Red Roof Inn: Bowling Green, KY

I know it sounds a bit like an advertisement, but with the remodel that is going on through out the chain there have been some great improvements. Every room has a fridge and microwave in them. It also seems that most have free wi-fi for the internet. The design is also bright and bold, definitly not the hotel I used back in my college days for drinking parties and sex with girlfriends.


Falcon Transport is one of the few trucking companies that I know of, that pays for its drivers to use a hotel once a week. While most of

the time I don't make use of it, preferring to use Idle Aire most of the time. When I do feel the need for it, it is there, and it is good. It is amazing how nice the ability to take a shower at night and again in the morning, for free, can be.

Well time to get driving, until the next post.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

We all know how dangerous carbon monoxide can be, and today I got a little bit of a reminder. I had to switch to a different truck today because mine needed to be sent out for engine repairs at a Cummins dealer. So I did a little more thorough pretrip than I do for a truck I know. Even so, I missed the leak that I found later in the day, actually both leaks. As I was driving south down I-75 in Ohio, I realized that something was wrong. I first noticed a little bit of an exhaust smell in the cab, initially I thought it was another vehicle with bad exhaust. It wasn't to long after that I did a little head bob with a swerve to the right and realized that it was my exhaust in the cab. The head bob was from the carbon monoxide putting me to sleep without my even knowing that it was happening. Once I knew what was going on, I rolled down the windows to vent the cab, and checked for leaks at my fuel stop in Franklin, OH. When I looked for a leak, what I found was the first picture.

After I got to Spring Hill I took another look at the entire truck. Looking for anything that had changed since I looked in the morning, and for anything else that would have required a closer look to notice in the first place. To do this I took a flash light and looked at the dark corners under the truck to see if I found any other surprises, of course there was one.

The second picture shows the leak on the opposite side of the first leak. This leak likely would be missed by any inspection not using a flash light, which is really no excuse since I should have seen it. This one is a major issue because immediately to the left of the leak is the pass through into the cab for the gear shift (the vertical thing to the left of the blackened pipe). Looking at the area near the leak, you can see how much the soot has darkened the underside of the cab, indicating that this has likely been around for a while.

Anyway, after finding this, I decided to go with it. I am now driving with the windows down almost completely to vent any fumes, and found out that the heater only shoots to the floor, not to the vent or the defrost, so another item to write up when I get home. So it will be a very interesting, and chilly, drive home.

Now technically, I should shut myself down because of this and get it repaired immediately. This is a serious safety issue, and if DOT catches it they will shut me down for repairs. However I have already driven this far with it, and knowing about it will allow me to vent the cab to prevent any fumes from building up. Frankly, I don't feel like being stuck at a shop while I wait for this to get repaired. Letting my home terminal take care of it will make everything easier.

I do know that in the future I will be more though and use a flash light to check both sides and the full length of the exhaust system, rather than just the easy parts to see.

Bowling Green, Kentucky: Weekend Car Show

Driving South on Saturday I saw quite a few nice old cars on the road. This Thunderbird was one of them. At the time I didn't really think about it, it was a nice day to be out and about with a classic car.

It wasn't until that night when I checked into my hotel, that I found out that they were actually all out for a car show. It was the 1st Nostalgia Nationals, complete with classic cars drag racing. These cars looked fantastic, and they out numbered the modern cars in the parking lot. So there were quite a few to look at while wandering through the parking lot that night, and again in the morning. the pictures are of the cars, and of course the truck I was driving for contrast.

Cancelled Run = Shuttles

I found out Wednesday night that my Thursday run was cancelled. So Thursday I ended up on a local shuttle run from a sister company to Falcon, Comprehensive Logistics, to GM Powertrain in Toledo, OH. I have done these shuttles before, my very first week driving for the company, while waiting for a road truck. I didn't like them much then, and that opinion hasn't changed.

It is a short run that takes about ten to fifteen minutes of driving between the two locations on city streets, in a day cab. A quick drop and hook, swapping trailers, at each end and back to do it again. Both nights I did this round trip five times. The second night went a little faster because I was able to pick up the rhythm, knew what to do, and got it done.

