Photo blow out!!!

Well, for some reason over the last few months I haven't been taking any photos. That all seemed to change yesterday as I shot over 150 of them!!! So after editing them and picking the ones I liked best, I'm now going to post my fav's below... Let me know what you think!. By the way, I will take more interior shots in the future after I have the inside all done. It's cluttered right now because I don't have my fridge put in yet (It will go in next time I'm home) and I'm using an old coleman cooler that sits on the floor taking up valuable floorspace...


This is my dash. 12 Guages (more will be added in the future!) and 16 switches... You can never have too many!




Rockwood stuff is great...



The blue thing is the prepass (weigh station bypass) and ezpass (toll road transponder). Theres a clock/date/temp computer on top of the dash, XM radio below that, rockwood cell phone holder, and Garmin GPS...



The best part of all is my RCI 2950. I traded my Cobra 200 to a friend for this... I love it!




I had these hub/lug nut covers on the gordon truck...




100,000 miles in 1 month? I'm getting the miles that's for sure!!! haha



This is my bedroom. The upper bunk folds up halfway to create a shelf, theres my flat screen tv, I'm going to get a microwave for the top shelf and an inverter soon. Those are little storage holes around the roofline above the bunk... Can't figure out what to put up there yet... Under the TV theres 6 pull out trays and containers... Theres a HUGE empty spot under the bed where I'm going to be putting two 12" subwoofers in the future... I can't wait!



These are my sleeper controls. Theres a built in alarm clock that is worthless, APU Thermostat controls, a switch to turn my non existent fridge on and off and AC controls which are pretty much useless because of the APU... haha




My truckers!!!!



Coming down Cabbage in Oregon.




Still going down...




Yup, still going down.....





That's a walmart truck coming down the hill behind me...




That's a Coca Cola trucking heading east up the mountain... He must of been empty as he was hauling A$$!!!




Coming down Snoqualmie in Washington, east of Seattle.





Theres a real nice Ford GT150 heading down the hill next to me... That car costs more than my truck!




All those white dots are trucks winding their way up the mountain on I90 through Washington.




Chris

7/19/08

Just a few clarifications for those of you who left comments. For those of you who don't leave any feedback, please do! I like reading your thoughts, good and bad.

1. I am LEASING my truck to Schneider, not leasing from Schneider. It's an open contract. I can take my truck and lease it on to another company any time I feel like it and same goes for schneider. They can terminate my lease whenever they please.

2. The reason why I chose Schneider was because of a friend of mine who is around my age and also has been contracted to SNI for the past few years. He's in the same financial situations that I am in and he's doing really good. I don't own a house, I don't have kids, I don't have a car payment and I live at home. My only expenses besides truck related bills are a cell phone bill, food costs, a small dirt bike payment and that's it. I have enough money saved up to make truck payments for quite sometime if something doesn't work out right.

3. I am using SNI as a stepping stone into the O/O side of trucking. I want to eventually in a couple years find a specialized carrier of some sort to run for and make more money. I realize that SNI doesn't pay the best compared too other carriers but their fuel surcharge works for me. The people I've dealt with so far have been nicer than anyone in the trucking industry that I've ever spoken too and it's great to have not one, but three awesome dispatchers. I don't ever really have to call them up, but when I do I'm greeted real nice and they ask how I'm doing and basically "What's up?". That is definently a change from others I've had in the past where I wanted to reach through the phone and strangle them.

4. I appreciate everyone's comments about my decision to become and O/O and lease to SNI, but if you want to be rude all I ask is that you email me instead of posting under anonymous and hiding behind the screen like those CB rambo's on the road. I do have family that reads this blog and would expect the comments to be clean. You don't need to agree with me with everything I say, but please don't swear. Thanks.



This was taken earlier today while running north on 491 around the New Mexico / Colorado border.



Another one from the same area



Yup, another one...



