Swift - Starting the New Year training with Swift 1/7/13 - A long read...

I had a Costco triple header today. I checked Google Earth as I sometimes do and it looked like I could drive around the building to set myself up for the docks. To be on the safe side I did the Mac 23 for stop 3 and sure enough at the bottom of the instructions is "do not drive around the building! Narrow corners!" Good thing for the Mac 23 as I would have driven around.

 

If he is constantly stuck in the northeast I would pester my DM about getting a load out of there. I do when I'm stuck running the same area, like the NE, and he will get me a load out. Gotta pit a little pressure on them and sell it to them - "if you get me out of the northeast I can run more miles which will benefit us both". Or sometimes I just throw a big baby fit and that works too although I've been trying to cut back on it.

 

Currently sitting at the Flying J in Post Falls, ID waiting on a load. Dropped a 3 stop load in Spokane and Coeur d' Alene this morning. Weather is beautiful - sunny, warm and just a little breezy.

I grabbed this Costco load from Utah and it was planned pretty well as far as hours go. No problems and everything was smooth, just the way I like it.

To back up a little...


2 abandoned Swift terminals.
I've been to two different, abandoned terminals in the past week or so. I had taken that load out to California and deciding that I wouldn't find parking out in Commerce, CA I planned on parking for the night in Fontana. Out of the two sister terminals, Fontana and Mira Loma, I had decided a while ago that I do not like Mira Loma. There was no laundry facilities, parking was tight and the driver's lounge and shower (yes, singular shower) depressed me.



Fontana Ghost Town and the new and greatly improved Mira Loma...

As I pulled up to Fontana I was met with an empty lot. There were a couple of abandoned Swift trailers towards the back of the lot but otherwise it was a ghost terminal. I must have missed that memo stating that the terminal was closed or I wasn't paying attention. I do remember a while back them talking about closing it but I didn't know when. Well, it's closed. I rerouted myself to the Mira Loma terminal, reluctantly, and found myself getting a lecture at the security booth at the one entrance because I was loaded and went in the wrong one. I didn't know at the time that there were two entrances. I made my way around past the docks area where the old driver's lounge was and was feeling that sense of disappointment of being here once again. I followed the parking lot around on the perimeter looking for a spot and worked me way around to what looked like a newer area of the terminal. There was also a newer building with "Swift" up top. Now I was curious. I found a close parking spot, parked and walked in. The new building is open and it is a huge and significant change from the old facilities. New washers/dryers (only take credit cards), new showers, new outside smoking area (2 of them to be exact) and some new vending machines and scanners. Everything is up and running. I got my laundry (machine was flashing $1 but it actually charges $2 per wash and per dry) and hit the shower. Showers were nice due to being new. There was only one food menu floating around and I saw some drivers eating pizza. I ordered it and it wasn't too bad. "Pirate Pizza". Doesn't sound very Italian to me but it was a step above Dominos/Pizza Hut and not bad for what it was. I ordered a meaty pie and some bacon cheese bread things to ensure that I wouldn't be losing any weight for the next few days. Prices weren't bad and delivery was fast and courteous. I didn't see any other menus lying around so this pizza place currently has a monopoly on driver food delivery. There is a little smoking pavilion outside and then another one set back further from the building. As I waited for my laundry, the sun set and I sat in the further of the two pavilions reading a Lonely Planet guide to Mexico. It was relaxing. I delivered the next day in Commerce and returned to the Mira Loma terminal much more willingly. I got my load back out to SLC.

Then my A/C stopped working. Again. As I drove, windows down, temps in the truck hit 98 degrees. Much hotter than the air outside and I started to get cranky, as heat does to me and has always done. I made my way towards SLC hot.


I want to gamble #### it...

