Well, day one is complete. We did some paperwork early on, then sat around and waited alot. There are only 9 in this orientation class, quite a difference from our CFI/Conway orientation with 30 something. At Conway there was always pressure on, do not be one minute late for class or you're sent home, don't be late for shuttle, or you're sent home, etc, etc. No where near that here, very nice and personable and respectful so far.
Of the 9, there are 3 of us with prior experience, considered company drivers, and the other 6 are right out of CDL school somewhere, so they are considered student hires. They will go out with a trainer for 3-4 weeks. The 3 experienced drivers don't. We get our trucks hopefully Friday.
We got paired off and did a roadtest this morning, which consisted of discussing the pretrip with the the road examiner first. I was paired with one of the student drivers. He was instructed to drive first, pull up and drive out of the terminal, the drove along the access roads and some larger city roads, then off on some smaller rural roads. After approx 15 min of driving, he pulled over and I got behind the wheel. I have to admit, it felt good to be in the seat again. It was a larger Volvo truck with an AUTOMATIC transmission. Yup, thats right, auto,,so it made it alot easier to get back into the swing of it, I just had to concentrate on driving the truck. Kept it in my lane, didn't hit any curbs, and made it back to the yard in one piece. Drove around and in back of the docks so I would come up to where he want me to dock the trailer on the driver side. He got out and and I set up and docked it. Not bad, a little rusty, but I did it. So I got signed off on the road trip.
Next we went over to the medical clinic, and patiently waited for our turns to pee in the cup, do an eye test, color test, vitals, and see the Doc. After a short visit with him, I have a fresh, shiny new DOT medical certificate good for 2 years.
So much for day one. A few of us are going to meet in a couple min here at the hotel, and go have a little dinner together to celebrate the hard stuff is done.
Tomorrrow is alot of videos, and training on the electronic logs, and communications, safety, benefits, HR, etc.
See ya later, Keep it safe out there drivers!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Ready for Orientation
I have been getting everything in order for orientation this week. One of the things they mentioned was a Dr release for ANY treatment in the last 5yrs. I had a kidney stone last Sept. and was treated in the ER. I did not have a work release because I wasn't working at the time. I had to get copies of the records, and an examination by our local Dr we used 11yrs ago. Luckily, he didn't have a problem reviewing it, and looking at me. I got my letter, so everything is set now.
I am scheduled to leave on the bus (ya, BUS) from Tulsa tomorrow morning at 10:45, and arrive in Dallas at 5:15. I will be staying at the Ramada and they will provide a shuttle to pick me up at the bus station. Then at 0630 Wed morn, the company shuttle will pick us up at the hotel for Day one. Day one should be mostly getting physicals for all of us. I was told they would give me a dedicated type physical which is a little more involved than the standard one. It is required prior to being selected to take a dedicated route, so I will be ready if one becomes available in my area.
I am getting everything packed today. I was told to expect one to two weeks before being able to get home. I am taking my inverter to have installed in my truck, the cb, a couple tools, computer, chargers for phone and blue tooth headset, clothes for warm and cold weather. Also have to take my sleeping bag and pillow for bedding. When I can get back through here, I will add the refrigerator and microwave.
The part of orientation that concerns me the most is the driving eval. I have not stepped in a truck for 2 1/2 yrs. I will be given a road and driving test right off the bat. I think I will be ok out on the road, but if I do much backing, I expect to be a little rusty. But, it's what I do now, so I will just take a little extra time, get out and look a little more, and "git er done".
I will try to update from the hotel during orientation and let you know how its going.
I am scheduled to leave on the bus (ya, BUS) from Tulsa tomorrow morning at 10:45, and arrive in Dallas at 5:15. I will be staying at the Ramada and they will provide a shuttle to pick me up at the bus station. Then at 0630 Wed morn, the company shuttle will pick us up at the hotel for Day one. Day one should be mostly getting physicals for all of us. I was told they would give me a dedicated type physical which is a little more involved than the standard one. It is required prior to being selected to take a dedicated route, so I will be ready if one becomes available in my area.
I am getting everything packed today. I was told to expect one to two weeks before being able to get home. I am taking my inverter to have installed in my truck, the cb, a couple tools, computer, chargers for phone and blue tooth headset, clothes for warm and cold weather. Also have to take my sleeping bag and pillow for bedding. When I can get back through here, I will add the refrigerator and microwave.
The part of orientation that concerns me the most is the driving eval. I have not stepped in a truck for 2 1/2 yrs. I will be given a road and driving test right off the bat. I think I will be ok out on the road, but if I do much backing, I expect to be a little rusty. But, it's what I do now, so I will just take a little extra time, get out and look a little more, and "git er done".
I will try to update from the hotel during orientation and let you know how its going.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Here we go AGAIN!
Well, I am getting ready to go back over the road. I got laid off the first of Sept last year, and have not had any luck finding gainful employment in the simulator or training world, so I am falling back on something else I know how to do, drive a truck.
This time, I will be solo. That will be alot different from the team driving Kim and I did. With that the truck could stay moving all the time. As a solo, I will be REQUIRED to have a 10 hr break/down time after 14hrs on duty or 11 hrs driving. So I will sleep in a parked truck!
I have done alot of research again to find a company that will take me with the break I have had. There are a few that will work with me, I fall into the category of 6mo experience within the last 3 years. One of these was Maverick, a really great sounding company, can't really find too much negative about them, however, they are a flatbed company. Kim thinks I am too much of a clutz to do that. Drivers have to strap and tie down the loads, and often throw tarps over the load, climbing all over the trailer and load.
Soooo, on with the search. SRT came next. They are a Reefer outfit out of Little Rock Ark. Had a good report of them by an ex instructor and friend of ours that drove for them for awhile. I applied last Nov, and got accepted, but put them on hold while some other options with Southwest Airlines, and Flightsafety, and a couple others played out. After keeping track of them on several forums, I just decided there was too much negative and kept my search going when Kim and I decided I HAVE to do something NOW.
Lastly, along comes US Xpress. They are a larger company, based in Chattanooga, Tn. They seem to have newer equipment than SRT, and more options. Alot of their fleet are automatics, so that will be different if I end up with one of those.
As of right now, I am scheduled to go to Dallas next Wed, 26 Feb for a 3 day orientation. Because I have previous experience, I won't have to go out with a trainer after orientation. Will be given a truck, and hit the road again. Orientation involves a physical exam, drug test, driving eval, review of my application and history, filling out all their forms, and I am sure safety briefings, intro to the way USX operates, etc.
We (Kim and I) are not really overjoyed that we will be separated like this, however, we do what we must, and we must pay bills, and live. I will "pay my dues" here for awhile and see how it goes. There are alot more options that open up after a year, and even more after 2years experience. I should be able to get a job/route where I am home every couple days to weekly by then. My goal is to get to the point where I control where and when I go, not totally in someone elses hands. That only comes with time and experience.
Sooo,,here we go again,,"on the road again" ,,and maybe I will be able to see some of my friends when I pass thru your towns!!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
A new career
Well, it has been awhile since we announced we were going to quit driving. I took a job teaching Motorcycle and traffic safety and was assigned to Fallon Naval Air Station in Fallon Nev. I left Kim in Salt Lake to finish getting our house ready to sell, and started out in our motorhome headed to Fallon. About 20 mi into Nevada, Big Mo (our motorhome) decided it had enough. The engine shut down while pulling a hill. To make a long story kinda short, we had it towed to Elko, Nev where there was a Detroit Diesel rep. I unloaded Kims Goldwing, packed it with the clothes I could get in it, and went on to Fallon and found a hotel. The engine had froze up, and basically needed an in frame rebuild with new sleeves, pistons, rings, etc...OUCH $$$. Nearly 4 weeeks later, it was ready, and Kim was ready. I met her at the motorhome, and we headed to Fallon to start our new life there.
Well, things are not stable for very long with us, and I received a call from one of my bosses asking if I would consider a move to Twentynine Palm, Ca Marine Corps base. There was 2 of us at Fallon, and not really enough to keep both of us busy. 29 Palms did not have a Cape Fox instructor, and I would be kept busy!
So, after a day or two to get ourselves ready, we loaded up the bikes, and headed to 29 Palms!
We found a nice park to stay in about 5 mi from work. The biggest problem we had there was Kim not being able to find a job. She did get a job in the park cleaning the bathrooms 5 days a week, which paid our lot rent. This was working ok, but with our salary basically cut in half, we really needed her to work, at least until our house sold in Salt Lake.
The nice thing about Twentynine Palms, was that we were about 3 hrs to Dad's place in Yuma. My mom's sister is also there, and her cousins. We went over for Thanksgiving, and Dad made a visit to our place. In December, I was asked to work on a motorcycle simulator program and write the curriculum for the training. I was told not to go in and teach courses, but to concentrate on the simulator program. It was set up so I could stay in the Yuma area near my Dad and work from home. So in December, once again, we packed up, and headed out.
After being in place in Yuma for awhile, it was determined that I could stay and be assigned there. Sooooooo,,,here we are.
I have been tabbed to be the simulator instructor for Cape Fox. I have made several trips to Miramar Marine Corps Base near San Diego to train others, and assist during an open house for the first Marine Corps Motorcycle Simulator program. It was kinda interesting, because we had alot of brass, from a 4 star General, 3 star Genener, a couple of 2 star, and I am not sure how many 1 stars. Full bird colonels were a dime a dozen at that gala!
I had the honor of teaching the 2 Star who is the 3rd Marine AirWing Commander, and the 4 Star, who is the Asst Commandant of the Marines from the Pentagon how to ride the simulator.
Next week, I am headed to Camp Pendleton (just south of Los Angeles) to set up a new simulator, and teach the trainers to use it.
