Big Time

I'm on my way, I'm making it....
BIG TIME, I've got to make it show Yeah
Big Time, so much larger than life


If this post could have a soundtrack, it would be Peter Gabriel's "Big Time" And you are welcome!!!  Because those of you who know the song will have a hard time not singing a few lines over the next 24 hours. Damn it! I hate when a song gets stuck in my head like that. Once again, you are welcome.

There is a natural progression to any car-hauler's career. After learning the basics and getting a good feel for the equipment, it is only natural to want to see just how much you can fit on your rack.

I took the first few months getting comfortable and developing my rhythm. Loading new cars is almost routine at this point. KIA, Honda and BMWs are pretty standard on my truck, but it is when I am sent to pick up some auction freight that things can get a little challenging. The buyer that I haul for likes to purchase big units and you better believe I was intimidated by some of my loads. It starts with a simple F150 or 1500 ( I forgot how big pickup trucks feel to me), and after I realize they go on the truck with no difficulty, I start to get a little excited about the F250 or whatever big units that will appear on my next load. After several months, I have found myself eager to load the big stuff...

Here are a few of my bigger vehicles and/or loads.

First time to stack trucks on the tractor

First Big Load at Adesa Long Island.

Ford Excursion... Just because I wanted to see if it would fit.

Sprinter Vans heading for Canada

F450... And I needed a step ladder just to get in this one.

For those of you hauling cars, this might not seem like much. But to a rookie, like me.... It's the Big Time!

Stuck In A Rut

Being my first year as a Car-Hauler, there as several things that I am dreading. It is said that anyone who hauls cars and claims to never have any damages is, well.... a liar! It is going to happen. I am not looking forward to this experience. There are many other "firsts" to be experienced as well, and I marked one more off of my list just this past week.

There are a couple of things I do before making a delivery at a new to me dealership. I call for specific directions, which would include whether there are low trees to watch for and if there is a certain driveway I need to use. I also use Google Earth to view the location as well. "Huge Lots" are not always huge and "plenty of room" means something different to the non truck driving crowd. So with a few units heading into Leesburg, Va, I follow my standard operating procedure. The first drop, I was told I could drive around the building and drop by service. I would have had a hard time driving a Ford F350 around that building, much less my truck. But even with specific directions and Google Earth, I always get a good look upon arrival. Yeah, the first drop, I had to back in with just enough room to unload in the lot. 

The second drop was just around the corner. The lot is "huge". Actually, from the street, the lot is fairly large and with multiple scuff marks in the driveway, I  knew other haulers had indeed been in the parking lot. I pulled in and 2 fellas immediately started checking out the cars. I was told where to park them (10 feet away) and one of the guys starts inspecting. When I try to get the delivery receipt signed, the guy admits he is not the one to inspect... What the hell, dude? Why are you climbing all over, in and around the cars then. At least he did work there.... I think. After folding up the truck, I asked if I could exit through the rear drive. I was told that trucks do it all the time. So I make my way around the building and indeed there is plenty of room. But what I didn't necessarily notice at first was the short slope in the lot and a small drainage cut out in the asphalt. Sure, I saw the slope and I did remark that  I could not make the grade if I turned to the right. So I started aiming towards the left but there was a few employees cars parked where I really needed to descend. 

Street Sweeping

The first rule of sloped driveways is, if you think you are going to drag.... accelerate!! Forward momentum will get you over the hump. And it helps to take it at an angle if possible. But this is not true in all cases. You will get stuck if the pitch is just too much for the low riding trailer, as you can see in this picture. I started down the grade, trying to get a good angle but I hesitated when I noticed I was a little closer to a Toyota than I preferred to be. So I angled back just a little and came to a screeching halt about 2 seconds before I was about to really hit the fuel pedal. Crap! Crap, crap, CRAP !!!!! I jumped out to assess the situation and with hopeful optimism, I decided to give her a good tug. You know, just to see. I actually was able to back up about a few inches, but then once again, all hope was lost. With Phone a Friend being utilized, I was given a helpful tip on how to elevate the trailer by disconnecting the leveling valve and increasing the air in the air bags. This should give me enough ground clearance to become mobile. I grab my tools and get to elevating. It should have worked. It would have worked....But it seems my circumstances were far more dire than originally determined.

Remember me stating that I was able to back a few inches? Well............  It just so happens, when I backed up that seemingly insignificant distance, I may or may not have consequently placed my drive tires at such an angle over a seemingly insignificant little dip at the base of the slope that allows water to drain off the lot. With the left front and right rear tires no longer making contact with the ground, I am done. Even with the differential locked, my tires are spinning effortlessly just above the little drainage cut out. That had to be like one in a million odds to get those tires perfectly aligned to lose total traction. I start looking around for boards or any other such useful item that I can shove under the tires in hopes to gain traction... Wait a minute. I think I have been here before. Oh yes!!  For any new readers, feel free to journey back in time for a little deja vu with this story... If I Had a Hammer.

So, with no where to go, it was time to call in the tow truck. He was able to use his winch and pull me forward just a few feet to freedom. Of course there was a little waiting involved. I had a lovely time commiserating with a few of the mechanics who were also busy trying to shove stuff under my tires. A couple of the salesmen came out and wished me luck. I even had one fella apologize to me for the bad advice given to me by the lot boy who directed me out the back lot. However, Daniel, the lot boy, was no where to be found. I did notice him at a distance trying to duck in behind a few cars once he noticed I was stuck. Good thing I did not get my hands on him!!

So, after it was all said and done, I was a little worn emotionally from the experience, but I did learn that I was the 4th car-hauler that had been pulled from the lot in a 2 month period. That actually made me feel somewhat better. And I learned a nifty little trick to prevent it from happening again. Well, as long as my drive tires are actually touching the ground!!

Days Inn, Albany New York

One of possibly the most insignificant details in my new car-hauling adventure, that can cause a slightly less insignificant amount of anxiety in my day to day routine is finding a motel that can accommodate my truck without damaging my cars. I have mentioned before that I am now, more than ever, aware of low hanging trees and tall (or even standard) curbing. So even if a truck CAN fit, it doesn't always mean that I can fit.

I try to pick my destination early enough in the day so that I can call ahead to verify whether there is actually truck parking and secure a reservation. I know it will happen eventually, arriving at the end of my day with no where to park. Thanks to the GPS tracking in my truck, I don't exactly have the free reign that I use to with the flatbed. In fact, there was the time in Virginia Beach when I may have over extended myself by several hours in order to find a suitable bed for the night. Not sure if I even blogged about that one.


