Caitlin shares her unique military experience as a big rig truck driver transporting heavy equipment like Abrams tanks across Europe. She discusses the challenges of driving massive vehicles on narrow roads, the camaraderie with locals, and memorable missions including VIP escorts for high-ranking generals. The conversation highlights the responsibility and skill involved in military logistics, the cultural encounters abroad, and the personal impact of her service. Caitlin also offers valuable advice for everyday drivers on sharing the road with large trucks and reflects on her favorite destinations and moments from her time in the Army.
Welcome back, Life Plus Cars Community! Join us this week for part 2 of our conversation with Kaitlin, friend of the show, who joined us to talk about her experience operating tractor-trailer trucks and other heavy equipment while serving abroad in Europe with the U.S. Army.
In this part 2 of our conversation, Ian, Brendan, and Kaitlin talk about:
-Kaitlin's favorite places where she was stationed abroad in Europe
-interacting with locals while on tour through small towns and large cities throughout Europe
-trucking culture in Germany
-special assignments outside of her regular duty as a truck operator in the military
Plus, Kaitlin shares helpful safety tips for everyday drivers to be aware of when encountering tractor-trailers out on the road.
We thank Kaitlin for her military service as well as for taking the time to join us on the show! We always welcome new voices on the podcast to share more life plus cars moments.
What do you think, listener? Do you have car, truck, or other vehicle stories like Kaitlin's? Let us know and write to us at [email protected]
"but I did get to drive it's called a het which is a heavy equipment transporter and it's I want to say it sits 13 feet off the ground"
A heavy equipment transporter is a big truck used by the military to carry very heavy things like tanks. It has a strong truck and a big trailer to carry heavy stuff safely.
A heavy equipment transporter (HET) is a specialized military vehicle designed to transport large and heavy equipment such as tanks. It is built to carry extremely heavy loads over long distances, often featuring a powerful tractor unit and a multi-axle trailer.
"this design to transport our Abrams the M1A Abram the tank the big tank yeah"
The M1A Abrams is a big, strong tank used by the U.S. Army. It has thick armor and a big gun to help it in battles.
The M1A Abrams is a main battle tank used by the United States military. It is heavily armored and equipped with a powerful gun, designed for frontline combat and known for its mobility and firepower.
"I when I hear them like take off from a dead stop and they go through like 18 gear changes like are these trucks like are they all like because we love manuals here on uh life plus cars yes but like so they all like big like manuals transmissions and you're like rolling through like dozens of gears"
A manual transmission means the driver has to change gears themselves using a stick and a pedal. It takes practice but lets the driver control the truck better.
A manual transmission is a type of vehicle transmission that requires the driver to manually shift gears using a clutch and gear stick. It allows for more driver control but requires skill to operate, especially in large trucks with many gears.
"we actually in our motor pool we had a deuce and a half which is a five ton they call it deuce and a half but it's a five ton that was a manual"
A 'deuce and a half' is a military truck that can carry about two and a half tons of stuff. It's used to move people and equipment.
The term 'deuce and a half' refers to a 2.5-ton military truck, commonly used by the U.S. Army for transporting troops and cargo. Despite the nickname, it often refers to trucks with a five-ton capacity in some contexts.
"small car and I'm like guys you it's a great conversation to start with spatial awareness yeah there is something to be said for having that spatial awareness"
Spatial awareness means knowing where your vehicle is and what is around it while you are driving. This helps you avoid hitting things and stay safe, especially when driving big trucks.
Spatial awareness is the ability to be aware of oneself in space and understand the position of objects around you. For driving large vehicles like trucks, it is crucial to know where the vehicle is relative to the road, other vehicles, and obstacles.
"did you ever drive anything with a two speed rear end because some some 10 wheelers dump trucks and some 18 wheelers will have their manual and then they'll have a switch yeah and the rear end is two speed no flip that switch so then you actually have 16 gears"
A two speed rear end is a special part on some trucks that lets the driver change how the wheels turn. It helps the truck go slower with more power or faster with less power, which is useful for carrying heavy stuff or driving on highways.
A two speed rear end is a type of truck axle that allows the driver to switch between two different gear ratios in the rear differential. This effectively doubles the number of available gears, providing better torque for heavy loads or improved fuel efficiency at highway speeds.
"you pushed a button for reverse neutral yeah um I mean you had your air brakes you'd pull in the knob pushing then whatever so yeah no everything was"
Air brakes are special brakes on big trucks that use air pressure to help stop the vehicle safely. They are stronger than regular brakes because trucks are very heavy.
Air brakes are a type of braking system commonly used on heavy trucks and buses. They use compressed air to apply pressure to the brake pads or shoes, providing strong and reliable stopping power for large vehicles.
"to your point it was it was you had to be as you said situationally aware you had to have I mean I think I had six or eight mirrors and to this day I mean constantly checking my mirrors"
Situational awareness means paying close attention to everything happening around you while driving. This helps you react quickly and keep safe on the road.
