Abilene Motor Express....A New Place To Call Home

My truck finally got sent to the dealer Wednesday. Called them this afternoon and was told there was a short down by the batteries. Fixed. Not even 24 hours after being sent to the shop. They’re just waiting on the part to fix the recalled passenger upper bunk window now. Should be back to work Saturday. No worries. I spent my time off wisely.

 

Dropped in New Castle yesterday and picked up Gatorade to Wytheville and dropped that and got more Gatorade to Memphis. I just realized I only gain 8:40 tomorrow since Im recapping.....may not make it there being a heavy load. Might have to drop it at the yard Sat since it says drop M-F on the Qualcomm. Might just do a reset in WM, hate recapping anyway.

 

Got back in the truck Tuesday after having the weekend off. They did a PM on the truck over the weekend. Replaced the steers. Replaced the batteries. Truck was running fine, but the bunk electricity wouldn't stay on. Kept turning itself off. Shrugged and bobtailed down to Hill-Phoenix to grab a trailer headed for Kennesaw, GA. Due that night at 8:00pm. The battery gauge was a little on the low side, but nothing to panic over. Figured the trip down the road would charge it back up.

Got to HP and it was even lower than it had been when I started. Not a LOT lower, but lower. So, new plan, hook the trailer, take it back to the yard, and have them look at my truck.

Having the trailer attached drained the battery even more seriously than before. By the time I got back to the exit for our yard, the truck had completely derated. Was still running, but wouldn't go faster than about 10mph. Got it onto the yard and was trying to turn it around to take it to the shop when it just stopped going forward. Didn't stall out or anything, just had derated to the point where the computery bits controlling the truck refused to actually give it any gas or acceleration. So they had to come fix my truck in the middle of the parking lot.

Turns out that one of the battery cables had "come loose". Which I interpret to mean that whoever replaced the batteries didn't do a very good job reattaching the cables. Fortunately, it was an easy fix and I was able to make on-time delivery later that night.

Picked up a load of pallets yesterday, due in Ridgeway, VA today. Got there early and they unloaded me. One of those places that has absolutely no signs anywhere to indicate what you're supposed to do or where you're supposed to go, and then the people get shirty with you when you don't go to where you're supposed to go and do what you're supposed to do. Like it's my fault they didn't put up any signs.

Current load is a bucket list load. Hauling another HP load, this time to Maine. First time I've been to Maine in any capacity, so I get to check that one off. After that, the only truck-accessible states left that I haven't visited are North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Alaska.

Really would like one of those rare Alaska loads. Don't know if we even do 'em anymore. I remember being told by Alan D. that they don't like giving those loads to solo drivers because it basically takes 'em out of circulation for two weeks.

Spending the night at the Maryland DOT inspection station at Havre de Grace. Rolled in with 7 minutes to spare on my 14. Every time I spend the night at a weigh station, I always think about my training manual all those years ago that told us not to do it. I've done it a few times, though, and it's always been uneventful.

 

I’d love to do that sometime... but ya, I’d be using up a week of home time along the way.

 

That particular pair of 'houses is among the few weigh stations I count on when trip planning. I've stayed on either side plenty of times. Quiet, never full, and the one time I got inspected it was in the middle of the day. Probably the only place in Maryland I actually like sleeping, if I have to.

 

Sitting at my 1st stop in Jacksonville,than I have to run to 250 miles,with 1 pallet to Sarasota.

Have a preplan pu at coke in Dunedin,Fl in morning,dropping at the Richmond yard.

 

hold on...........lol

 

“Me: quit holding, went home”... lol