After dropping a few units off just south of Albany, I made my way to a local Days Inn. I made the appropriate phone call and was told there was plenty of truck parking. After arriving at the address, I was concerned before ever pulling into the driveway. I called again, while sitting in the turn lane to ask specifically where I was to park. The lot was barely big enough to get into, but after checking in with the front desk, I began to make the journey out behind the second building "where all the trucks park with plenty of room to turn around".

 After dodging a few low hanging pines, I begin to feel confident as the driveway opened up behind the next building. I could see signs of this parking area. But when I made the final approach, I was dismayed to find the lot itself was only about 60' wide. I could see tire tracks, where perhaps a daycab had made the jack-knife turnaround. But there was no way in hell I was going to get out of that lot. Even empty, my truck while not turn in a 45 degree angle no matter how hard I try.

So, the only thing left to do is start backing up. It only took me about 45 minutes to get back out from behind the building. All the while dodging the vehicles belonging to the patrons of the little Mexican dive out in front. Once I managed to back through the lot, I then had to back out into the highway while blocking traffic and waving at the local residents who apparently did not appreciate my plight. After the 45 minutes of anger induced ranting, because I had already checked in to the room, I then had to back back into the parking lot and make my own parking spot. I was quick to inform the lady at the desk that if another driver called to ask for parking, the correct answer would be "NO".

All in a days work, but I would prefer to eliminate these little unnecessary moments of frustration if I could. I still have so much to learn and would prefer to focus my attention on the truck itself. I spent 7 hours focusing on it just recently in Corry, Pa. But that is another post...

One Month...

Today marks the end of the first month of my new life as a Car-Hauler. I have only one regret to speak of...
I wish I had made the transition years ago!!

After only 8 days of training, I was voted off the Island. The Head of training wanted to keep me longer, but the other three men involved with the course agreed I was ready to succeed. After a minor shop visit, I was given my first load.

With plenty of confidence and enthusiasm, I made my way to the Honda Manufacturing plant near Columbus, OH. That is when the first kick to the teeth occurred. The terminal manager was apprehensive about letting me load my first load of NEW cars in the afternoon drizzle. He also assumed that it would take me hours to finish, therefore placing me alone, in the dark with no experience. So, he reserved a room for me, at 3pm, at a local motel and sent me packing. From there I watched a beautiful blue sky unfold as I stewed a little over the set back. I was eager to get started. The next morning, I found my way back and proceeded to load. Even with the enthusiasm and confidence I was feeling, there was an enormous amount of anxiety. So many things to watch for. Weight, height, length, clearance between vehicles, turning radius..... I didn't have a problem getting the cars loaded, but I had very little faith in my positioning of the cars for turning radius of the truck. THINK, THINK, THINK... It took me a little while to figure out one adjustment that somewhat set my mind at ease, and after measuring the load about a dozen times, I made my way out of the gate. This load was taking me to Chattanooga so that I would be able to drop my car off at the house.

The first 2 hours were extremely nerve racking for me. I was terrified that every turn I made would have the cars rubbing bumpers between the tractor and the trailer, even though I was told I had plenty of room by an experienced car-hauler. The assurance was great for an ego boost, but I have to find my own confidence. It started seeping in slowly.

 I was able to make the delivery on Sunday with no hassle and set out for home. I had already decided that I was not interested in taking a few days off, knowing that if I did not set my rhythm early, I would face the same anxieties again after being out of the truck a few days. Monday placed me in West Point, GA loading at KIA. After a few stops in Ohio, I was able to stop in and visit the crew in Romulus. A few more guys had graduated and I had a lovely evening of sharing my new experiences and wishing them well on their travels.The first week was awesome. I am really enjoying my new job and anticipate loving it far more than I ever did with the flatbed. I don't miss home near as much as I thought I would, but with all the excitement and new challenges that I face everyday, that will probably fade in time. Of course, the hotel room every night does not hurt at all. After one week of working, I am gaining my foothold, but the clearance issue with the turning radius still intimidates the heck out of me. I am sure it will come with time and experience...

Cranial Excavation...

or more simply, Removing Your Head From Your Arse !!

I am soooooo pissed off. I do not intend to let this post become a long drawn out diatribe bashing new truck drivers. In fact, it is not always the newer drivers who pull stupid stunts. I do have a low opinion of how the new comers are being trained and while some of that could be blamed on poor educational courses, the fact of the matter is... It boils down to common sense.

Today, I was cruising up I-65 when I noticed a company truck sitting on the shoulder of the road about a half mile ahead. The driver in front of me also noticed, and as any courteous professional would do, we both signaled to merge into the left lane to give the stranded driver as much room as possible. With the high flow of traffic, we were having quite a time getting over to the left.

I noticed the blinker begin to light up on the "disabled" truck and thought...surely, he is going to wait. But NOOOOOOO!! The bastard pulled straight out into the right lane of the interstate at about 10mph. Here is what happened next..

It scared a fourwheeler who then drove into the grassy median, luckily without having an accident. The truck in front of me was trying to get left quickly, but with the one car already in the grass, several others hit the brakes leaving him no room as he was already merging. He tried to pull back to the right to avoid hitting innocent motorists and started to slide. After quick thinking on his part, he regained traction and was able to merge left. As for me, I have some very flat spots on my tires due to coming to a rather quick stop and ended up driving on the shoulder for a little bit to avoid the slow truck in the right lane...

Meanwhile, this freaking idiot is oblivious to the near mayhem he almost created. Who I am kidding, it was mayhem!! I am just thankful everybody was able to react in a way that not one person was injured or one vehicle damaged.

And for the record... I had some very unpleasant things to say to this steering wheel holder and all of Indiana had the pleasure of hearing it. Would you be surprised that the driver never acknowledged what he had done. He even went so far as to hide his face when I passed him.

This is the second time I have had my life flash before my eyes because of some stupid freaking truck driver.. Oh, and the worst part... The shoulder he was parked on was between the ramps for an exit!! He could have easily pulled off the exit and parked on that shoulder, therefore allowing himself room to build momentum for reentry.

I just don't understand why some people are so disconnected. You are driving 80,000lbs of mobile destruction.. and yet your only concern is your missed exit, how late you are, where the next McDonalds is or checking out the babes in the cars beside you.

Your lack of common sense infuriates me!!

What Can I Say

Last week was full of it's ups and downs... What can I say? Such is life...

The week started with apprehension as there was a driver's meeting that was going to introduce a new policy that the company will be putting into place at some point this year. A policy that will inevitably change my life. Sure, change is good, but when that change is forced upon you without your consent, it is very frustrating.