The reason I don't like them, is because of the shortness of the runs. I did not get into truck driving to see the same thing over and over. Of course this doesn't mesh with my like of a long regular run, but at least with that I am not seeing the same thing five times a day, every day. I also like knowing what I am doing, and where I am going.

Back when I first drove truck for Werner, my favorite runs were with a dedicated account that went some of the same places repeatedly, but not daily. So you got to know where you were going, how to get there, without using directions from the Qualcom, on board computer.

Well need to get going, I am running this weekend, so need to get moving. Will likely have more to say from the Red Roof Inn, in Bowling Green, KY.

Turned Down

While my truck was in the shop this weekend getting its wheel seal fixed, it was also serviced. Unfortunately during the service it got turned down from 68 mph to 65 mph. When I go the truck I was pleasantly surprised to find that it could go 68 MPH both with the cruise on and with it off, some of our trucks can only do this with the cruise control on. I think this is because these trucks also have the Vorad system, much like the truck I borrowed this weekend. The annoying part is that it will, and did add 15 minutes to my trip down to Spring Hill yesterday.

I can expect to lose 3 miles every hour assuming a constant top speed, considering I only slow down when I have to, this can add up. Of course in Ohio there is no way I reach this top speed, but for at least four hours I am in a 70 MPH zone, which adds up to 12 miles lost, thus the extra 15 minutes added to the trip.

Looking at it, I really don't think I am going to be saving that much fuel, but we shall see, since I have been keeping track of my miles per gallon for the past several weeks. The reason that this is annoying is that sometimes to I need every bit of three hours to get to Glendale, KY where IdleAire is available. So if I am for some reason unable to make it there, I may end up idling the night away, which pretty much blows the theory of fuel savings out of the water.

Tonight I will put all my data into a spread sheet and really take a look at it. If I can prove that it results in not enough fuel savings, maybe I can get them to turn me back up. It will also be interesting to compare directly the fuel savings between the automatic I drove over the weekend to my truck. I can do this because I have the exact same fuel points for both trips.

Time to get going, have to pretrip the truck and get myself on the road, my ten hour break is over.

No Rush Needed

It turned out that when I got down to GM, there was no emergency. The dock supervisor thought my dispatch was insane to feel the need to try and get me there earlier. The only thing we could figure out is that someone looked at the number of engines inside the plant and panicked when they figured out when the next truck was due. The panic was because for what ever reason this person wasn't aware of all the trailers of engines in their drop lot. So I called my dispatch on the way home so they were aware of those trailers full of engines from Mexico. That way they could ask who ever may call in a panic last night, if they have checked the drop lot for more engines.

We will be working again this Saturday, so I can plan on another good meal down there at GM. I am going to be bringing a cold six pack with me to contribute to the food, of IBC root beer. From a distance, or even up close, the bottle looks just like a beer bottle. Sure to give us some fun making people think we are drinking on the job.

1:37 AM

That is what time they called me. They wanted to know how soon I could get my load down to GM in Tennessee today. Apparently another plant that uses the same engines I take there was in danger of shutting down due to a lack of parts. To my sleep filled head it sounded like they were taking engines from where I go to to keep this other place running. Since I usually get down there two hours earlier than I am supposed to be, that is what I had told her, 6PM Eastern. I had just gotten to sleep around 11:30 the night before, there was no way I was getting up any earlier to get moving.

Well we shall see what is going on when I get there this morning, and this afternoon. I think I will make it there by 5PM Eastern just so I can miss the rush hour traffic in Nashville.

The Weekend

This past weekend I ended up working Saturday and Sunday. This was because the plant was running on Saturday and needed parts. So this weekend I earned Premium pay, whatever that is, plus got to stay in a motel. The motel was needed more because I wasn't driving my own truck due to a mechanical issue. Friday night while they fixed some other issues they discovered that the front right wheel seal was blown (leaking). It had just started so it was good to catch, unfortunately it meant my truck was going nowhere Saturday morning. So instead I had to borrow someone else's truck.

Now borrowing someone else's truck is like borrowing someone else's car, plus their bedroom, and storage space, all at the same time. Uncomfortable doesn't begin to describe it. Nothing is where I keep it in my truck, and I have to put my stuff where I can around their stuff. Not to mention the extra checking that I have to do to make sure there are no surprises under the hood. This truck was obviously taken care of, clean on the inside, and no surprises under the hood, just some topping off of fluids.