Situational awareness is the ability to identify, process, and comprehend information about the environment around you. For truck drivers, it involves constantly monitoring mirrors, road conditions, and traffic to drive safely.
"I don't know what they're called but their engines they sit over the engines so they don't have an engine block in front of them it's just the driver it's called a cab over cab okay that's yes yeah I was it's basically just a flat front yes"
A 'cab over' truck has the driver's seat right above the engine, so the front of the truck is flat. This helps the truck fit better on narrow roads.
A 'cab over' truck is a design where the cab sits directly above the engine, resulting in a flat front with no extended hood. This design is common in Europe due to narrow roads and length regulations.
"I drove a different truck called a PLS which is a pallet palletized load system it's a completely different truck and those were much wider than the freight liners"
The PLS is a special military truck that carries big pallets of stuff. It's wider than normal trucks and made for tough jobs.
The Palletized Load System (PLS) is a military logistics truck designed to carry palletized cargo efficiently. It is wider than typical commercial trucks and built for heavy-duty military use.
"and then of course we had our jake brakes on so we're making a ton of noise um but oh it was it was fantastic"
Jake brakes help big trucks slow down by using the engine instead of the regular brakes. They make a loud noise when used.
Jake brakes, or engine compression brakes, are a type of engine braking system used on large diesel trucks to help slow the vehicle without using the wheel brakes. They create a distinctive loud noise and reduce brake wear.
"like for me if I'm driving a 10-wheeler and 18-wheeler I'd be like I could just push that little Hyundai right"
An 18-wheeler is a very big truck with 18 wheels that carries lots of stuff over long distances.
An 18-wheeler is a common term for a large tractor-trailer truck with 18 wheels, used for long-haul freight transport. It consists of a tractor unit and a trailer.
"like so now like right now you could not drive one of those rigs again correct correct or do you have like a CDL so the nice thing about the army is they afford you an opportunity because we drove these trucks and their their big rigs are considered CDLs"
A CDL is a special driver's license you need to drive big trucks or buses. You have to pass tests to get it, and sometimes extra tests if you want to carry certain things.
CDL stands for Commercial Driver's License, a special license required to operate large or heavy vehicles such as big rigs and commercial trucks. It involves passing written and practical driving tests and often requires additional endorsements for specific cargo types.
"I could only test out on um flatbed trailers I could not test out on any other kind of like hazmat like chemicals"
A flatbed trailer is a truck trailer that's flat and open on top, so you can carry big or oddly shaped things that don't fit inside a box.
A flatbed trailer is a type of truck trailer with a flat, open deck and no sides or roof, used to transport large or irregularly shaped cargo that doesn't fit in enclosed trailers.
"and pass physical pass it yep the DOT physical yes the DOT physical take a written test"
A DOT physical is a health checkup you must pass to drive big trucks. It makes sure you are healthy enough to drive safely.
A DOT physical is a medical examination required by the Department of Transportation to ensure that commercial vehicle drivers meet health and fitness standards necessary for safe driving. Passing this physical is mandatory to obtain or maintain a CDL.
"I was hazmat certified because I mean some of the things we transported explosives"
A hazmat endorsement is a special permission on your truck driver's license that lets you carry dangerous things like chemicals or explosives.
A hazmat endorsement is a special qualification added to a CDL that allows drivers to transport hazardous materials legally and safely. It requires additional training and background checks.
"like hazmat like chemicals well no I could test out on because I did have my I was hazmat certified because I mean some of the things we transported explosives"
Hazmat certification means you are allowed to drive trucks carrying dangerous things like chemicals or explosives. You need extra training and tests for this.
Hazmat certification is an additional endorsement on a CDL that allows a driver to transport hazardous materials such as chemicals or explosives. It requires specialized training and passing a separate test.
"there's a wicked shortage of CDL certified people for even just 10 wheelers 18 and you name it yeah it is it's huge shortage"
A 10 wheeler is a big truck with ten wheels used to carry stuff. It's smaller than the biggest trucks but still needs a special license to drive.
A 10 wheeler refers to a type of medium to heavy-duty truck with ten wheels, commonly used for hauling various types of cargo. It is smaller than typical big rigs but still requires a CDL to operate.
"so they trained me on the pls which is the palatalized load system basically what it is the giant hook arm that has um it looks like a square on it and it comes down and it can pick up containers it can like it hooks onto the container and it will pull it up and then load it on the back of back of the truck"
The PLS is a special truck that has a big arm with a hook to pick up and move big boxes or containers. It helps move things faster and easier.
The Palletized Load System (PLS) is a military logistics vehicle equipped with a hydraulic arm and hook system to load and unload standardized cargo containers quickly. It enhances the efficiency of transporting supplies and equipment.
"you communicating I'm I'm just thinking of like truckers would like you know and go on the cb and like yeah the cb radio right I imagine you had something a little bit I imagine it was probably a little bit more so"
A CB radio is like a walkie-talkie that truck drivers use to talk to each other while driving. It helps them share information about the road.
