It's Official; My Nerves Are SHOT!!!

I have had way more excitement than I needed or wanted today!!!

Today started out uneventful. Turned to interesting, then to frustrating, onwards to nerve wracking, final stop PTSD.

I started this morning fairly early with a few hour drive finishing up my run from Louisville to Cherokee, AL. Got to Cherokee at my stated arrival time. Drop N Hook then back out on the road I go. After driving another hour or so, my Qualcomm gets bombarded with messages. So I pull in to the next rest area. As I am pulling in my ABS light for my trailer turns on. Great. So, I skim thru the messages. Change of plans. I am to TCall my load at the Petro at exit 299 on I-65 in Alabama. Just a few miles down the road. No sweat! Head back to Cherokee, drop the load I will pickup at the Petro. Grab another load bound for Florida. So I start doing my route planning. I get it all figured out. Getting ready to get on my TransFlo mobile App and accept the loads giving my ETAs/PTAs. Then a new message pops up. Cancel all that and continue with the original plan. There goes a good 30 mins out the window. I start the truck backup and the ABS was back off. Cool. I roll out of the rest area and the ABS is back on. Then off, then back on. So I pull into the Petro anyway. Get ahold of the shop and let them know what is going on. They have me mess with the pin connectors. The shop personnel states if that doesn't fix it, take it over to the repair shop at the Petro. I fire my truck back up. Light is still on. Ok, I guess I am going to the shop. As soon as I get moving it goes off. So, I drive around the parking lot for a minute to see if it will come back on. Nope, stays off. I guess it is fixed. Here I go again. As soon as I hop back on 65 it comes back on and stays on. So, I go down to the next exit, turn around and go back. I have the shop people look at it. A few hours later and it was a bad wire. Finally back on the road. so now over half my 14 hr is gone and I still have 5hrs of driving ahead. Nothing else needs to go wrong. So I make it to Birmingham no more issues. On the way out of Birmingham where 20 splits off there are 3 lanes on the exit "ramp". Each one goes somewhere different. The far left of the 3 is for 20 east bound. As I am slowing down for the exit. Which is posted at 35 for the curve. A group of 4 4-wheelers all decide to cut in front of me. As soon as they all are in front of me, they decide it is a good time to come to a screeching halt. I get myself stopped before turning the 4wheeler in front of me into a pile of scrap. Moron 4wheelers!!! I have no clue what makes them think it is a great idea to jump 20ft in front of an 18wheeler than stand on the brakes. Back down the road I go. Now my truck is fairly gutless and there are a few steep hills east of Birmingham. I am not even that heavy. Sitting around 70k. I am usually around 78k when heading back to Cherokee. As I plod my way up the hill the truck in front of me quickly gets over. There sits a flatbedder on the side of the road messin with his load. In the left lane there is 2 18 wheelers and a line of cars. My nerves are already frazzled as it is. So I slow way down, let the 18 wheelers pass then hug the left side of my lane as I pass the flatbedder. That sucked, but oh well. So I get to the top the hill, start down the other side. Get to the bottom and start up the next hill. The usual line of people passing me begins. As I am nearing the top here comes a black Schneider truck. After passing me he flips on the blinker and starts coming over. BOOM! There goes his front left tandem tire(s). He continues over in front of me slinging tire tread everywhere. He couldn't of been more than 80ft in front of me when this happens. So now I and stuck hitting the brakes and dodging chunks of flying tire. Someone make the bad man go away. I still had 2 1/2 hours of driving and going around Atlanta to deal with. Drivers in Atlanta are always inconsiderate.

What a day!!! What can I say? Way more excitement than I needed in 1 day.

For those who survived the short novel, Thank You!

Drive Safe and God Speed.

Good stuff. But you didn't hit anything, so a win right?

Technically yes and no. I missed all the big chunks of tire. I had a bunch of smaller particles pinging off the front of my truck. No damage though, that is what counts!

Roger that. Technically, those pieces hit YOU though

(((( Patrick )))) Just think . . . its over ! You survived your day even thought things were coming from all directions AT you, you did it ! You're a PRO - FESSIONAL driver & you got this man. Thanks for the story & sharin' your experience.

I'm good now that I am parked at my RCVR and have had time to relax and get something to eat! But after the tire thing I was about ready to pull off at the very next truck stop and say heck with it for the day.

Glad you've had some time to unwind. I believe id have done passed out at the next exit . . lol Get up & do it ALL over tomorrow !

Good job keeping control of the situations on a bad day!

You just described at least two scenarios where there was a substantial chance of an accident with fatalities, and you got through them with nothing except some frazzled nerves.

I'm with Farmerbob on this one. Well done!

I don't know if you were around on the site when I posted about that mustang driver that cut in front of me and slammed on the brakes: Close call. It was crazy. Some people don't seem to have an ounce of self-preservation.

In had a guy have a blow out on front of me...scary. I feel you. Better to hit rubber than hit a car though.

And guess what..I'm headed to the terminal for the ABS problem. My truck been doing it on every trailer this week. Don't know if electrical or air lines or what figured TA wasn't good enough in want the terminal working on it.