Next issue was that this was an automatic, equipped with the Vorad radar system that I liked in my first truck. I wasn't thrilled about the automatic, since I felt it wouldn't handle the hills as well as I could with a manual. It turned out the automatic had none of the problems I was expecting, the Vorad caused all the difficulties. Where in my regular truck I could climb a hill without worry, in this truck I had to watch the Vorad to make sure it didn't try to slow me down to much while climbing a hill and catching up to another truck. What made this really tricky was the fact that with the cruise on, this truck could do 68 MPH like my truck, however with the cruise off, it couldn't, unlike my truck. Once the cruise control was off the fastest this truck could go was 65 MPH. On the flats this was no problem, but on I-71 with all the hills, it was a definite problem.

Anyway, got down there just fine and was surprised to find out that the dock supervisor had brought in BBQ pulled pork, cole slaw, and pancake style corn bread. All of which was excellent. Finding out that this was a regular thing when they worked Saturdays, I said I would bring down some IBC root beer next Saturday, so we can all get in trouble. This is because these bottles look just like a beer bottle, have to get close to see it isn't.

Saturday night I spent in a Red Roof Inn, in Bowling Green, KY. This was the second Red Roof I have stayed at recently, and they have really upgraded the look of the hotel. The interior is no longer the college party dive room rental of years gone by. Here is a picture of my borrowed truck parked at the hotel.

Everything was smooth on the way up, this time I didn't blow past my exit while passing someone. Until I got past Tipp City in Ohio, that was when the truck went insane. There would be a beeping noise, then a gauge would drop to the bottom, the another beep and another gauge would drop. Then all the sudden one would come back up, only to beep and die again. I had red lights flashing on the dash telling me my water temperature was too high, and that my oil pressure was too low, then they would shut off when the gauge would come back up. The only gauges that worked were the air pressure and fuel, both of which are not electronic.

I don't think I need to say I was a little disturbed by all of this. Though I wasn't too concerned, the only thing going wrong were the gauges, the truck wasn't making any horrible noises, spraying fluids, or smoking. So I kept driving while getting break down on the phone. This was so I could

confirm that I could just drive to Toledo and get it looked at there. After finally getting to the shop foreman in West Middlesex, our main terminal, I was told that it was likely a bad ground and to go ahead up to the Toledo yard and have it looked that there.

Of course it all stopped happening after I fueled in North Baltimore, OH at the Pilot there. Turning the truck off then on again must have reset what ever was going wrong, for a while at least. It didn't happen again the rest of the way home, and the mechanics were thrilled about having to look for a loose ground somewhere in those miles of wiring.

Don't Miss an Exit

One last thing from Thursday night. On the way back up I saw a car carrier (parking lot) , with a lot of strange shapes on it. As I got closer I realized it was loaded with new model cars that were being concealed with the bulky wraps to change their shape. They were all from Volkswagen, and the wrap was white with the VW symbol all over it. It is very rare to see these cars on the road during the day, to prevent people from getting good pictures of them. It being night I didn't even try for a shot with my camera, I knew it was to dark to get a clear one.

The next day went well until I unthinkingly moved over to avoid catching up to a school bus. As I passed the bus, I realized I had just missed my exit, I-265 N to I-71 N. Unfortunately I also did not realize that that was a part of a cloverleaf. So I could have taken the second exit, exit again, and then exit a third time to get the direction I wanted. So I blithely crossed my fingers and hoped for a place to turn around further up. There was nothing until I got to US-42. Not wanting to go backwards, I took that East, and still found no where to turn around. At a stop light I saw a Kentucky state route that would take me back to the highway. I knew I was likely making a mistake the second I decided to make the turn, since it led almost straight up a hill. That was what I dealt with for about half an hour, a road that made 31W look big. This road swooped and swerved with the reckless abandon of a drunken sailor. At one point there was a sign that said end 35 mph zone, as if I wanted to go faster on this roller coaster ride. I could hardly wait until I reached the end, it would be nice to visit again in a car, beautiful countryside, but never again in a truck. The pictures above are from that road most of the road was like the first picture, but I didn't dare try for a shot during the worst of it.