But on the upside, at the meeting which I did not attend, it was also announced that our current Boss was leaving. Once I found this out, my truck seemed to pull better and run faster. Of course, it didn't, but I sailed through Sunday with a huge grin on my face. Most of the drivers are apprehensive that things are going to get worse, but it is my opinion that there is a 50/50 chance it could get better. My only real concern is the lack of professional mechanics, and I don't see that changing anytime soon, so how could it get any worse?

On the downside, I was once again pulling a springride trailer which literally beat me up. I was so sore and frustrated by the end of the week that my vocabulary was largely limited to 4 letter words, and " love" was not one of them. On top of the excruciating ride, the trailer had maintenance issues that have not been addressed. Big surprise there!! Nothing in the way of safety, but rather the simple fact that I could not slide my tandems. If this one issue had been eliminated, I could have smoothed out my ride significantly.

On the upside, I managed to discover a few new shortcuts on some wonderfully scenic two lanes, and that always lifts my spirits.

On the downside, the list is seemingly endless.. With all the personal frustrations I am going through right now, the physical abuse I am enduring in the truck just seems to magnify the fragility of my emotional state. Hopefully, as I work through all of this, I will come out on the other side on Cloud Nine.... I miss it up there.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrel

There has been a lot of "excitement" going on around the workplace lately. Not exactly the type of excitement you would hope for either.

It seems that one of our Tennessee driver's had recently hurt himself on the job and was living it up on workman's compensation. For reason's unknown to myself, the insurance company decided to investigate him and took pictures of him doing things that would have negated his "unable to perform job tasks" status. Naturally, he was terminated immediately. That is what happens when you get caught abusing the system. Supposedly, he took great offense to this and proceeded to write some expository letters to state and federal DOT offices. I am sure his intentions were to hurt the company who had fired him, a payback if you will.

So for Christmas, the Georgia division of this account received an official visit from the Department of Transportation and was audited extensively. So for the past week, everyone has been on edge. I made it through the preliminary audit with flying colors. In fact, there were only 2 drivers who made it through this stage with no evidence of violations, me and AA. But that doesn't mean we did not feel the anxiety of the situation.

The week passed, the audit complete and 3 of the Georgia drivers were terminated for various reasons. I feel really bad about what happened to them. One of the drivers had put in an entire lifetime hauling aluminum, 37 years. He was fired... Whatever happened to verbal warning, written notification, suspension and then termination....

While I am very grateful that I still have my job, I am very much disgruntled about how this all played out. This all started with one driver in Tennessee abusing the system and getting caught. Yet the Georgia office was put under scrutiny and people lost their jobs. Tennessee was untouched. It is not the audit or the scrutiny that angers me. It is the fact that the fat bastard in Tennessee got caught in a lie and and in a fit of anger, decided to wreak havoc upon the lives of 10 drivers who were in no direct relation to his situation. Thats right, his accusations of company misdeeds were placed on the shoulders of 10 drivers who worked across the state line... This is a guy who faked injury and illness for the elicit purpose of abusing prescription medication. This is a guy who faked injury and illness for the sake of receiving monetary compensation. This is a guy who wanted to sit on his fat ass and do nothing while everyone else supported him... I have absolutely NO TOLERANCE for his kind.

New Year.... New Blog Post

Oh WOW!! Where have I been ?

This seems like a pretty good time to do a new blog post, don't ya think? So, let's get started, shall we.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday Season, if in fact there are any readers still checking in to this seemingly abandoned blog. Hi Dad !!

My year ended with a rush of many, many different emotions. Starting with my return journey from the East Coast the week before Christmas. I was able to spend some time with Geoff just days before Christmas in Elkton, Maryland. However, my trek back to the Southland left much to be desired. I encountered several traffic delays en route, which is common during the Holiday Season. But I can tell you that I never want to spend that much time in Washington DC, ever again. 150 minutes to travel a mere 30 miles. But the most anxious moment of the journey was crossing the Susquehanna River near Perryville, Md. There are warning signs on both sides of the river bridge warning of high wind gusts. I have felt the force of the gusts and tend to get a little nervous on a windy day. That day was exceptionally windy.

Having an empty trailer, I was hoping to find a heavy load to hide beside as I made the crossing. No such luck, but at least the wind was blowing me towards the middle of the bridge and not to the outer wall. To prepare, I slowed and watched as cars began to make erratic maneuvers ahead of me and that is when I noticed the trucks tipping to one side. I slowed even more as I began to fear the worst. I watched as the trailer in front of me lurched and swayed to the left. Then ever so gently, the tires on the right side began to rise into the air... This happened several times and thankfully, he never toppled over.

NO !! That is not the actual truck I witnessed. But how would you like to see that happening in front of you. My experience was with a trailer only rising about a foot off the ground, but that is still 12" too much !!

After all the delays and dastardly daredevilish demonstrations, I finally arrived back at the yard just before midnight, to find that my battery in my car was dead. The plant was closed, only 2 other souls on the premises. Luckily, I was able to get one of them to jump off my battery and I scurried home to bed. Too much excitement for one day. But the next morning held no reprieve. The battery was dead again, a battery just purchased 15 months before. I was able to hitch a ride, battery in hand, to the AutoZone where I had purchased it, and they handed me a brand new one. Once the new battery was nestled snug under the Pony Car's hood, I trotted back over to the store and had the alternator tested. Sure enough, bad diode! And I was expected to be in Bama for the Holidays. There was no way I was going to spend the Holidays at home alone. The dealership did not have one in stock, so my only option was to get a rental.

I did make it home for the Holidays and was pleasantly surprised by about 5" of snow on Christmas morning. We had a blast and a few arguments while we commenced to building the biggest snowman these parts had ever seen. Not really sure about that last statement, but we like to think he was. In the end, our Snowman stood at 8' and made the evening news (on the weather report) !!

So, I think that about wraps up 2010.... Or the best shot I am prepared to give it at this moment. I am really out of practice with this whole blogging thing, sheesh! But it is late, and I have work to do tomorrow....Oh, that reminds me...

Think I will save that for the next post.. Stay Tuned, I promise I will be back !!!

Welcome to The Jungle

Finally got a load back into the City, and normally this doesn't have any negative impact on my mood. But lately (the past 3 years) our load planner has been losing her mind. She is continually sending the wrong style of trailer to customers and routing the trips in very inefficient patterns. Of course, it will always be up to the driver to correct these "oversights"

As the week progressed, I was actually feeling a little anxiety about a certain delivery in Woodside ~ Queens, NY. The customer is located on the service road/ entry ramp to the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. There are cars parked on both sides of the lane, leaving minimal room for motorists to travel towards the Interstate, and without proper notice there is absolutely no where to park 70' of tractor trailer.

