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...My Life as 'Drive away' driver
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Trip 40b - Used IH - Refer ... from Fresno, CA 4,200 miles Rt 4/6/04 - When I had signed for my return truck ... a used truck, the head mechanic said "Good Luck." NOT what you want to hear ... "Could you explain?" ... "They've had so many problems with the truck they parked it a while back." When I asked for details he wouldn't explain ... "Anything I should know about this truck before I head out on my 2,100 mile trip?" He wouldn't say anything specific. Dispatch had told me that "They (the customer) took it out of service as soon as they heard I was leaving with the new one." ... I think they 'Took it out FOR service ..." the last sicker on the plate was Sept '02 ... when I opened the hood, pieces of dirt and dust fell like it hadn't been opened for months. The good news was, it was a stick shift ... good mileage ... and all the legal stuff was working ... and it started without being jumped ... and it didn't appear to have been the home of any rodents. And a few not so good things ... the seat was broken so I would be sitting 9 inches lower than I would have wanted ... a couple of chips in the front window ... the drivers door doesn't open from the out side ... and a couple of things I wouldn't realize until later ... like the visors were missing and the parking brake didn't work. And ... you never know if the fuel gauge works until your first fill ... $2.11 for diesel ... and I would have to fill twice in CA. On my way in this afternoon I had picked out a Motel 6 by Bakersfield for tonight's stay. I did see cheaper motels between Fresno and Bakersfield but with a truck that didn't lock, security was also an issue ... the Motel 6 seemed to be far enough out of town ... other than a couple of young adults who looked to be 'working' the truck lot next door, it looked small town. Right in the same parking lot was a family type restaurant, wasn't sure if I wanted a burger or breakfast until I saw that the breakfast came with '4 slices of bacon' ... decision made ... and then they served it up with 5 pieces. This place had a buffet, which I was seated next too, noticed the waitress topping off plates which came out of the kitchen, when they thought the cook didn't put enough on. ... Then there was the person who couldn't fit in the booth, so they had to get a chair ... it would have told me NOT to get the all you can eat buffet. 4/7/04 - Now I'm working against the time zones, heading back east ... headed out at 10:30 my first day, but each day I've gained 2 hours so I've gained 6 six hours plus the two hour time difference so if I wanted I could be leaving at 2:30 AM local ... I sleep in until 3. The only major truck stop between here and Las Vegas is a little Pilot at the intersection of two state highways ... where again I have to turn in my credit card even though I have a frequent fueler's card ... but at this time of the AM there isn't a delay ... Now is when I find out I'm missing the visors' ... sun up in the CA / NV desert ... for the next few hours I will have to told my cap somewhere between the face and the windshield ... For my return trip I know about where I'm going to stop for both fuel and motels ... had hoped to return via Salt Lake City and cash in my unused Greyhound ticket ... but it's a 100 miles out of the way ... doing some quick math I realize that that side trip would cost me about $30 fuel plus a couple of hours I don't have to spare. This time in Las Vegas I stop at the Flying J ... on my trip out I had stopped at another station who's billboard's advertised cheap price for Diesel ... when I got to the pump it showed a much high price, but it was still less than Flying J ... but when I paid, I found out that was the cash price ... and the other price had been the 'fleet price' ... guess that's why I tend to stick with the Flying-J's. At this point I'm making the milage I expected ... a little over 11 mph. But I soon find out that once I've kicked it down to over 55 mph that milage drops to about 9 mph which was a big ouch ... planned on stopping after about 300 miles, and by then I was almost laying on the big 'E.' Doing 65 instead of 55 ... and mountains instead of the flat lands seems to effect the milage of this truck. One of these used trucks I drove would drop to 25 mph in the hills of PA ... this one only drops to 45, and only a few times do I need to down shift to 5th ... and when I do, the truck climbs back up to 45 and allows me to upshift back to 6th ... even on a 6% grade ... not bad for a truck that has almost 200,000 miles on it. My only fear of this trip was the NV inspection station ... and it was open, but today there wasn't anyone checking us through, they had two trucks they were inspecting and the rest of us just did our 10 mph through the area and back on the Interstate ... Whew ... Even the POE for AZ / UT doesn't flag me in ... my only other stops today will be the Flying J's at Saint George and Richfield, UT. Not true ... I