Heres one of those tiny Mercedes Hybrid? Car behind a fuel guzzling motorhome... Yup, he's blocking the fuel island...




Picture this... A young guy and girl around 18 or so are driving in this beat up 4 wheel drive. The doors are cut low like those jeep rock crawlers have them and they teens look a bit hickish. The girl is spitting her chew out the side of the truck every 10 seconds and she spits one time and it goes all over the trucks door. She looks down at it and then starts laughing and does it again. That's about as redneck
as you can get for Auburn, Washington!



Chris

I moved on...

It's been almost a month since my last post and I've been up to a whole lot! For starters, I cleaned out my CFI truck 2 weeks ago in West Memphis, AR. CFI just didn't work out for me. I'm not going to bad mouth because I have spoken to quite a few current cfi drivers who are getting great miles and have no complaints but for me it wasn't so. I never hit it off with my driver manager and that was probably the biggest reason for me turning the truck in. I'm happy I drove for CFI and I don't regret it but it a shame it didn't work out.

Anyways, I have some HUUUUUUUUUUGE news. Many of you already know, but for those of you who don't....

I'm now driving for Schneider National. Yes, I am pulling an orange trailer behind me and I'm still running 48 states but theres a bit more to the story. I decided that after driving for GTI and CFI, that being told what to do and how to do and not having any control over anything was not for me. When you're a company driver, all you do is drive the truck and draw lines in your logbook. Usually you don't have any control of where you're going and how many miles you are getting weekly.

I made the jump that every single trucker has thought about and while many have done what I did, many have not. I am now an Owner Operator who is leasing my services (and truck) to Schneider National based out of Green Bay, WI. Schneider is the biggest Company in the United states with over 14,000 trucks and 40,000+ trailers. No matter where I am, whether it be a walmart Distribution center or a super small shipper, theres a bunch of orange Schneider trailers sitting there. That means they have one of the largest freight bases in all of trucking. More Customers = More Freight = Less sitting = Me being happy!!!

I purchased a 2007 Peterbilt 386 with 90,128 miles. Not a lot by truck standards as you can generally average 120,000+ miles each year. It's very clean and practically brand new inside. It's powered by a 475hp / 1650ft lbs tq Caterpillar engine mated to a Eaton 13spd transmission with 3.36 gears and 22.5LP tires. This truck SCREAMS!!! Although to run smart is to run slow. The faster I drive the more money I blow out my exhaust stack (wasted fuel). Anyways, there will be more talk later, but here's what everyone has been waiting for, the PHOTO'S!!!!!






This photo show's the color a lot better. It's called "Radiant Red" which is a Dark Red Metallic.



All the white lettering will be coming off and replaced with new different colored decals...



This is the best part of the whole truck. When you idle the engine for heating/AC/Power you waste a Gallon of fuel an hour. Since fuel prices are so high many people are specing their new trucks and adding these things to their older ones. It's an "APU" Auxiliary Power Unit which provides, heating, cooling and power at as little as 1/10th of a gallon an hour which is a savings of almost 50 bucks a night (10 hours). It runs off the trucks fuel tanks and coolant. It heats the coolant in the engine to make for nice starts of cold weather nights. It also has a thermostat controller in the sleeper that you can set the temp to your liking.



Sitting next to the river (photo below) off of US90 in Texas.







Coming into Moab, UT.




All alone heading into a Storm in New Mexico



Another late afternoon Summertime thunderstorm in the Mountains above Salt Lake City yesterday.



Time for bed, I have to get up at 2am to make my delivery in Auburn, WA by 7am. Since last saturday (8 days) I have ran 5196 miles... I'm really impressed with Schneider. They like to keep you running!!! I'm happy.

Chris

Update...

Yeah, sorry about the lack of updates. I haven't taken ONE photo since last time I updated the blog, but that's all about to change.... in a couple weeks. BIG, BIG, BIIIIIG news coming in the next couple weeks and I'm really excited about what I have in the works. I'm not going to say anything until I know for sure, but in the mean time, check out this short trucking video.

