Put in the big hole and gouge on it (truck driver check in)

[Kennythetiger 9302]

If you could just get off of that L.A. freeway without gettin' killed or caught.

[Gil Bang 25815]

3 hours ago, drifter379 said:

Newberry Springs. 20 miles out of Barstow on 40.

Oh god.  

[dingleberryswitzer 2724]

On 6/1/2019 at 11:52 PM, drifter379 said:

30 minute break in Tucumcari.


Yes it’s only one piece of rail. But it’s much better than that. It was already on site in LA but it didn’t have the right bend in it. So they loaded it on a truck and sent it to Sherman, unloaded it and took it into the shop.
After an hour of doing whatever they did , they brought it back out and put it on me to take back to the site in LA. You can see the curve in the pic. Notice the yellow mark to show which way to bend it.

It pays pretty good if you’re wondering.

This is why that damn California high speed rail is costing eleventy billion dollars.  How much raw steel is on that?  A couple hundred dollars worth?  What's the cost to truck 1500 miles each way?  $10,000?

[Gil Bang 25815]

1 hour ago, dingleberryswitzer said:

This is why that damn California high speed rail is costing eleventy billion dollars.  How much raw steel is on that?  A couple hundred dollars worth?  What's the cost to truck 1500 miles each way?  $10,000?

$3.33 / mile?  OP would take that for sure. 

[dingleberryswitzer 2724]

18 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

$3.33 / mile?  OP would take that for sure. 

Hell I don't know, hence the ? School me buddy.

[drifter379 1106]

This is why that damn California high speed rail is costing eleventy billion dollars.  How much raw steel is on that?  A couple hundred dollars worth?  What's the cost to truck 1500 miles each way?  $10,000?

I’d haul your freight every day. Lol

 

This load paid a little over 3 grand.

 

Unfortunately it fit. Was kind of hoping to be able to haul it all the way back.

[RPM 26132]

Now the hard part. Getting a load OUT of SoCal.

[drifter379 1106]

Now the hard part. Getting a load OUT of SoCal.

Just got offered a load out of Compton going to Az.

Yes or no on blasting this as I roll through?
Been listening to eazy and NWA all day.

[RPM 26132]

You should blast Wild Thing and Funky Cold Medina simultaneously.

[Gil Bang 25815]

20 minutes ago, RPM said:

Now the hard part. Getting a load OUT of SoCal.

Lot of produce comes out of SoCal, but it's hard to haul with a flatbed. 

[Jkwellborn 6608]

He could haul onions.

[Gil Bang 25815]

I see them hauling onions when I'm down in the Imperial Valley, but they are in weird trailers with bins on them.  They don't look like flatbeds to me. They look specialty. 

Perhaps they do load them on flatbeds, what do I know?

 

 

 

[MAUFRAIS 6565]

I sure do like reading all this shit.

[Fuck Tim Beck 3789]

44 minutes ago, drifter379 said:

Just got offered a load out of Compton going to Az.

 

Yes or no on blasting this as I roll through?
Been listening to eazy and NWA all day.

Just stay away from the intersection of Florence and Normandie. 

[RPM 26132]

1 hour ago, Gil Bang said:

I see them hauling onions when I'm down in the Imperial Valley, but they are in weird trailers with bins on them.  They don't look like flatbeds to me. They look specialty. 

Perhaps they do load them on flatbeds, what do I know?

 

 

 

You could haul them on a flatbed, but you'd need sideboards and a tarp, a/k/a covered wagon.

[Goofyboy 3050]

I sure do like reading all this shit.

Same. Growing up I used to listen to my grandfathers CB on road trips. Also used to watch the Trucks roll past my great aunts motel outside of Meridian Texas. Always liked the flat front rigs.

[Gil Bang 25815]

57 minutes ago, Goofyboy said:

 

Same. Growing up I used to listen to my grandfathers CB on road trips. Also used to watch the Trucks roll past my great aunts motel outside of Meridian Texas. Always liked the flat front rigs.

 

Cabovers.  More correctly, "Cab Over Engine". 

And they are scarce these days.   I don't think any new ones have been made in years.   I asked my brother a couple of years ago, and he said he thought that you could maybe order one from Freightliner, but Pete, KW, IH all quit making them.  Ironically, Freightliner made cabovers exclusively for many years, before finally introducing a conventional. 