On the way out to the L.A. area it wasn't convenient to stop at any casinos although I wanted to. So on this return trip I figured I could time it right and stop. I had time and some flexibility. Immediately over the California state line into Nevada I hit Primm. I know there is at least one casino that I can park next to. I saw the large one on the left that looked like it had a Pilot in the same parking lot. I had plenty of time to drive still though and the lot looked somewhat busy so I kept driving. There are times when I would rather run my miles harder on the first day and leave the 2nd day to take it easier. So I didn't want to stop this early. I continued on to Vegas. It was now nighttime and I as I came into Vegas I was thinking about stopping at Wild Wild West like I had done months ago.
But considering the time of night, considering that I didn't win at all at the Orleans casino last time and considering I had more hours to run I continued on. I passed the billboards for acts I would never consider headlining. Only in Vegas. Last time there was a huge billboard for the Pawn Stars showcasing at the Golden Nugget, where I had stayed when me and the STBEW got married. What could that show possibly be like? Is it a musical? Does Chumlee sing? Does the old man grumble something on stage before nodding off? The show is actually called Pawn Shop Live and there is a talking puppet named "Old Fart". I had to look it up after passing the sign. Only in Vegas... There was a city building sized electronic ad for Donnie and Marie Osmond, billboards bigger than life advertising Terry Fator the puppet guy, Boys II Men and Air Supply. Another Cirque du Soleil show consisting of and entitled as a single consonant - "O". It was magic. Bright, flashy, neon in the Nevada dark desert night and I loved it as I always do, even if I'm just driving through. I always get the feeling when I hit that first casino and the excitement of being here has just begun, that I don't want it to end. I want to drive past the casinos gawking and taking it in, past the glitz and the neon, the skyscraper hotels, the mock NYC skyline, fake Egyptian pyramids with light beams to space, neo-classical and monumental Greek structures and lit up Space Needle like towers with roller coasters plunging riders to the edge. I want it to last, mile after mile after mile and just continue just taking it all in forever. But it ends. As I pass the Stratosphere on my right I know it will not continue. It peters out as Old Vegas, not as bright or appealing from this angle on the interstate, slowly fades further away and out of the view in my passenger window. In a few minutes I'm back driving in the dark desert again, windows down, and all is quiet and the clustered chaos is gone.

I was still committed to the idea of staying at a casino for the night. It's sort of an odd experience the way everything just kind of pops up in the middle of the desert at times. No continuity. No flow. Just nothingness, something, then more nothingness. That something, out in the middle of nowhere was the Gold Strike Casino in Jean Nevada. Nothing leading up to it from what I could tell. Just dark desert and then a fairly large and flashy casino. The Gold Strike is definitely not a Wynn or Encore sleek and modern skyscraper, multi-billion dollar casino. The Gold Strike is a throwback to the earlier days of casino and it showed, on the outside at least as I never did go inside. I hit the restroom at the gas station across the street and down the road from the prison, signs that had warned earlier not to pick up hitchhikers - prison facilities - littered the highway on the approach to the exit ramp. I drove up the main drive to the casino and there was ample parking everywhere for a rig. There were trucks parked along the sides in separate lots shouldering the main drive and then there was plenty of parking in the casino lot near the main building and hotel. But, when I parked and looked back towards the main entrance to the casino there was about 8-12 cars parked haphazardly in the area near the doors. It appeared dead. Not closed but just dead. I looked at my clock and remaining drive time. I still had time. There was something about going in an empty casino that didn't appeal to me. Maybe it was the anticipation of me being the only one walking around in there. I'm not sure but it just didn't sit right with me this night. Plus I didn't have hours to spend in there. I started the truck again and continued down the road. Earlier, before I even got into Nevada, I was researching truck parking at casinos in Nevada. I remembered passing a few in Mesquite, NV, over the Arizona state line, on the way down. But when I researched truck parking at those Mesquite casinos I got the impression that trucks were no longer welcome. I had decided that staying at a casino was not in the cards for me this trip. That night I made it to a Walmart in Washington, UT near St. George and shut down. It was definitely nothing like the casinos in Vegas. Next time.


