Running with JCT

No apologies necessary. There IS no thread without your input! I don't have direct experience with an idle free system (this one? http://idlefreesystems.com/) but I've talked with drivers from other companies who complained that they were only good for 8 hours and wouldn't keep you comfortable in a Phoenix parking lot. I like the idea of not burning diesel, but of course there's no such thing as a free lunch. You have to generate that electricity and that causes some extra drag. The hidden benefit of the T/K APU is that it keeps your batteries charged even if the A/C is off.

Glad to have you as a reader!

 

JCT has a $1 buyout at the end of the lease. It was never my plan to complete the lease on this particular truck, but rather to get a new one and hold on to it.

Glad you enjoy the "breakdown". I'm a numbers kind of guy and things make more sense to me when I can see the numbers. I've been shocked to find out how many truckers don't calculate their actual MPG. Fuel is such a big expense and you should really be on top of it. Dropping mileage can be an early indicator of engine problems too.

 

Glad you're enjoying it! I hope I'm not coming off as "know-it-all" when it comes to L/P. Truly, I only know what has worked for me. There are a lot of ways to be successful in the trucking business. . .even at JCT. But I think that the fundamentals cannot be overstressed. Efficiency is money in your pocket. Whether it's fuel, or time, or routing.

A true rental isn't necessarily a bad thing. Even here we have drivers that aren't interested in paying off a truck. They just want to be paid well for their driving efficiency and drive newer equipment under warranty to minimize the risk. It's great if you're happy where you are. But if you're thinking about coming over to JCT, I'll say that I think that you're in a good location. We haul a lot of chicken out of Arkansas! Best of luck!

 

It's been a long weekend here in Sapulpa. We ended up with some warranty work to do as well as my 300k service and I even got another new drive tire. I'm excited to get rolling again and check out the performance under these new engine parameters. So we ended up with the valve adjustment, radiator flush and fill, power steering flush and fill, oil change, chased and found at least SOME of the air leaks, and the new engine parameter program. I haven't seen the bill yet, but the lube job may come in handy when I do!

Since we don't have terminals "out there", it was good to meet a lot of drivers and catch the scuttlebutt. I miss shooting the breeze with fellow drivers like I did at Watkins Shepard. Their rumors were top notch, lol. But after almost a week at home, and too long in Oklahoma, I'm ready to bang out some miles. I have until Thursday to add on to the ~1,400 or so that I have this week. A trip back to L.A. or to Reno would be nice.

This week will be a nice, scary settlement for you company drivers, lol. Don't think any of you ever got a "negative" check! I think all that I turned in was a local run down in Riverside. This will be the first time that I've taken any real home time under this new lease agreement too. Well, Wednesday morning I'll know, and after I stop laughing, I'll post the grisly results here.