do stop at a 'Scenic Area' / Salt Lick area west of Green River ... stopped and took a few pictures, the first I've taken in months. Shortly after I get on I-70 on a uphill climb, I almost rear end a U-haul followed closely by a car ... was busy watching the traffic coming up behind me so I could pass and didn't realize the truck was only going a few miles an hour. A couple hour later on another hill I passed them again ... a later passed them again. Each time they were only going about 10 mph ... by the third time they had moved to the shoulder of the road and that's when I realized what must have happened the first time when I almost hit them ... they weren't moving, they were stopped ... they more than likely had stopped right on the highway to unhook the car because the U-haul couldn't make it up the hill. I hadn't logged 700 miles by the time I got to Richfield so I looked at my notes as to where the next stop would be ... at Green River I had noted an 'm' for motels ... they had been off the freeway so I wasn't sure what I'd find ... turns out they advertise 25 motels with 600 rooms. I knew the major motels were at the second exit, but decided to take the first exit and go through town .... lots of 'Ma & Pa' motels for under $30 ... and a few that I couldn't tell if they were open or not. Another town that really took a hit when the freeway went through ... and the major chains came to town. When I saw that the Motel 6 was only $29, I wasn't going to risk it anywhere else ... but the older couple ahead of me had other idea's ... when they found out that the price didn't include tax, they wanted their credit card back and when elsewhere. Saw an awful lot of cars come and go from the Motel 6 lot ... what are they expecting to find for less than $29? Also noticed the Ramada sign changed from $39 to $44 sometime around 6 PM. Right next door to the motel was a place called the Tamarisk Restaurant ... great food. I had a French Dip ... probably the first time I haven't finished all my Au jus sauce. The also had a buffet for $11 but I didn't think I'd eat enough to make it worth it ... when I'm on the road ... I am c-h-e-a-p. 4/8/04 - Last night I had my first good scare of the trip, about 50 miles before I got to Green River, I was coming down a mountain pass and I noticed a huge black cloud every time I hit the gas ... that kind that can hide cars ... Thought I might be stranded out here ... but no problems after that. Now this AM at 4 something in the morning, I've gone about 50 miles when I notice I can't accelerate, and realize the truck has died ... It re-started on the first try, never even coming to a complete stop ... and no similar problem the rest of the trip ??? By sun-up I've made it as far as Grand Junction and re-fuel ... when I go to start my truck, push in the clutch ... and the truck rolls ... with the parking brake on. Now is a real good time to find out I don't have a parking break, how many times have I left the truck run in the last three days and put the parking break on ? ? ? When I get to the mountains by Vail it has snowed ... and the road is wet, but wet enough to make a mess of my windows ... and I have no washer fluid. After a few miles of limited visibility I find a Scenic area to pull off ... no snow to throw on the window, I have to pour my bottled water on the windshield. When I'm walking around my truck I see water on the ground and look closer under my truck ... I don't have a leak, the water must have been there before I stopped ... but I do have a broken left front shock, actually not the shock its the frame that's broken ... the modern way to build a freeway, do not disturb the landscape, use concrete to build up a base and build a freeway on top, Rocky Mountain Scenery . com has some great images. Glenwood Canyon is a real wonder, seems to be Next stop is the TA in Denver ... noon ... one day to go ... Another stop at a CO scale, this time they ask to see my IFTA, plate, and insurance ... and I was on my way. The guy ahead of me hadn't been so luck, when I came out of the scalehouse there were guys under his truck looking at hoses, his hood was open ... I might still be there if they'd have started checking this truck out. Tried to stop at the Mian Bros truckstop outside of Grand Island, it had closed since I came through on Sunday ... I was already over 300 miles and was getting a little nervous ... but made it to the AmBest at the next exit. End up spending the night in York at a 1st Inn Gold for $39 ... could have pulled off a few miles sooner for a couple of bucks less, but no restaurants at that exit 4/9/04 - 3:15 wake up call ... want to be home by noon, eight hours to go ... one fuel stop in Des Moines ... and pull in to the office at 11:55 AM, right on time ... the GREAT NEWS ... Best trip ever, with trucks I have been avoiding for the last six months. For pictures of Glenwood Canyon and other great places ... go to Rocky Mountain Scenery . com Fuel prices on this trip ... AAA State Fuel Averages vs actual 4/4/04
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