The customer requests that their material to be loaded on the right side of the trailer because they have no safe access to unload if the material is on the left. It is a service road!! Notice the traffic on top of the wall in the picture. That is the BQE. My anxiety causing dilemma was based on the fact that I was not pulling a flatbed for easy removal of material. I had the crane trailer. In order to unload the crane trailer, I not only need room for my vehicle, but an additional amount of space to set the material on the ground behind me. There was NO WAY I was going to claim 100' of asphalt. Not on this busy thoroughfare. In the past, we have actually driven onto the sidewalk. I don't mean a few tires on concrete, either. I mean actually coming through the intersection and pulling all 18 tires on concrete and driving the truck next to the store front. That kind of freaks out the passersby. But the neighboring strip club decided to eliminate that option by placing a rather low canopy across the sidewalk. Grrrr!!

But before I get too far ahead of myself.... On the way to the customer, which I have not been to in awhile, I called AA and asked which exit number I was suppose to take. He assured me it was Exit 40. So like any brave little trooper, I dive off at Exit 40, into the side streets of Queens and find myself "lost". Of course, there is no reentry point at this ramp. But, I have been lost so many times in Queens that I no longer get upset about it. Fahhgetaboutit !! I did make a few tight turns and had the local police eyeballing me, but I found my way back to the Expressway in no time.

So, back to the customer. I now have to park in the ramp, four ways a~flashin, to seek instructions from the customer. Oh pleeeeeeaaase, no illegal parking tickets.. HURRY UP !!!! Aggggghhhh. They were none to pleased about the trailer and it didn't help matters that their material was 28' long, meaning I could not even sit the stuff on the ground with my crane. It only extends 12' out behind the trailer. But they were able to direct me to another location where I could unload. Oh Joy!! Nothing like site-seeing in the side streets.

The day turned out to be a breeze. I managed to get all of my Philadelphia, and New York drops off. There were no traffic delays as I made my way across Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens. The unload turned out painless and I blew through the Bronx at 4pm with out any heavy traffic snafus. WHAT??

No brake lights in Brooklyn !!

Corkscrew Interchange 95/87 Bronx, NY

Yep, you heard it right. I had a most excellent day!! Felt good to be back in New York. Felt even better to be kicking ass and taking names....

Damn, I love my job!!

NOTE: The second picture was taken previously, to give you perspective of my location. I know, that looks nothing like a crane trailer...LOL

The Ending Of An Era

You may or may not be aware that in the past 3 years , I have been almost at my wits end with this series of Volvo trucks provided for us by the Company.

The first truck, Maggie, had an exhaust leak that I endured for nearly two years. It was never found, and was presumed to be a result of my sensitive snout. After becoming disoriented not once, but twice, I finally convinced the shop to issue me an alternate truck...

That is where Frankentruck entered the picture. I was ecstatic to claim him, but it did not take long to realize I had just swapped one problem for many more. The first being a suspension issue. The second being a mildew issue which caused me to be sick for nearly a year and a half. And amongst other smaller concerns, the third major issue was the discomfort my body was subjected to by the driver's seat. Numb legs were the first symptoms, but it quickly escalated to sever joint pain in both my knee and hips, plus a constant inflamed sciatic nerve. Needless to say, I have not been a happy camper for much of the past 3 years, but I have persevered.

Well, it is time to say goodbye to Ol Frankentruck. I just cant deal with him anymore. After driving 3 different trucks in one week and discovering that ONLY mine rode rough, only mine caused physical discomfort, only mine created instantaneous congestion...I decided to give him up. The mechanics AND the corporate monkeys are all fairly positive that all my problems are a figment of my imagination... I suppose I am only highly imaginative in my own truck, as the other two had none of the same problems.

...but I digress. This is not a post about the inadequacies and failures of my Stooges.

This is an Announcement Post !!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you....

SEABISCUIT

Looks just like Maggie or Frankentruck, doesn't he? I have named him based on the fact that he is a little truck with a big heart. He pulls fairly well, doesn't struggle too much and gallops in near perfect rhythm...Not too mention, his saddle is a good fit for me. But he is a little beat up !!

I really hate to drive a piece of equipment that has damages, but I think that physical comfort is more important, so I will embrace him for the little truck he is, scars and all !!

Crane, Crane... Take Me On Out Of This Town

So, what have you missed?

The past month, I have given up on flatbedding...

GASP !! No, I did not quit my job or get fired. I have in fact been pulling the Crane Trailer.

It is a pleasant change for me and as with everything else, I find a certain satisfaction in operating the crane, almost like playing with a new toy. There are however a few downsides to running the Crane. Number One being that during the summer, I am enclosed in an unventilated trailer for hours and it feels like a sauna. Within minutes, I am drenched in sweat...

Lucky for me, most of my customers are quick to make sure I have everything I need, such as plenty of water and Gatorade. I have had a few close calls where the crane would come off the tracks, rendering the task at hand to become stalled. Some quick work with the forklift and I am set to proceed with the unloading process.

There are plenty of opportunities for this trailer to cause mayhem for my work schedule. Any malfunction could send me home with a half loaded trailer... One such instance occurred last week.

You see, the Crane is controlled with a single battery powered remote control. There use to be a controller that plugged into the crane itself, but that has long since been removed from the trailer. Not sure why that was done, but I don't feel it was a very educated decision. So, with the single remote, not only do I have to worry about the actual crane, but a remote malfunction can send me packing as well.

Last week, at my first stop, the inevitable happened. While un-securing the crane, the remote was knocked down in amongst my load. Having fallen behind 5000 lbs of metal, against a wall, 4 ft below me, I begin to feel the first frustrations of the week. With much determination and struggling, I was able to retrieve the ONLY means by which I could offload my freight. But not before suffering a few minor injuries. Trust me, it is very hard to scurry into tight spaces with razor sharp edges at every corner and not come out with some blood loss.

It was not the struggle to retrieve the remote control that caused my angst. In fact, it is the decision of the Boss' to have only one remote available to me. There are a total of SIX remote controls for this trailer, but the Boss' have decided that a cabinet drawer in Georgia, is the best place to store the remaining FIVE. I had asked for a spare remote the previous week, but was denied. So after this little incidence occurred, I immediately called and ask for a reprieve. I explained how unfortunate it would be if I had to return to the plant with a loaded trailer because of a slight remote malfunction. The Boss, not sensing the true nature of my predicament, remarked that they could always send me one via Fed-Ex if that happened again. HAR DE HAR HAR..... Seriously folks, they would rather store the extra remotes in a locked drawer and ship one out to me, than just allow an extra one to ride along in the trailer.. Funny Stuff, but then nothing surprises me when it comes to the new bosses.

