker Stops," a database for truckers and passengers looking for fun places to stop with accessible parking. – Wendy Parker Beating colorectal cancer Landstar-leased owner-operators Dennis and Michelle Mintling Courtesy of the Mintlings