CB radio (Citizens Band radio) is a short-distance communication system commonly used by truckers and drivers to communicate on the road. It allows for quick voice messages without cellular networks.
"we used funny enough our cell phones uh cell phones and whatsapp especially when I was over in Germany what's app was interesting huge communication"
WhatsApp is an app on your phone that lets you send messages and talk to people easily. Many people use it to stay in touch.
WhatsApp is a popular messaging app used worldwide for text, voice, and video communication. It is often used by military units for coordination and communication.
"I pulled a couple missions with them and they loved just like you just did the rubber ducky they had call signs and they would call to each other on the road"
Call signs are special names that truck drivers use when talking on their radios so they know who is speaking. It's like a nickname for radio chats.
Call signs are unique nicknames or identifiers used by radio operators, such as truck drivers using CB radios, to identify themselves during communication. This helps keep conversations clear and organized.
"may have been Oshkosh I know the Hets had a caterpillar engine I know that mm-hmm I don't know what the Hets were but I know PLS's were Oshkosh"
A Caterpillar engine is a very strong engine used in big trucks and machines. It helps them work hard and last a long time, especially in tough places like the army.
Caterpillar engines are heavy-duty diesel engines manufactured by Caterpillar Inc., widely used in construction, industrial, and military vehicles for their durability and power. They are known for reliability in demanding environments.
"I did have a thing where we got to drive I got to escort and drive VIPs there you go escort you just you that's the word I was looking for like any type of escort type duty there you go"
Escort duty means driving with important people or vehicles to keep them safe and help them get where they need to go without problems.
Escort duty involves driving alongside or ahead of important vehicles or convoys to ensure their safety and smooth passage. This is common in military or VIP transport scenarios.
"one of the missions I got to pull was it was a VIP mission and it was in Belgium because the NATO headquarters are there and I got to drive for the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time who was very cool"
A VIP mission means helping or driving very important people like leaders or officials. It needs extra care to keep them safe.
A VIP mission refers to a special assignment involving the transportation or protection of Very Important Persons, such as high-ranking officials or military leaders. These missions require heightened security and professionalism.
"I got to drive for the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time who was very cool yes who was very cool yeah that's amazing yes so I don't know if people know who the Joint Chiefs is the Joint Chiefs of Staff is he is isn't he your your boss your big boss well he's big big boss he's in charge of all them like all them so marines the big big boss the navy he's in charge of of all he he oversees all of them"
The Joint Chiefs of Staff are the top leaders in the U.S. military. They help make big decisions about the country's defense and lead all the different military branches.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a group of the highest-ranking military officers from each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. They advise the President and the Secretary of Defense on military matters and oversee all branches including the Army, Navy, and Marines.
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but I did get to drive it's called a het which is a heavy equipment transporter
and it's I want to say it sits 13 feet off the ground you basically have to
like get a ladder to climb into it it's a huge truck and that is the truck
this design to transport our Abrams the M1A Abram the tank the big tank yeah
yeah that's a big tank the trailer has just to give you an idea of how big it is
the trailer has 40 tires on it to transport yeah 40 tires 40 yeah 40 tires oh my gosh
yeah 40 that's amazing wow hey everyone and welcome back to the life plus cars podcast
this is Ian thank you for tuning in for part two of our conversation with Caitlin a friend of the
show who joined us to talk about her experience serving in the military as a big rig truck driver
as well as her experiences abroad the with the many countries that she served in and the adventures
she had so let's jump right back into the conversation with me Brendan and Caitlin
yep so I have another question which is well hold on I do you have any questions
I'm just like in my brain I've got like oh yeah yeah let it let it roll man okay all right but
um I did have I did have one question please yes go yes um I don't know very much about big rigs or
anything like that but I do know of like they I when I hear them like take off from a dead stop and
they go through like 18 gear changes like are these trucks like are they all like because we love
manuals here on uh life plus cars yes but like so they all like big like manuals transmissions and
you're like rolling through like dozens of gears I was curious what what that looked like I do love
a manual were the automatics but I have to say thank god they were on no no because no because a
life because I know I know because I do love I do love a manual and we actually in our motor pool
we had a deuce and a half which is a five ton they call it deuce and a half but it's a five ton
that was a manual that they had um decommission but it was in our motor pool and we don't always
just go hang out and it was so much fun to play with um but no thank god we did not have uh manuals
because some of our drivers are especially specifically our privates could not drive these
tractor trailers they drove them like um like a small car and they would make lane changes like a
small car and I'm like guys you it's a great conversation to start with spatial awareness yeah
there is something to be said for having that spatial awareness yes I actually that brought
up another question I want to ask which is did you ever drive anything with a two speed rear end
because some some 10 wheelers dump trucks and some 18 wheelers will have their manual and then
they'll have a switch yeah and the rear end is two speed no flip that switch so then you actually
