First Loads In The New Truck

Last Wednesday afternoon, we felt satisfied that our new truck was ready for action. There wasn’t much coming out of the immediate Phoenix area, so we deadheaded at least 315 miles to Colton California to pick up a load. From there, we embarked on a trip that took us to Lebanon Oregon. Along the way, we stopped to visit with family.

   It was a little weird being in a truck with a stick shift again. I drove the auto shifting truck for 18 months. Now, I am learning how to shift a 13 speed transmission. My prior experiences had only been in 10 speeds, so I am having to rewire my muscle memory paradigm.

  After delivering our load to a home-improvement store distribution center, we picked up a load of paper from a mill in Toledo Oregon. That was about 130 miles away. The facility was complex and a little confusing, so I am glad we got it done late at night. There wasn’t the pressure to move faster than my comfort level.

  From Toledo Oregon, we spent a couple of days getting down to San Diego California. Along the way, we had to request repair service for the trailer, as the lights were progressively failing. The repair technician never did figure out why things were going bad, so he improvised some wiring to get us to our destination safely and legally.

  Arriving at the really yard in San Diego, the guard removed all of my tail lights – as their policy requires. Most drivers & trucking companies know that Mexican drivers are notorious for stealing anything they can off of the trailer. 

  From San Diego, we deadheaded through the night up to the Los Angeles area and parked the truck on the side of the street in an industrial neighborhood. Lots of other truck drivers had the same idea, as truck stop parking is virtually nonexistent . Several motorhomes made the Compton neighborhood their home also. Nobody bothered us in that crime infested area, but Stephanie didn’t get much sleep because of her worry.

  Monday morning, we moved the truck about half a mile to our customer. We were right on time. They had us back into a dock that required me to traverse a significant portion of a busy intersection while backing. It was one of the most intense maneuvers I have ever performed. Stephanie stood outside, wearing a safety vest, to direct me and to alert traffic.

  We took that load across the mountains and into the desert. The load was relatively short, but it got our revenue up to a decent level for the week. Monday night is our“Friday“.

  With recap hours dwindling, we drove back south on I-15 and made a home for our truck at one of the big truck stops in Ontario. I have several family members in the area. Cousin Jennifer invited us to spend the night at her family’s house. Her husband, Bilal, came to pick us up. Their two-year-old son, Kaysan, was delighted with our energetic puppies. We are trying to teach the girls to be gentle with little kids. So, that is an abbreviated summary of our first several days in the new Kenworth.