Mercer

Stripper poles support lots of single moms

 

I did a search looking for the story... I couldn't find it, although notarps had fun with it! Something about seeing me in my speedo's & flip flops. Smoking a cigarette & carrying a 5 gallon can of fuel down the highway!!

You want the story? Get your road map out... Cause it will be interesting!

I loaded a load out of OKC on a Thursday destined for the Marines Wartime training facility on hwy-108 just outside of Bridgeport, CA. I could deliver whenever, so I made arrangements to deliver to them on Saturday... That is when I got that picture of the 26% grade sign. Friday night I made it to Kingman... I could of went farther, but the sun was shining in my face & hwy 68 into Bullhead City was a taboo road for me. Wrecked a car on it back in the 90's & I never went back...

So Saturday morning I wake up... Got 3/4 tank of fuel & thought for a minute... Should I get fuel? I decided not too. There will be places along the way. So I get to rolling... AZ-68, NV-163, US-95 up to Vegas & beyond! Did you know there isn't any fuel stops out there in the desert? I turned left on US-6 & took it to Cali then rolled CA-120 over to US-395... Still no fuel stops! So I gave up on fuel & continued to deliver my load... After all, we get better fuel mileage running empty right.

Well I get to the base on CA-108 & I'm sweating at this point... Just get the freight off me so I can go find fuel... I originally was going to roll 108 over to 99... I know there is fuel on 99. But that 26% grade persuaded me not too. I'll go back out the way I came it. Back to 395. At 395 there was a sign saying Reno was 100 miles or so away! I know there are truckstop in Reno... So away I went & sweating every #### mile.

Coming off from 395 onto I-80 she started spitting & sputtering... Oh baby, don't do this... She grabbed some more fuel out of the tanks & I slowed down to conserve what I had left. I get a half mile from the fricken TA in Reno/Sparks & my truck said it had enough! It was thirsty & wasn't going no where. So I called the TA for road service. As I was waiting I was BSing over the radio with the driver's at the TA... I didn't tell them I ran out of fuel. They only knew I was waiting for road service. The driver I was BSing with had a handle of "Money Maker". Pretty nice guy really. He even told me when the service truck left the TA heading to me.

About 30 minutes later I was up & running... And that is when I mentioned to "Money Maker" over the radio that I had ran out of fuel & that is why I needed road service. Oh man... Did the comments start coming. I followed the service truck to the TA to pay my $240 bill for 40 gallons of fuel. As I was pulling in, "Money Maker" holler & said is that you in the blue Petercar pulling a skateboard? I said yes. He then said he wasn't making fun of me anymore because I pulled the same kind of trailer he does. I left the TA because of humiliation & parked at the Petro a couple miles away.

Sunday.....

At the Petro parked in a row of Mercer trucks just BSing amongst each other. Not one of them knows me nor do they know the situation that happened the night before... All of a sudden here rolls in a black KW W900 with Mercer written on the door. This man knew how to handle that truck & swung that thing into a spot quicker then flies on poo poo... Pretty nice guy really.... All the other drivers knew him & we all began to congregate around his truck. After a couple hours I began to admire his truck a little closer. In print on the sleeper (I think) it said "Money Maker". I looked at him & had to ask... "Were you at the TA last night?" "YEP" was the response he gave me. So I told him who I was.... Man did the jokes start flying again... But he did tell me if he knew it was a Mercer up there, he would have dropped his trailer & pulled me into the fuel pump. I told him that I knew what kind of jokes were waiting, so I didn't advertise the fact I was out of fuel until after I was rolling again.


MONDAY!

Still sitting with the 40 gallons of fuel the TA sold me at that roadside kiosk.... I get a load out of Herlong, CA to La Porte, TX. I stop at the TA, pump 100 gallons & go get my load. Coming back I stopped & topped off my tanks. I calculated that I should make it to El Paso, TX before I need fuel again.... We have fuel discounts across the nation & many are 20 to 30 cents cheaper per gallon versus the pump price. El Paso had the next cheapest fuel & at that time I was trying to save every dime I could save!

TUESDAY.....

