EVO I: Ten days without a reportable accident!

Ten days on the road and I'm a-gonna make it home tonight!

I drove 2300 miles, backed into a few tight docks, dropped, hooked, and generally drove my buns off.




Day 1, started off with a blind-side 45 into a cheese factory (this is Wisconsin, after all) and followed up with this one into a dock designed for 40-foot trailers. Not so easy with a 53 and no experience. But it's in there.



Another tight dock, this one on day 3 (or 4, they sort of run together) at a chemical plant in S. Carolina. Picked up 44,000 pounds of mica, dropped it off at a drywall factory, and then swept all the dust out of the trailer.







(If you've ever sat in a Century you know how I staged this one )

So far so good. No accidents, and only a couple of pucker-worthy moments. Hauling it down on the interstate to stop for a backup that just appeared out of nowhere, driving through Chicago, and some back roads in Kentucky (lots of hills and no shoulder). Learning the Qual-com, paperwork, and all that stuff. They'll make a driver out of me yet!

 

One more incident I just remembered. We'd been running all week in pre-pass states, and then came to Michigan, where they don't use it. So I'm tooling right along, waiting for the beep that never came, and had to whip into line from cruising speed before I passed the ramp (good thing the box was empty). So if you were in that blue Volvo I cut in front of in line, I apologize.

 

That's what I figured, but they wanted it there.

Good tip on getting the tarps out first!

And as far as flats backing, I saw a Melton driver lose both tires on his right-front while backing into a TS. Blew 'em right off the rim.

 

So far they've treated me well. Except the trainer made me drive through Chicago construction traffic

As for the shorts and tennies (I know somebody out there is shaking his head at the decline of the image) it was good and hot when that pic was taken. If the weather's decent I have on blue jeans and work boots.