Wow, talk about lucky.... broke down pulling into the yard!

Well, turns out some good came of this... there's a 2005 Pete 379 in the yard without a driver, and as of today, it's my new company ride! Off to Ohio I go... if anyone's interested, I'll post a detailed review of the truck when I get back.

 

I have some pics on my camera that I haven't had time to upload yet. Anyway, I've had a couple of loads out with the Pete, and have some impressions to offer.

1. Specs: 475 Cummins ISX, 13 speed OD, Pete Low Air Leaf, 244" WB, 127 BBC, 63" Unibuilt, basic interior, diffs must be around 3.70 or higher, given 65 mph cruise at 1500.

2. Seating: 3.5/5... the seats were the basic cloth covered National seats, had a bit of a leak and required adjusting every 45 minutes or so. Seats lack thigh support for taller drivers.

3. Sound: 5/5... for a truck with 500,000 miles on it, this thing was quiet as the grave inside, particularly when compared to the International 9400 I HAD been driving.

4. Power: 3.5/5... I suspect this truck had been turned down a bit. Took over 5 seconds to spool up to full power when "dropping the hammer".

5. Ride: 5/5... like a friggin' Cadillac baby! Even over rough roads, the seat only bottomed out 4 or 5 times in 2 weeks. I am 6'5" tall and usually have it set very low.

6. Manueverability: 4/5... Honestly, I expected a Pete to be much worse in terms of turning circle, and was very pleasantly surprised.

7. Visibility: 3/5... Over the hood, the view was much like you'd expect... lotsa hood, very little road. Jacking the seat is a MUST when manuevering in tight quarters so you can see over the nose. Rear visibility when backing is nonexistent when tracking the trailer through an alley dock move. Open the door, and lean out. Truck is equipped with Moto mirrors, which helps quite a bit.

8. Sleeper comfort: 4/5... I was surprised here, as I expected the bunk to be very cramped. It stayed nice and toasty all night, was VERY quiet when the vinyl curtain was drawn, even when idling near other trucks. Storage nicely laid out, but still room for improvement, especially when compared with Western Star's Stratosphere bunks. Not equipped with refrigerator.

9. Cab comfort: 3.5/5... The heat/AC controls were unresponsive, taking several minutes to reflect changes in the settings. The narrow space between the seats takes some geting used to. Cupholders are conveniently placed. Overhead AM/FM/CD radio controls awkward to reach. Steering column not equipped with tilt/tele.

All told, I like this ride a lot, and would gladly stay with it. One more downside: truck carries 300 gallons, so you might earn a shower at the truck stop every 3 days or so...

 

Ok, here's an update: I've been up and down 95 in that Pete a few times, and nothing negtive to report. However, a few weeks ago, I got back to the yard, pulled into the shop for scheduled maintenace. Two days later, I head back to pick it up, and they've put a headache rack on it. My first thought, of course, is, "WTF?" I call dispatch and they inform me the truck has been reassigned, please come to the office after cleaning out the truck. Okey-dokey, what are they up to now?

In the office, my dispatcher informs me that yes, the Pete has been not only reassigned, but SOLD to a new guy. Walks me out to the yard, and says here's what we have for company trucks. Choices: 2 International 9200, 1 9900 with pretty paint job and clapped out interior, 1 KW T800 with cab high coffin sleeper, and 1 10 year old Sterling. Sitting next to these are two brand new Freightshaker Classics and a Western Star LowMax. I ask about those trucks, and he says, "Sure you can have one.... we'll sell it to you for what it cost us. You'll get paid every week just like you were still running a company truck until it's paid off, then you go to our owner op pay."

I am:
1. No longer with that company.
2. No longer trucking, for now. Currently collecting unemployment insurance because the folks at unemployment insurance agreed with me that they effectively terminated me without cause.

So now I'm just biding my time, looking for the perfect job.

Rumor has it there's a private fleet from nearby that hauls live seafood from the Maritimes to Boston and returns empty, but all I know about them is they run all black Western Star 4900EX's with 82" Ultra High sleepers, and have a gold logo on the door with a picture of a Schooner on it. The search continues...