have 16 gears no no we had no everything was on it was okay everything everything was a push button
everything I mean the track so the freight liner yeah everything you had a column and you you pushed
a button okay for a truck you pushed a button for reverse neutral yeah um I mean you had your
air brakes you'd pull in the knob pushing then whatever so yeah no everything was and thank I
mean I hate to say it but thank god because they would have been one less thing to worry yeah it
way worse if we had manuals so I the other question I had which was earlier but now I'm
gonna go back to is is in regards to the spatial awareness yes is how was it driving these large
vehicles on these like tiny European roads because like for me I would freak out because like I mean
I already have like a little tiny bit of anxiety if I like if I haven't driven with a trailer in a
while yeah I'm all even just with my truck I'm like yes okay I've got to like check everything make
sure like stay in my lane you know blah blah blah like you know but I couldn't imagine taking
like an 18-wheeler and then driving on the left hand side of the road we didn't drive on that side
of the road we're right side of the road it was the most most countries we were in it was always it
was normal driving it was it was normal I mean you're talking like no European roads I mean
besides the Autobahn of course but I mean even I mean yeah the Autobahn was kind of but I mean
to your point it was it was you had to be as you said situationally aware you had to have
I mean I think I had six or eight mirrors and to this day I mean constantly checking my mirrors
like always you're always checking your mirrors especially the thing was is we had they were
big tan trucks and they stood out and so you know everybody when they saw them they're like oh my god
Americans like American look at those trucks and that was the thing every time we stopped at a
truck stop we would get not crowds of people but people would come over and talk to us and they
would just they would be so excited to see us so yeah you definitely had to you know pay attention
to what you were doing and and yeah the roads the roads are smaller if you look at the tractor
trailers that they drive over in Europe they're they're much more narrow and I think if I don't
know what they're called but their engines they sit over the engines so they don't have an engine
block in front of them it's just the driver it's called a cab over cab okay that's yes yeah I was
it's basically just a flat front yes and that's and they're very they're really narrow and so
were the trailers the trailers are very very narrow but nope we had American trucks on European
roads and we did we took up the whole like barely just took up like you had proud I don't want to
say like an inch but you had just enough on either side but you fit in the lane you filled the road
I actually had a soldier I'll get into because I drove the freight liners but when I went to
Colorado I drove a different truck called a PLS which is a pallet palletized load system it's a
completely different truck and those were much wider than the freight liners and we actually had
a soldier got injured because his truck was going one way another PLS was coming towards him they
were you know in their lanes but because they're so wide the mirrors ended up hitting each other
and they they hit mirrors and the mirror broke the glass and he got all he had like glass all in
his hair and his like he had he had a couple of windows down or something I mean he had the
window down because that was that wasn't a yeah that wasn't a bad like that was okay but um but he
broke the mirror it was all in his hair it was on his like he got a couple scratches on his face
so the PLS's were much much wider and were not made for European roads but the freight liner
they they just made it yeah just made it for that but yeah it was uh you had to be you had to pay
attention to what you were doing interesting yeah interesting very interesting so Ian you have any
you have a question okay when you mentioned like stopping at truck stops and people just like
flocking to the these American big rigs was that the same for other countries like people like
were excited to see you or like do you have like good interactions with just people of each country
went to yeah civilians I guess so I was trying to say yeah you know every country I went to I had
amazing interactions with people um I don't know if you know but like our uniforms we wear patches
on our uniforms you wear a flag and you wear your unit patch and so I always had extra American flags
or a unit patch with me because what would happen is we'd go to these other countries
sometimes they didn't speak English um but this one guy I'll never forget I think we're in the
mountain somewhere we're in this and it was a normal route we always took but we were in the
mountains I think we were headed to Lithuania and we had stopped at the truck stop and the gas uh the
owner of the gas station came out and he knew who we were and he came out and I'll never forget
he kissed me on the cheek and then he like took my patch off and then gave me another kiss and
he's like thank you and just and just like walked away and I was like oh okay great um and then he
came back and he wanted a picture he wanted a picture in front of the trucks with all of us
and so so when so to answer your question yes I always had great interactions I always carried
extra stuff to like give to little kids or just to give as a give as a souvenir um yeah it was it
was fantastic it was they loved and like I said they were tan trucks we stood out like a sore thumb
yeah and it had our unit a big six six on the on the wind breaker thing whatever it was um yeah they
love seeing us roll through I've had fantastic interactions every place we've gone because
they've just been so excited to see us and the nice thing is too is they they like they really
like America and they like speaking English so like they love to practice their English on you
so when they see you they just they just love to talk and and share what they're learning in
the English it was just it was really cool it was it was great that's actually that's really nice
yeah it was really nice that's fantastic yeah and that's why I love giving the flags to them because
I knew they they really did appreciate it so yeah it was it I had great experiences good yeah good
I mean you couldn't ask for anything better right no it was yeah now how many years has it been now