The orphaned Morman - the SCL terminal

The next morning I drove up to SLC where our terminal used to be. When I arrived I found abandoned Swift terminal #2. As I pulled up, it was obviously closed and there was a waiting security guard whom stepped out of his car and walked over. He gave me the address for the new terminal location. Soooprise...soooprise Andy. I plugged the address into the Rand McNally and tried to call the terminal number in that Swift flip guide with the terminal addresses and phone numbers. I got Phoenix and he couldn't assist me. I got near the "new" terminal and made some wrong turns. I stopped the truck to gather myself and figure out how to get to where I could see the Swift trailers in the distance. I figured out where it was based on a passing Swift truck and a Swift shuttle van. Right before I had pulled into the "new" Swift terminal my truck was reluctant to start. I heard a short squealing like a loose belt and then smelled burned rubber. I pulled into the new terminal a couple of blocks away and immediately saw a preponderance of the color red. Swift SLC terminal is now shared with the pre-existing Central Refer headquarters. There was a line to get in as you have to check in at a security building/admin building upon getting on the property. Then I pulled forward and waited in another long line to have my trailer (and truck?) inspected. That night, under load, I got in another line, like a Swift prequel line, behind yet another building which was the main repair shop. Building #5 I believe. I was told my truck wouldn't be repaired that night. I had the issue with the A/C but also had a terrible noise coming from the passenger steer for a while. It sounded like the wheel wanted to come off whenever I hit bumps in the road. I parked that night outside the repair shop and put it in the shop in the morning.


My new, red Peterbuilt, courtesy of Central Refrig...

Swift didn't have anyone to repower my load which was due that morning. They arranged for me to use a "lender" truck which ended up being a bright red Peterbuilt 13 speed. After some back and forth I got the keys and immediately had to return inside to find out what the red button on the stick above the splitter was for. It was explained to me, somewhat rushed and with some joking by the mechanics, how to operate it. When they saw I was still confused I was advised "just drive it like your 9 speed and use the regular splitter". I hooked up to my trailer with the red Peterbuilt, still not really understanding how to use this magic red button above the splitter. I checked the truck out and tried to orient myself a little. I gotta say, driving another truck is like learning to live with a prosthetic limb. My truck and it's operation come second nature to me at this point. Not saying I'm perfect, not saying I know everything about my truck, but I can say I'm familiar with it for the most part. I've been in this Prostar since day 1 of going solo. It has become, more or less, an extension of my body the way my GSXR has. However, hopping in this Peterbuilt, I felt completely new again. It was like I was starting all over as a new driver. I couldn't find and never located the jake brake. Still to this day, I have no clue where they hide that thing in that truck. There were some buttons with symbols that I didnt' exactly know WTF they were but it didn't look like they implied a Jake Brake was to be activated by pushing them. I found the headlights. I found 4-ways. I found windshield wipers and my air brakes. That was enough. I drove some circles around the yard trying to get used to it as much as someone going 8.5 mph can. 1st gear, 2nd gear, 3rd gear....oopps time to slow down as I just hit 10 mph. I figured I would have to get used to the truck sooner or later so I drove it through the self service truck wash. Probably not the best idea but other than being in total blindness caused by gushing water on my windshield and mirrors, I made it out ok with a wet, but not cleaner, truck. I checked out once again on the way out at the admin/security building and went the 3 miles to the shipper whom promptly refused the load for being 3 hours late (they couldn't find a repower and my truck was in the shop). It was rescheduled for delivery two days later on Friday. I went back to the terminal and went through the whole check in process again.

My impressions of the Peterbuilt? I would drive this truck. Maybe not with the bright red, but I would drive it. Compared to my Prostar, the Pete shifted smooth as butter every time. It was a beautiful thing. The gears just slid into place, no double clutch necessary although I still double clutched out of habit. It feels more solid than my Prostar and less like plastic. I couldn't get the steering wheel to adjust. Not sure if it doesn't adjust or that was just user error. Small gripe though. I smashed me head twice going from the cab to the sleeper because the ceiling is lower there. Something I would get used to. Engine pulled strong and the truck handled well. It doesn't turn as tight as the Prostar. Not sure about the split windshield as I'm used to the one piece but I'm undecided on that. Bunk area was cool. Storage. Shorter than my sleeper with a fold up top bunk. I didn't like that there were no curtains to pull across the front of the cab across the windshield. That's something I definitely like about my Prostar is having the whole, large inside to myself private as opposed to just a closed off sleeper area. I quietly fell in a deep, deep love for the built in refrigerator/freezer off to the right in the sleeper. It was absolutely glorious and I'm pretty sure I heard angels singing and a bright halo of heavenly light glowing around the unit as I first laid my eyes on it. I slowly opened the door and a rush of cool air was felt on my face like God himself had exhaled on me on this otherwise warm day. I turned around and slammed my head again, my dreams of built-in refrigerated goodness bursting, as reality hit once again and I hopped back into the cab to get rolling back to the terminal. My only other gripe was trying to disconnect the trailer from the tractor once parked. I pulled and yanked. I had other newbies passing by pull and the tractor refused to give up the trailer. It was like a stubborn dog, excited to go out for its evening walk, only to be led back into the house 3 minutes later. It refused to let go. I like to think it was because I didn't drive it long enough, not enough exercise for the big Pete, but in reality it was simply because it uses a different 5th wheel locking system. I don't remember the name of the system, but after another trip inside to look stupid in front of the mechanics I had asked about the red button, I was told to get the tractor as close to the trailer as possible before pulling. I jerked that tractor back, bad dog, and she released.