The last picture is from when I reached I-71, the difference in road size is obvious, though still beautiful. The smudges are from the many bugs that suicide on the truck each day.

The Run Thursday

The run down on Thursday was just about the fastest I have made to date. It took only eight hours to get down to Spring Hill with only a little slow down south of Nashville on I-65. Going through the construction in Dayton I passed I don't know how many people that don't know the trick to get through there quickly. The trick is to stay in the right lane to get passed the traffic merging into the center lane. Then when in the construction zone a third lane is added on the right. That is when you move over to that lane, because everyone else is staying in that center lane.

The picture is from the dock that I end up at every time I come down to GM. You can see how we have to drop the trailer, chock both wheels, and put a jack stand under the nose to be unloaded. The funny part is that the jack stand instructions include one that states, remove before hooking back up.

Heading back north I started hearing about backed up traffic due to night time construction. So I got to see the countryside again as several trucks jumped off to take US-31W North. A lot of the road, we used all of it, it just wasn't wide enough to drive in the lane we were supposed to. We passed something I thought I would never see in person, a Sleep in a Wigwam motel, I have seen them mentioned on the Travel Channel. Taking this detour we passed the worst back-up and then jumped back on just before the next bit, which was fortunately moving fairly quickly.

This morning's breakfast was interesting. On a whim I decided to sit in the drivers area at the Petro, mistake. almost immediately after spreading out my laptop, etc, a driver starts getting loud complaining about the air being on making his food cold, then went into a half hour rant about the non-smoking law here. I have a feeling he is one of those that bitch on the CB just to hear his voice. Of course his bitching got him a free meal, but was still funny afterward.

Time to get moving, more later.

After the Debate

I woke up to find it had been raining all night, so I would be finding out shortly if they plugged the leaky seal that my windshield has. You can also see from the picture, how small the parking lot was at that Red Roof Inn. All the spots were like this all the way around the building, with only one entrance to the lot from the street. Really not conducive for parking a truck, at least I didn't have to worry about a trailer.

I wanted to get going early so got moving right after my ten hour break was done, at 6 AM. There was still a leak in the windshield, and once I figured out how to lock in the second drive axle, have to have the parking brake off for it to work, I got out of that tight little place and back to the yard.

Finding the trailer went quickly, and it was back on the road in this steady rain. The CB immediately was telling be about a rolled truck just East of where I got on I-24. A FedEx trailer was overturned just past the onramp going the other way. I couldn't help but think of the rolled FedEx Truck in Texas when I heard that.

It wasn't to long until I was on I-65 heading North, since I was trying to get out of town traffic was really light for me. But it didn't take long until I found another accident. This was on my side but with one car off to the left side and the rest all the way to the right, I was able to get through with only a tap on the brakes to drop a few mph. The next big accident was at about the 92 MM on the south bound side. This one shut down three of the four lanes, and was backing up traffic for several miles. It was simply a sea of headlights as I drove past it.

The rest of the way home was fairly uneventful, I didn't run across any more accidents, though I heard there was one closer to Louisville on I-71 south. Which has had more state troopers, bears and diesel bears (DOT), working it the past two days than any time I have driven it so far.

It was early enough in the day that the construction mess through Dayton didn't slow me at all on I-75, a project due to be done in 2011.

Today I grab another trailer and head back down south. The air is cold and the sky is clear, so hopefully I shouldn't run into any accidents along the way.

Pictures from my travel

I have a bit of a back log of pictures to add here, so here goes.

The first one is from driving today, the car on the left is one who tried to dive in at the last minute to exit, the one on the right was one of the entire group that refused to let him in, until they started to move towards his truck then he gave way.

The second picture was taken at the Petro in Glendale, KY. This is a tank on its way to Lima, OH, to be rebuilt.

The last three were taken down in Texas near Dallas. This FedEx truck took a left hand turn to fast and rolled the first trailer, which brought the tractor with it. The FedEx hub was just to the right, on the corner, he didn't even make it out of sight of the terminal before rolling his truck.

Chilling in Nashville

Really, as I write this I am laying on a bed in a Nashville, TN Red Roof Inn.

Today I passed by one accident right after it happened on I-65 MM 58 in Kentucky (pictured above). Then had to detour around one that happened in Tennessee on I-65 MM 108. That one involved 15 vehicles and closed the road for hours.

