CRETE - A Year in Review

When I was checking in, I thought I was going to run their new hand-held units out of memory I had so much stuff to fix. It should be sometime today (Saturday) before I get in...but, they said on top of all I told them about, my Maxxfarce is almost due for a crankcase filter...I'm guessing it's the filter inside the valve cover that keeps oil and crud from getting out the breather tube...they said on these engines, it's a 4 hour replacement.

 

i know what you mean, last time i went into a casino i lost 15.00 dollars and thought i had been jacked.but i seen all the seniors citizens going in and thought i'd give it a go. maybe 30 minutes tops, i was headed back to my truck.

 

Well, my truck had something else discovered wrong. My oil use/leak was the high pressure fuel pump leaking, both oil and a little diesel....and of course, International is closed on the weekend so I'm in the 1/2 seasons no-tel.

 

The gods are not with me today. Picked up load on Friday. I asked if it could be del. ASAP. I was told it could. Cool, I gave them my new PTA and asked if there was anything leaving Kelloggs in Lewisville. No reply. I sent a canned 15 telling them I could del. anytime after 1000 and if there was anything leaving so I could plan my day the most productive. No reply. I get here at 1000 and as soon as I sent my arrival....pop! A Preplan picking up at 1300. I'm still here waiting and I lost 4+ hours of drive time. One of those days

 

I actually had improved news about my truck. The fuel pump was just a seal issue, not the pump going bad. The smoking off the exhaust was a bad flex mesh...fixed, but not warranty $800 part. The subtle air leak on the passenger side of the engine was a bad EGR control unit...$800, no warranty. The coolant leak was a hose, not a heater core (heater core is out of stock anyway with a 2 week wait), B service done, I saw the side skirt off of it getting the mounts fixed. Things are moving right along...so I guess it's a positive day, for the most part.

 

While chatting with the shop guy, the topic of in-cab cameras came up. He said the Mobile-eye system isn't the only one's we're trying out. They have a different model that has both front AND rear facing cameras accessable ANYTIME, not just when the truck is moving. It looks like it's time for a new group to be formed. The Naked Truck Drivers of America...we travel the USA wearing work boots and a smile.

 

I truely think we hire from the short bus academy for not only office but shop. Been in K/C since Friday afternoon. They got my heater hose fixed, my fuel pump sealed, my EGR control valve replaced, my exhaust flex pipe fixed, my B service done....but refused to replace a cupped steer tire and/or square (feeling) cupped back tires and said it was done. They didn't fix the chafed to the threads air line and....to top it off screwed up my alternator so it won't charge above 12v, and the low voltage cut-off trips in 5 minutes after you turn the key off. Now they're long gone and probably 1/2 way thru their 2nd 6-pack, and I'm waiting to hear back from breakdown (over an hour and counting)...if we f'd up our job this bad this often, we'd not only be out of work, but our record would be so screwed we couldn't get a job driving a golf cart as a rent-a-cop.

 

3 hours(and many many messages) and counting...and breakdown still hasn't replied. Busy is one thing, this is absolutely unacceptable.