The "new" and possibly improved Swift SLC terminal...

The buildings at the SLC terminal are numbered. I believe the main administrative building (not the check in gate building) is #1. It has a café inside much like Phoenix's Jake Brake Café. Decent food with a pretty diverse menu. There are specials for different days and I think that day it was Mexican. I got a double hamburger and it was just that - a double hamburger. I should have got the Mexican or the pulled pork, not sure what I was thinking in getting a run of the mill burger. There is no wifi in this building as I found out.

The next building over, to the south I believe, is #2. That building has a driver's lounge, kind of small, an information desk, a bank of showers (with sink and toilet inside, if I remember correctly), a kennel for driver's pups (!), laundry, a Central Refer store (larger than any Swift store and with food/snacks) and some other things down the hall I didn't check out. They have wifi in this building and it works out front. There are about 3 benches outside this building and behind the building is the training grounds for new truck drivers (both Swift and Central I think).

There is a drive thru truck wash like we have at some of the Swift terminals. Spits out soap but the brush things don't start brushing until it gets to the trailer. Gets your truck wet just like the Swift one. Not complaining, just stating. However, there are 3 self service bobtail washes on the side of the truck wash building. It works like one of the self service ones you bring your car to but you don't put money in (you push a button) and there is no soap that comes out, only water. So the brush thing gurgles out some water and 2 of the 3 bays have wands that spray water. The 3rd bay just trickles out. So I drove my Prostar through the self service wash 3 times then I parked it in the furthest self service bay, the one that is pretty much broken, and spend 3.5 hours detailing my truck out in the sun. It felt great. It reminded me of days of old of washing my car or motorcycle out in a driveway. I've always enjoyed this and washing the truck was like washing the equivalent of 3 or 4 cars. I broke out my box of Brillos, wet the rims, sprayed on that all purpose Green cleaner and went to scrubbing all six of the tractor rims. I wore Brillo pad after pad down. I got some confused looks. My last set of rims was replaced with this set when I got all new tires. I did the same to my last set of rims but haven't had the chance or willpower to rescrub these "new to me" rims. They were nasty. Now they shined. I put this gooey, thick tire wet on the tires. I sprayed magic green stuff all over the truck after wetting it and scrubbed it with the gurgling, soapless brush. I wiped. I dried. The truck looks fantastic. It rained, of course, the next day just enough to leave spots. So now I'm back to quick detailing spray. At least the rims are polished now. It was great exercise as well and I welcomed it.

One more thing on this new Swift/Central SLC terminal. The empties are kept just outside the property and next door in a dirt lot. At the time it had some pretty decent mud puddles and space is limited. I had to park my first empty in the weeds next to the last trailer. Empty trailers are not assigned. You go out and find one and let them know which one you chose. Slim pickins as far as nice, new trailers go. So, be forewarned. Overall, although I was a little aggravated that first day waiting in two lines just to get into the terminal parking area, I like it now after spending two nights there. The mechanics fixed stuff on my truck that I hadn't even known about or told them about. They are pretty friendly. The staff at the admin/security gate are friendly and helpful. Everyone seemed cool. It's a little odd being at another company's terminal as it is originally a Central terminal, but I didn't feel unwelcome. Oh, and that burning rubber smell was actually my A/C compressor seizing up and the belt burning/falling off. They replaced the whole unit and another piece and fixed the u-bolt clunking noise for the most part.

 

Still in Post Falls waiting on a load. Getting restless waiting. Got my full 70 back so I moved over to the Walmart nearby to resupply. Hope they get me rolling here soon