Random photos from today...

I left NY and headed empty to Connecticut this morning. It was a nice drive but man, people in the Northeast driver slow!!! I'm governed at 65mph which means I can't go any faster than 65 unless I'm coasting down a hill. I got stuck behind a pack of cars going 50-55 all day today. I spent more time passing than I did in the right lane...hmmm... Everyone must of been full from all the bbq's going on over this weekend and they were very tired for the drive home... I guess. My load is ready and is only going 450 miles west to Buffalo, NY so I'm in no hurry. It delivers tuesday morning at 7am, so I'm going to get up in the morning and start making my way west. At least I'm rolling over monday and will be getting a load on tuesday when everything opens back up... Anyways, here's the photos and a video!


***Click on the video and wait for it to load***

Usually all I hear all day long when I'm sitting in a truck stop or at a customer is engine noise or the normal sounds of a busy city or factory. I decided to park for the night backed into a deadend road with a greenbelt to my left. It was about 75 out today but I parked in the shade with the windows down and it was very nice. It was very nice to hear birds chirping, something we truckers don't get to hear very often... Click on the video to start playing



This is where I'm currently parked...




My Freightliner at gordon had a slide out desk which was nice to use as a computer stand. This Kenworth doesn't have anything like that, so this is how I use the computer. Welcome to my office!



Meet my trucks big red butt.



I'm still undecided if I like how my truck looks. Sometimes it's ugly and sometimes it's mean looking... It seems to look good from a small car view... Don't cut off trucks so this won't be in your rear view mirror!




I got some red load light covers for the lights on back of the cab. Now I can be like all the square nosed owner op's!




The price of Diesel fuel in Upstate New York!!!!!!




Entering Massachusetts this afternoon...




oops, a bit late on this one...




Have a good memorial day!
Chris

WOW, what a drive!!!

Today was awesome. I started my morning in Verona, New York and headed west to the Budweiser factory in Baldwinsville,NY. I dropped my empty trailer and then Bobtailed (no trailer) to Albany, NY and then North on I-87 to Plattsburgh,NY where I'm currently shut down for the night. This is my first time this far east. Yesterday I went through Ohio, Pennsylvania, and then into NY. It was a first for all three. Now, I've been to New York City as a kid and that's all I remember from NY. I was under the impression that the second I entered NY, I would be in traffic traveling along the interstate all the way through NY. WRONG!!!! The turnpike (toll road) is in top notch shape with nice green grass and tall trees. It's an absolute blast to drive and I'm really enjoying my time up here. I'm parked at a little truck stop off I-87 and I'm in the very back of the lot, in a corner next to a forest. As soon as I step out of my truck I'm standing in green grass and the smell of the forest hits me. That's a lot different than a downtown truck stop in some big city that stinks of urine and idling trucks. I'm hoping to get a load out of here in the morning to keep me rolling over the holiday weekend. Where will I go from here? Check back next time...

***Remember to click on the photos to open them up full size!***


Got CFI?



Just north of Laredo, Texas at the Border checkpoint.



A real nice Maserati with mexico plates...



A bit later that day in Dallas, TX I spotted this Bentley driven by some rich old guy..lol



A Texas Sunset



Another trip through Saint Louis.



First time to Ohio in a big truck...



Same for Pennsylvania.




Yup, New York too...




That's Lake Erie in the distance.



In NY, on the turnpike, they run turnpike doubles. Double trailers in California consist of two 28ft trailers. Here in NY, they run two 48ft trailers. Now, that has to be heavy. Since they are so big they can't go on the city streets. Most major exits have turnouts where the drivers stop and break up the doubles so that another truck can pick up the second trailer and then they both travel to their destination.



Lots of people heading north to the mountains or Canada for the holiday weekend.




I love this kind of scenery.



A lake in the Adirondack Mountains...





Have a good weekend everyone!

Chris