It has been a good month, and even with the blood, sweat and tears, I have really enjoyed pulling the crane. I do tend to get a little bruised up, so I try not to make it a habit to pull it too often.

after a typical unload....

And as an added bonus, I think I will throw in a little public service announcement at this point.

DONT EVER PULL OUT IN FRONT OF A MOVING TRACTOR TRAILER !!!!!

This is what my load looked like after another semi pulled off the shoulder of the highway directly in front of me. He was moving at about 10mph when he lurched into traffic. I was rolling along above 65mph. Thankfully, the fella beside was paying attention and let me have the left lane. But because of the sudden swerve to the left, my load fell over... Had I not swerved, I would not be here to tell you about it. Had the fella beside me not been paying attention, there could have been a major catastrophe. I did publicly chastise the driver of the other truck for making such an asinine decision. To this, he only remarked about silly women drivers, and a few other choice lewd remarks. Geeez, I love steering wheel holders...

All is well, that turns out well. It is a great big world, with lots of exciting stuff going on. Pay attention people, it could be my life you are saving. And on that note, I think I will take the convertible out for a ride....

Whirlwind

What a crazy few weeks it has been since I last truly posted on here. I suppose the best way to get back on track, is to just jump right back in the middle of things. I keep thinking about the posts I have stored up mentally and the chronological order in which they should be published, but if I keep waiting for an opportune moment, they will all disappear into oblivion. So here goes...

I AM EXHAUSTED! Currently sitting in Milford, Ct, I am indulging in an afternoon of no obligations. Beginning on March 28th, I worked 12 consecutive days, which is completely unheard of for me. Normally, four days is all that is required of me per week.

In those 12 days, I drove approximately 5800 miles, which isn't much really. Only an average of 483 per day, but if you include the 25 deliveries I had to make in that time frame, you begin to see where I literally busted my hump. After returning to the yard last week, I picked up a rental truck and spent the next 2 days moving my household. I finished up just in time to grab a shower and jump back in the truck.

This is what is waiting for me upon my return!! What you cant see, is the 500 bazillion boxes waiting to be unpacked. I am thinking I should throw myself a housewarming party. All guests who unpack at least one box for me will get free lunch!! Another brilliant idea is to get rid of all my stuff....Ugh!! Keep the bare necessities and a few luxuries. You see, I hired a moving company to unload the truck for me. But due to their 2 hour late arrival, I unloaded a good portion by myself, knowing I had to go to work. As you can possibly imagine, I am quite sore.

So, therefore, I am quite content to be wasting my afternoon in this dusty ole parking lot. I am wore to a frazzle, and need to recuperate. Connecticut is as good a place as any!!

The Last Straw

My last post was written in Mt Jackson, Virginia. I had decided to wait on AA, who was only a few hours behind me. I figured as long as we were running together, I might not be so volatile in regards to the behavior of my truck. I was more than willing to wait, even though it would require a 12 hour break. If you know me at all, you should be well aware that I do not linger..The second I am able to roll, I am gone. So this should reveal how distraught I was.

We proceeded south first thing Wednesday morning. Surprisingly, even though the noise was still unbearable, the performance was up to par. I still maintain that I was having injector cup problems but they seem to have reseated themselves after the engine cooled off. Such as the first telltale signs of cups going bad. We made it 200 miles before parting ways. During this time, AA complained that his truck was not running efficiently. My spare was racing down the interstate like hell on wheels. But as soon as we parted company, the truck I was driving decided enough was enough. I immediately began to have performance problems again. I later joked with AA that his truck was having sympathy pains for me.

The next 400 miles had me dropping gears like crazy, pulling my empty wagon over the crest of tiny mounds, that normally offer no resistance even with the heaviest of loads. I could barely do the speed limit of the flat stretches.

I finally made it back to the plant and was feeling so dismal, that I just about lost it when I did the final write-up before turning the truck back into maintenance. It was after hours, so I had no one to yell at.

First I noticed that the previous driver had not been turning in any of his write-ups. How are the mechanics supposed to fix anything if they don't know it is broken?

Next, I noticed the previous driver's write-ups were marked NO DEFECTS. How can this be, if even the Stooges knew to tell me that the truck had problems.

The previous driver was The Mayor....This is the second time I have followed him into a truck. This is the second time his write-ups were not turned in to maintenance. This is the second time his write-ups were bull-shit and left me driving faulty equipment.

So I wrote up everything I could remember ( I did forget to mention the inverter did not work, but I am sure someone else will figure that out, maybe even the effing Mayor..) And before saying my farewells, I had a little fun !!

This picture was suppose to show the carelessness of previous drivers, with the broken pieces, but it you look closer, you will notice I did a little 10 wheel mudding to alleviate my rage.

On Friday, I received the news that Frankentruck is back in action, with a shiny new motor donated by Volvo. I am going to test this motor, and I am pretty sure any small glitches I stumble upon will be more readily acceptable than to continue to endure what I have already become accustomed to . Thank God this is over!!

Enclosed you will find a short clip I produced to show you just how miserable this week has been. WARNING...when you get to the portion that says OUTSIDE THE TRUCK, you may want to turn your volume down. I did not alter these noises at all. This is what I dealt with all week. The last segment of the video is so you can hear how terribly the engine was performing. ENJOY!!

With those noises and performance, the traffic issues I encountered seemed somewhat trivial...Well, except for the embarrassment factor.

PA Toll Booth I-78 (3 mile back-up)

Bruckner Expressway, Bronx, New York @ 1pm

.

A Year of New Beginnings ??

As is with every year, there is a part of us that reflects where we have been and where we would like to be. A time to readjust attitudes and motivations...

I think my attitude is just fine and considering everything I have been through this week, I think you will agree. At least I hope so. Or maybe, with everything I tend to encounter, I am no longer thinking clearly and lunacy is fast approaching...But, I did find myself laughing through most of my pitfalls, because crying only makes the mascara run....

It all started about 30 minutes before I arrived at the plant on Sunday night. The Mayor called to inform me that I would not be driving Frankentruck this week, because Volvo had not even started on him (after 2 weeks). That little piece of news would have been greatly appreciated, had I known before I left the house. It is too far to return home to renegotiate my supply list for the week, so I was faced with running my route without bedding, a coat, work gloves, work boots,tools, microwave and cooler. Essentially, I would be deprived of all creature comforts and work essentials. At least they left me a cheater bar so I could unstrap my load. After the initial angst, I made a purchase of Truck Stop bedding at an exorbitant cost, but I should get reimbursed for that. What is even worse is that the Mayor called several more times, (I believe to gloat over my angst) and informed me that he knew of these circumstances for at least 5 days. I was enraged that NO ONE informed me, not the boss, not the shop, not even the Mayor until after the fact.

