My PTL Experience Log

Oh & the name Big Ugly got hung on me yrs ago in my 1st driving job delivering Budweiser around Jacksonville, FL. A bar owner said to me & a co worker he wanted a handful of 'Big Uglies' like me to handle security & work as bouncers. The name stuck so I adopted it as my cb handle. I'm 6'1" & weigh a solid 270. I do have a belly but the rest is just a large frame that looks like it belongs on a football field or in a wrestling ring. Since I did both in my youth I guess it fits.

 

Just a few words about tucks. More specifically truck problems.

I happen to like the International Prostar+ I drive daily. It's plenty roomy on the inside, relatively quiet at cruise even when under a load in the hills, & provides good maneuverability & sight lines while driving & backing. I can make a good case that it is pretty weak pulling those hills but it is what it is. Now all of this is subjective & really personal opinion so take it with a grain of salt. However... it must be acknowledged that the Maxxforce 13 engines that PTL specs in our trucks are problematic at best. In just my short time here I've experienced a myriad of engine related problems that have absolutely befuddled the mechanics at our shops. Currently my truck is absolutely drinking coolant like there's it's a thirsty race horse in the Arabian desert. I'm using a gallon or more at least every other day just to keep it topped off properly And I've spoke with other drivers that are using that much in a day or even more! Yikes. I think one of our techs finally got a handle on the problem as he said what's been the case with every other truck when they finally dialed in to the root cause was the coolant was going right throughout the EGR valves & right out the exhaust pipe. Wonderful. And nice to know we're doing our part to keep the environment clean at PTL right?

Now a quick Google search reveals that the Maxxforce engines are riddled with problems in their EGR/non-DEF builds like what PTL has specced exclusively in these trucks. In fact our new 2015 trucks scheduled to begin arriving next month will be SCR equipped with DEF. In fact just this week at the home terminal DEF pumps were installed in our fuel lanes so it's coming & there's no looking back. I'll be looking forward to talking with more senior drivers who get these new trucks to see if they have continued problems like I've experienced & seems to be wide spread throughout the fleet.

 

Roadking,

I sent you a PM about those questions you asked. So have a look.

As for the APUs. As far as I can tell they put out a, immmm how to say, sporadic? sine wave that can be choppy. It has to do with the age of these units I'm told from maintenance. Apparently Tripac APUs do great for about 2 years. Then they start to rattle & vibrate real bad, use oil, leak, blow out seals, bearings go bad, alternators get weak. This might explain why PTL is speccing most of the new trucks with battery powered electronic APUs from International (which have their own set of special issues to deal with we are learning). It's tradeoffs I guess.

I'll tell you that my APU easily powers my TV, microwave, any number of electrical goodies I plug in & my CPAP machine without a hitch. You will want to get a power strip rated to handle up to 1500 watts as that is what the inverters are rated to. Otherwise you have to bend way down into the floor under the close confines of the bunk to get to the 2 plugs available. Just get a power strip & velcro it up (don't use screws & damage the interior) on a cabinet out of the bunk travel area & you're good to go. One issue I do have is my inverter will reset if I try to use the microwave more than once at a time. So I just cycle my power strip off then on & no problems.

Any more questions just ask.

Big Ugly