Kim has got a job here with in home health care. She has an elderly gentleman (Sam) to assist on Mon, Wed, and Fri mornings, and a 14 yo girl (Abby) everyday after school. This past week, she was also asked to start helping Abby in the mornings before school. Abby has a deformity with the legs, and is wheelchair bound. Kim gets her ready for school in the mornings, and helps and entertains her in the afternoon, before putting her in her bed for the evening when she leaves.
I don't know how she does it, she has had some rough days when Sam or Abbey is not doing well.
While we have been here, our son Greg got married to his fiance' in February and they are expecting our 2nd grandchild in May. It will be a little girl, they have decided to name Bailey. So we are excitedly awaiting the arrival of Bailey.
Geoff and his girlfriend have a little girl also, named Briauna, who was our first grandchild. Kim made the trip to Salt Lake to go to Greg and Lisa's wedding, and also had a chance to visit with Briauna. Unfortunately, I had a trip scheduled to Georgia at that time, and could not be there. It was kind of a short notice wedding. They entered a radio contest, and was one of the winners, so they had an all expenses paid wedding on Friday the 13th, at 1113am, on 13th street in Salt Lake City.
Since I hooked up this blog with our Facebook page, I decided I could update it and keep our story going for our family. So, from time to time, I will try to describe what has been taking place in this adventure we call Steve and Kim's Life. :)
Well, things are not stable for very long with us, and I received a call from one of my bosses asking if I would consider a move to Twentynine Palm, Ca Marine Corps base. There was 2 of us at Fallon, and not really enough to keep both of us busy. 29 Palms did not have a Cape Fox instructor, and I would be kept busy!
So, after a day or two to get ourselves ready, we loaded up the bikes, and headed to 29 Palms!
We found a nice park to stay in about 5 mi from work. The biggest problem we had there was Kim not being able to find a job. She did get a job in the park cleaning the bathrooms 5 days a week, which paid our lot rent. This was working ok, but with our salary basically cut in half, we really needed her to work, at least until our house sold in Salt Lake.
The nice thing about Twentynine Palms, was that we were about 3 hrs to Dad's place in Yuma. My mom's sister is also there, and her cousins. We went over for Thanksgiving, and Dad made a visit to our place. In December, I was asked to work on a motorcycle simulator program and write the curriculum for the training. I was told not to go in and teach courses, but to concentrate on the simulator program. It was set up so I could stay in the Yuma area near my Dad and work from home. So in December, once again, we packed up, and headed out.
After being in place in Yuma for awhile, it was determined that I could stay and be assigned there. Sooooooo,,,here we are.
I have been tabbed to be the simulator instructor for Cape Fox. I have made several trips to Miramar Marine Corps Base near San Diego to train others, and assist during an open house for the first Marine Corps Motorcycle Simulator program. It was kinda interesting, because we had alot of brass, from a 4 star General, 3 star Genener, a couple of 2 star, and I am not sure how many 1 stars. Full bird colonels were a dime a dozen at that gala!
I had the honor of teaching the 2 Star who is the 3rd Marine AirWing Commander, and the 4 Star, who is the Asst Commandant of the Marines from the Pentagon how to ride the simulator.
Next week, I am headed to Camp Pendleton (just south of Los Angeles) to set up a new simulator, and teach the trainers to use it.
Kim has got a job here with in home health care. She has an elderly gentleman (Sam) to assist on Mon, Wed, and Fri mornings, and a 14 yo girl (Abby) everyday after school. This past week, she was also asked to start helping Abby in the mornings before school. Abby has a deformity with the legs, and is wheelchair bound. Kim gets her ready for school in the mornings, and helps and entertains her in the afternoon, before putting her in her bed for the evening when she leaves.
I don't know how she does it, she has had some rough days when Sam or Abbey is not doing well.
While we have been here, our son Greg got married to his fiance' in February and they are expecting our 2nd grandchild in May. It will be a little girl, they have decided to name Bailey. So we are excitedly awaiting the arrival of Bailey.
Geoff and his girlfriend have a little girl also, named Briauna, who was our first grandchild. Kim made the trip to Salt Lake to go to Greg and Lisa's wedding, and also had a chance to visit with Briauna. Unfortunately, I had a trip scheduled to Georgia at that time, and could not be there. It was kind of a short notice wedding. They entered a radio contest, and was one of the winners, so they had an all expenses paid wedding on Friday the 13th, at 1113am, on 13th street in Salt Lake City.
Since I hooked up this blog with our Facebook page, I decided I could update it and keep our story going for our family. So, from time to time, I will try to describe what has been taking place in this adventure we call Steve and Kim's Life. :)
Monday, September 15, 2008
Movin On
Well, I have not been updating the blog much lately. I have had alot on the mind and working to get another job and off the road, so I haven't been real motivated to update this.
Yep, I said it, we are now off the road. I applied for several different postitions and have been hired to teach the motorcycle safety course and traffic safety program on a Naval base in Fallon, Nv.
In the end it was the 24/7 part of the job that got us more than anything. Working 6 days a week, and sleeping 4-6hrs a nite just was too much for us. We had a hard time sleeping in a moving truck so most of it was done when we had time to park for a bit. Running team does not allow for too much of that. Fortunately, with the dedicated route, we had that opportunity 3 nites of the week.
Sooooo, a week ago last Thursday when we got our repaired truck back, we told our Fleet manager to please route us to Joplin when they got us a load so we could turn in our truck. Saturday morning we did that and some friends of our family picked us up in Joplin and took us to Tulsa so we could get a rental car for a one way rental to Salt Lake City. It was alot cheaper than flying back, and besides we had quite a bit of stuff from the truck to get home.
We got home a week ago yesterday (Sunday) and have been getting our house ready to put on the market to sell.
I should be leaving today or tomorrow to get my butt over to Fallon, approx 475mi from here, and Kim will stay here until our stuff is in storage and the house gets painted.
We are looking forward to the next chapter in our adventures. We will miss the open road and seeing the country and all the changes of mother nature. We will miss being together 24/7 and REALLY sharing our lives. We will miss the since of accomplishment we got from driving an 80 ton rig, 65ft long and delivering on time.
We left trucking on our terms, and on good terms. We never had a late load, a moving violation (I did get a ticket for hazmat at the scales), or an accident. We were lucky. We drove 10 months, and between the 2 of us, we logged 200,000 miles!
We saw all kinds of things while out there, and some we wish we wouldn't have. Many were just stupid things, people not thinking. Thats where I can make a little difference. I will be teaching a traffic safety program as part of my new job for the Navy and civilians on the base. I will also be teaching the basic rider course for new riders, and the sport bike course for anyone owning one of those. If I can plant a seed in someone's mind that saves a life someday, I will have made a difference.
Sooo, to all those who read and kept up with us,,,,Thank you. It has been fun and an adventure. I am glad you were part of it. Trucking is a hard job, and just not for us. The men and women out there doing it every day, day after day, nite after nite, deserve a pat on the back and a thanks from all of us.
So this is it. Keep it safe out there, and maybe we'll see you out there on the road somewhere, only I'll probably be on 2 wheels instead of 18!
Cheers
Yep, I said it, we are now off the road. I applied for several different postitions and have been hired to teach the motorcycle safety course and traffic safety program on a Naval base in Fallon, Nv.
In the end it was the 24/7 part of the job that got us more than anything. Working 6 days a week, and sleeping 4-6hrs a nite just was too much for us. We had a hard time sleeping in a moving truck so most of it was done when we had time to park for a bit. Running team does not allow for too much of that. Fortunately, with the dedicated route, we had that opportunity 3 nites of the week.
Sooooo, a week ago last Thursday when we got our repaired truck back, we told our Fleet manager to please route us to Joplin when they got us a load so we could turn in our truck. Saturday morning we did that and some friends of our family picked us up in Joplin and took us to Tulsa so we could get a rental car for a one way rental to Salt Lake City. It was alot cheaper than flying back, and besides we had quite a bit of stuff from the truck to get home.
We got home a week ago yesterday (Sunday) and have been getting our house ready to put on the market to sell.
I should be leaving today or tomorrow to get my butt over to Fallon, approx 475mi from here, and Kim will stay here until our stuff is in storage and the house gets painted.
We are looking forward to the next chapter in our adventures. We will miss the open road and seeing the country and all the changes of mother nature. We will miss being together 24/7 and REALLY sharing our lives. We will miss the since of accomplishment we got from driving an 80 ton rig, 65ft long and delivering on time.
We left trucking on our terms, and on good terms. We never had a late load, a moving violation (I did get a ticket for hazmat at the scales), or an accident. We were lucky. We drove 10 months, and between the 2 of us, we logged 200,000 miles!
We saw all kinds of things while out there, and some we wish we wouldn't have. Many were just stupid things, people not thinking. Thats where I can make a little difference. I will be teaching a traffic safety program as part of my new job for the Navy and civilians on the base. I will also be teaching the basic rider course for new riders, and the sport bike course for anyone owning one of those. If I can plant a seed in someone's mind that saves a life someday, I will have made a difference.
Sooo, to all those who read and kept up with us,,,,Thank you. It has been fun and an adventure. I am glad you were part of it. Trucking is a hard job, and just not for us. The men and women out there doing it every day, day after day, nite after nite, deserve a pat on the back and a thanks from all of us.
So this is it. Keep it safe out there, and maybe we'll see you out there on the road somewhere, only I'll probably be on 2 wheels instead of 18!
Cheers
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Mis-Adventures
We have had a few MIS-ADVENTURES in the last couple of weeks.
My dad was going to stop and visit while en-route from Alaska to Arizona a couple of weeks ago, and we had a grand-baby due anytime. We got back to Salt Lake about 2:30am that Friday morning and lo and behold, our next load was ready. YEEEHAW, we'll get an early start and be back nice and early Sunday to visit with Dad.
We made it to Aurora about 9am Saturday, and headed over to Gary to pick up our load and head home. Then the mis-adventures started. When we got there, I was told there was not a load for us. WHAT!!?? There is always a load, we run a dedicated route and this is pre-planned.
