Driving OTR with US Xpress

Hello There.


Good-bye Snowball. Fare thee well.


Every time I end up getting a truck that I want to keep, and eventually buy, I get re-seated. Now I have to start the getting "acquainted" with a new truck.


Friends, allow me to introduce you to my new truck: 2011 Cascadia; 340k; Detroit Diesel; Eaton/ Fuller 10 spd. (funny, looks just like the other four I had). Very clean. As a matter of fact it's so clean, it looks like it got washed in and out every week, including the under-carriage. If I didn't know better, I'd say it acquired it's mileage running in a show room somewhere.


Sounds good, huh?


Well, this re-seat has come with a heavy price tag attached. Besides the fact that I'm not running while I'm moving in and having the truck prepped, the first night I park, get ready to hit the sack, plug in my CPAP, 15 seconds later:


POOF!!

No more inverter. My 1500W Power Drive is toast. I keep a small 200W inverter around just in case.


Then, the run I'm on that delivers on the New Years Eve in Montgomery, AL? Closed for the holiday. Dispatch turns me around and sends me back to drop in Ellenwood so I can get the truck fixed.


I get back to the terminal and run over to the shop. "My inverter's not functioning. You just installed it. I need you to look at it ASAP. When can you get to it?"

"Thursday."


"THURSDAY!?!"

"Yeah, all the shops are closing for the holiday." More people work on Christmas than New Year's. It should be the other way around.

I'm not waiting around. I get another run that picks up in Conyers, GA that delivers in Valparaiso, IN. My plan is to pick up the load and head north to Tunnel Hill. With any luck, the TH shop might squeeze me in.

I get to Tunnel Hill, go into the shop and explain my situation and that I would be here for my 10 hour break. First thing he says is "Yeah, we'll be open on New Year's Day. But I was figuring on taking your truck in now.............if that's OK with you."





In less than 2 hours my truck was squared away with a new inverter and I celebrated by making a pot of coffee. I really like coffee.

Next morning, I headed north to Indiana with this load which delivers on Thursday, but I'll be dropping in Markham and running a grocery load into WI.


It's not a bad truck. It runs good. It's the little things that I've had to fix that are more of a nuisance than anything else. Front panel on the cabinet, passenger side over the cubby fell off while I was driving and hit me in the shoulder. I thought someone was in the truck. I was ready to yank out the knobs and go back and "Bruce Lee" who ever this was into the dirt. Power outlet sockets loose and can't be tightened, lots of little odds and ends that I've had to fix.




But I got a great name...........






.........Frankenstein.





Need to dig up some electrodes..........Mmm








Thanks for reading.
-Wedge

 

Hello There.


I'm at our Irving, TX terminal tonight getting ready to hit the sack.


"Frankenstein" is being a good boy, so I'll try to find some wood to knock on later.

Had a nice run from Monticello, IN to Jacksonville, FL, but as is usually the case, I had to hand off that load to someone needing hometime in Tampa, so I dropped it in Ellenwood, GA.

I picked up another Visy Paper load (out of Conyers, GA) that is headed for Ft. Worth, TX, so that's why I'm here in Irving. I have a pre-plan that picks up right after I deliver (in Ft Worth) and runs back to LA (not Cali). The appointment times are not in my favor so I'll let you know how it works out.





Maybe I'll sic Franky boy on them.





That's it for now.



Thanks for reading.
-Wedge