That and I avoided downtown Nashville to avoid any possible Presidential candidate delays, road shut down due to their motorcades.

After doing all that and being on schedule to arrive within minutes of my usual time, my delivery was pushed back to past when I could do it. So instead I dropped the load in the Nashville yard for someone else to unload and reload, and headed for a hotel for the night. I will pick it up tomorrow and head back home.

So tonight I get to watch the debates while I relax in a comfy bed with an attached bathroom and shower. They are really good at gouging each other with each response.

Half an Hour

It is amazing the difference half an hour can make in traffic conditions. Yesterday I managed to avoid a majority of the back-up I encountered on Wednesday going south of Nashville on I-65. Last night the back-up was only about a mile long, and was moving fairly quickly.

Apparently I have been referring to where I am going in Spring Hill, TN, incorrectly. It is no longer a Saturn Plant, most Saturns are built either in Mexico or Canada now. It is now a GM plant building the Traverse. Apparently they retooled the plant a year ago for this more fuel efficient large cross over vehicle. It is an eight seater that gets 17 MPG in the city and 24 MPG on the highway. I have to admit that it looks pretty good sitting on the staging lots waiting for shipment. The color seems to trend towards black, white, and silver. I haven't seen any other bright colors, but it is a big place, they could be parked further back.

So the engines that I have been hauling, which are made at a GM plant in St Catherine, ONT, are destined for this vehicle. This sounds like it could turn into a nice regular run for me, assuming the Traverse sells well. I think it will do decently, but minivans might be making a comeback in this age of higher fuel prices.

Almost 10 miles backed up

Today I-71 in Kentucky had about a ten mile back-up due to construction. Fortunately for me it was on the Southbound side. Unfortunately for me, that is the same side that I will have to drive tomorrow. I am going to check into an alternate route just in case it is being worked on again tomorrow when I go through.

Today I almost got to wipe out a speeding motorcyclist, I had turned on my blinker and started to change lanes when he popped out of nowhere to pass me on the right, in a construction zone.

I also discovered that I was the victim of fuel theft last night. I needed fuel way before I usually do on the way home today. The gauge was also reading a bit lower than usual as I left Glendale, KY. It seems that sometime last night someone siphoned out about an eighth of a tank from my truck. So I reported it, and fueled early in Franklin, OH, rather than tomorrow morning on my way back South in Findlay, OH.

Put my truck in to have the windshield resealed tonight. When I started out yesterday there was water in my cup holder. I tracked a few drips to the top of the windshield. Talking to the mechanics tonight apparently they loosen a bit after being first replaced, so need resealing after they have been on the road for a while. Which is understandable with how much the truck shakes and bounces on some of the roads that I drive on.

Another Round

It seems as I drive this route that the traffic is different each time. Coming down there wasn't a single delay, until I hit Nashville, actually it was more until I tried to leave Nashville. It was another one of those experiences that shows you how much traffic can change by coming through a half hour later than before.

When going South on I-65 out of Nashville there comes a point where the five lanes very quickly change to just two lanes. It was here where I ended up losing all my time. It took almost a half an hour to travel two miles which isn't the worst but I will know which lane to aim myself at the next time I come through here.

It was also here that I got to see a four wheeled armored vehicle making its way through traffic. It definitely stuck out as something different in is desert camouflage, and it took everyone in it to drive it. There was a guy sticking out of the top, he served as both rear and side mirrors for changing lanes. He was also wearing goggles due to the wind as it moved with traffic a 55 MPH. Then both front hatches were open for the driver and another person to be able to see better than from inside. The top hatch looked a bit like a turret but the traffic was too heavy to pay much attention after I passed it.

The weather is definitely getting cooler, I might actually wear jeans on the way back up after my shower and breakfast this morning. But it does get warm in the truck so maybe not. I did have the unpleasant discovery yesterday morning to find out that my wind shield leaks along the top edge. I saw the most drips from above the steering wheel, but that is no guarantee that it is the only location. There was water on the floor and water in some of the cup holders in the dash, so the rains on Monday and Tuesday really had a chance to come in. Driving through rain I haven't seen any water come in due to the wind keeping it moving back from the windshield.

Well off for a shower, Glendale, KY, Petro.