The icing on the cake was we were notified that Saturday afternoon that our first grandchild was about to be born!
I called in to dispatch and finally was told to go to Evansville, Ind to pick up a Whirlpool load. There SHOULD be a load ready and the plant has 24/7 guard to let us in to get it. WRONG! when we got there, the place was closed and locked tight. No guard either. We were told the scheduled pick up was 1100 Sunday so just wait. GRRRR,, this is not looking good. We spent the night, and went to a truck stop for breakfast Sunday. We ran into another driver waiting for the same place, and he told us there would not be anyone to let us in till 3pm. This is getting worse!
Finally, at 3pm Sunday, we got our load and headed home. My Dad was waiting for us. We usually get home around6-7pm Sunday. This week we were 24hrs driving time away at 3pm Sunday. 3 hours sleep and fueling time put us home at 7pm Monday. We got a 1.5hr visit with Dad, got some groceries, and went to bed for an early departure Tues morn.
This next week we were only going to Aurora and parking the truck. We rented a car and spent some time in Wisc and Mich with Kim's family. Her brother was here from Germany as well as his girlfriend and kids. It was a nice break from the mis-adventures we had been having.
We returned to Aurora Saturday to get our truck. We received our dispatch to Gary to get our load.
You'll NEVER guess what was NOT waiting for us in Gary this week! 3 loads headed to Salt Lake City, and they were all given away to other drivers before we got there! The last 2 weeks we had kicked A$$ to be early to Gary so we could get back to Salt Lake early. We had a new grand daughter born last Sunday to see. No load again,,dammit!
We eventually got sent from Gary back to north Chicago area (Des Plaines) to pick up a load and take it to Salt Lake City for a relay. It's final destination was Long Beach, Ca. This set us back about 3 hours, but we would still get back Sunday evening. We went to Des Moines and met our daughter to have dinner with her for her birthday. After that we made it just past Omaha to our normal rest area for some sleep. We got up about 4am and headed out.
About 10 min down the road, we heard a bang and tried to figure out what it was. Kim was driving, and I noticed smoke in bellowing out the rear in our mirrors. She pulled over and I got out to check things over. I expected a blown tire, but didn't find that. When I got up front and opened the hood, there it was. We had exactly the same problem as we had back in May.The fan assy had separated and had gone into the radiator!
We limped a couple miles to an exit and a small truck stop. We notified roadservice to get a tow and dispatch to get our load picked up.
By the way, this is Sunday of Labor Day weekend. We finally made it to a hotel about noon, and the truck went on to the wrecker yard. Kenworth is not open on Sundays, nor will it be tomorrow. So we will be stuck till at least Tues nite or Wed.
At least Omaha is a little better than being stuck in Rock Springs, Wy. We got a rental car and visited my aunt in Beatrice, Neb. So we are making the best of a bad situation.
So that's the latest Mis-adventures of Steve and Kim, due in part to mistakes in dispatch, and in part to the limits of mechanical devices.
Till next time, keep it safe out there, we'll be lookin for you!
Cheers
My dad was going to stop and visit while en-route from Alaska to Arizona a couple of weeks ago, and we had a grand-baby due anytime. We got back to Salt Lake about 2:30am that Friday morning and lo and behold, our next load was ready. YEEEHAW, we'll get an early start and be back nice and early Sunday to visit with Dad.
We made it to Aurora about 9am Saturday, and headed over to Gary to pick up our load and head home. Then the mis-adventures started. When we got there, I was told there was not a load for us. WHAT!!?? There is always a load, we run a dedicated route and this is pre-planned.
The icing on the cake was we were notified that Saturday afternoon that our first grandchild was about to be born!
I called in to dispatch and finally was told to go to Evansville, Ind to pick up a Whirlpool load. There SHOULD be a load ready and the plant has 24/7 guard to let us in to get it. WRONG! when we got there, the place was closed and locked tight. No guard either. We were told the scheduled pick up was 1100 Sunday so just wait. GRRRR,, this is not looking good. We spent the night, and went to a truck stop for breakfast Sunday. We ran into another driver waiting for the same place, and he told us there would not be anyone to let us in till 3pm. This is getting worse!
Finally, at 3pm Sunday, we got our load and headed home. My Dad was waiting for us. We usually get home around6-7pm Sunday. This week we were 24hrs driving time away at 3pm Sunday. 3 hours sleep and fueling time put us home at 7pm Monday. We got a 1.5hr visit with Dad, got some groceries, and went to bed for an early departure Tues morn.
This next week we were only going to Aurora and parking the truck. We rented a car and spent some time in Wisc and Mich with Kim's family. Her brother was here from Germany as well as his girlfriend and kids. It was a nice break from the mis-adventures we had been having.
We returned to Aurora Saturday to get our truck. We received our dispatch to Gary to get our load.
You'll NEVER guess what was NOT waiting for us in Gary this week! 3 loads headed to Salt Lake City, and they were all given away to other drivers before we got there! The last 2 weeks we had kicked A$$ to be early to Gary so we could get back to Salt Lake early. We had a new grand daughter born last Sunday to see. No load again,,dammit!
We eventually got sent from Gary back to north Chicago area (Des Plaines) to pick up a load and take it to Salt Lake City for a relay. It's final destination was Long Beach, Ca. This set us back about 3 hours, but we would still get back Sunday evening. We went to Des Moines and met our daughter to have dinner with her for her birthday. After that we made it just past Omaha to our normal rest area for some sleep. We got up about 4am and headed out.
About 10 min down the road, we heard a bang and tried to figure out what it was. Kim was driving, and I noticed smoke in bellowing out the rear in our mirrors. She pulled over and I got out to check things over. I expected a blown tire, but didn't find that. When I got up front and opened the hood, there it was. We had exactly the same problem as we had back in May.The fan assy had separated and had gone into the radiator!
We limped a couple miles to an exit and a small truck stop. We notified roadservice to get a tow and dispatch to get our load picked up.
By the way, this is Sunday of Labor Day weekend. We finally made it to a hotel about noon, and the truck went on to the wrecker yard. Kenworth is not open on Sundays, nor will it be tomorrow. So we will be stuck till at least Tues nite or Wed.
At least Omaha is a little better than being stuck in Rock Springs, Wy. We got a rental car and visited my aunt in Beatrice, Neb. So we are making the best of a bad situation.
So that's the latest Mis-adventures of Steve and Kim, due in part to mistakes in dispatch, and in part to the limits of mechanical devices.
Till next time, keep it safe out there, we'll be lookin for you!
Cheers
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Latest Adventures
Hello to all our friends again. I have had several inquiries concerning our well-being and the status of the blog since my last post. It is really humbling to hear so many people care! Thank you for your well wishes and inquiries.
Yes, Kim and I are fine. We have just been running from Salt Lake to Aurora, Ill, to Gary, Ind, and back to Salt Lake. We have had some small adventures during the trips, but nothing earth-shattering. I got lazy, and just have not felt I had enough to write much about.
Some of the "interesting" side stories are:
One evening while stopped in Grand Island, Ne for fuel, Kim noticed one of our drive tires seemed low. I put some air in it and kept an eye on it. That night when we stopped I noticed a screw head buried in the tread. We marked it, kept an eye on it, and took it to a Speedco for repair. It is something to see them remove one of these super single tires we use. If you can imagine a single tire and wheel approximately the same width as the normal duals you see on most tractor/trailers. That is what we use on the rear tires on the tractor. We have 4 rear or drive tires vs 8 on most tractors. It was quite an ordeal for them to break it off the rim by hand, their machine didn't handle anything that wide.
On another trip, we were pulling a hazmat load, and got pulled into our favorite weigh scales coming into Des Moines, westbound. We scaled and was told to pull around and park and an inspector would be right out. UH OH. When he came out, I met him as he pointed to the rear of the trailer and commented that the rear placard was missing. Did I mention it was raining,,,and windy? He stated that it happens sometimes, gets sucked right out of the holder. I told him I had some spares and would put in another right away. Not so fast,,,,lets take a look around,,,turn on lights, turn signals, etc. We did a complete walk around, "pre-flight" inspection. Everything else was ok. He told me get all the paperwork, and come on inside. By the way, do you have the Emergency response book? "uhhhhhh,,I have the Hazmat guide book." Nope, not good enough, you need the one that tells you how to handle a spill or problem with any of the different hazmat materials. "Nope, never told that, or provided that book. " Thats not good.
Well after we in, he looked at the bills and noticed I should have another type of placard on the trailer. This is getting worse by the minute! Oh, by the way, did I mention it was raining? Not just rain, but lightning,,and rain isn't really the right word,,,downpour, flood, underwater, are words that come to mind. In fact the scale house lost power! Poor Kim was out in the truck being rocked to sleep by the tornado. Well, it sure could have been one, it was that scarey.
When he got done, I had a fine for no guidebook, and warning for the placards. The truck was placed out of service till we had the placards in place. That means we don't leave the parking lot till they were on. Did I mention I mention it still DOWNPOURING???? Ok, now the funny scene, here's Kim holding an umbrella against the wind and rain, so Steve can try to wipe the trailer dry enough in a spot long enough to put placards on all 4 sides. You have to realize that no matter what, we were gonna get wet on at least 3 sides of that trailer. I don't know how, but we got the placards on, and got drenched on all 4 sides! I sure hoped they stayed on long enough for me to drive past the scale house. They did. However, as we left the area and entered the interstate, I noticed one of the inspectors heading out also behind me, GREAT,,,he knows the placards cannot stay on. Oh well, too late to turn back now. I kept going toward Des Moines. Eventually he pulled off on one of the exits. I kept going!!! A couple of hours down the road when we ran out of the rain, we pulled over at a rest area, and checked out the trailer. I don't know how, but ALL the placards were still in place!!!