Monday morning, after a 2.5 hour wait to unload (this rarely ever happens) I set out through the mountains of north Georgia, when the truck suddenly loses power. Oh Great!! I knew exactly what was happening and within minutes, I noticed the telltale smoke which indicated my regeneration filter was clogged and needed cleaning. This is a simple mechanical task, and can be completed in 2 hours by the mechanics. The frustrating part is that when I had done my inspection, I noticed the truck had been written up for this problem 5 times in the past 2 months. I assumed it had been taken care of, but alas, I assumed incorrectly.

Having just dealt with this situation in Frankentruck when I was in Minnesota, I was not going to allow it to continue in another truck. Because when I say smoke...what I mean is enough exhaust fumes to kill every insect in a ten mile radius and reduce visibility to 10% for those traveling behind me. I called the Stooges and asked for another spare. I was told I would have to drive this one, and I lost it....With temper at full throttle, I blurted into the phone, " This is a piece of crap, and why have you not fixed it. It has been wrote up 5 times for this shit!!" Moe stated that he did not care what the inspection book had written in it. He had placed a temp driver in the truck for the past 3 weeks and they said nothing was wrong with it.. ??

That is when I aborted the call. Nothing else said, I just hung up on him and started laughing to myself..The inspection book indicated that the Mayor had driven the truck the previous week, so Moe's statement was bull. But in dissecting what he said.... A Temp driver said that there was nothing wrong with it....I would like to point out that the majority of all temp drivers do not even do inspections, and could care less about the state of someone else's equipment. But to take the word of a disposable temporary employee over my 12 year experienced ass, was like a slap in the face. Therefore...I simply hung up..and LAUGHED.

The fumigation process finally ended as I got back to the interstate, so I trudged along to my next customer. At this point, I should have 1800 miles before the environmentally friendly Volvo exhaust regeneration system commits genocide on all flying life forms again.

I arrived at my next customer and was forced to wait an additional hour at this facility. At the third stop, another lengthy delay. I still had over 7 hours to drive to my Ohio delivery, and I was just not in the mood for it. I only made it to the Kentucky State line before calling it a day. But the stress of the past 24 hours was kicking me in the arse, and while I noticed no visible symptoms, I struggled to get any sleep that night...and failed miserably at that.

Tuesday morning, I head into a wintry mix with minor delays in traffic due to road conditions. I finally made Columbus around lunchtime (Yeah, only minor delays..lol). I was then informed that my customer would not be taking any deliveries due to their annual inventory process. More laughing to be heard coming from me.... But as I was preparing to leave the premises, a man flagged me down and said he would go ahead and offload. This is the first instance when the work gloves would have been very handy, because there nothing worse in cold weather, than wet fingertips...I do have to use those slushy covered straps, you know!! But my work gloves are locked up tight in Atlanta...

Because of my late arrival, the next two customers will have to wait another day, so I go about my business and stop early just south of Sturgis, Michigan.

The next morning, I peek out of my sleeper around 4am and notice a fine sheen of ice glazing everything in sight, so I turn over, curl up and sleep for a few more hours. Thinking the sun might help a little, I discovered the sun does not rise until 8am in Sturgis, Michigan. I could not delay any longer and after unloading, I head towards the Indiana Toll Road and my final customer of the week.

But it couldn't be that easy, now could it. I made the turn approaching the only toll lane that was open and noticed that traffic was not proceeding through it. After a few minutes, thinking someone did not have correct change, I asked if there was a problem...Seems the truck at the booth was broke down....more giggling.....We waited for 45 minutes before someone decided to open another lane and let us proceed. By this point, I am regretting my excessive slumber because I am now aware that the Arctic Blast is making its final descent, and me with no coat. The highest temperature I had seen all week was 24 degrees, and the arctic chill had not even arrived yet.

I arrive at my final point of delivery and endure yet another extended delay, this time due to the snow covered ground. In order to get unloaded, I had to wait for the trailers inside to be loaded and pulled out of the way. I was finally heading southbound around lunchtime on Wednesday. A very long week considering I only had 6 customers on the trailer to begin with.

But this story is not over. On Thursday morning, I write up this truck after having endured another barrage of "Did you blow your Turbo, driver?" on the trip home. I walked in and handed the slip to the closest Stooge, and without a word, I slipped out of doors and headed for the front office. While finishing up paperwork, Moe calls in and says I should be aware that I would still not be in Frankentruck for another week. I politely asked the assistant Boss to remind Moe to repair the regen on the spare truck.

I make it home with only minor deterrents (that will be another post in itself) only to receive a phone call from the Stooges. I was informed that I would be driving an alternate spare because they had purchased the wrong parts for the one I had been driving. I call bullshit. I think they just did not feel like doing the repair, so they gave me another temporary fix. BUT....the call (which was actually a voice message) also informed me that the new alternate spare had problems that they were very aware of and I should not write them up, but that I should be able to make it to New England and back....So basically, I am driving a broken truck to replace the broken truck I drove last week, while my Frankentruck remains broken. Ahhhh, you just gotta love it.

Three trucks in the first 3 weeks of 2010....That makes 37 !! 37 times that I have jumped ship since the new fleet arrived only 28 months ago. Nope, doesnt look like anything is changing this year...LOL

To Err is Human...The Finale !!

The phone call was from my Office. They needed to inquire about a few particulars concerning my load.

Hmmmmm??

Yes, Winona was on the way, saving at least 100 miles. Yes Winona was actually loaded next and not underneath the Minneapolis. No, no one reloaded any of my freight, except the pallets back in Tennessee. Yes, they agreed to wait on me.

It seems the Aluminum Company got a nasty little email from Minneapolis concerning my delivery. Of course, I feel that their complaints were legitimate, and I did do everything I could to help out with the situation. I run into this problem all of the time in New England, but because I know the customer's needs, I am able to accommodate them before arriving with an undeliverable load. I did not know this customer, so I did not know I needed to make alternate arrangements with the freight.

What ensued over the next few hours was a battle of laying blame. The load planner claimed it was my fault for changing routes mid-stream and That I was obviously having my freight moved around . She knows I do this in New England, but there was no need for it on this trip. It just wasn't loaded properly. My boss waged war for me, and in the end it was revealed that I was not to blame at all. Really?

Don't you just love the fact that almost everyone seems to throw the driver under the bus, when a mistake occurs. Luckily, I have a wonderful boss who will fight tooth and nail for his team of drivers.

