Rough week in the wild.

Well that was a rough week for poor 3122. Actually it has been a rough 3 weeks for my tractor.

It all started out with a Check Engine light, which turned out to be the Jake wiring harness, the following week the Jake didn't work quite right. ( would not disengage properly), mechanics found a couple of actuator springs broken so had that fixed.

Went on my merry way last Sunday and noticed I could not hear my turbo like I normally do. This was intermittent and I started to question if I was imagining this. Up the big hills I went only to find that at Box Canyon had no turbo and next to no power. Thankfully I was light and was able to pull the hill. Poor old truck didn't like me to much nor did the environment. ( much white smoke ).

FYI: There are three major climbs ( for most trucks ) on the Coquihalla. All are about 2-3 KM long and vary from 5-6 % grade at the west end to about 6-8 % leading to the summit. Must have power to get over big hill.

So got pulled over at the old toll booths and waited a couple of hours for a mechanic to be dispatched only to have him say it is the air filter.....what? Then he changed the fuel filter, again, I am no mechanic but.....what? Waited another couple of hours for a tow into Kamloops where the problem was found and after 10 hours down I was back and on my way.

It turned out to be a device that controls how much air the turbo is feeding the engine. If all air is being bled power is nil. So all week ran about 12 hours behind schedule. You can never get that time back no matter how hard you try. Believe me I tried. One thing I can say about having and HR Penske truck, Penske has unbelievable on road service.

Then the winter conditions kicked in....nothing major but as luck would have it my being late allowed me to miss some awful weather....I guess things happen for a reason. Last run home was brutal as I have only 2000 lbs in the box and lots of snow all the way home. Oh well.

It is easy to get pissed when things aren't going your way. I continue to learn to keep perspective on all things. When I was having a rough week others where upside down in ditches, laying against rock cuts, really bad days. So all in all it was a rough week but home makes it all go away....I am off again tomorrow....a better week ahead.

Later.

A Low Profile

Not much to report this week. I started a new run between Vancouver and Calgary, same firm but on different days. I go out Sunday evenings and home Thursday mornings. Pretty decent run, 2500 miles in four days with 6 drops. It is a tad tiring but I like the long weekends at home.

While on the road I spend a great deal of time on the radio chatting with drivers who are with HR and many who are not. Always the same theme becomes prevalent. I find I am stuck between new drivers pissed because they "didn't think trucking would be like this" and old drivers who are pissed because " it is just like they knew it would be" .

So that said, I am learning to keep a low profile on the road (and also my blog) and have learned to pick my topics of discussion. Once they get negative my radio loses it's ability to receive well. I suppose as I go I am still strongly believe that life is short and if you are not happy move on for Christ sake.

Well the weekend is all but over. Weather in White Rock was awesome. Not much else to contribute this week.....back out tomorrow. Please no snow....

Later

Autumn has arrived in the Rocks.

Well this is it. Fall is here....rainy on the coast, cold in the prairies and the tourists have left the mountains to me, fellow truckers and the animals that now come back down from the mountain tops. No complaints here. After a quiet September on the road October has begun to provide some excitement. Be it snow or animals I seen it so far in October.

Notice: This Blog is for my friends, family and colleagues on the road. That said, some of my explanations my be somewhat lame to all of the professional drivers out there.

The first snow is always the worst as the road has not begun to get cold enough for it not to stick. (OK that is a bad sentence, snow is currently sticking to road....road gets colder snow does not stick as much) Also the snow is so heavy at times and there are not much snow banks to judge where you are on the road.

That is right for non drivers, you may think this is silly but we depend on snow banks to keep you safe. Well I do anyhow. Keep one on the left and one on the right and stay in the middle.

Where it becomes scary is during the first couple of snow falls there are none so you have little to judge on. Also there are not many guard rails on the Coquilhalla Hwy. You go to close to the edge it will be a very bumpy ride down.

So had a couple of radio off, both hands on wheel, focus and cross your fingers kind of nights. Fog is probably the worst condition for me anyhow. At times so thick you just want to stop get out and try and touch something to get your bearings.

So that is the worst part. It is soon forgotten when you see the animals back and the new vistas ahead....that is right I always talk of the vistas....in my mind you cannot see the Rockies enough...each day an new look and challenge.

Going through the Banff East gate the largest Elk I have ever seen stood as if to welcome you to his home...the word majestic comes to mind but I am not that eloquent. Massive rack, steam from his nostrils and a wisp of snow on his back. Cool. Further along a family of Mountain goats that I have been watching all summer. Early just the mom, then June two babies, now mom, two teens it seems...coat not quite white yet. Near to Golden the Mountain sheep are back with their young as well.

With the snow comes the scenery. The mountains are wondrous during the summer but the winter is like mountains in uber HD. The snow really gives more texture to what you are seeing. The snow caps in the sun are almost blinding.

So you got me.....I complain about winter but gush about the benefits....I am hard to peg I suppose. Work is fine.

I have a love hate relationship with H and R but who doesn't. We have good days and bad but mostly good. I can easily put off bad days if I step back and take a look at the big picture. I suppose as I get older I have developed that trait a bit. I blow up, then assess, lay blame, reassess, understand better, feel bad and get on with my day. It is not all cherries but show me a job that is.

So that is it for this week. Schedule has changed a bit so I am off again into the wild tomorrow.

Later