Calex Express....My New Home!

I'm home. Got here last night around 7, left at 5 this morning to kick off the last 2 stops and was home at 9. Here's a few pictures of the new (old) ride. I'll write my thoughts and experience with the truck a little later.

 

Thanks. Sorry to see you leave. And I'm especially sorry to hear about the wife. But you gotta do what you must. I'll keep her in my thoughts.

 

I got the call this past Tuesday from Louie telling me the KW was ready and that the key would be under the mat for me to move my belongings into. On my way up 81 in Virginia my check engine fault light came on, the code was the same as two weeks ago, turbo issues. I stopped for fuel, got back into it and had no power taking off or climbing hills.Let me tell you, this made my decision to take the KW that much easier. I limped into Pittston got there about 3pm then with the help of Tom and cowmantrucker James, moved into the KW.

The moment I got into the truck I went right back to my days of driving in the 90's when I drove an extended hood Pete with a 48ft spread axle trailer for a small owner in Queens NY who had 10 trucks like that. It was all LTL in NYC, L.A. and the Bay area. I have to say, this is old school trucking at it's best. No emission crap, no EGR valves to go bad, no electronics on the transmission that go bad and require an $800 tow bill to replace a $39 part. A 13spd transmission that I first learned on in 1980, not one that requires me to put it in drive to go forward. This is what I cut my teeth on and missed. I enjoyed my Volvo, not the constant electronics failures.

The truck itself just spent the last 3 weeks in our shop and had countless things fixed and replaced, to the tune of $17,000 worth. It's 10 years old, but everything in it is new. The inside is smoke and nicotine free. My Volvo was set up to be in it for weeks on end, I had a fridge, APU, plenty of luxuries to last weeks on end. This truck will work perfectly for what I do, gone 4 days and home 3. I'll see if I can get the fridge in it fixed, if not, I'll use a cooler. The shop will install my inverter so I can use my microwave. I'm not gone long enough to have to pack food to last me 2 weeks. My only complaint is the stereo. It's new and not hooked up right. I have a constant humming in it and can't adjust the fader or balance. Other than that it works just fine. I told Tom who has the other W-900 that it took me about 100 miles to get right back into the old school way of trucking.