Where is everyone #5

Beautiful morning here
We're headed for 103 today so not really looking forward to that.

 

Nothing quite like a farm field sunrise.

 

Man that's some sexy iron!

 

Firstly, I love the old school trucks. The look, the sound, the classy interiors, everything. The only negative is a lack of cruise control, but I'd deal with it. I'm not some whiny #####.

More importantly, I want something reliable. I love the fact my little C-13 gets me home, usually on time, every single week. All the post-emissions garbage isn't worth my time or money. And if I didn't make the proper modifications, I'll be sitting in a shop somewhere waiting for parts to ship and my wife will be asking me why I bought such a stupid POS.

Thirdly, I want to learn how to turn a wrench and do a lot of the work myself. I see some of you guys pulling your trucks or toys apart and want that too. I already have a great network at my company that if I ever need help on the road, I have a couple people to call to guide me through it.

Lastly, elogs. While I understand the need for and respect the restrictions placed on drivers for safety's sake, I don't like that it impacts how us drivers can provide for our customers. There are times I get to the end of my day and I've got the energy to keep going another couple or more hours, while other days, I can only drive 8-9 hours before getting tired and calling it quits anyways. I want the flexibility to make the decision to stop when I feel it's safe to do so and would be willing to work towards getting that for myself. And I don't need someone breathing down my neck, telling me I'm not going fast enough (I lucked out and got the dispatcher where I'm at that understands that trucking takes time and gets delayed).

--

As for freight, at this point I'm not exactly sure where I'd be headed. I'd be willing to do anything, including vans to start. Whether I get my own authority right away or just stay under the owner of my company's authority and pull his trailers. My only issue is that I wouldn't want to do Ontario. But with a mechanical, pre-elog truck, I wouldn't have anything to worry about.

I have a passion for this industry that I didn't realize I had until getting into it. I love the independence it offers and definitely am starting to feel like I'm being held back working where I am. Not in terms of work quantity, but in terms of me being someone that always needs MORE, needs to learn new things to stay interested and not become complacent. I need new mistakes and challenges to overcome and I do get them where I am every so often, but not nearly enough anymore. I'm feeling like I'm starting to get to the point where I'm "seeing it all". I thrive on the challenge of the unknown.

That's why my favourite trips so far have been that Wyoming and Texas runs. Going to completely new places, doing something entirely new. Same ole same ole gets boring.

 

Bet that ride has a few ponies under the hood

 

And an Eaton Ultrashift two pedal to get it rolling.

 

Semi Truck, Bus, RV, Service Vehicle Cruise Control Installation

Here's your cruise problem solved....

Turning your own wrenches is a plus.... if I don't forget I will share some things with you as I put mine back together.

 

The owner is sitting there crunching numbers for side skirts and those aero wheel covers as we speak...

 

+220k GVW/750 hp?

 

Trust me, I'm not against Mechanical engines. None the least....i love them. That's what I cut my teeth on also. A model, B models and big cams. I got a sweet spot for all 3.

Like I said, not against the idea of Mechanical engines, just was curious what your stance was on them was. You can buy a Cruise king set up for a Mechanical and make them alot nicer to run on the big road. One thing to keep in mind is IF you do need parts for some of these older engines, some of the stuff isnt readily available at alot of truck shops and dealers. Not saying you cant find what you need, but if you're in the middle of bfe in a pickle, it can be challenging to find what you need at times.

If you like the way an old Mechanical runs, I reccomend a good older E model 40 or 70 pin (1LW, 2WS, 5DS, 1MM) I promise you wont be disappointed and you still get the old school feel. My 2WS runs, idles and kinda sounds like the old 4MG B model I had....until I let off the clutch and roll on the throttle lol
Not saying @wore out B model or @OLDSKOOLERnWV wont blow my doors off, just saying I like just about all the engines (new and old), and I think the older electronic CAT appeal to me because they are as close to a good Mechanical as far as feel, sound and simplicity as you can get....but yet have the torque , efficiency and parts availability as the newer stuff and not have the emission garbage on them that the new new stuff has and you can find them pre elog very reasonably still believe it or not. Just something to consider I suppose. You'll do fine no matter what you decide, that im sure of. You're already doing your homework for sure.

What's Canada's regs on elogs? Are they the same as us as far as exemptions go? 99 and older engine build dates? Just curious.