 

Edited June 4, 2019 by Gil Bang

[Jkwellborn 6608]

I’ve got a buddy that sold his truck and bought a cab over. Having it stretched and some other work done to it, just to get out of elogs.

[Jkwellborn 6608]

Y’all drivers have fun the next 72 hours.

[Upgrayedd 5797]

1 hour ago, Gil Bang said:

Cabovers.  More correctly, "Cab Over Engine". 

And they are scarce these days.   I don't think any new ones have been made in years.   I asked my brother a couple of years ago, and he said he thought that you could maybe order one from Freightliner, but Pete, KW, IH all quit making them.  Ironically, Freightliner made cabovers exclusively for many years, before finally introducing a conventional. 

 

[Lat22 3952]

My favorite movie as a kid. 

[RPM 26132]

Cabovers were created to beat length laws. That was their sole reason to exist. Once those changed there was no reason to build them. They were harder to work on, used more fuel, they were uncomfortable and a bitch to get in and out of. You only forget you're getting out of a cabover once. ONCE!

Having said all that, I drove cabovers more than conventionals. Just my luck. Freightliners were best, Pete was pretty bad and GMC Astro 95 was by far the worst. Just a strange freaking wraparound dash layout and bus mirrors you couldn't see shit out of.

Fucking hated driving those.

[drifter379 1106]

I’ve got a buddy that sold his truck and bought a cab over. Having it stretched and some other work done to it, just to get out of elogs.

We’re gonna need pics of that.

[Gil Bang 25815]

My old man HATED Pete cabovers.  The steering wheel was offset, and was centered over the drivers right leg.  The door closed AGAINST the seat, so, to adjust the air pressure to your seat,  you had to open the door.   Couldn't do it while driving, and his last rant was the shifter was way too low and you had to bend down and to your right to shift into some gears.  A buddy of his bought one, and after hearing my old man rant about them, I checked out his friend's one day when we were visiting him, and yeah....the old man was correct on all counts (I never drove one myself).

In the 80's, he got a good deal on a 3 or 4 year old K-100 Kenworth and added that to his small company fleet.   He liked it OK, IIRC.  I hated changing the oil on the mofo.  Jacking up a cab was BULLSHIT just to access the engine.   He got a good deal because we were acquainted with a local Italian family that owned it, and ran a cheese business.  Turns out, they were mobbed up and went to jail.  He bought it from the cash-poor wife, with the husband's approval, from jail. 

When I was very young, he delivered new freightliners (that were manufactured in Chino, CA).  This is early 70's.   He was a freightliner fan early on. 

Edited June 4, 2019 by Gil Bang

[drifter379 1106]

Kenworth is still making cab overs for Australia and I believe the European market but I could be wrong on that.

Most people think Townes was talking about the color of the truck. lol

[drifter379 1106]

Im glad y’all like seeing this shit. I can start posting pics of my loads if your interested.

[Gil Bang 25815]

Just now, drifter379 said:

Im glad y’all like seeing this shit. I can start posting pics of my loads if your interested.

I already post pics of my loads, but not  on this particular board.

[Gil Bang 25815]

1 minute ago, drifter379 said:

Kenworth is still making cab overs for Australia and I believe the European market but I could be wrong on that.

 

 

Most people think Townes was talking about the color of the truck. lol



 

 

 

As I understand it, when Freightliner started up, they partnered with White (an established make) to piggyback on their dealer network.   IIRC, White ceased to exist decades ago.  

Meanwhile, I heard not long ago that Roger Penske has invested in Western Star, and is working to build up that brand.  I'm not sure (not Penske material). 

 

 

[Gil Bang 25815]

As to Kenworth in Europe, I was all over Italy last year, and didn't see a single American brand.  Most were Scandia, some were Mercedes and Volvo.  Didn't see a KW, Pete, Freightliner or IH

[Jkwellborn 6608]

We’re gonna need pics of that.

When he gets finished, I’ll get a few the next time he stops by. We used to have a driver come to work occasionally with a clean ass cabover that had been stretched. It was long enough he had hell turning in front of the docks and he would back down nearly 100 yards to keep from doing it.

