FANTASTIC April 15th

Yes, I know that for most people "fantastic" isn't the word to describe today. For the first time ever I did my taxes at the last moment, filed them electronically this morning in fact. I got a hefty chuck of cash back from the feds and the state because of my trucking activities, even though I took two extra deductions last year in anticipation.

Then I motored in the last few miles to my consignee and it was an easy drop, in-and-out in 30 minutes or so. From there I went about four miles to our company yard and -- wait for it -- turned in my Kenworth T-600 for a Volvo 780! My new truck has a few more miles on it (251,768 vs my old truck's 210,000 or so) but it has three things the old truck did not: an inverter, a refrigerator and a Tri-Pak APU unit.

The inverter takes the DC electricity that the truck alternator produces and converts it to AC, so I can use most household appliances, not just the DC ones (which typically suck by comparison). The fridge in a Volvo 780 is humongous; probably double the interior volume of others I've seen on Kenworth and Freightliner trucks. The Auxilliary Power Unit (APU) is a separate small diesel engine with its own air conditioning and heating units that can also keep the coolant in the engine above freezing for easier starts and keeps the batteries topped off.

Today was very windy, with gusts in the 40-50 mph range and lots of flying dust. Just transferring stuff from one truck to another coated me in a blanket of dust mixed in with my sweat, and my eyes, ears, mouth and nose got an extra dose.

The truck itself (#2358 for anyone interested) had a few issues. The APU needed a bit of TLC from the on-site mechanic. The freon in the AC unit had leaked out. One of the cabinet doors was missing. The driver-side mirrors won't adjust, though they are in a workable orientation at the moment. All but the last item was corrected by the shop this afternoon and I have my next load already waiting:


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Tomorrow morning I get up around 0300 to fuel then grab a trailer that was brought in from Illinois this evening heading north to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for an 0700 appointment. After that I head west along I-90 to Rapid City, South Dakota to drop off the other half of the load. This happens to be a Petsmart load with live fish, so our reefer unit is set to maintain 76 degrees continuously for the unfortunates.

Oh, and one Big, HUGE, GINORMOUS advantage of the Volvo 780 vs my Kenworth is this very nice RV-style settee I'm typing this at right now. Very comfortable, with lots of space to stretch out and live a little.

Pictures soon.