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

Doing a reset here at the Petro in Ontario. Got empty in Reno Monday morning, reloaded in Fallon in the afternoon, then out ran the snow and wind as much as I could down to Wilmington Ca. Got my reload assignment yesterday while getting unloaded. Sylmar Ca back to Richmond with a load of cooler doors. Dropping Monday evening.

And my excitement of the day yesterday…..
Got to my drop in Wilmington and checked in. It was a hay load, read the reviews and had a good idea how to take care of business. Scaled in, checked in then was told to exit to the street and wait for a phone call. Super nice people, they even gave me a map showing how to go from PCH back to their place bypassing all the residential areas with posted 6000 pound weight limit and no truck signs. So I leave and go park on PCH, a busy road which has a million container haulers running around because of the Long Beach port nearby. Park along the curb in front of another truck right in front of a sign that says 4 hour parking limit for trucks. Cool. All good. I wasn’t in any hurry because I was going to Ontario when done to reset.

Sitting in the truck, I notice a typical Southern California taco truck directly across the street from me. Why not, it’s Tuesday, time for tacos. Cross the street, place my order, then hear a loud boom and smashing sound. Turn around, and some container hauler clipped my driverside mirror, shattered my spot mirror and thankfully the breakaway system worked as designed. Dude never stopped, which I can understand, more than likely he never heard it or felt it. I did tell the chef making my tacos that I’d be right back, then dodged cars and trucks to run across the PCH and jump in my truck to capture the incident on my trucks camera and my dashcam. Here’s a couple pictures showing my expertise in putting all the plastic back together. After I got my tacos, I went back to the truck, ate then called into safety to report it. Then I had to call claims and report it. Then I get a phone call at midnight last night telling me my truck is not in the system and they can’t proceed. I very politely explained to the young lady that next week will be a year I’ve been in this truck, fuel it everyday, pick up and deliver freight the last year, and you’re telling me it doesn’t exist? I then asked who is getting all the freight revenue the last year? I told her I’d call Richmond in the morning. Which I did, and was told they found my truck in the system. Meanwhile, why doesn’t a truckstop carry a rinky little spot mirror for me to attach just to get me back to Richmond? I’ve been all over Ontario and can’t get one. You don’t realize how much we depend on that little mirror until it’s missing. Oh…..the tacos were excellent!

 

That's what I finally did. $8.99 and now there’s no more blind spot. Amazing how much it’s missed when not available. Called into the body shop and told them to order one for me. They said they need to replace the whole thing, it’s much easier that way, and he told me that they have plenty of crashed trucks to take one off of.

 

Headed back to Richmond with my cooler parts. Took the southern route to Las Cruces NM then up through Alamogordo to Santa Rosa NM. 65 degrees. Will be in Monday late afternoon. My temporary mirror fix.

 

Feel better buddy. Nothing worse then fighting a cold out here.