We did have a nice 4 day weekend off at home during the 4th of July and had some good times with our son. It was kinda hard to head back out after that.
Most recently, our son tried out for American Idol while they were in Salt Lake this week. It was reported over 10000 tried out. He didn't make the first cut but says he'll try again next year.
SOOOO,, there you go, some of the latest adventures of Steve and Kim. I will add more stories as we have them.
And again, my thanks to all those who inquired to our well being.
Till next time, keep it safe out there!
Yes, Kim and I are fine. We have just been running from Salt Lake to Aurora, Ill, to Gary, Ind, and back to Salt Lake. We have had some small adventures during the trips, but nothing earth-shattering. I got lazy, and just have not felt I had enough to write much about.
Some of the "interesting" side stories are:
One evening while stopped in Grand Island, Ne for fuel, Kim noticed one of our drive tires seemed low. I put some air in it and kept an eye on it. That night when we stopped I noticed a screw head buried in the tread. We marked it, kept an eye on it, and took it to a Speedco for repair. It is something to see them remove one of these super single tires we use. If you can imagine a single tire and wheel approximately the same width as the normal duals you see on most tractor/trailers. That is what we use on the rear tires on the tractor. We have 4 rear or drive tires vs 8 on most tractors. It was quite an ordeal for them to break it off the rim by hand, their machine didn't handle anything that wide.
On another trip, we were pulling a hazmat load, and got pulled into our favorite weigh scales coming into Des Moines, westbound. We scaled and was told to pull around and park and an inspector would be right out. UH OH. When he came out, I met him as he pointed to the rear of the trailer and commented that the rear placard was missing. Did I mention it was raining,,,and windy? He stated that it happens sometimes, gets sucked right out of the holder. I told him I had some spares and would put in another right away. Not so fast,,,,lets take a look around,,,turn on lights, turn signals, etc. We did a complete walk around, "pre-flight" inspection. Everything else was ok. He told me get all the paperwork, and come on inside. By the way, do you have the Emergency response book? "uhhhhhh,,I have the Hazmat guide book." Nope, not good enough, you need the one that tells you how to handle a spill or problem with any of the different hazmat materials. "Nope, never told that, or provided that book. " Thats not good.
Well after we in, he looked at the bills and noticed I should have another type of placard on the trailer. This is getting worse by the minute! Oh, by the way, did I mention it was raining? Not just rain, but lightning,,and rain isn't really the right word,,,downpour, flood, underwater, are words that come to mind. In fact the scale house lost power! Poor Kim was out in the truck being rocked to sleep by the tornado. Well, it sure could have been one, it was that scarey.
When he got done, I had a fine for no guidebook, and warning for the placards. The truck was placed out of service till we had the placards in place. That means we don't leave the parking lot till they were on. Did I mention I mention it still DOWNPOURING???? Ok, now the funny scene, here's Kim holding an umbrella against the wind and rain, so Steve can try to wipe the trailer dry enough in a spot long enough to put placards on all 4 sides. You have to realize that no matter what, we were gonna get wet on at least 3 sides of that trailer. I don't know how, but we got the placards on, and got drenched on all 4 sides! I sure hoped they stayed on long enough for me to drive past the scale house. They did. However, as we left the area and entered the interstate, I noticed one of the inspectors heading out also behind me, GREAT,,,he knows the placards cannot stay on. Oh well, too late to turn back now. I kept going toward Des Moines. Eventually he pulled off on one of the exits. I kept going!!! A couple of hours down the road when we ran out of the rain, we pulled over at a rest area, and checked out the trailer. I don't know how, but ALL the placards were still in place!!!
We did have a nice 4 day weekend off at home during the 4th of July and had some good times with our son. It was kinda hard to head back out after that.
Most recently, our son tried out for American Idol while they were in Salt Lake this week. It was reported over 10000 tried out. He didn't make the first cut but says he'll try again next year.
SOOOO,, there you go, some of the latest adventures of Steve and Kim. I will add more stories as we have them.
And again, my thanks to all those who inquired to our well being.
Till next time, keep it safe out there!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Back to a "normal" week
We had a pretty good day off. We were busy nearly the entire time it seemed, getting our "chores" and errands done in time to hit the road Tuesday morning. One day off sure goes fast, but it's better than nothing! We did home a little later than normal Sunday nite due to the detour we had to take on I-80 in Iowa.
Tuesday morning we got our load early and headed out of Salt Lake before all the commuters hit the road. It's just a little easier that way, tho not so easy to get up that early! As we went along Tuesday I kept trying to get info on the detour, but really didn't hear anything, so we parked for our normal nite just east of Council Bluffs. Wednesday morning on the way to Des Moines, we saw the portable highway signs declaring I-80 was now open all the way across Iowa. YA, that'll cut the time back to what it should be!
The rest of the trip there was good. Weather held up for us (with the exception of some sprinkles in Lincoln) and we a good ride. Typical trip, made it to Gary, had our shower and went back to the Conway yard for a relaxing evening.
We are now in western Nebraska, and Kim has taken command for her drive. I typically drive from Gary, Ind to somewhere between Grand island and Nrth Platte, Neb. It usually pushes between 650-700mi for the day. Kim usually does about the same, and gets us over to the Rock Springs, Wy area. I have to have 10hrs down time before I can take it back and finish the trip to SLC. We each can DRIVE a maximum of 11 hrs but have to have 10hrs between drives. I stress drive, because fuel stops, rest breaks, etc don't count against drive time. We have up to 14hrs to get our 11hours of driving in. However, if we get to that 14h mark and don't have the 11hrs finished, we are done with whatever we have at that point. Then we must have 10hrs off before we can start driving again.
OK, enough logbookology, we should get back to SLC about 2:30 am local (according to Lola) in the morning. We'll swap this trailer for another loaded one (after SOMEONE gets to back this one into the dock :) ) We then head back to Aurora for the 2nd half of our week. Those are the weekend runs that pretty much leave us to our own schedule. We usually push about normal tho so we can get back to SLC at a decent time Sunday evening.
On a final note, since I-80 was open, we got to see some of the flooded areas in Iowa. Our hearts really go out to those people. You always believe and hope that nothing bad can happen to you and yours, but seeing it first hand really proves just how powerless we are against Mother Nature.
Till next time, keep it safe out there!
Tuesday morning we got our load early and headed out of Salt Lake before all the commuters hit the road. It's just a little easier that way, tho not so easy to get up that early! As we went along Tuesday I kept trying to get info on the detour, but really didn't hear anything, so we parked for our normal nite just east of Council Bluffs. Wednesday morning on the way to Des Moines, we saw the portable highway signs declaring I-80 was now open all the way across Iowa. YA, that'll cut the time back to what it should be!
The rest of the trip there was good. Weather held up for us (with the exception of some sprinkles in Lincoln) and we a good ride. Typical trip, made it to Gary, had our shower and went back to the Conway yard for a relaxing evening.
We are now in western Nebraska, and Kim has taken command for her drive. I typically drive from Gary, Ind to somewhere between Grand island and Nrth Platte, Neb. It usually pushes between 650-700mi for the day. Kim usually does about the same, and gets us over to the Rock Springs, Wy area. I have to have 10hrs down time before I can take it back and finish the trip to SLC. We each can DRIVE a maximum of 11 hrs but have to have 10hrs between drives. I stress drive, because fuel stops, rest breaks, etc don't count against drive time. We have up to 14hrs to get our 11hours of driving in. However, if we get to that 14h mark and don't have the 11hrs finished, we are done with whatever we have at that point. Then we must have 10hrs off before we can start driving again.
OK, enough logbookology, we should get back to SLC about 2:30 am local (according to Lola) in the morning. We'll swap this trailer for another loaded one (after SOMEONE gets to back this one into the dock :) ) We then head back to Aurora for the 2nd half of our week. Those are the weekend runs that pretty much leave us to our own schedule. We usually push about normal tho so we can get back to SLC at a decent time Sunday evening.
On a final note, since I-80 was open, we got to see some of the flooded areas in Iowa. Our hearts really go out to those people. You always believe and hope that nothing bad can happen to you and yours, but seeing it first hand really proves just how powerless we are against Mother Nature.
Till next time, keep it safe out there!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Floods and detour
Well, I got the motorhome back and set up ok. We hit the road Friday morning with our weekend half of our runs. There has been alot of rains and flooding in Iowa so I tried to check it out before we left and heard nothing about our route. When we got over in the Nebraska/Iowa area, we heard I -80 had been closed between Des Moines and Davenport Iowa. WOW, the whole eastern half of the state. We had to go up I-35 to Webster City, pick up US 20 and head over to Debuque. From there the detour headed back down US 61 back to Davenport and picked up 80. Since we were going to Aurora, which is north of I-80 anyway, we stayed on 20 over to Rockford Ill. and drop down on I-39. Much of US 20 was a scenic route and abit of a challenge at times going thru some of the small town city centers! It was a really nice change of pace, however, it add QUITE abit of time onto the trip. We got into Aurora, picked up our trailer, (again, this time, things were slooow getting the paperwork, etc and just added to the frustration), and headed on over to Gary.
From Gary we took I-80 back to Davenport and picked up the detour back up to Debuque. If you have never been to Debuque, you should take a look. It is really a pretty town in the hills and right on the river. I was quite impressed and would like to spend some time there sometime exploring.
We really felt for all the people in central Iowa with the flooding. We saw fields totally swallowed up by the rivers in the areas. We saw houses, well, at least we saw the roofs. Imagining what was under the water really got to you when you thought it could be you.
On our way from Davenport to Debuque Saturday evening, the worst thing happened that could. It RAINED more. The roads to the south of I-80 were flooding more and more as the rivers rose and crested in those areas. To the north it was finally receding some. SOME. It will be quite some time before the area will return to somewhat of a normal situation.
We finally made it back to SLC about 3hours later than normal, but well within our required time on this weekend run. They are not required till Monday afternoon, however, we get back Sunday and have Monday off at home.