that you haven't driven them right when did or when did I guess let me rephrase that when did you
get out of the army so I left in 2019 okay okay well that's been seven years yeah six years six
or seven years yeah yeah so do you miss it yes yes and no well like well okay let's yes no so do you
miss let me rephrase that yeah you miss driving the trucks not necessarily the army itself but
driving the trucks I'm yes I miss driving I miss driving in Germany I miss driving the freight
liners because those those were a lot of fun that was like my dream of ice road trucker like that was
that was the dream right there and that was I mean the missions we pulled in those trucks
and the things we did like like some countries I didn't I didn't allude to this but some countries
we went to we had to have security escorts and I'll never forget we were coming back
we're going through Poland and they had shut down an entire city for us they blocked all
the traffic throughout the city and the goal the I think the security forces the the escorts
actually had more fun than we did because they said you need to keep up with us so we were doing
probably and this is probably not good but we were doing about 50 miles an hour through a
downtown city just plowing through and then of course we had our jake brakes on so we're making
a ton of noise um but oh it was it was fantastic but you could see like as we're going through the
city they had police escorts on either side just blocking all the traffic and we were just blowing
through the city and then and then that same city they took us on the rail like they had a like
monorail in san francisco you know the things that go through the city well they shut those down
and drove us through that to get us the the rest of the way through the city yeah because they couldn't
they couldn't block all the traffic um so to answer I really miss that aspect like just convoying
and going on these missions and going through these cities um yeah I really I really miss that
there's something to be said right for like you know this is a a car podcast and like to get into
the car thing right it's like something about driving a large piece of equipment and the
responsibility and the power that comes with that right where it's just like I mean like for me if
I'm driving a 10-wheeler and 18-wheeler I'd be like I could just push that little Hyundai right
yes the next time they cut me off I'm just gonna go boom no gonna use my steel bumper
no no I'm kidding I digress I digress but it's it is it's amazing to think about
really it is it's a responsibility driving a vehicle that size and so I mean my question is
like so now like right now you could not drive one of those rigs again correct correct or do you
have like a CDL so the nice thing about the army is they afford you an opportunity because we drove
we drove these trucks and their their big rigs are considered CDLs if I had gotten a letter from
my commander my last company commander stating what I had driven with a copy of my license I
in the state of New Hampshire I can't speak to other states I only know New Hampshire
because I was considering this in the state of New Hampshire I present that letter from my commander
with my license I would only have to take a written test with that said I could only drive
and pass physical pass it yep the DOT physical yes the DOT physical take a written test
and then I could only test out on um flatbed trailers I could not test out on any other kind
of like hazmat like chemicals well no I could test out on because I did have my I was hazmat
certified because I mean some of the things we transported explosives um yeah yeah so no I could
have tested out on that but the only like driving portion like was flatbed trailers I could have
done reefers or like the the ones you see to the box ones yeah I couldn't have tested out on any of
that but I didn't unfortunately I kind of kicked myself for not doing it um that is a regret of
mine um because I mean you know today we really need drivers and there's a wicked shortage of
CDL certified people for even just 10 wheelers 18 and you name it yeah it is it's huge shortage yeah
yeah that's interesting yeah yeah so have you considered trying to get it like within the
last few years of like doing that I mean I have I have I've thought about it a couple times but I
mean life is a way of changing and I'm going in a different direction right now so yeah yeah
though that's totally fair I'm just curious oh yeah yeah yeah yeah very cool very cool yeah I
Caitlin you mentioned I mean just earlier about like the different loads and different trailers
and what was where some of your more memorable cargo or if you can share I know
so I never had the chance to transport tanks uh no but I did get to drive it's called a
het which is a heavy equipment transporter and it's I want to say it sits 13 feet off the ground
you basically have to like get a ladder to climb into it it's it's a huge truck um and that is the
truck this designed to transport our abrams the m1a abram the tank the big the big tank
yeah that's a big tank the trailer has just to give you an idea of how big it is the trailer
has 40 tires on it um to transport yeah very tires four zero 40 yeah 40 tires yeah four zero oh my
gosh yeah four zero that's amazing wow yeah that's a big it's a big and that's the heavy equipment
one so that can I mean it transports tanks it transports the big um the big forklifts that
that we have in the army so I that was in Colorado like like I talked about at the beginning um we
weren't trained on that but this was one of those specialty areas you could go to your unit and get
trained on at your unit um they needed pls drivers more than they needed het drivers um
so they trained me on the pls which is the palatalized load system basically what it is
the giant hook arm that has um it looks like a square on it and it comes down and it can pick up
containers it can like it hooks onto the container and it will pull it up and then load it on the back
of back of the truck it can take uh 20 foot containers so I drove I drove that um which was
okay it wasn't it wasn't the greatest it was yeah well at least it was 20 foot it's not 40 foot yeah
exact well and then I mean the trailer you threw a trailer on the back you could it could haul a
trailer with another 20 foot 40 feet at at some point um but no the het I did not get to drive