The best part of this little battle...The original email from Minneapolis included a paragraph about me. It stated that I was doing my best to help them out. That I had physically helped them unload over 4000k of metal. That I was a great asset to my company. The final sentence advised my company to extend gratitude to me, the Driver....You know, the one the load planner was trying to blame.. LOL

I made it home early on Friday and was scheduled to be off for the next 2 weeks. But, I just had to volunteer to work the week of Christmas....Seems, I am a glutton for punishment.

Good news, however! When I finish my run this week, I am to send my truck to Volvo to have the new engine installed....YAY This could not come at a better time, because even though my problems were temporarily at bay with the regen situation in Wisconsin. They almost immediately returned when I got empty in Missouri. Only 1200 more miles and Frankentruck goes under the knife.. Let's hope he lives through it.

To Err is Human....Almost Done

I awoke at the crack of dawn and began my trek into St Louis. I could have chosen a shorter route, but my need for fuel had me sticking to the interstates.

Upon my final descent into St Louis, I witnessed an accident. Some people are just in too big of a hurry.

Riding south on I-55, the radio was full of chatter pertaining to a trailer tire w/rim laying in the southbound granny lane. Getting close to the obstruction, I moved left and watched as fourwheelers opted for flying around the right side in order to pass my slow moving obstruction. I then slowed even more, because I could tell they had no idea what was laying in the road in front of them, the distance was too great to discern it at this point. So, I slowed even further to allow them room to make a hasty left merge once they noticed it.

The two cars noticed it at almost the last second, literally jerking the steering wheel to avoid catastrophe. The Escalade, who became agitated when I slowed him down, decided to come around on my right also. He obviously had not noticed the actions of the other fourwheelers, because he had been behind me. I guess, my brake lights and four way flashers just angered him even more. So he darted to my right. I kept waiting for him to notice the wheel... and waited and waited......Oh crap, he never noticed it and centered it perfectly, lifting his entire vehicle at least a foot into the air before the sudden stop with a very large trailer tire wedged under his motor.

The truck behind him was a daycab, and also had not noticed the impending calamity, so he had to make a quick dive into onto the shoulder to keep from impacting the Escalade. The driver was not immediately injured, but I think he will be very sore for awhile. What is even worse, this tire did not fall off of a poorly maintained axle, it was actually strapped to the nose of a flatbed trailer and bounced out under the straps. That truck was sitting on the shoulder of the road with the driver on the phone while all of this happened. Seems he had been parked long enough to have removed the obstacle from the interstate, but he needed to make a few phone calls first..We had reports of the tire for 10 miles before we got to it... Hmm, can you saw LAWSUIT!!

So, after all that excitement had passed, can you guess my next delay...

I headed east on I-70, instead of the west bound 270, I was aiming for. Just a little distracted, folks, nothing to worry about. I have a great sense of direction...LOL

Well, I got my final 2 stops off on Thursday, and just as I started to breath a sigh of relief, the phone rang...

To Err is Human...Part Two

So...I am sitting in Mauston, Wisconsin after completing a 45 minute manual regeneration on my truck. I have 2 stops in Minnesota and time is of the essence. After contacting both locations I decided to flip my route around. Minneapolis was supposed to unload next according to my manifest, but Winona's freight was next in line on the trailer, and because it was literally on my way to Minneapolis, I headed there next.

I had received 3 sets of bad directions for the location in Winona, and ended up phoning in for turn by turn instructions after I got lost riding through town. Seems I took the very long way around, which did not help my timing. One pallet removed and I was back in action. I phoned Minneapolis and alerted them to my time frame. I would be arriving at about the time they closed. They agreed to wait for me up to one hour. So I pedaled forward.

I hit Minneapolis in record time, and arrived about 15 minutes prior to closing. I was already in luck because today was their annual Christmas Party. But the tide turned rather rapidly when I pulled into the lot and noticed this was going to be a dock unload.

After everyone assessed the situation, it was determined that the only way to offload this freight, was to hand unload. Never a good situation when they have equipment to use, but the freight is loaded sothat it is unattainable. In this case, the 12 ft bundles were placed in the nose, stacked directly on top of 26' metal. There was no way their boom was going to reach it without dragging metal on metal and damaging my St Louis freight.

So we cut the bundles open and proceeded to sandbag the freight off the trailer. My job was in the nose, because the men were too tall in fit in the cramped space. My body was going to pay for this later. After an hours worth of physical labor, a few mishaps, and several strained muscles, I was unloaded. Oh, it might also be noted..I was not unloaded by the receiving crew, they were gone for the day. I was unloaded by the office personnel, and they were not too happy with the situation as they were still dressed in party attire. But they had agreed to wait, so they did not feel they should refuse me at this point, even though I volunteered to stay overnight so the labor crew could handle this situation in the morning.

My final 2 stops were located in St Louis, Missouri and there was just too much distance to cover, so I could only hope to arrive before their 2pm closures the following day. I was anxious for my shower and in no great hurry at this point. In fact, I was so resigned to the fact I might have to wait until Friday to unload, that I took a few detours on my way out of town. Rt 494 was experiencing major delays due to accidents, so I tried to find a shortcut back to Rt52. I knew where it was, but because of the jug-handled ramps and multiple turns, I got confused and ended up heading straight for downtown St. Paul.... LOL, no I do not use GPS.

It only added about an hour, taking the side streets, to work my way back toward my intended southbound direction on Rt 52. By the time I reached the truck stop, I was more than ready to be finished for the day, and decided not to push myself getting to St Louis.

But I am not one to let opportunity slip through my hands, so I got up early the next morning, with the intention of getting my final 2 stops off and heading home....

...to be continued

To Err Is Human, To Forgive....

Well, that is just part of the job. My job, at least. With so many things that can and will go wrong, it is almost a requirement to have a forgiving temperament. Otherwise, life would be pretty miserable while out on the road.

This week had so many pitfalls, I should probably do a single post for each day of the journey... But I will try to keep this one relatively in check.

Sunday night was easy enough,only 140 miles to my first customer. Well, except for the fact that the loaders forgot to strap down parts of my load. Plus they also loaded all the palletized material on one side of the trailer. That could be a problem later in the week, but did I ever tell you how much I hate to get dirty before I ever even leave the yard? So, the first chink in my armor was having to work on my load. The second would be the fact that, while I spent a day in Tennessee last week having repairs made, my truck is actually running worse. I went from an average of 7.9 mpg while loaded to a staggering 4.1 miles per gallon.

