Running with JCT

Well, now that we're done fighting. . .

To Recap:

Got my truck back Monday night after the DPF cleaning. On the bobtail drive back to the yard, I noticed the shifting was improved, as noted several pages ago. Also, the truck seemed to want to shift earlier. I found out later that part of the new engine parameter program was to encourage progressive shifting. I'm a big advocate of progressive shifting. The DD15 torque curve is very flat from 1000-1400 rpm (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...bwEJezYT6tVSi6XXIGbMKRg&bvm=bv.51156542,d.cGE) so I try to shift in that range. The new program seems like 1000-1200 rpm will work on flat ground. I was not encouraged though, by my MPGs (capitalized as always because they're SO DANG IMPORTANT!) on the ten mile bobtail.

Spent another night on the yard wishing that the pond next door was stocked with catfish instead of corn-fed brown trout.

Tuesday morning I got this dispatch to pick up in Ponca City. About 39k lbs of America's favorite meat-like nuggets. Scaled out at 74.5k gross and headed west. First though, when I left the yard with a nice new empty trailer, I had visions of a 9 mpg deadhead. New drive tire, oil change, lube, overhead, etc. must be good for something. Right? Eh... No. I was only able to manage about 7.5 for the 95 mile deadhead. Once loaded, I had small towns and elevation to climb for hundreds of miles. Not good. In fact it was like 5.5 to 5.7 MPGs!

Once I got into New Mexico the mileage gauge started to climb and I ended the day at 6.0. Headwinds, weight, and climbing will do that, I guess. The real test would be this morning with no wind and cruising at about the same flight level until Albuquerque. It was pretty poor. I was back in the mid 5's for the first 75 miles or so and the turbo boost was putting out crazy numbers. It was so bad that I sent in a request to get routed back to the yard and have the shop look at it.

Got Terry on the phone to pick his brain and found out that a valve job will kill your mileage for several hundred miles. I guess that getting everything back to spec and nice and tight does that until it's broken in. As I headed down the grade into ABQ, my mileage crept over 6 and kept climbing up to about 6.7. Coasting is so $$$! Then there was the climb out on the other side and an endless up and down run down to Gallup. The mileage was still in the high 6's!

I reset the ScanGaugeD (alright, I REALLY just forgot to leave the key on "ACC") and started out fresh after a shower-and-a-30 over to Flag. At 100 miles from Gallup (a drop of ~1500 feet) I had 10.1 MPmfG on the gauge! I held on to about 7.8 after cresting the Arizona Divide and ended the day looking at 8.6 in Lake Havasu. Day total was 627 miles, QC reading 6.9 MPG and 1034 miles for the week. Now THAT's more like it!

Tomorrow is a morning climb into California, a shot across the desert, then some sweet mileage up the valley to Ripon for about 509 miles. (LadyK, I saw that you will be in SAC Friday, but I expect to be sent west or south after a 7:30 appt in Stockton.) I will estimate that I can do 7.5 MPG tomorrow. This load is on the heavy side, and I can't underestimate the desert. Tehachapi is a nice sled run but it's too steep to be very efficient for the mileage.

Now for some housekeeping. I've PM'd those who requested PM's. For your other questions: (in no particular order and subject to my fallible memory) No, I've never heard of anyone ANYWHERE successfully negotiating a lease/purchase deal. If you DO manage it, please let us know! I don't touch freight but, yes, it is an option and you will be paid for it if you do it. For that matter, questions about chaining up came up today too. No. I do not chain. I've done it plenty of times in the past and I'll leave those adventures to others. My chains are, "FOR DISPLAY ONLY". JCT pays me to go AROUND the snow and I let them.

The dog thing. Don't you get the feeling that JCT just doesn't want dogs in THEIR trucks? I mean, you walk up to Mr. John and he hands you the keys to a brand new $140k truck, no money down. Do you feel like he has some say in how that truck is operated? The fact is, the pet policy was pretty liberal a few years ago. Then some azzhole trucker, (probably like the ones who got us all kicked out of WalMart parking lots, don't wash their hands in the men's room, and wear wife beaters at the buffet!) turned in a truck that needed the CDC Bio-Hazard team to come clean out the dog excrement. I heard it was epic! Mr. John was duly PO'd and issued this new policy.

Time for dinner. Catch ya later!

 

LOL, yep! BTW, nice first post. Keep 'em coming so you can PM and welcome aboard!