Be prepared if
you are deployed
Jerry Novak
New Carlisle, OH

Hello from Kuwait. I was deployed in late November, and my equipment has been sitting idle since, but I was prepared.
I encourage any OOIDA member who is a guardsman or reservist to be prepared if this were to happen to them. I have built a contingency fund that won’t take away from what income I have now.
I also want to thank the carrier I am leased to, River Bend Transport, Cincinnati, for taking care of my tractor while I am deployed. They are periodically running it for a bit to ensure everything is lubed and no major leaks or mechanical problems have surfaced while it sits idle.
I am like any other owner-operator: I have a payment to keep up with. The only problem I have run into is, naturally, insurance. The policies are written in such a way that you must carry collision even though the truck is in storage. I was able to drop the deadhead and bobtail, but not the comp/collision, so there’s not much of a decrease in cost.
It is good to know that my carrier has kept me in my position of seniority and left me on the board. There need to be more carriers like this. They have also kept in touch with my wife to ensure all is well on the home front. I encourage all owner-operators to know what will happen with their carriers should this happen to them.
God bless America and the trucking industry — thanks for standing strong and united. I hope to be on the road supporting our great industry by mid-April.

Editor’s note: Jerry wrote this letter shortly after he left for the Middle East. However, just as this issue was going to press, Land Line received word from Jerry that he would return home because of an injury.