 

Foreigners love Volvos stateside.

[Gil Bang 25815]

12 minutes ago, drifter379 said:

Im glad y’all like seeing this shit. I can start posting pics of my loads if your interested.

Yeah, I'm interested in that.  

I feel like we're all in this together, aside from you paying the fuel bills, maintenance, truck payment, and doing the driving. 

 

Meanwhile, did you buy that flatbed or lease it?  Do you intend to stick to flatbed work?

[Gil Bang 25815]

That freightliner pic reminds me of a truck my brother drove.  Same cab.  He didn't own it, he drove for somebody else,  a 2 axle pulling a set of pneumatics, hauling mostly cement powder from the Mojave Desert to SoCal, several turns each day. 

My big brother is a good dude, but he's got a Tom Cruise as Maverick side to him.   The company he drove for was kind of shitty, but the trucks had LOTS of chrome, and LOTS of horsepower.  Cummins K models putting out 600 HP when that was absolutely unheard of.  I''m pretty sure he drove with a boner 2/3 of the time.   He passed EVERYBODY with that beast. 

Truth is, it was kind of a shitty engine, designed for industrial use (generators and pumps) moreso than over-the-road use.  It broke frequently.  He was always replacing bent push tubes.  IIRC it was rated for 450 HP and tuned up to 600 with the turbo and fuel pump. 

 

Edited June 4, 2019 by Gil Bang

[drifter379 1106]

Yeah, I'm interested in that.  
I feel like we're all in this together, aside from you paying the fuel bills, maintenance, truck payment, and doing the driving. 
 
Meanwhile, did you buy that flatbed or lease it?  Do you intend to stick to flatbed work?

I do intend to stick with flatbed as long as I can do it. The trailer is a company trailer, I have plans to buy my own within the next year or so.

I’m going to stay with this company until my lease is up next year and then probably move to land star or Mercer for a year or so and then get my own authority.

My end game is to have my own numbers and then have other owner ops drive under my authority. I’m not going the route of buying more trucks and putting drivers in them. With the quality of window lickers out here today I couldn’t trust anyone else in my equipment.

I’m actually working on a 10 year plan to become a Mexican and retire on a beach down there. I can run a trucking company from a lap top.

[Gil Bang 25815]

Drifter, one thing we haven't heard:  Is that new Pete all you thought it would be?

I know that my aforementioned big brother did what you did, about 8 or 10 years ago.  Ordered himself a new Pete, exactly to his specifications.  Always dreamed of having a brand new truck, and of course, it had to be a Pete.

I'm not sure that he'd admit it, but I got the feeling that the "new" wore off fairly quickly, and it became just another truck...just try to keep it on the black stuff between the ditches. 

I hope that you are truly enjoying yours, but at the end of the day, it's a fucking tool, is it not?

 

[fattyflattie 4630]

I have been working for a heavy haul company for last 4 years now. I’ve got some sweet pics but they are sensitive af about it. I’ll see if I can dig some of that up that wont get me in a bind. It’s cool work, moving several hundred tons around on city streets. But managing it, goddamn is stressful. Last load was 270’ long, 30’ diameter, and  shut down IH-10 both ways to cross at grade.  We fucked up some traffic.  

[Gil Bang 25815]

3 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

I have been working for a heavy haul company for last 4 years now. I’ve got some sweet pics but they are sensitive af about it. I’ll see if I can dig some of that up that wont get me in a bind. It’s cool work, moving several hundred tons around on city streets. But managing it, goddamn is stressful. Last load was 270’ long, 30’ diameter, and  shut down IH-10 both ways to cross at grade.  We fucked up some traffic.  

my nephew hauls 9 axle.  

Are you doing similar, or even heavier? 

[fattyflattie 4630]

9 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

my nephew hauls 9 axle.  

Are you doing similar, or even heavier? 

9 axle on very low end.   Last one was a bolster load, 18-line 14’-6” wide dual lanes.  1 pull truck, 2 push trucks.   I’ll dig something up. When I leave I’ll dump 4 years worth hah. 

[Gil Bang 25815]

oh shit.  Yeah, post some pics. 

Last time I saw something like that, the San Onofre Nuke plant was being refurbished.  The biggest fucking lowbed I ever saw was coming down the 5, with two bigass tractors pushing from the back.   
 