The weather is warming up and we now have both our motorcycles here so lookout Utah, we'll be out and about on Mondays now. At least after I get my chores, honey-do's, and we get laundry, grocery store , and packing done. Hmmm,,well, maybe an hour ride anyway?
Till next time, keep it safe out there!
From Gary we took I-80 back to Davenport and picked up the detour back up to Debuque. If you have never been to Debuque, you should take a look. It is really a pretty town in the hills and right on the river. I was quite impressed and would like to spend some time there sometime exploring.
We really felt for all the people in central Iowa with the flooding. We saw fields totally swallowed up by the rivers in the areas. We saw houses, well, at least we saw the roofs. Imagining what was under the water really got to you when you thought it could be you.
On our way from Davenport to Debuque Saturday evening, the worst thing happened that could. It RAINED more. The roads to the south of I-80 were flooding more and more as the rivers rose and crested in those areas. To the north it was finally receding some. SOME. It will be quite some time before the area will return to somewhat of a normal situation.
We finally made it back to SLC about 3hours later than normal, but well within our required time on this weekend run. They are not required till Monday afternoon, however, we get back Sunday and have Monday off at home.
The weather is warming up and we now have both our motorcycles here so lookout Utah, we'll be out and about on Mondays now. At least after I get my chores, honey-do's, and we get laundry, grocery store , and packing done. Hmmm,,well, maybe an hour ride anyway?
Till next time, keep it safe out there!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
week off
We have had a week off so I could get our motorhome and motorcycles moved back out here to SLC. Originally, we left it at the employee parking in Joplin because we thought that was a central locaton when we wanted to use it. Now that we are running a dedicated run from SLC, we need it back home. I flew out to Tulsa last Fri nite, and my Dad picked me up. He had gone to Joplin and took care of some issues it needed to hit the road again. I spent the weekend with him and my brother, then hit the road with my Dad to visit my Aunt in Beatrice, Neb on my way back. Dad has a motorhome just like mine, same year, just a different model.
From there, on up to Lincoln and hit I-80 and head home. Hmmm,,not sure if I can remember the way down I-80! :) The only trouble this trip was WIND! High winds from the south till I got past Rock Springs, then it switched around from the north and believe it or not, SNOWED on me near Limon, WY (40 mi from Evanston). We just cannot get rid of winter!
From Evanston and on into SLC, it cleared up some and was a welcome 65 degrees. It was 93 while in Okla with about 90 percent humidity. WHEW, not used to that humidity anymore!
Oh well, everything is safe and sound at home now, just needs a good cleaning before we get the bikes out. Unwritten law, all bikes must shine!
We head back out on the road in the morning. We will be headed thru all the area in Iowa and Ill where the floods have been. The TV has been talking about Iowa City sandbagging. Sure hope everyone is ok, and the rivers go back down soon.
Till next time, keep it safe out there!
From there, on up to Lincoln and hit I-80 and head home. Hmmm,,not sure if I can remember the way down I-80! :) The only trouble this trip was WIND! High winds from the south till I got past Rock Springs, then it switched around from the north and believe it or not, SNOWED on me near Limon, WY (40 mi from Evanston). We just cannot get rid of winter!
From Evanston and on into SLC, it cleared up some and was a welcome 65 degrees. It was 93 while in Okla with about 90 percent humidity. WHEW, not used to that humidity anymore!
Oh well, everything is safe and sound at home now, just needs a good cleaning before we get the bikes out. Unwritten law, all bikes must shine!
We head back out on the road in the morning. We will be headed thru all the area in Iowa and Ill where the floods have been. The TV has been talking about Iowa City sandbagging. Sure hope everyone is ok, and the rivers go back down soon.
Till next time, keep it safe out there!
Friday, May 30, 2008
All HAIL breaks loose
We got up early at Gary, got our trailer and hit the road. No problems. This week is going too smooth. We were "fortunate" to have a hazmat load this time headed to Salt Lake. I had a funny feeling about it as well, and took a little more time on the preflight insp. than normal. When we crossed over the Ill/Iowa border, I kinda figured we'd get pulled in at that weigh station for some check of paperwork, etc. When we have a hazmat load, we are required to go enter the weigh station if open. Usually, we just get run across the scales and on our way. Once in awhile, they tell us to park and bring in the paperwork on the truck, bills of lading (bol's), etc. We have had no problem yet with this, just a little time consuming. Well, the first scale house we hit was normal, across the scale and on our way. The next one we hit was as we approached Des Moines. Across the scale, then "pull in and park, bring in the registrations, BOL's, license, medical card, etc." UH OH! I parked and took everything in. The inspector looked at everything, and even ran my name/license # thru the system to make sure I was ok and no fake license. (Do I look THAT dumb?). After that, he said lets go look at the truck and trailer. He looked, and looked, and looked. Under the hood, under the chassis, at the brakes, all the lites, horn, wipers, etc. He even marked the rod on the brake canisters, then had me depress the brake pedal to see if they moved far enough for proper operation on ALL wheels. After all that, he told me to grab my log book and come on back in.
He went thru my logs, and filled out some paperwork on the computer, had me sign, and told me good job. I just had my first LEVEL 1 inspection by DOT and did not get any violations. WHEW! I've heard about these inspections, but so far had avoided it. Guess it was my turn. Just glad it all went well.
OK, that down, the rest of the trip should be a piece of cake, right? Not so fast pilgrim!
Seems as Mother Nature had her own ideas of keeping my day interesting. We got on over toward Kearney, Neb, and heard of severe thunderstorm warnings, and tornado watches. The sky kept getting darker, then started to rain some. Next came a little hail. Then ALOT of HAIL and rain! All of a sudden I could not see past the hood of the truck. It was raining so hard and hailing, I couldn't hear Kim either. It looked like we were underwater, it was a weird aqua-greyish green out. I knew we were in trouble when I saw leaves and twigs hitting my windshield! Kim said they were spinning around. I just started shutting it down to pull over and just in time, Kim pointed out a truck camper stopped RIGHT in front of me. I swerved around him, and pulled over on the shoulder as FAR as I could behind some other cars and trucks. A couple minutes later, it lightened up where we could see a little, and we started on down the road slowly, still barely able to see the next car. It kept getting lighter, and we kept on down the road, as fast as our little truck would carry us! About 30 mi later, it was all clear, sunny, etc, and weather the rest of the way to SLC was not an issue.
WHEW, I have NEVER been in anything like that on the road, and hope not to again!
We got into SLC about 4am, dropped and reloaded, and rolled out. Now we are headed back to Aurora. I think we'll shut down again for the nite just east of Council Bluffs then hit Aurora sometime late morning.
Hopefully Mother Nature will figure she got our attention and leave us alone for the rest of the trip. And we also got a nice little sticker on our windshield from the DOT that I assume tells them we have had a Level 1 inspection recently, so hopefully they won't bother us either.
Here's to hoping anyway!
Till next time, keep it safe out there. (Right Dad? No more autocrossing with RV's!) :)
He went thru my logs, and filled out some paperwork on the computer, had me sign, and told me good job. I just had my first LEVEL 1 inspection by DOT and did not get any violations. WHEW! I've heard about these inspections, but so far had avoided it. Guess it was my turn. Just glad it all went well.
OK, that down, the rest of the trip should be a piece of cake, right? Not so fast pilgrim!
Seems as Mother Nature had her own ideas of keeping my day interesting. We got on over toward Kearney, Neb, and heard of severe thunderstorm warnings, and tornado watches. The sky kept getting darker, then started to rain some. Next came a little hail. Then ALOT of HAIL and rain! All of a sudden I could not see past the hood of the truck. It was raining so hard and hailing, I couldn't hear Kim either. It looked like we were underwater, it was a weird aqua-greyish green out. I knew we were in trouble when I saw leaves and twigs hitting my windshield! Kim said they were spinning around. I just started shutting it down to pull over and just in time, Kim pointed out a truck camper stopped RIGHT in front of me. I swerved around him, and pulled over on the shoulder as FAR as I could behind some other cars and trucks. A couple minutes later, it lightened up where we could see a little, and we started on down the road slowly, still barely able to see the next car. It kept getting lighter, and we kept on down the road, as fast as our little truck would carry us! About 30 mi later, it was all clear, sunny, etc, and weather the rest of the way to SLC was not an issue.
WHEW, I have NEVER been in anything like that on the road, and hope not to again!
We got into SLC about 4am, dropped and reloaded, and rolled out. Now we are headed back to Aurora. I think we'll shut down again for the nite just east of Council Bluffs then hit Aurora sometime late morning.
Hopefully Mother Nature will figure she got our attention and leave us alone for the rest of the trip. And we also got a nice little sticker on our windshield from the DOT that I assume tells them we have had a Level 1 inspection recently, so hopefully they won't bother us either.
Here's to hoping anyway!
Till next time, keep it safe out there. (Right Dad? No more autocrossing with RV's!) :)
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Nice weekend, now get back to work! :)
Well, we had a good weekend off. At least part of the weekend. I enjoyed teaching the motorcycle course, tho my legs and feet were complaining a little because they haven't been used like that in awhile.
Got back into the routine Tues. morn, and picked up our trailer at about 6:30. Headed out and had great weather till Kim took over (imagine that!) in Nebraska. Rained all the way to our rest stop just past Council Bluffs. Got up this morning to more rain. UCK. Finally after we got past Des Moines, it cleared up and has been a nice day.
We dropped the trailer in Aurora, then beat feet over to Gary and dropped our empty. We had been notified last week that our truck was due a service and oil change. We made our way over to the Speedco next to the Pilot here in Gary. An hour an a half later, we had a "fresh" truck. Oil change, lubed, new wipers, good to go again.
We are sitting at the Gary yard now, waiting on dinner to cook in the "lunchbox" oven, then it will be an early nite. 3:30am rolls around too quickly sometimes.