the het but I did get to drive it in the motor pool which hey I'll take it yeah yeah I'll count
it I count that as driving the het yes yeah yeah yeah and it's in this motor pool like we're
you communicating I'm I'm just thinking of like truckers would like you know and go on the cb and
like yeah the cb radio right I imagine you had something a little bit I imagine it was probably
a little bit more so we did not have cb radios uh when we were in we used funny enough our cell
phones uh cell phones and whatsapp especially when I was over in Germany what's app was
interesting huge communication but the but to answer so we had a so we had our unit right
and then we had a german unit they were civilian contractors that was in the next was the motor
pool next to us and they got all of our used trucks these guys loved their trucks and loved
like America and they had cb they they decked their trucks out so they to answer your question
lot of lot of chrome oh the chrome the cb radios they yeah but they would I did I pulled a couple
missions with them and they loved just like you just did the rubber ducky they had call signs
and they would call to each other on the road and just it was I loved pulling missions with them
because they just loved they were living like I don't remember seeing the movie convoy
they're like it is a song so so the song convoy yeah they turned it into a movie well these guys
were like trying to live that movie and it was just it was so much fun yeah yeah that's awesome yeah
that's awesome see that's something I would love to like like like your whole experience right of
being in the army and driving the trucks in different countries like for me my favorite part
about all that experience would be the different people you meet yes you talk about like the people
you meet and they come over and be like oh my gosh like americans you know like like hello yeah
it's like yeah right just that's the part that I would love right it's just meeting all the
different people that you experience doing something like that yeah I mean it's amazing
to think that we have someone here on life plus cars right that has done this experience and
has lived this life that's you know something you just don't think of yeah I mean really in your
day-to-day life you don't think about like oh my gosh like they're like right now there's probably a
person in you know Latvia or wherever driving an 18-wheeler that's delivering supplies for some
reason or something right it's like oh we just don't really think about that but it is it's amazing
yeah I'll tell you this right now listening to you talk about it and just say you should really
consider getting your CDL and going back to drive it maybe it was stressful oh you'd be
something tells me you thrive under stress yeah yeah but it was maybe or maybe get one of these
like antique like big rig like freight liners or peter builds or whatever like just like go to like
take it to the truck shows all that actually that reminded me I wanted to ask you like so the
trucks that you drove so you had freight liners yep did you ever drive a Volvo 18-wheeler because
they make them I know yes no I did not no no I'm trying to bring a full circle here
I know but I did I know what you're talking about because we watched the commercials for them
because we wanted them but we could never we could never get this 18-wheeler oh my god they're
gorgeous they're they're just they're old it's bold come on they're seamless right right of course
you know you get it you're beautiful yeah yeah no we did not get to drive them over there so okay
but do you drove freight liners did you drive max nope didn't drive max no no we drove so freight
liner was the way the army works is they have contracts so freight liner was the contract
yeah I want to say Oshkosh was the PLS yeah and I think I don't know what the Hets were
may have been Oshkosh I know the Hets had a caterpillar engine I know that
mm-hmm I don't know what the Hets were but I know PLS's were Oshkosh and the freight liner was
interesting was the tractor trailer yep yeah I knew they did contracts I just didn't know if they had
like you know different you know your training and they had like the 1982 no no no on the base
they're like go learn how to drive that no no they have one standardized across the board which
I mean which makes sense but yeah it makes sense yeah kind of not do yeah yeah well interesting
that's really amazing I think I mean really the big thing is just thank you for your service
and everything you've done yes I mean that's really the takeaway it's really thanks for the support
well it's just it's so cool it's so thank you for reaching out yeah so cool that we have someone
that's had that experience and our first veteran on life plus cars that's right as far as I'm aware
because no one else has told us they're better and if they have if they have yes um yeah I mean
it's just it's as we always love to have guests on the podcast here and uh yeah particularly your
unique story K-1 international travel and the unique missions and just like the unique facet
of the military that I feel as you said but like many people wouldn't ever stop to think about like
and yet it's so integral to the operations and logistics of the whole the whole thing yeah yeah
no it is absolutely yeah so do you have anything else that you want to talk to us about in regards
to like your crazy amazing adventures in these different countries I mean I mean you must have
done some you know we've talked about right we've talked about the different vehicles you've driven
we talked about stories with different privates we've talked about a couple accidents you've had
like is there I mean there must be there must be more or what was I do have a question if you'd
like K-1 like what was your favorite or did you have a favorite destination or a place that you
were stationed as a given you were in so many countries over there oh my god that's probably
probably hard to hard to choose I imagine oh that's such a good question um so I did love my time
in Germany because I was afforded I mean where I was stationed you walked half a mile to the
train station and I could be anywhere in Europe within one to two hours you know I would get on
the bullet train it's even faster um in terms of missions that's so hard because there's there's
so many good ones the places we went on the missions was great because it was usually like an
army base the the most fun I had was the trips I got to go take when I was not driving the trucks
