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- Big Rig
- By: BILL POGUE
-
- Big Rig is a program which simulates the problems facing a long-haul
- truck driver. Ideally, you can make a good living hauling freight
- coast-to-coast without exceeding the legal load limit. If all goes
- well, you can obey speed limits and stop each night for eight hours
- sleep and still make the time schedule. On a good trip you will be able
- to earn well over $1,000.00. However, even the best driver's run into
- occasional streaks of bad luck and may barely break even.
-
- Bad weather, road conditions or a flat tire can place you behind
- schedule and eat up your profits. You may try to increase your profits
- by skimping on sleep, driving fast, or carrying an overweight load.
- However, pushing too hard raises the risk of a traffic accident, and you
- will be fined if you are caught breaking the law.
-
-
- Your Truck:
-
- You are driving an 18-wheel tractor-trailer combination that can hold
- 50,000 pounds of cargo (10,000 pounds more than the legal l7limit). You
- are buying your truck through a bank loan that requires a payment of
- $1,995.00 per month, or $85.00 for each working day. This amount
- includes reserves for taxes and insurance. Your truck has a 200-gallon
- fuel tank and gets 4.5 miles per x8gallon of diesel fuel. Your milage
- decreases when you drives faster or slower than 55 miles per hour. Your
- fuel guage is accurate to within five gallons and your speedometer is
- accurate to within three miles per hour.
-
-
- Accidents:
-
- It is extremely unlikely that you will be involved in a traffic accident
- in good weather. The danger increases dramatically if you drive at a
- excessive rate of speed, fail to slow down in fog or blizzard, or
- continue driving after you have become fatigued. An exhausted driver
- speeding through a snow storm is asking for trouble. There is always
- the danger of losing time due to a flat tire. This danger can be
- reduced by purchasing retreads or more expensive tires before you start
- your trip, and by promptly replacing your spare tire after a flat.
-
- Speeding:
-
- The speed limit is 55 miles per hour unless otherwise posted.
- Generally, Smokey will allow some leeway before pulling you over, but
- the faster you go the more likely you are to attract his attention.
- There are also a couple of places along the way where a radar may be in
- operation with strict enforcement. Whenever you get a traffic ticket,
- you lose time as you wait to pay your fine at the Justice of the Peace.
- If you recieve more than three tickets, you lose your Interstate
- Commerce Commission driver's license.
-
- Truck Stops:
-
- Every three or four hours you will approach a truck stop. Each stop
- will take at least one hour while you get coffee, fuel and a spare tire
- if necessary. The price of diesel fuel and tires will vary
- unpredictably, but diesel fuel will average about per gallon. Truck
- stops are also the only places where you can sleep. You may choose when
- to sleep, but, if you attempt to sleep duringe the day, you will be
- disturbed by traffic noise.
-
-
- For more instructions, run the program. Public Brand Software