Good Night From II

Primm, NV.

I picked up a load this morning in Shafter, CA. A Ross load. The BOL says 32k, but I'll bet it isn't over 12K.
I'm headed to Salt Lake City, planning to get it there around 1600 tomorrow.
Sure is nice to have a light load this time around.

I planned to do a bit of gambling here, and I did exactly that. A bit.
$30 bucks went in and not even a $2 payout, so I was gone.
I know when I am not wanted.


I'll probably be at the West Valley terminal tomorrow night. I'm hoping my DM is still in the office when I get there so he can send me the rider permission form for my daughter, and then I can get the top bunk mattress to start setting things up for her.

Lorelei comes with me first this year, as her sister flies out to MN to my place to spend some time with my sister. Then we switch kids a month later and Leann gets on the truck with me until she goes back to school in August.
It is going to be great having them back on the truck with me.

I had Lorelei for all of 10 days last summer.
At the 10 day point we had a load to Denver and she asked to get off the truck. She missed her friends and home too much - much like many new drivers.
She was in tears when she told me because she thought I would be upset. I told her not to worry about it because not everyone is cut out for this lifestyle. I was sorry to have her go, but I understood completely.

I learned a bit later that she totally regretted her choice to leave the truck. It turns out that she ended up being very bored at home and actually liked the time on the truck with me.
So this is a new year with a new attitude for her, and she is looking forward to it very much. And she is the one that asked to get back on the truck.
She was so demur about it. If we had been face to face I would have given her a big hug.

 

Alamosa, CO.

Delivered a Coca Cola load this afternoon, and it was a nice quick live unload.

From here I pick up a Target load in Pueblo headed for Billings, MT.
From there I pick up in Worland, WY and headed to Golden, CO on the 30th.
Both pplans were sent at the same time, stacking me for the holiday weekend. Nice.

 

Lancaster, truck threw out a code yesterday so in the shop after unloading this morning. After 340k they finall had to pull the DPF for replacement.

 

I was in Edwardsville when that happened to me.
Luckily they had replacement filters on hand so it took only a few hours.

 

Same here. The Cummins technician said that it made 340k with no issues partially due to having an APU on my truck.

 

Really?
340K is a lot for those things? Mine didn't bust until at least 450k, and that was shortly before it was retired.
I had the truck since it was new. I also idle a lot.

 

When DPF goes tits up is like a crap shoot. Some last 150k and others last 450k just depends.

 

Sometimes they do good to make 200k, there are a lot of different things that can cause them to fail early. Idling the engine is a primary factor in early DPF clogging, but there are other issues such as the ECM calibration, engine stress level, and fuel quality that can affect the emissions system. Anything that causes the engine to run dirtier than it is designed to will contribute to premature clogging of a DPF. That includes fuel and oil additives, failing to maintain a clean air filter, and not performing regular maintenance intervals.

Maybe I did well by going 340k, maybe I didn't. But I'll be danmed if I ever run a truck without an APU again. My research combined with the advice I've received from mechanics and techs about the newer emissions equipped trucks reinforces my belief that installing an APU is essential to prolonging the life of the engine and after treatment systems on newer trucks. If I were to buy a used truck at this point instead of buying this truck, I would be looking for a Freightliner Columbia with a 60 series, bullet proof engine without all of the CARB requirements.

I talked with an IEL rep last month about my buyout. I told him that I would only consider a new truck if I could get a TriPac installed from the factory. This guy told me they won't do that because they can't justify the cost. I'm sorry, if I'm paying for the truck then I'm the one that has to justify the cost. The quality of life improvement, reduced fuel cost and maintenance on the truck is easy for me to justify.

I'm open to discussion about it, as well as the pros & cons of buying the truck vs. getting a new one. The math on keeping this one looks a lot better to me compared to getting a new one. Over the course of the next 48 months I'm showing a revenue advantage of $47k by keeping the T660, and that doesn't include having to add a new APU to a new truck. With the lease ending at the end of October, I need to be prepared to make a decision when they call me in July. I would really appreciate the input of you guys who have been in this game longer than i have.

But for now, The Glenlivet and Guinness are whoopin meh.

 

250k - 300k pull the DPF and bake it. 500K - 600K pull the DPF and bake it ... 750K - 900K replace the DPF. Baking cost about $600, include servicing the rest of system at the same time, cleaning the DOC filter, DOZR, it will run about an additional $1200.