I went to work for Texaco in 1971 as a terminal operator and ended up taking a two week course on how to drive a tanker truck. This was in Feburary 1972 and was trained on this 1972 Diamond Reo...ended up being a company driver for 12 yrs until they shut down our old top loading rack. All we needed back then was a class D license. When they shut down our loading rack I ended up working in the office doing marine bunkering for the ships in the New Orleans area.

 

I had been working pretty much full time since I was 13 years old and I bought my own motorcycle right after I turned 16. In those days you only had to have a learner's permit to drive a motorcycle so I didn't bother to get a regular license until I was 19. When I was 17 or 18, I bought an old VW and over a year or two, I built dune buggy out of it using a Myer's Manx body. When it was nearly finished I realized that I needed a regular license so that was when I finally got my license. I drove my mother's VW station wagon for the driving test and I failed on the first try because the tester had me make a Y-turn on very narrow PAVED country road and when I did, my front tire left the pavement. I didn't realize that you were not supposed to leave the pavement at all. No big deal, I waited a week and retook the test and passed. Except for that nit, the test was no problem since I had already been driving for three years. But I can tell you this, learning to drive on a motorcycle will sure make a defensive driver out of you!

 

I did my written for my learners at 15 and a half. I did my final drivers one week after my birthday in '97. I lived in a pretty remote area and we had to wait for the instructor to come around after booking an appointment. I passed first time, but nothing to really gloat about as it took about 15 minutes and we only have one stop sign in town, lol. he was impressed with how I aced the parallel parking (not a skill you really make use of in the country).I did the test in my 84 Plymouth Turismo 2.2 (After My dad and I put a "new" motor in it). Awesome little car that racked up over 500,000km's between family.

I grew up on a farm and started driving very young, taking tractors and vehicles out to fields and around the yard. The most memorable "first drive" for me was backing in my Dad's friend's 67 vette into the shop for a complete tear-down restoration, I was 9 years old. It was the last time it was ever driven. Resto is almost complete now. I am extremely fortunate as the car is willed to me when the time comes.

oh yeah!

 

Wow, some really cool stories. Well, I was already driving long before Drivers Ed. in school. When I was 13 (1974) my dad let me drive his '66 Fleetwood around our development. When we were at our beach place, we would go to the boat ramp to put the boat in. Then I got to drive the Caddy around to the boat slip, then he would let me drive us back to the trailer (the beach place was in a trailer park). When I got to be 15 (1976) he would let me drive his '74 Ranchero and '76 Fleetwood Brougham sometimes, as long as he was with me. I took Drivers Ed. in school and got my learners permit in high school when I was 16 (1977). My High School had it's own drivers Ed. vehicle, which was a Toyota Corolla 4-door. My birthday is in Jan.. But because my grades fell (usually because of Hunting Season), they made me wait until I got them back up again, which was around July. Once I got my drivers lic., I got my Mom's '66 Chevy II Nova coupe. Man, some of the cars I wish I still had.......


The '66 Caddy. She was called the Grey Ghost.




My Dad and baby sister in '75. This must of been not long after he got the Ranch. He did a lot to that thing.

 

Nice pictures Scarlet...my Mom had a '85 Fleetwood Brougham. Looked like an aircraft carrier from the drivers seat!!