####..... US-93 out of Kingman to Phoenix is a killer when your grossed out! Get down on 10 & I'm rolling. Thought about stopping at Eloy, but I still have enough fuel.... I'll make it to El Paso. Later that night I was rolling thru Las Cruces..... Fuel gauge is pegged on E.... I thought that I should stop & get some fuel as I was passing the TA.... Nawww.... I can make it to the Petro in El Paso.... I'm not that far away. I'm now heading east.... Passing the westbound immigration station.... She starts spattering & stuttering..... I start cussing myself for being a moron.... I hit the shoulder, but never took it out of gear.... I was rolling this beast as far as she'd roll. All of a sudden she grabbed some fuel & away we went! What do I see ahead? A Flying J & a Pilot!!! I'm not going to make it to El Paso after all!!! I hit the exit ramp for Anthony, TX.... That did it.... truck died, I rolled to the shoulder. Lifted the hood & started moving my priming rod like I was jacking off! I primed enough fuel into the engine to start the truck & get me 500 more feet into the Pilot! I had to run 2 stop lights because I was afraid to stop the truck.... She died again at the fuel pumps.... But at least I was there! My 300 gallons tanks drank 310 gallons at that stop in itself!

Next time ladies & gentlemen.... I'll tell you about the time I ran out of fuel in my 99 detroit powered 379 at the entrance for the Flying J in Jackson, MS.... Naw, it is pretty much the same story as above. Just several years ago.

Or how about my 07 9400 running out of fuel crossing the rail road tracks in downtown Cartersville, GA? Now the was a real seat pucker job there....

 

Redd

I bet you don't push your bike that close on gas! Friend of mine ran his Fat Boy out of gas twice on the same day a bunch of us were riding. Never filled the tank after bumming fuel off the rest of us, kept saying he'd make it home okay. His wife was so pissed at him the second time that she just kept on riding home and left him on the side of the road. She still won't let him live that one down, and now he's one of those get gas every hour and a half riders.

You need to get home quick so you can ride, the weather is great!

 

Actually..... I did run that out of gas ONCE!

On my way to Sturgis.... Thought I could make it to Rapid City.... Ran out of gas about a mile east of the flying J up there.... Luckily I was on top of a hill, so I just rolled it the rest of the way!

 

I see a pattern here

"I thought ...." = run out of fuel

not good.

I had a bad night running my bike up to PA in the middle of winter a few years back. 3am and realized no gas stations open. Take an exit that has signs for fuel, then at the top of the ramp it would point to a station 9 miles down the road. Finally made it to Carlisle after spending the last 1 1/2 hrs running 45 on I-81 to save fuel. Put 7.7 gl in my tank that is supposed to be 7.5 gl. Ever since then I make two fuel stops on the way up instead of planning just one.

Where you headed to now? My other truck is stuck in OKC for the weekend. Should have delivered yesterday but dragged his feet getting empty. I'm hoping something good turns up near CLT on Mon but might be Tues with the holiday and less business open.

 

I'm heading to Johnstown, PA. Loaded in Glenpool, OK.... Got a reload coming out of Ambridge, PA back to Port Catoosa, OK for Wednesday.

 

Yes there is a pattern.... I push everything to the max to see what I can or can't get out of it.

 

Doesn't always work, does it?

We had the Concours National Rally in Johnstown a few years ago. I was all excited it would be in my home state, and I have a friend that lives near there. Took eight weeks off from work to go to the rally, tour Canada and come back after running down the west coast and along I 10. Great plan right up to getting nine roofing nails in my rear tire and seven in my front two days before I'm supposed to leave. No dealer had my tires in stock and they messed up my order of course, finally taking nearly a month to get my tires. I normally am very calm in the face of problems but that pushed me to my limits. I've never stepped foot in that dealership again. Already put new tires on it a month before the trip so that episode cost me big bucks.

Sounds like you've got some good pre-planning going there. Why is it some people get loads planned ahead and others don't? Obviously I've not been around long enough to learn much of anything except to make sure logs are sent in once a week to stay out of trouble!

 

What kind of running have you been doing so far? Who is your coordinator?

Trust me... That day I met you, I was not the happiest guy & I was way over tired.... That is why I didn't stick around! I tend to get angry easily....

 

Makes your life a little more interesting, doesn't it? LOL

Good story there, Redd. Thanks for taking time to share it.

I could use that kind of day offs!

Are you the infamous Mr. Money Maker in Redd's story?