We hope all of you had a great Memorial Day weekend, and paid tribute to all the fallen heros.
2 members of my class were wives from the Patriot Guard Riders. It is an organization whose soul purpose is to honor those who defend our freedom. Check them out on the web. Great group of people nationwide. http://www.patriotguard.org/
Cheers
Got back into the routine Tues. morn, and picked up our trailer at about 6:30. Headed out and had great weather till Kim took over (imagine that!) in Nebraska. Rained all the way to our rest stop just past Council Bluffs. Got up this morning to more rain. UCK. Finally after we got past Des Moines, it cleared up and has been a nice day.
We dropped the trailer in Aurora, then beat feet over to Gary and dropped our empty. We had been notified last week that our truck was due a service and oil change. We made our way over to the Speedco next to the Pilot here in Gary. An hour an a half later, we had a "fresh" truck. Oil change, lubed, new wipers, good to go again.
We are sitting at the Gary yard now, waiting on dinner to cook in the "lunchbox" oven, then it will be an early nite. 3:30am rolls around too quickly sometimes.
We hope all of you had a great Memorial Day weekend, and paid tribute to all the fallen heros.
2 members of my class were wives from the Patriot Guard Riders. It is an organization whose soul purpose is to honor those who defend our freedom. Check them out on the web. Great group of people nationwide. http://www.patriotguard.org/
Cheers
Friday, May 23, 2008
short week
Well, we had a nice "short" week this week. Short being about 2850mi in 3 days. That is also with 12 hours down in Gary Ind. on Wednesday nite. We got back to SLC about 5am this morning (Friday), turned in our paperwork, docked the trailer, did a yard check (we take an inventory of all CFI trailers in the Conway yard every Friday morning), and headed home.
The trip this time was fairly uneventful, until we got to the Nebraska panhandle area and into Wyoming.
Someone should correct me if I am wrong, but last I looked at the calendar, this is LATE MAY! It looked like January last nite going thru that area with snow flying, and slush and ice covered roads. We also had some mean showers to go thru, and the clouds were pretty scarey. Apparrently, it was remnants from the storm that produced tornadoes down in Colorado, north of Denver. It was a pretty slow creep down the mountain into Laramie also. It was ice packed 5 and 6% grades for about 15miles.
We are off for the Memorial Day weekend now, and head back out on the road Tuesday morning. Not sure we will know what to do with 4 days off, tho I have most of Sat and part of Sun booked. I will be teaching the Motorcycle Safety Course this weekend to a group of beginner riders. I have not had a chance to teach since last fall, so it should be interesting.
Well, till next time, keep it safe this weekend!
And please take a minute and remember what Memorial Day is all about. Our prayers and well wishes to all the families of the fallen heros.
The trip this time was fairly uneventful, until we got to the Nebraska panhandle area and into Wyoming.
Someone should correct me if I am wrong, but last I looked at the calendar, this is LATE MAY! It looked like January last nite going thru that area with snow flying, and slush and ice covered roads. We also had some mean showers to go thru, and the clouds were pretty scarey. Apparrently, it was remnants from the storm that produced tornadoes down in Colorado, north of Denver. It was a pretty slow creep down the mountain into Laramie also. It was ice packed 5 and 6% grades for about 15miles.
We are off for the Memorial Day weekend now, and head back out on the road Tuesday morning. Not sure we will know what to do with 4 days off, tho I have most of Sat and part of Sun booked. I will be teaching the Motorcycle Safety Course this weekend to a group of beginner riders. I have not had a chance to teach since last fall, so it should be interesting.
Well, till next time, keep it safe this weekend!
And please take a minute and remember what Memorial Day is all about. Our prayers and well wishes to all the families of the fallen heros.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Almost a perfect week.
Here is a picture of big rigs parked on the side of the highway just west of Park City, UT on I-80. UGGGGGGGHHHHHH.We have been waiting for a week without any problems, delays, etc. It ALMOST happened this week. Aurora and Gary were indeed ready, so we got our paperwork and trailer and got out of Gary on schedule. We went to the rest area between Omaha and Lincoln and parked at 1030pm for a 5hour nite, then hit the road headed home. Our eta on "Lola" (our GPS) eventually had us due in about 6:30pm after a couple of short breaks during the day.
We were about 30 MINUTES from home when it happened. While making our way thru Park City, I notice a looooong line of big trucks parked along the side of the highway on the outbound side of Park City. I got on the CB and asked what was up. A tanker had been hit, and was leaking. There was a hazmat team cleaning it up.
Great! Soooo close to a "normal" week, and now we sit. We ended up sitting for a little over 2 hours by the time we got going and got past the accident. Seems there was a high speed chase on the eastbound side. The driver decided to end it, and swerved into a tanker, causing it leak all over, and also killing himself. Very sad. It was worse for the eastbound side coming up out of Salt Lake. Their lanes didn't get opened till about 1am. It was about 8:30pm for us.
We have had a really nice day off. 91 degrees, and I got to get out and get a ride with the guy who took over my old job. We rode up into the mountains to Kamas, UT (behind Park City area) and had a nice lunch. From there, he headed back toward Ogden, and I went back to Park City, and picked up I-80 again, and back home. Great to ride in the mountains again!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Special groups
Not much to report ths week,,,so far. We have got our trailers on time, and out early from SLC as normal (about 6:00-6:30). That gives us extra time on the first leg to Aurora, Il so we have the option of sleeping for awhile. We usually park it from 3-5hrs during the nite.
We are now on the 2nd round and about 150mi from Aurora on this Saturday morning. We stayed in a rest area between Lincoln and Omaha for a 5hr nite, then got up and out about 3:30 this morning. Should be in Aurora about 11am. We deadhead (pull an empty trailer) over to Gary, and should be out of there about 1pm headed home.
The weather sure is great this weekend. It's already about 75deg here, and the bikes are out in force this morning! That reminds me, yesterday we encountered a group of about 30 motorcycles with support vehicles. Veterans Awareness Ride to the wall. They were headed to Washington DC to the big ride on Memorial Day weekend. There is a Ride to the Wall going on now on all the major west to east routes, I10, I40, and I80. When they all get there, the ride is called Rolling Thunder, and is quite a site to see. Keep your eyes and ears open if your out there and run int the groups. The Ride to Wall is HUGE, we're talking thousands! Give 'em a honk and a waive. One day, maybe I can join my veteran brothers and motorcyclists and ride to wall with them.
Thats about it for now, gotta get back into the driver seat and finish off this run. Hopefully, Aurora and Gary will be ready us this time.
Till next time, keep it safe out there! And our special waive this week is to all the veterans, Memorial Day Weekend is next weekend. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.
We are now on the 2nd round and about 150mi from Aurora on this Saturday morning. We stayed in a rest area between Lincoln and Omaha for a 5hr nite, then got up and out about 3:30 this morning. Should be in Aurora about 11am. We deadhead (pull an empty trailer) over to Gary, and should be out of there about 1pm headed home.
The weather sure is great this weekend. It's already about 75deg here, and the bikes are out in force this morning! That reminds me, yesterday we encountered a group of about 30 motorcycles with support vehicles. Veterans Awareness Ride to the wall. They were headed to Washington DC to the big ride on Memorial Day weekend. There is a Ride to the Wall going on now on all the major west to east routes, I10, I40, and I80. When they all get there, the ride is called Rolling Thunder, and is quite a site to see. Keep your eyes and ears open if your out there and run int the groups. The Ride to Wall is HUGE, we're talking thousands! Give 'em a honk and a waive. One day, maybe I can join my veteran brothers and motorcyclists and ride to wall with them.
Thats about it for now, gotta get back into the driver seat and finish off this run. Hopefully, Aurora and Gary will be ready us this time.
Till next time, keep it safe out there! And our special waive this week is to all the veterans, Memorial Day Weekend is next weekend. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Monday, May 12, 2008
A Record week and Mothers Day
Ok, we made our trip to Aurora without incident, and got over to Gary about 1100 Saturday morning. Things have been going pretty smooth this time around. Or so we thought. The guard at Gary uually has the paperwork ur Saturday load since only a few work on weekends. He kinda looked puzzled when we pulled up and said he no paperwork for us. Hmmm,,well, I'll go inside and talk with the supervisor. "Uh, no, he not here, he just left." Damm, I go on in and see some of the weekend crew. They had trouble finding paperwork for us. After about 30-45 min. we finally got the paperwork, found a trailer, hooked up and left.
We had arranged to meet our daughter in Des Moines for dinner. We made it to the Pilot there and she picked us up for a nice dinner to celebrate mothers day. After dinner, we made our way on to Omaha then shut down for the night.The winds had REALLY kicked up to the tune of 50mph gusts. We had been running pretty hard to get to Des Moines a little earlier than normal. Shutting down for a few hours was the safe thing to do. By morning the winds had died down some, and we headed home.
Our week, dispatch and paywise, is from Midnite Sunday morning to Midnite Saturday nite. This week we set a new weekly mileage record for us. 7200mi in a week, and was home Monday. Thats kickin a$$. :)
Kim decided to try a blueberry muffin mix in the lunchbox cooker. Putting it into a tin bread pan, she thought it would make a little cake for breakfast. Sounded good, and smelled even better! Only problem was she got up to do something in back, tripped over the wire, and knocked it over before it was done. You know what happened when you turn over a pan of muffins before it cooked? Its called a mess. Oh well, she finished cooking it, then scraped it out. It still tasted good!
We made it home about 7pm and got a good night sleep.
Monday morning we had to go back and get the truck. We had an appointment at the Salt Lake Kenworth service dept. to get our windshield replaced. This is the 2nd time in about 3 weeks. Hope this one lasts longer!
