The journey begins - purchased a truck.

At first glance - I crapped myself and wondered what I'd gotten myself into . . .

 

OPPORTNITY . . . RISK . . . CHALLENGE . . . STRESS

Opportunity.

So - the agent I've been working with almost exclusively for the past 3 months or so has an opportunity. It would require a specialized trailer - and the qualification through LS to be able to haul the loads. So - with the $$ figures being bandied around at this stage, I decide I better work on getting my quackers lined up.

So - on the search for a trailer I go, and the search is narrowed by one requirement . . . @Old Man sends me a link to a good one, and before I know it, and thanks to a previously banned TTR user @dannythetrucker - the trailer is sitting at the machine shop, ready to go. Retarded - I snagged a 7 year old trailer for $27,500 that sells new in the $41-$50 k range. And it checks out great with new tires and brakes already on.

Here I'll point out a couple of things.

Contacts - @Old Man found it.

Relationships - US Bank, for 12 years , has been steadfast supporters of the McArthur's - and we secured a business loan, in a high risk industry, over ridden on several levels, for 4.2% - not bad for an 18 month old 'business', but that's 12 years of paying every bill, every time, no questions asked.

Contacts again - Danny delivered it and I paid him 150% of what he asked - and I had to press him to ask. That's a good bloke.

Loyalty and Application - This agent didn't have the best paying freight, certainly not what it did pay previously. They all got hit hard the last year or so. But - by doing the best we could to service them, the request came from the shipper, backed by the agent, that we (drivers) be offered the opportunity to haul this. You may not be noticed the first, second, seventh or ninth time doing a good job, but just keep doing it, I promise it'll pay off.

RISK.

Not the silly board game that goes on for hours. Risk. Risk that the purpose of the trailer doesn't come to fruition . Risk that buying a piece of equipment sight unseen may end in tears and a money pit.

CHALLENGE.

Well - I'm not qualified to haul this freight so far as LS is concerned. I'm not. I've been hauling flatbed for 18 months, not 10 years. I have a FB3 qual that allows me to haul up to 12' wide right now. @Old Man had to put in a call to issue me with a control number to haul the 14' wide. I've done several overlength and some slightly over width loads, but not enough to sign off on hauling this kinda deal down the road. I gotta hustle on this part.

STRESS.

Yes - It's been stressful. Worst Case Scenario, the freight never appears - and I find other work for this trailer - which, as researched, is there, and pays well. Best Case Scenario - New truck, house, and Corvette.
Probable outcome - lesser rate than anticipated and a better than average return. No risk no reward - right?

To add to the stress - the agent encountered a medical emergency with some short term complications that stymied communications. I forged forth with our decision on trailer acquisition regardless. My good wife paid off the 53' trailer to accommodate a much smaller note on the new trailer, and we'll make the decision work regardless. But I hope it all pulls off.

 

MY ABS

Well - light came on on the dash that said ABS. I thought,

"That's great - my truck is complementing my awesome physique".

So I mentioned this to my mechanic, and he said

"No, if the truck was wanting to complement you on your physique, it would have a light that came on that said "AB", because . . . . (hands me a mirror) - you only have one AB, you fat piece of crap."

So - because I trust the guy, I put down my cheeseburger and say, "Well - fix it".

I already knew it was a LF sensor. And leaking wheel seals often cause this. So - by the time is all said and done -

Left and right front wheel seals.

Left front brakes (cracked), Right front brakes (broken spring, lower shoe dragging)

"While you're in there?!"

L and R wheel bearings (timed well too, pitting and wear present)

The AC had quit. The mesh had gotten into the condenser, worn a hole, lost all Freon.

New Condenser, compressor, receiver/dryer, Freon. Compressor - because, well, while you're in there . . .

New brake chamber Left rear.

Grease and inspect (it was hot, I was lazy).

$2700. 5 hours labor in tidying up the poorly engineered grille to keep it out of the condenser. Much cheaper than the $2000 in parts KW wants for new bits.

Puts maintenance at 17 cpm this year. On 54,000 miles so far. Not too horrific.

 

Tell ya, but I'd have to bury ya!

I'm being purposefully vague on some details here - I'll post the trailer a little later.