I have no idea what was on that trailer, but it was large, and heavy. 

[Gil Bang 25815]

 

[RPM 26132]

1 hour ago, drifter379 said:

 

 

 

 

 

That's the same model Freightliner I owned. 290 built up to a 350, 10 speed, Hendrickson suspension. Had a sweet set of 6in straights that would have you deaf by the time you reached the bottom of Tehachapi. 

One other little thing about cabovers I forget to mention. If you forgot to take ALL your shit out of the sleeper before you jacked up the cab it would wind up on the windshield. Dumped more than one ice chest that way.

Yeah, don't miss cabovers at all.

[fattyflattie 4630]

Gil, your nephew out in Ca?  Bigge has some equipment that size out there. 

[fattyflattie 4630]

6 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

 

Yeah. We’ve got a few beam GH trailers like that.  Not my favorite. But VERY versatile and really cool engineering. 

[drifter379 1106]

First Pete I ever drove was a ‘97 379.
Honestly there is very little difference between that one and my new one.

Having said that I ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY LOVE IT!!!!

It’s quite and smooth and has power for days.
Turned 15k miles this week. Been up to the pacific NW and back and now out to Cali and I have yet to find a hill I have to drop more than a gear and a half on.

Coming out with that rail I had the cruise set at 78 and was getting around 6mpg and if I hit the throttle it responded immediately.

Only real complaint so far is the satnav head unit. It’s a pain in the ass. I run all my music and podcasts through my phone with Bluetooth. I also run the Waze app in the background. Every time waze gives me an alert it shuts down what ever I’m listening to and I have to close it out and restart it.

I use a Bluetooth headset for calls and if I don’t hang up a call by using the screen I have to either make another call and hang up with the screen or turn the whole system off and back on to get audio to play again.

Also when I say quiet i mean the motor and exhaust as well. I love the interior being nice and quiet but honestly even with the 8” stacks they make ZERO sound. I’m one of those assholes that likes to rattle your windows at two am with my jakes. I took my wife for a ride and had her roll down the window to hear the jakes and she laughed and said that I snore louder than that.

Once the warranty is out I may have it deleted and put a PDI tune on it.

[drifter379 1106]

I have been working for a heavy haul company for last 4 years now. I’ve got some sweet pics but they are sensitive af about it. I’ll see if I can dig some of that up that wont get me in a bind. It’s cool work, moving several hundred tons around on city streets. But managing it, goddamn is stressful. Last load was 270’ long, 30’ diameter, and  shut down IH-10 both ways to cross at grade.  We fucked up some traffic.  

Fuck to the yes!

[drifter379 1106]

One of the funniest scenes ever.

 

 

Also mcconaclown with the most accurate portrayal of a truck driver on film.

[/url] 

 

 

[Gil Bang 25815]

Gil, your nephew out in Ca?  Bigge has some equipment that size out there. 

Yep.

[RPM 26132]

You guys still driving ever watch the trucker YouTube channels? Some of them are pretty hilarious. Love the guys with 6 weeks under their belt driving for Swift and think they're Sonny Pruitt.

[drifter379 1106]

You guys still driving ever watch the trucker YouTube channels? Some of them are pretty hilarious. Love the guys with 6 weeks under their belt driving for Swift and think they're Sonny Pruitt.

I’ve watched a few that talk about some of the ins and outs of being an owner operator.

 

I actually hate most truck drivers and the last thing I would want to do is spend my free time listening to their bull shit.

 

 

I had to google Sonny Pruitt. Now I’ll have to search for that show. I know him as sheriff Lobo from BJ and the Bear and then the misadventures of Sherrif Lobo.

I did find this cool pic of the Hag in my search.

 

 

[MAUFRAIS 6565]

Lobo! Lobo!

Bring back Sheriff Lobo!

And now I understand that Simpson’s reference. This is truly the most informative thread on here.

[luke duke 6361]

Quite a bit of heavy rebar specially made for Reactor #2 at Comanche Peak made a really nice corral somewhere in North Texas. But not according to Brown & Root paperwork.
 
Allegedly.

There are a lot of BBQ pits made out of Comanche Peak pipe. I’ve cooked on a couple of them.