Weather is kinda cool today. No riding this week. Next week looks great,,,,so far. Hopefuly Memorial day weekend is great too. We will be off after our first run that week, giving us a 4 day weekend. I will also teach a Motorcycle Safety Class that weekend. I enjoy teaching motorcycle riding to beginner riders. It a challenge but rewarding and fun too.
Till next time, keep it safe out there. And give a waive to the new bikers out there, they're grinning ear to ear this time of year!
We had arranged to meet our daughter in Des Moines for dinner. We made it to the Pilot there and she picked us up for a nice dinner to celebrate mothers day. After dinner, we made our way on to Omaha then shut down for the night.The winds had REALLY kicked up to the tune of 50mph gusts. We had been running pretty hard to get to Des Moines a little earlier than normal. Shutting down for a few hours was the safe thing to do. By morning the winds had died down some, and we headed home.
Our week, dispatch and paywise, is from Midnite Sunday morning to Midnite Saturday nite. This week we set a new weekly mileage record for us. 7200mi in a week, and was home Monday. Thats kickin a$$. :)
Kim decided to try a blueberry muffin mix in the lunchbox cooker. Putting it into a tin bread pan, she thought it would make a little cake for breakfast. Sounded good, and smelled even better! Only problem was she got up to do something in back, tripped over the wire, and knocked it over before it was done. You know what happened when you turn over a pan of muffins before it cooked? Its called a mess. Oh well, she finished cooking it, then scraped it out. It still tasted good!
We made it home about 7pm and got a good night sleep.
Monday morning we had to go back and get the truck. We had an appointment at the Salt Lake Kenworth service dept. to get our windshield replaced. This is the 2nd time in about 3 weeks. Hope this one lasts longer!
Weather is kinda cool today. No riding this week. Next week looks great,,,,so far. Hopefuly Memorial day weekend is great too. We will be off after our first run that week, giving us a 4 day weekend. I will also teach a Motorcycle Safety Class that weekend. I enjoy teaching motorcycle riding to beginner riders. It a challenge but rewarding and fun too.
Till next time, keep it safe out there. And give a waive to the new bikers out there, they're grinning ear to ear this time of year!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Wyoming thaw and a new schedule
Ok, I know, I am overdue an update! Here we go!
Yes, we finally got out of Wyoming. That night about 9:30pm we heard they had opened the road, but were still reporting high winds, blowing snow, etc. We also knew all the others that had been stuck around the closure would be hitting the road, so we decided to sit tight until 3am. Weather report had it clearing after that and by that time, the road would be cleared of all the "impatient" ones that had to be there yesterday. That put us about 16hrs behind what our schedule should have been, but this is the weekend pull, so we have until Monday and Tuesday before these loads are late.
We had some good rest in Rock Springs, so we pressed on to Aurora without stopping. Got there about midnite. We pulled up and and ,,,,,uh oh, the gate was closed! No worries, I spotted the security guard in his car in front of the building. I flash my lights, and just know he will come right over and let us in.........welll, maybe if I flash them again,,,,,,,,,,,no luck! Hmmmm,,,,maybe a little toot on the horn.....nope,,,alright,,,now he's going to get the air horn!,,,,and again! Alright, this isn't funny, we are tired and need to get on our way. AH HA,,the spot llight! AND the air horn! Finally, his lights come on and he moseys over and lets us in. 10 minutes I have parked the loaded trailer, unhooked, hooked up to the empty, and we are out the gate. Sure hope that guard catches up on HIS sleep too!.
We make our way over to Gary,,and guess what?! The gate is locked. And there is the guard, or at least his car in front of docks. Flash the lights,,,honk the horn, now the air horn, now the spot light. Yup, we go thru the same routine. a few times. I even get out, and try to see if he is in the car or not. Can't tell. Back to the air horn for some loooong blasts just in case he is inside. FINALLY a groggy security guard wakes up, makes his way over, and tries to unlock the gate. He can't see the keys, and has a hard time with it. Then looks for the right paperwork and can't tell which packet says CFI/Conway Truckload. By this time I've had it. I get out, grab the paperwork from him, and mumble something about if he weren't sleeping he could read the damn thing. I show him ours, get in the truck, find the trailer, run across the scales, adjust the rear tandems, and out the gate the gate. He even waives at us!
Now that we are fully functional, we decide to head back as far as we can. Little naps enroute help, relieving each other when it is time, and helping each other stay awake. We make it back to SLC about 6hours behind our normal Sunday schedule. Lately we have gotten in around 7-8pm. This trip is about 1am Monday morning, but we manage to get there and give ourselves a day off.
Weather was fantastic this time, and managed to get some riding in. The mountains sure are getting pretty, starting to turn green and lose all the white winter coat.
Tuesday morning, and back at the grind. We get our load about 6am (local)and head out. This trip we decide to try a little different schedule and see how it works out. We will drive till about 7pm (Central) and park for the nite (well, 6hrs anyway). This will put us just past Grand Island, Ne. At that time, we shoudn't have any problem finding a parking spot. Late at nite, they get hard to come by. We will sleep till 1am, get up and go. We still get into Aurora about 1:00pm Wednesday and get over to Gary and get a shower at the Pilot. Back to the Gary yard, and an early nite. This time we are tired and ready for bed. Most weeks, it's kinda early at 7pm for bed, but 3am comes awful early too. This time we are ready, and sleep good, a first for the Gary yard.
Thurs morning we grab our trailer, and guess what,,,Hazmat load! Oh well, only paint, so it's a flammable load.
We manage to get straight back to SLC about 3am, and sleep for about 3 hrs then back at it again. Got our trailer and now enroute back to Aurora.
These last trips we tried something new as well. At the Pilot truckstop, we purchased a "lunchbox" cooker. It is a black box that looks very much like the old style lunch boxes our parents took to work. This one plugs into the 12v system and cooks at about 300 degrees. It has little aluminum pans available (also at Walmart the bread pans work ) that fit inside to help with clean-up. We have cooked some strips of steak marinated with sauce, a pork tenderloin roll, and tonite some chicken strips sitting on orange slices. This is kinda nice. A nice hot meal at the end of a long day is a welcome addition.
For those interested, we did not really have to "purchase" the cooker. As with most chains, Pilot will you a "frequent fueler" card. Use it everytime you fill up, and you collect points on it for each gallon. A point is worth a penny. It adds up with these big trucks!
We have got our curtains for the cab, a cooler that sits up next to the driver to keep the drinks cold when the co-pilot is not available, and now this cooker. Each purchase was in the $25-30 range, so as you see, it adds up.
Ok, I have rambled on long enough, and you're probably snoring by now. :) Enjoy!
Till next time, keep it safe out there!
Yes, we finally got out of Wyoming. That night about 9:30pm we heard they had opened the road, but were still reporting high winds, blowing snow, etc. We also knew all the others that had been stuck around the closure would be hitting the road, so we decided to sit tight until 3am. Weather report had it clearing after that and by that time, the road would be cleared of all the "impatient" ones that had to be there yesterday. That put us about 16hrs behind what our schedule should have been, but this is the weekend pull, so we have until Monday and Tuesday before these loads are late.
We had some good rest in Rock Springs, so we pressed on to Aurora without stopping. Got there about midnite. We pulled up and and ,,,,,uh oh, the gate was closed! No worries, I spotted the security guard in his car in front of the building. I flash my lights, and just know he will come right over and let us in.........welll, maybe if I flash them again,,,,,,,,,,,no luck! Hmmmm,,,,maybe a little toot on the horn.....nope,,,alright,,,now he's going to get the air horn!,,,,and again! Alright, this isn't funny, we are tired and need to get on our way. AH HA,,the spot llight! AND the air horn! Finally, his lights come on and he moseys over and lets us in. 10 minutes I have parked the loaded trailer, unhooked, hooked up to the empty, and we are out the gate. Sure hope that guard catches up on HIS sleep too!.
We make our way over to Gary,,and guess what?! The gate is locked. And there is the guard, or at least his car in front of docks. Flash the lights,,,honk the horn, now the air horn, now the spot light. Yup, we go thru the same routine. a few times. I even get out, and try to see if he is in the car or not. Can't tell. Back to the air horn for some loooong blasts just in case he is inside. FINALLY a groggy security guard wakes up, makes his way over, and tries to unlock the gate. He can't see the keys, and has a hard time with it. Then looks for the right paperwork and can't tell which packet says CFI/Conway Truckload. By this time I've had it. I get out, grab the paperwork from him, and mumble something about if he weren't sleeping he could read the damn thing. I show him ours, get in the truck, find the trailer, run across the scales, adjust the rear tandems, and out the gate the gate. He even waives at us!
Now that we are fully functional, we decide to head back as far as we can. Little naps enroute help, relieving each other when it is time, and helping each other stay awake. We make it back to SLC about 6hours behind our normal Sunday schedule. Lately we have gotten in around 7-8pm. This trip is about 1am Monday morning, but we manage to get there and give ourselves a day off.
Weather was fantastic this time, and managed to get some riding in. The mountains sure are getting pretty, starting to turn green and lose all the white winter coat.
Tuesday morning, and back at the grind. We get our load about 6am (local)and head out. This trip we decide to try a little different schedule and see how it works out. We will drive till about 7pm (Central) and park for the nite (well, 6hrs anyway). This will put us just past Grand Island, Ne. At that time, we shoudn't have any problem finding a parking spot. Late at nite, they get hard to come by. We will sleep till 1am, get up and go. We still get into Aurora about 1:00pm Wednesday and get over to Gary and get a shower at the Pilot. Back to the Gary yard, and an early nite. This time we are tired and ready for bed. Most weeks, it's kinda early at 7pm for bed, but 3am comes awful early too. This time we are ready, and sleep good, a first for the Gary yard.
Thurs morning we grab our trailer, and guess what,,,Hazmat load! Oh well, only paint, so it's a flammable load.
We manage to get straight back to SLC about 3am, and sleep for about 3 hrs then back at it again. Got our trailer and now enroute back to Aurora.
