TRUCKSTOP - By Rich Tatarka

  (An E-mail from Fearless Leader, MLA Headquarters, Kalispell, Mt. a few days ago:) “Suppose you could send me a Truckstop Article by the end of September?”

Me: “Which September?”

Fearless Leader: “2004.”

Me: “I’d give both of our Cats for it to be 2004 again…”

Fearless Leader: “Not gonna happen, you hate cats.”

     Anyway, here I am hurrying to write this by the end of September 2024, the cats “Russell” and “Wilson” safely curled up on blankets out in the garage not far from the feed bowl. So as usual no cats were harmed in process of writing this article…

     We just spent most of the last 3 months dealing with road construction on I-90 right here beside the People’s Republic of Bozeman. Single lane traffic both ways on the Interstate for about 5 miles for a few hundred yards of construction, tested the patience of those that have no patience at all. The eastbound two lane to one lane “Merge Fiasco” area couldn’t have been placed in a worse spot. Seems to me they could have moved the “merge experience” a mile and a half closer to the actual construction area and not had the traffic jams and crashes where they put it right by a major interchange. One strange phenomenonmenum I picked up on after hauling through here probably requires scientific formulas to figure out. I would get to the “Merge Fiasco” area going the speed limit, and usually have a few other vehicles in front of me, and looking in the mirror there would be 5 or 6 more behind me. And of course, you most of the time have one or two that try and squeeze by you inches from smashing into the traffic control barrels. (It’s quite comical to see the condition of the traffic control barrels and cones on Monday morning after a busy weekend. They’re scattered all over the place from being hit by stupid people… Anyway, the speed limit starts at 55, goes to 45 for a bit, then 35 by where they’re actually working. So doing what the speed limit signs say, by the time I get to the 35-mph area there’s 80 or 90 vehicles right behind me. Go figure… I guess the fines double in construction zones doesn’t bother this bunch, and they don’t slow down for nothing… (Sometimes when I’m feeling frisky, I will slow down to 34 and once in a while I’ll hit 33. I figure these people behind me especially the guy in the car underneath my overhanging logs are on medication and might just need a reminder that it’s time for another hit of blood pressure juice…) This does cause a bit of concern when you get to the end of the construction zone and hit the “Reverse Merge Fiasco” where it goes back to 2 lanes, resulting in a NASCAR moment and I’m in the 80,000 lb. Official Pace Car trying to pull into the Pits…

     Speaking of NASCAR, they’ve added Restrictor Plate Rules to all vehicles on I-90 from just east of Bozeman to just west of Belgrade. Actually, they lowered the speed limit to 65 in hopes of less incidents of trading paint on this stretch of highway. But if one does go 65, one gets eaten alive… They don’t slow down for anything, and they keep on crashing. Last year they came up with the posts and cables in the median idea to keep the spinner outers from crossing into the traffic going the other way. Cost them about a bazillion dollars to install, and the MDOT Boys spent most of last summer and another half a bazillion dollars repairing the post/cable system that was in tatters after a few months of slick roads.

     And now, after another bazillion dollars or so, we have gates and signs at darn near every on ramp/off ramp from Bozeman to Billings. The signs say, “When Flashing I-90 is Closed, Take the Next Exit.” Now when it clouds up and the Super-Truckers start stacking up on the Bozeman Hill, the gates come down and the flashy lights on the signs come on and the usual winter I-90 traffic jam is re-routed back to the People’s Republic of Bozeman for them to deal with. I did notice one small flaw in the gates n’ signs system the other day. One of the exits with the gates n’ signs is the Bear Canyon Exit east of Bozeman. If you must take this exit to turn back towards town, Height clearance under the Interstate is 13’3”, and Super-Truckers reefer trailers are 13’6”. (Might be a good spot to make some popcorn and go watch the festivities for a while…)

     One last quick story, far back as I can remember we’ve always slept with our bedroom window wide open. Unbelievable how noisy it is around here these days, and most nights in the summer you will hear those hot cars with spoilers on the back revving up and heading out to who knows where. (We call it the nightly Meth Run…) A few times this past summer there’s been a few of those motorcycles that you have to ride in what looks like the fetal position and you can hear these guys coming and going for miles. There is this one guy on a Yamagoochi or whomever makes the darned things that when he goes by must be doing 140 at least. His mother must be so proud of the fact that no Lawman will ever catch him. Yup, no Lawman has a chance in pulling this guy over, but one of these nights, Mrs. Whitetail Deer will…

     A bit of Log Hauling Paperwork News: UCR Registration for 2025 started October 1, and you can easily do so online yourself. Keep in mind that if you are an “Intra-state only” carrier you don’t need to file this. If you are listed as an “Interstate” carrier and haul logs across the border into another state, you need to file…

    That said, I must close now as I’m off to the boat and hopefully put a few more walleye filets in the freezer before winter. Maybe I’ll take the cats with me, see if anybody might want to work some sort of a trade for some crawlers…

Until next time,

That Is All.

Rich T.