If A Tree Falls In The Forest...

...and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound?

I will not be able to answer that question for you today. However, I do know first hand that if a tree falls in the forest it might not make a sound even if you are right next to it.

That is exactly what happened to me only FIVE HOURS after I got back in Frankentruck. Sweet little Frankentruck, who was doing his best to not disappoint me.

I was minding my own business, heading north on Interstate 95 through South Carolina. It was late evening, so the sun had already vanished from the sky. The rural areas of South Carolina are densely populated with pine trees, therefore the night sky is even darker. I could clearly see the tail lights of the Big Rig less than a quarter of a mile in front of me. There was absolutely no indication of any obstacles blocking the Interstate as the lead truck had not so much as tapped his brakes.

In a split second, there is a horrific noise as my windshield is filled with pine branches. It all happened in less than 2 seconds. Thankfully, I am not one of those who panics, and I was able to stay the course. There was a car just about to pass me and he was able to clear the obstruction because my initial reaction was NOT to swerve. In fact, he never even tapped his brakes until after I collided with the evergreen.

I quickly made my way to the shoulder of the road to assess my damage, but not before grabbing the CB microphone to alert other truckers of the debris. Too late! Two other trucks ran through the remnants, but lucky for them, I had obliterated the mass of potential lane blockage. After a quick summation of the destruction, I eased further down the road into a rest area. It was there I stumbled upon the preambulatory driver. He asked what happened? I asked why he did not mention the *#@$#!% tree that was blocking the road. He knew nothing of its existence, and I did (and do) believe him. His previous actions did not indicate that anything was even remotely near the asphalt. We determined that the tree must have been falling at the moment I was passing through, because I did not run over it. Had I done that, I would have flat tires, busted wheels, defective brakes and missing airlines.

The severe damage was limited to the right front end of my hood. It also managed to knock both the spot mirror and passenger side mirrors loose. I had pine straw wedged under my wiper blades and under the tank straps and a dozen smaller branches pushing out of every crevice visible..

The good news is that nothing had happened to the braking system, the tires , or the engine/radiator. So while I impacted, I was mobile!! The bad news...

I WILL BE IN A SPARE TRUCK NEXT WEEK !! argghghghhhhhh!! That is 4 trucks in 4 weeks, bringing the total to ?? 40 swaps in 28 months?? But who is counting.