These last trips we tried something new as well. At the Pilot truckstop, we purchased a "lunchbox" cooker. It is a black box that looks very much like the old style lunch boxes our parents took to work. This one plugs into the 12v system and cooks at about 300 degrees. It has little aluminum pans available (also at Walmart the bread pans work ) that fit inside to help with clean-up. We have cooked some strips of steak marinated with sauce, a pork tenderloin roll, and tonite some chicken strips sitting on orange slices. This is kinda nice. A nice hot meal at the end of a long day is a welcome addition.
For those interested, we did not really have to "purchase" the cooker. As with most chains, Pilot will you a "frequent fueler" card. Use it everytime you fill up, and you collect points on it for each gallon. A point is worth a penny. It adds up with these big trucks!
We have got our curtains for the cab, a cooler that sits up next to the driver to keep the drinks cold when the co-pilot is not available, and now this cooker. Each purchase was in the $25-30 range, so as you see, it adds up.
Ok, I have rambled on long enough, and you're probably snoring by now. :) Enjoy!
Till next time, keep it safe out there!
Friday, May 2, 2008
Our "Favorite" spot
Well we got our truck back about 5pm last nite and headed on back to Salt Lake. We decided since it would be 8pm or so getting there, we would just stay in the truck at the ConWay yard, get up early and get our load and head out. We normally get into the yard about 4:30am on Fridays, and our load is usually ready, or near ready. We decided to get up and go check about 5am this morning. Wouldn't you know it, NOT THIS WEEK! "Won't be ready till about 7". Oh well, gotta roll with the punches. We head back to the quiet end of the yard, and slept a couple of more hours. Yup, at 7am it was ready and waiting on us.
Got out of the yard about 7:30, and headed on up Parley's Canyon. That is the canyon between Park City and Salt Lake City. It sure is starting to get pretty with springtime rolling in. Hills are getting nice and green, the lakes and streams are all thawed out and full with run off from the snows.
About the time we get close to the Wyoming state line, there is an overhead sign that DOT uses to pass on info. Like this morning,,,,,I80 closed between Rawlins and Cheyenne. WHAT!!??? Not again. Weather sounded like it mite be clearing as the day goes on, so we kept rolling, hoping by the time we get close, it will open.
Well, we get to the last town before Rawlins, and it is still not opening, nor is it planned to anytime soon. Hmm,,,guess we'll stop here for awhile, since we know all the parking near Rawlins will be overflowing. The good thing is I know where there is parking available, the bad thing is we are right back where we started,,,yup, Rock Springs, Wy. In fact, we are now sitting in a parking lot of a truck stop next door to the hotel we have been in for the last 4 days. Oh well, we know where the good places to eat are as well, however, this time we have our truck, and our food now. Just wish we had the cable or satellite tv the hotel does. TV sucks without it here.
Soooo, thats about it for now, just wait and see how long I-80 stays shut down. It is due to snow and winds. Winds were reported 40-55mph in the cheyenne area, and 30-45 in the Laramie area. We are pretty light, 22,500lbs, so we won't be pushing our luck, even if the road does open.
Till next time, keep it safe out there! And PLEASE, lets pray for spring! :)
Cheers
Got out of the yard about 7:30, and headed on up Parley's Canyon. That is the canyon between Park City and Salt Lake City. It sure is starting to get pretty with springtime rolling in. Hills are getting nice and green, the lakes and streams are all thawed out and full with run off from the snows.
About the time we get close to the Wyoming state line, there is an overhead sign that DOT uses to pass on info. Like this morning,,,,,I80 closed between Rawlins and Cheyenne. WHAT!!??? Not again. Weather sounded like it mite be clearing as the day goes on, so we kept rolling, hoping by the time we get close, it will open.
Well, we get to the last town before Rawlins, and it is still not opening, nor is it planned to anytime soon. Hmm,,,guess we'll stop here for awhile, since we know all the parking near Rawlins will be overflowing. The good thing is I know where there is parking available, the bad thing is we are right back where we started,,,yup, Rock Springs, Wy. In fact, we are now sitting in a parking lot of a truck stop next door to the hotel we have been in for the last 4 days. Oh well, we know where the good places to eat are as well, however, this time we have our truck, and our food now. Just wish we had the cable or satellite tv the hotel does. TV sucks without it here.
Soooo, thats about it for now, just wait and see how long I-80 stays shut down. It is due to snow and winds. Winds were reported 40-55mph in the cheyenne area, and 30-45 in the Laramie area. We are pretty light, 22,500lbs, so we won't be pushing our luck, even if the road does open.
Till next time, keep it safe out there! And PLEASE, lets pray for spring! :)
Cheers
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Extended time off
Ok, a short update. It's Thursday morning, and we are STILL sitting in Rock Springs, Wy. It seems that Rock Springs is more remote that areas in Canada to get parts shipped to. There is no large trucking distribution center for UPS, FedEx, etc, so our radiator had to be shipped to SLC, then sent on a local truck up here. The order didn' t get in early enough to Kenworth on day one for overnite to SLC, so it went out on day 2. GRRRR
As of yesterday noon time, the truck had been torn down, the hub replaced, and they were just waiting on the replacement radiator,,,at least I hope that is all.
We need to get out today, so we can pick up our load in the morning and get at least our 2nd round in. 1/2 pay is better than no pay.
This however is the nature of the beast I guess. Mechanical things fail, and when the truck doesn't roll, no money is made, for the company, or for us. Conway does have a breakdown pay that will at least offset our food while we have been here amd of course they pay the hotel bill.
A day or two down was kinda nice. Day 3 and 4 is getting quite boring and frustrating. We are ready to hit the road.
Till next time, keep it safe out there!
As of yesterday noon time, the truck had been torn down, the hub replaced, and they were just waiting on the replacement radiator,,,at least I hope that is all.
We need to get out today, so we can pick up our load in the morning and get at least our 2nd round in. 1/2 pay is better than no pay.
This however is the nature of the beast I guess. Mechanical things fail, and when the truck doesn't roll, no money is made, for the company, or for us. Conway does have a breakdown pay that will at least offset our food while we have been here amd of course they pay the hotel bill.
A day or two down was kinda nice. Day 3 and 4 is getting quite boring and frustrating. We are ready to hit the road.
Till next time, keep it safe out there!
Monday, April 28, 2008
Breakdown!
Pictures of a lonely, broke down truck in the middle of "no where" Wyoming.Well, it finally happened. When you spend day after day, week after week and month after month driving, it is bound to happen. Mechanical things fail.
We were headed back to Salt Lake in the final few hours of our trip and discussing what we wanted to do on our day off. It was also right at the time we were getting ready to change drivers. I had put in my full 11hrs with the left door shut, and puttin down the miles to get us home, when I all of a sudden I felt a shudder . Initial thoughts was I had a flat tire. I immediatly completely focused my attention on all my senses, slowing the truck down, headed for an exit just in front of us. While doing that, I noticed it didn't really FEEL like a flat, but I smelled rubber. Hmmmm,,keep focused, get this thing off the road safely, also got to remember we have hazmat. Nothing exotic, just flammible paint, and some pressurized cylinders. So I need to stop in a safe place.
I hit the exit which was a raise to go to a crossover road. At the top, I stopped and asked Kim to get out and check tires on her side. As I was setting the brakes, etc, she told me no flats. I got out and noticed coolant coming from under the hood. I told Kim we didn't have a flat, but come up and look. UH OH, this doesn't look good! I moved the rig on over the top to an area just off of the on ramp side. Another truck that had stopped at the top came by on their way back to hiway to check on us. They just wanted to make sure we had a phone, and drinks, etc. Thanks guys, we really appreciate that kind of caring for fellow drivers.
I popped the hood open, and immediately saw what the rubber smell was. It was the fan belt off the pulleys and wrapped around the pulleys. The top front pulley from the water pump had separated from the engine, and the fan and the entire assembly went forward into the radiator, punching holes in it.
It was quickly deducted (I am pretty smart that way :) ) that this was pretty serious and not going to be a quick roadside fix. I called roadservice and told them what was going on. They contacted a shop in Rock Springs, Wy (about 20 mi back) that had 24hr repair service and wrecker service to arrange a tow and repairs. I also had to call the fleet manager to arrange something to get the load taken care of. After a few minutes we got a message on the Qualcomm that a relay was set up and scheduled by 9pm. This was only about 5:30 now so we are going to be here awhile. We had already been an hour, so with nothing to do now but wait, we fixed dinner, listened to the radios, and waited.
Our relay team showed up about 8pm and we both decided we were not going to unhook where I had parked the truck. It was on the side of the on ramp, but was leaning pretty good. It will have to wait till the wrecker got here and pulled me out onto the flat road surface of the on ramp.
About 30 min later the wrecker showed, hooked up to the front of the truck and dragged us up onto the ramp. We unhooked from the trailer and the other team hooked up and took off back to Salt Lake.
The wrecker then came around to the rear of the tractor, and extended a boom under the frame, lifted the rear duals off the ground, chained it down, and pulled us back to Rock Springs. After getting the ticket written up to get the repair started tomorrow morning (Monday), the driver took us a few blocks to the local Best Western Hotel.
We had initially thought we would spend the nite, get some rest, then see about renting a car today and going on to Salt Lake and home since it will be a couple or 3 days. After getting here, it is a nice hotel, a pool, a nice room, cable tv, fridge, quiet,,,hmmm,,and no young adult running around making all kinds of noise,,,,this might not be so bad after all. So we decided to stay put and do nothing for a couple of days. If it looks like it will be longer, we'll see about getting home.
We have lost our first load out of Salt Lake tomorrow morning, so now we are done till Friday morning. Kinda nice, but the pay check will only be half for this week.
Oh well, stuff happens, make the best of the situation, and go on.
Till next time, keep it safe out there,,,,and waive at those big rigs on the side of the road, you never know! :)
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