Thinking Of Packrat...

PackRat of all the things you have written, for me; walking 2.8 miles as a recent heart transplant recipient is truly amazing and inspirational.

I wish you all the best!

I'll second that! Pretty impressive accomplishment. I'd be hard pressed to get that far with my bad knees.

PackRat of all the things you have written, for me; walking 2.8 miles as a recent heart transplant recipient is truly amazing and inspirational.

I wish you all the best!

I'll second that! Pretty impressive accomplishment. I'd be hard pressed to get that far with my bad knees.

Third that! And not sure...

Would we be helped or hindered by our walkers???

Some of this truck’s features and personality are going to take awhile to get used to, like the security code I have to enter to keep the motor running after the brakes are released each time.

You gotta love that security system on these Internationals in Knight's fleet. That thing drives me nuts! Doing drop and hooks or a backing maneuver where I've got to G.O.A.L. means I may have to punch that code in six or 8 times in just a matter of minutes.

After I've done a ten hour break and I'm releasing my brakes, I'll hear that alarm going off and I'll think, "Why is this crazy thing beeping at me?" Of course the first thing I check is the air pressure gauges. I'm sure something has happened to my air pressure when the truck is trying to get my attention like that. Then I snap, and I begin frantically thinking, "What's that stupid number sequence - it's the security alarm!"

I still haven't got used to it. Kind of makes those Volvos look a little better doesn't it? They told me the other day they were working on getting me a new truck. I've heard that before, but maybe it will come about this time. I'm hoping the next one is set up so it's a little more easily subject to theft.

As I bask here in this fine Days Inn in Morris, IL while my truck is getting repairs performed, a thought about my recent orientation came to mind. Of one of the several short videos we saw, several were on roll over crashes. These were all Knight drivers caught on dash cam during their catastrophes. Of the four videos, two were surprising to me at the slow speed, and really caught me by surprise (just as it did the driver in the video, I’m sure!). One was on a 20 mph curve, where the driver was moving at 22 mph and rolled. The other was also a 20 mph exit, where the driver was moving at 15 mph. The biggest takeaway was the cargo itself, the type of freight and how high the center-of-gravity was for each trailer. One load was only 22,000 lbs, while the other was 39,000 lbs. Something to think about.

Most rigs I’ve seen on their sides or on their roof have usually been observed on an exit or entrance ramp, or on a long straightaway. I can’t help but wonder when I see most of these, “Now how did that start and end so badly?”.

Only just read this this morning, but it really hit home as I'm pulling my first load with the tall paper rolls. Thanks Packrat.

I delivered that two-stop load of goods to the two Costco stores first thing on Monday morning, then back to the The Beach for another 34 hour reset. I’ve been cleaning the inside of my old truck and getting a bunch of my stuff on it for the past several days. Discovered that I’m going to need to get that power investor replaced next time I’m through a terminal at a convenient time. Not putting out nearly the advertised power that it should have, but should be a quick swap. Today, I’ve been loading the last bit of gear, finishing laundry, shopping, and cooking.

Got a dispatch starting early tomorrow morning already pre-planned. Going north to a drop yard in Chester, Va. Drag that one north to PA , then hand it off to another driver that will take it the rest of the way to an Amazon DC in MA. Hopefully, I’ll be heading westward after this one, so we will see...

Not walking back to the truck tonight because of all the rain we’ve been getting most of today. Previous four days have been between 95 to 100 degrees, so this cold front moving through is a welcomed relief.

This week's update.....

After my last reset, this is my first solid 8 days driving cycle since February. Knight has been keeping me moving, too, so no complaints (except for going around Atlanta times in the past four days). Stopped now for the night in Jasper, TN at a Loves. Put down 3,750 paid miles. Next one goes from TN to OH, and the one after is OH to WA. Running on recaps and life is good!

Thanks for tagging along and reading my rambling.

Oh man, so close! I rolled up into Chattanooga earlier this afternoon and almost went over to that Loves to avoid the Wildwood Pilot. Opted to stop for the night here at Walmart instead. I totally would've been there had I known you were coming.

I noticed you were close by when I had parked and checked out the GPS Tracker, too! Some day....

As I bask here in this fine Days Inn in Morris, IL while my truck is getting repairs performed, a thought about my recent orientation came to mind. Of one of the several short videos we saw, several were on roll over crashes. These were all Knight drivers caught on dash cam during their catastrophes. Of the four videos, two were surprising to me at the slow speed, and really caught me by surprise (just as it did the driver in the video, I’m sure!). One was on a 20 mph curve, where the driver was moving at 22 mph and rolled. The other was also a 20 mph exit, where the driver was moving at 15 mph. The biggest takeaway was the cargo itself, the type of freight and how high the center-of-gravity was for each trailer. One load was only 22,000 lbs, while the other was 39,000 lbs. Something to think about.

Most rigs I’ve seen on their sides or on their roof have usually been observed on an exit or entrance ramp, or on a long straightaway. I can’t help but wonder when I see most of these, “Now how did that start and end so badly?”.

Only just read this this morning, but it really hit home as I'm pulling my first load with the tall paper rolls. Thanks Packrat.

I hate those rolls. I treat them like nitroglycerin. I’m like a turtle on ramps.

My bet on straightaway roll overs is dozing off.

Knight has been keeping me moving, too, so no complaints (except for going around Atlanta times in the past four days). Stopped now for the night in Jasper, TN at a Loves. Put down 3,750 paid miles.

PackRat, that's great that you're turning big miles like that! Between that new heart and a new company you are really kicking it out here. Congratulations! Keep it up!

I'm sure we will meet up one of these days. I'm in and out of our various terminals at different times. There's bound to come a day where we are both taking a break at the same terminal.