My new trucker...

Well, to all of you that replied, thank you...

Comment about rap music is an inside joke between me and FunkRider, since none of us like rap...

On the more serious note, we just finished our first trip together as a team. Overall, I am very pleased that he is driving for me. We get along good, listen to a same kind of music , and he is a pretty good driver for a newbie. There are some issues, but they were addressed, and I am thankful for having found him on this board.

I took a chance, and it paid...

As I said, we just finished our first trip...And a trip it was...Whatever can go wrong, went wrong. He is not gonna forget this...

A blown tire in Iowa(I bet that he doesn't even know about this one. He was sleeping, and, probably doesn't even know that I stopped and fixed a tire ).
Snowstorm in WY, from Laramie to Elk...

Belt breaks in the middle of nowhere Nevada, on I80. No problem, I have spare belts

We deliver to Hayward, CA and deadhead to Salinas, CA on friday. I know that I have a load of strawberries from Watsonville, CA, so I turn on the reefer, and it brings the temp down to 34 in 10 minutes. We sleep in Salinas, and wait for a call on saturday. He calls us around 8PM EST, I turn the reefer on, and we leave. When we get there, box temp is 78 degrees...My reefer died. Shipper refuses to load, and we go to a Salinas Thermo King for a repair. 7 hours, and $2100 later, it is fixed. BTW, they charge $256 per hour for after hours weekend repairs...We are loaded around 2PM EST on sunday. I drive Donner, and there is a snowstorm, but not a big deal. We change at Fernley, NV. Snowing in NV...
As he is driving, I am looking for alternate routes, since I read that I80 EB will be closed at Echo, UT for a bridge repair. Decided that we will go and take a chance. No delays at I80, but a lot of ice. We switch at Evanston, WY POE...Weather is just crappy all the way to Rawlins, WY, Ice, snow and fog, but no problems.
Past Cheyenne, WY, we start hearing a strange noise. We stop at Sidney, NE, and we find that clutch fan is wobbling...Take a chance and go. We make it to Kearney, NE rest area, and a belt breaks again. Tow truck wants $700 for a tow to TA in Grand Island at exit 305. That is $20 per mile (we are at MM369). We take a chance and drive to TA. The fact that its night and raining doesn't help, since we are running of our batteries,but we make it. Than, we are told that no one in NE has a clutch fan, or a super kit, and we are a day late already...Thankfully, a mechanic in TA rebuilds it without a kit, just buying some bearings. Still, bill is $1005

After that, no problems, we make it home safe and sound...

As of monday, we are starting our flowers run from Florida. Leaving monday morning, home wednesday afternoon...

We will keep you updated...

Regards,
MiaKica

 

Nope...

Stopped TA at at Iowa 80, and have a receipt to prove it

 

Well, we got a new one...Company doesn't want any screw-ups on a flower run

 

As promised, here is an update...

We had 3 trips together, and so far so good. There is some little quirks that have to be worked out, but nothing major. He listens, he tries hard, and if he has questions, I try to answer to the best of my ability.

So, like I said...pleased with him, and it looks like the risk will pay

Cheers

 

It is a company based in Ontario, Canada