and hands down to this day one of my favorite places is Normandy um yes I was afforded an
opportunity to it's called MWR which is a is a program in the army and they set up like trips
for soldiers um and so they had a Normandy trip set up a week before they do um the reenactments
I don't know if you guys know this but they reenact D-Day um on you know on June 7th hopefully I'm
saying that yeah June 6th June 6th um they reenact D-Day um and so I got to go a week before when
they were training for all of that um so they were doing like flyovers with the C-130s because
they dropped they dropped troops in just like just like it's a reenactment yeah um so so I got to do
that and I mean uh talking about vehicles uh we actually get to drive around um to the different
beaches in um authentic um military vehicles that had landed on the they were essentially duck boats
they were the duck boats but they had been used in World War II they had been restored and they
drove us around the the whole coast to the different beaches yeah um so to answer Normandy
was one of my favorite places to go absolute favorite it wasn't a mission but it was a trip
oh that's amazing yeah it was it was fantastic and I highly recommend it listeners um if you get a
chance go to Normandy because it is just it's so much history and they just it's it's beautiful
absolutely beautiful wow yeah how powerful given that your your grandfather was at Normandy right
is that uh my uncle my uncle my uncle Harvey was on which um I when I went there I went and
got um some of the sand and put it in a little jar and brought it back home and it was from Omaha
Beach wow and so I have that I actually did two jars because my dad I got one for my dad too
because that was his it was because uncle Harvey was like I think my great uncle so that was my dad's
my dad's uncle yeah very cool yeah very very yeah what a special artifact and particularly
given your family history Caitlyn just to be there and and also to be in these historical vehicles
wow that yeah that's amazing yeah it's awesome since you've driven big rigs Caitlyn you have
that experience and I'm always mindful of uh like when I'm out in the highway or driving
or dead being mindful of truckers because they're doing with a lot having to be so aware of everything
going around them do you have like recommendations or things you would want just everyday drivers to
know when they're encountering trucks out on the road yes absolutely that is oh that Ian that's
fantastic thank you because I see time and time again it's happened to me is when you're out driving
and you pass a semi get by them because what they're trying to do is they're paying it they're
looking at you in their in their mirror and they're watching you they're waiting for you to get by
and yes sometimes they do like float from side to side don't putz along a tractor trailer get by
the tractor trailer yeah and for the love of god please stop cutting in front of tractor trailers
that is so much weight that has to put like that has to step on the brakes and they can't stop on a
dime it's it's well said most people mentality or they see a big truck come in like oh I better get
out in front of them no it's stuck behind them yeah it's like they don't like necessarily think
that it's just like it's an immediate thought yeah no like do not do that because they can't
yeah cannot stop yeah not do that crap yeah and I always when I pass an 18 wheeler or anyone on
the highway I give them multiple yes multiple widths of length yeah I'm not pulling right in front of
them they need as much space as possible yes because that that was like a constant thing when we
were driving cars would pass us and they would they would get right in front of you and I mean I
would tap my usually I drove with my jake brake on and I would tap my brakes anyway and we were doing
the speed limit but it just I don't know why people like you said they see a big rig and they're like
oh I'll just cut right in front of them they'll be they'll be fine so drivers please give them
distance I mean I would say a whole truck length if you can before you get in front of them because
it's just they cannot stop on a dime right yeah people just assume that they trucks just operate
like a passenger vehicle and everything and it's not the case yeah it's a lot of power yeah it is
it's that's a that honestly that's like a PSA right yes I'm glad that we brought that up yeah because
it is like just you know respect truck drivers respect them on the highway yeah that's a ton
of weight and you don't want that crashing down on here no you do not yeah so and I actually I have
I have one last question too that I wanted to ask you obviously we know that you've done
you did all these different transporting cargo different things around different countries
was there anything unique or special that you did during that time that was like a highlight or
something different you know I mean I don't know you tell me I'm just I'm curious like maybe you had
like a special not not not convoy what's it called um well I know what you're so I did have a thing
where we got to drive I got to escort and drive VIPs there you go escort you just you that's the
word I was looking for like any type of escort type duty there you go I don't know if a lot of people
know this but like the people who drive like the president right typically are 88 mics they're in
a couple of people in my basic training that wanted to go drive for the president
so there's like certain paths that you need to follow to get there and they were doing that
like one of them is taking the defensive driving and to Brendan's question one of the missions I
got to pull was it was a VIP mission and it was in Belgium because the NATO headquarters are there
and I got to drive for the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time who was very cool yes who was
very cool yeah that's amazing yes so I don't know if people know who the listeners know who
what the Joint Chiefs is the Joint Chiefs of Staff is he is isn't he your your boss your big
boss well he's big big boss he's in charge of all them like all them so marines the big big
boss the navy he's in charge of of all he he oversees all of them and I think if I'm not mistaken
he answers directly to whoever the president is so I got to go drive for him and I also got to
drive for his vice chair as well so at the time the the Joint Chief was General Dempsey and the
