The journey begins - purchased a truck.

No - wasn't me, another load.

 

I don't know - as @Old Man said - it won't go on anything now.

 

I don't know what happened with the freight this week up here - maybe if I rented a van, loaded it up and sat the whole thing on the flatbed?

I'll play the 'refresh, refresh'refresh' game till about 11am here and put it in the wind.

 

February update

Delivered the second oversized load up to the PNW - all went relatively smoothly. Returned with some cheap intermodal chassis's that went to Dallas - as soon as I saw the destination pop up I grabbed it, because I was also coming up on my 3 year lease sign/ CABS/ Hazmat class that LS makes you show up in person for.

On the way down to Dallas, I called ahead and announced my impending arrival, and after one transfer, got into a discussion that went - HEATED, Understanding, Amicable, Friendly - on the subject of "Where do I park for this required attendance class". Seems nothing much has changed in the homeless shelter policy. When I arrived on Superbowl Sunday, however - there were 2 spots available out of 120 - one had been coned off for me.

The usual hazmat and driving awareness stuff. Safety scores they seem to be happy with on par with industry peers, but as I recall they were much better. Sign on the dotted line, and go and get rid of the container frames. Deadhead home.

I've managed to get hold of Fernando DeMoura, finally, he's been rather overworked apparently. Peeled off the ECM, cleaned and boxed it and sent it up to PA. Fault code 53 to repair, inspect circuitry, battery, and then run it up on the test equipment and feed it a mild tune. Mild. As in - I don't need to peel rubber in the Petro parking lot, nor have rolling clouds of smoke from the stacks, I just want it operating as efficiently as possible.

All other ECM 'techs' I've found, (and to be honest, I never contacted, so therefore exclude @Ruthless 's contact) were simply 'plug and play' guys. I spent some time looking at what Fernando has set up to work on ECM units and it makes sense - set up a test bank of injectors, run the units over an extended period, and actually take them apart and repair circuitry boards and components as needed - if needed. Simply taking a 'remanufactured' 'core' ECM and reprogramming it, or altering parameters without rhyme or reason - doesn't make sense to me. He also strikes me as the kind of guy that's on a par with drivers - he's good at what he does, wasn't happy with his role within a company, therefore struck out on his own to do better. Check his videos out at his website - Diesel Control Services - also on YouTube. Good luck getting him on the phone - he admits the phone and email are his least priority. I pursued him mainly due to @Old Man 's satisfaction value with his work.

Pored through all the maintenance records and manuals from the previous owner. Compiled a 3 page list of mileage and dates of major (or notable) component replacements and work, including the engine overhaul (Level 3) and gearbox replacement. I did note an excessive replacement of alternators, and left front wheel seals. Tires, batteries, PM's I left out, just the major stuff. Gives me some idea of when to expect some component replacement.

The previous owner did the bull gear, turbo, water pump, fuel pump, camshaft, rocker assembly and head, and rebuilt the engine brakes with the overhaul - bunch of money spent, but great for me. I did notice some periods of hard running and little maintenance after the gearbox, and subsequent engine failure . . . as in - need to restock funds . . .

 

Speaking of funds -

Looks like over $2.50 TTT all miles, and a smidge over $31k so far this year.

Which is good -because 2018 brings more challenges right out of the gate. Gretchen's Dad had let his diabetes and kidney condition slide, wound up in hospital with high ammonia in the blood - while I was on my way back from the last trip. Brother-in-law is in town to assist, and we rescued him from the hospital and are working on restoring/stabilizing, final stage will be to the kidney specialist on Monday to see where we're at, after insulin replacement for a swarm of meds, MRI scans, blood tests and the usual roundabout with hospitals/insurance/Medicare.

So, there's additional time needed to sort out some tattered finances, and figure out what to do with 3 houses, cars and personal belongings. Looks like he won't be able to/can't be trusted to - take care of himself in the forseeable future. Unlike the sister-in-law, he's somewhat able to assist, but can't get around very well, nor drive . . . a breeze for Gretchen in comparison.

Utilizing the brother-in-law's presence, we slipped off to the CPA and sorted out the taxes for the 2017 year. Including his fee of $1,400 - we'll have a total bill of $3-3,500 to settle up. This will leave the banked reserve to pay off the truck as planned, leaving us squared up on the business assets as planned. While we were there, we signed up for a payroll system for $45/month that with a few clicks, integrates the CPA, the IRS, bank accounts and all necessary filings, thus saving Gretchen a heap of extra work in the current paper filing and record keeping system she employs.

There's ice all over the landscape today, and the same tomorrow. It's possibly the slowest I've ever seen people drive down our road. Given the disaster in Rolla and Marshfield the other weekend, maybe they've learned. The fire is loaded, the fridge is full, the bank accounts are flush, and most importantly, the family members are warm and healthy/healthier.

And the 'brain' is missing off the truck, so I guess I'm not going anywhere too soon . . .