Monday started out just fine, with the previous ordeal of the straps forgotten...until the removal of some freight left those pallets in a vulnerable position. Later in the day, a small pallet double stacked did in fact do a nose dive off of a larger pallet and onto some other material, but there was nothing I could do about it. The center supports had been left off of the trailer...I was not destined to get much done on Monday, but I knew that before leaving out. So, it was 4 stops in Tennessee. I finished "working" before noon. But the drive left me grumbling, because along with the heavy consumption of fuel, there was also a very noticeable loss of power. Let's just say I climbed out of Dunlap, Tn at a whopping 12 mile per hour, and that was after I dropped off 15,000 pounds of freight. I have never dropped into the low side of my gears for this pull, so I was not looking forward to cruising through Kentucky.

Tuesday morning finds me just south of Indianapolis, In. A quick glance at my gauges alerted me to trouble...Seems I had someone steal some fuel during the course of my overnight stay. Good thing I slept at a fuel stop, because I would not have made it very far with what they left me, now that I was rolling at 4 mpg. I am just happy that they left the fuel cap, although it was not secured.

Upon arriving at the Indy customer, it is now mandatory that I do something with the overturned pallet. Good thing it only weighed about a hundred pounds. I was able to flip it off of the bundles of metal to deliver here, and thankfully, the lift driver then helped me to reorganize the remaining pallets for safer traveling. After delivering Indy, I headed north to drop off a few goodies around the Detroit area. I finished my three stops there and headed west just in time to watch the arrival of the saltshakers (snowplows). Although, I never did witness more than a handful of flakes actually falling from the sky.

Wednesday morning I awoke to the glorious landscape of winter in Kohler, WI. After making my delivery and getting my shortcut planned out, I took off down a two lane heading for Minnesota. You might find this surprising, but I was already needing to look for fuel again. This continued all week, because I was not accustomed to running at 4 MPG !! Sheesh... The route was good. My truck, not so much! I have to regenerate my exhaust every 1800 miles, which also pulls down my towing capacity. Unfortunately, my truck decided it was not going to regen and began to show the telltale signs I was in for an even longer week than originally expected.

Holy Cow, did I even mention this before.. I am going to Minnesota... That will complete my tour of the 48 contiguous United States. I have now driven through all of them and it only took 13 years to do so.

But back to the main event. So, without regenerating, the truck will eventually smother itself because the exhaust filters will become clogged. While it is having a hard time exhaling, it also is struggling to maintain the feeble job it was already performing. But, on top of that, I am now blowing out so much exhaust that it appears my truck has blown a turbo. I like to call this fumigating, and the folks behind me on this two lane stretch of real estate were not happy about it. I managed to get to the fuel stop, and decided to run a manual regen, in hopes that I could delay the inevitable.

It worked, but it took 45 minutes to complete and I was already behind schedule. I needed to make a quick stop in Winona, MN, before heading up to Minneapolis....

...to be continued

Route 23 near Kohler, Wisconsin

The Results Are In

I really never seem to be able to muster any enthusiasm when it is time to head back into work. But then, who does? However, this week, I was a bit anxious to find out whether any of the repairs had been made to Frankentruck. We normally have a 2 day wait period on ordered parts, and as far as I know, the Stooges had not properly diagnosed any problems to necessitate the need for placing that order. I did call in the previous Monday and issued a demand for certain items. I just figured they would have to assess the situation for themselves before following through. I did entertain the thought that something might possibly be done, because when I rolled in at the end of the week, I was able to place my repair request with the only mechanic who seems to be able to get things done correctly.

As I drove into the yard, late Saturday evening, my first reaction was a feeling of dismay. I am very over the idea of continuing to drive malfunctioning equipment, but it appeared as if my truck had not even been moved.

I grabbed my flashlight, and upon further inspection, my fears slowly subsided. First , I noticed the telltale signs that someone had been at least lingering about the frame of my truck. Then I spotted the new leveling valve. Ohhhhh, if only.... You see, this is the 4th valve installed on this particular vehicle. Maggie had at least another 4 placed on her. Why is it that NO ONE else has these problems?? I think perhaps the rough terrain of New York and New Jersey may play a role, that and the fact that I do not keep up with other driver's repairs. LOL

With mounting excitement, I quickly made a tour of the outside of the truck and noticed the shiny glint of new wheel hubs on my steer tires. This is not something I had previously written up, so I was shocked to see this repaired so efficiently . I had lost the rubber plug on one wheel the previous week, which almost seems suspicious. And the other one was apparently beginning to show signs of leakage. This is one of the requests I had made via phone call...

Next, I pulled back the hood and was even more pleasantly surprised to note that the air boot had been replaced.

I also noticed that the missing bolt was , well, still missing. After finishing my inspection, loading up my gear and warming up the engine, I decided to take him for a quick spin. Yep, my deductions had proved to be correct. The horrible air sucking screech was no longer present. Glad I made the judgement call and phoned in my repairs, otherwise they would have just replaced the bolt and I would be wearing ear plugs to work.

With renewed enthusiasm, I decided to test my suspension. It was a simple test actually. Simply hooking to the trailer. You see, for the past 3 months, whenever I pulled under the trailer, my bags would not inflate and I would have to work overtime trying to raise the dolly legs. So I pulled into place, watched my gauges for a moments and noticed there was virtually no change. I climbed out, hooked up the lines and raised the landing gear...still no change...

At this point, even with all the repairs having been made, I was completely deflated, as were my rear air bags. Anxiety set in. Should I call the Stooges and wait for a spare truck? This would take hours...My first stop was 16 hours away, and I did not have hours. But, I cant pull a load with deflated bags, and knowingly cause immense damage.Anxious and angered, I decided to make a few laps around the yard just to see if I could wiggle a response out of it.

It felt okay when moving. My gauge showed inflation. I stopped to check out the progress and my bags were responding appropriately. HUH? That is when I remember something minutely important to this scenario. Our trailer drop line has a few points that are significantly raised. Humps, if you will. I was parked with the rears perched atop one of the humps... Yeah, no wonder it was not responding. In order for a raised frame to appear to be level, the bags have to exhaust air. Okay, I feel like an idiot. But in my defense, it was 9pm and very dark out.

Anyways, in an extremely long nutshell, all my hopes and prayers had been miraculously answered. All repairs were made. As is with consistency, I also was aware that some new malfunction would occur within a short amount of time, and I should embrace the positiveness of my current situation, as it would not last long.

Lo and behold, my next dilemma appeared before I ever even made it out onto the asphalt. The faux toggle switches began to fall out of my dashboard. Well, two of them. I am thinking, if I do not actually tell anyone, then this could be my last malfunction. I gathered up the parts, which do not control anything, and tucked them away in a cubbyhole. Keeping my fingers crossed that this assures me some much needed relief from actually needing legitimate repairs. Besides, as long as I do not stare at it, I will not even notice the abysmal holes leading into a snakelike labyrinth of wiring....Right? Oh well, at this point I will settle for a good ride, rather than a good looking ride.