vice chief was General Campbell yes I'm a lot of people may not know who that is but I will say
both of them were four star generals I think General Campbell may have been a three or four but
General Dempsey was a four star general we have not had five star generals since World War II so
just there's no five stars there are only four stars yeah um so he was a four star general
and I did I got to go drive for him for a couple of missions it was really cool because what we
did is you always convoy um his his convoy he would have the up armored vehicle kind of like
the president has like that it's called the beast it was kind of like that but a smaller
version fully it was a fully armored yeah this was this was this was a four door it wasn't a limousine
but he was he was in that vehicle and then myself and some other soldiers would be in vans behind
and our only job and this is what I loved I love these missions because our only job was to stay
you you like a foot you had to keep a foot distance between you couldn't you couldn't
have space in between the convoy you had to stay right on the tail end of whatever vehicle was in
front of you so they told us they're like just go and so um we and we did and we it was fast and
I'll never forget we pulled up to the NATO headquarters they had just finished their meeting
everyone was coming out I had a security officer next to me and he was the one who was going to
say when I say go you just go and I said Roger that well they started to go and the door was
still open and out of the corner of my eye I see a one star general sprinting for the van
and I'm like and you know I mean I was ordered to go so I just start going and because he did
he said go and he's like don't stop he's like don't worry he'll catch the van so this one star general
is running you know like we have different rank structures so general Dempsey was a four star
general and this one star one star general was on his on his staff and so he he did he sprinted
for this van he made it to the van and and I was just I was in awe I'm like oh my god I'm going to
get in so much trouble like this one star general just had to sprint for the van I'm just yeah well
the security officer like the security officer was Millitz it was army as well but he was he
was a staff sergeant and he was like and he looked over at me because I was really nervous and he's
like good job you did you did good and and I was like okay thank god I didn't I'm not gonna get in
trouble but that was but that was the thing because it was it's a secured what it is a security
thing it has to do with security when you're in these convoys you have to move quickly and you need
to um you know and there's a special course for it um there's a defensive driving course that you
go do I think down in Langley if I'm not mistaken um and this headquarters it's in Belgium is only
it only allows four soldiers so like an officer um a sergeant and then like a lower level enlisted
person um and so they get to go to the defensive training wherever it is um and I was actually
trying to get that job but it was so selective you you couldn't get it so I was very fortunate I
did get to go do three missions there got to do some defensive driving um we actually had
security on either side of us that would block vehicles for us because we almost got hit and the
guy came up the police came the security came up and hit the guy for me and just I kept going it was
oh my god it was that was a really fun mission you were like in a movie yeah I yeah it does sound
like it really was it really was like they we had the Belgian police would shut down the highways
when we would when we would um drive back to the hotel that's awesome yeah they like the motorcycle
cops are incredible over there they are so good at what they and they were all motorcycle cops
no cars and they would shut down the highways that's awesome yeah that's crazy yeah so that's a
specialty like that's a little specialty side mission that we get to do from time to time um
I don't think a lot of people know that the the army does but the army does do those kinds of things
yeah security details we have some detail yeah oh my gosh that's a
really a lot of fun so cool so cool Katelyn oh well I mean I uh I mean we have we have kept you
for far longer than we anticipated um but I I don't have anything else uh question-wise I wanted to
add and an absolute pleasure to have you on with us I don't I don't have any other questions
off the top of my head but I mean I can always reach out if I come up with another one uh Ian
do you do you have anything kind of a closing remarks or any questions or anything well yeah
again to echo what you said Brendan thank you Katelyn for taking this time and also for being
a listener of the show and finding life plus Volvo we're thrilled that that's where the I'm
thrilled with that that's where the conversation started right yes to know that there are people
out there enjoying our our content and and and spreading spreading the stories I mean that's
what we're about here is is is capturing those stories whether it be a Volvo or a military
big rig like you talked about here in this case like both so thank you really really a pleasure
to have you here and to hear all of your adventures and stories abroad that was incredible I want to
very much I mean what you guys are doing is fantastic I mean it's cars it's awesome and
vocals I mean come on yes I mean and you can you can you know let the listener know like I mean
it's pretty casual right like this is no stress yeah talking cars yeah having fun that's all it is
that's I love it because it's two friends talking about cars and you you know you kind of get like
this little like the fly on the wall kind of thing you get a fly on the wall and you get to hear
about the passion that you both have what do you mean friends I just met you in last week
your your name again so thank you both I really appreciate it and I just cannot wait to hear
more of what you what you have coming so thank you oh well you are welcome but also thank you very
much and also huge thank you for your service so thank you for the support I truly appreciate it
thank you to the listener out there for joining us again for a very special episode here with
Caitlyn if you have any stories like Caitlyn's it's about a vehicle or related to a car we'd love
to hear it life plus cars at gmail.com we look forward to talking to you all on the next episode
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