Mine is the tractor. It is now waiting to go in the shop and I've setup camp at a Holiday Inn.
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Let's talk trucks
- Thread starter LumbermanSVO
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Mine is the tractor. It is now waiting to go in the shop and I've setup camp at a Holiday Inn.
wow, sorry to hear that. at least it wasn't your fault or anything. hope it gets out of the shop soon.
quick question, what kind of battery is in big trucks? or how many batteries? (sorry, kinda random)
Well, I'm still waiting for my truck to be fixed. In the meantime I updated my website. I've been sending somewhat regular Emails to my family and friends from the road. I put them all in a blog on my website. you can find it here: http://web.mac.com/lumbermansvo/LumbermanSVO.com/Trucking/Trucking.html
I thought I'd chip in to tell you what an interesting blog you have there. Added to my RSS feed.
Think about it, the starter has to crank over a 12L 18:1+ compression engine. That takes a LOT of current at 12 volts.
My personal pickup is a 6.9L diesel with a 22:1 compression ratio. It requires a minimum of 2 850 CCA batteries.
Good news, my truck is fixed! I'm just waiting on my ride from the hotel back to the terminal.
My personal pickup is a 6.9L diesel with a 22:1 compression ratio. It requires a minimum of 2 850 CCA batteries.
Good news, my truck is fixed! I'm just waiting on my ride from the hotel back to the terminal.
i don't doubt it needs that many batteries, that's why i asked. i knew it would be a lot.
what kind of pickup? if you don't mind me asking.
good news! glad you'll be "on the road again"
It is a 1986 F250 SuperCab 4x4. I bought it for $50 and drove it home, it has been my main car since.
My other car is a 1985 Mustang SVO 4 cylinder turbo. It has an open exhaust, some intake mods, computer swap, port work and a homebuilt hybrid turbo, the boost has been turned up to 22psi. The interior consists of carpet, seats a shifter and some guages. Everything else has been removed, even the HVAC system. It now weighs 2600lbs with me in it. It is a "touch" faster than stock
It is a 1986 F250 SuperCab 4x4. I bought it for $50 and drove it home, it has been my main car since.
My other car is a 1985 Mustang SVO 4 cylinder turbo. It has an open exhaust, some intake mods, computer swap, port work and a homebuilt hybrid turbo, the boost has been turned up to 22psi. The interior consists of carpet, seats a shifter and some guages. Everything else has been removed, even the HVAC system. It now weighs 2600lbs with me in it. It is a "touch" faster than stock
whoa, $50!? now that's crazy.
that mustang seems nice also. ever take it to the track?
Some food for thought:
An article on CNN: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bu...hez.truckers.fuel.prices.cnn?iref=videosearch
Landline Magazine: http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2008/Mar08/032408/032408-02.htm
A Georgia Fax affiliate: http://www.fox24.com/newsvideo.asp?p...deo=4125
Comments?
An article on CNN: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bu...hez.truckers.fuel.prices.cnn?iref=videosearch
Landline Magazine: http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2008/Mar08/032408/032408-02.htm
A Georgia Fax affiliate: http://www.fox24.com/newsvideo.asp?p...deo=4125
Comments?
If you don't mind me asking, how much money do you/average trucker make a year?
And $50 for a truck...DANG!!!
BTW: That CNN video is pretty scary! is this going to affect you?
And $50 for a truck...DANG!!!
BTW: That CNN video is pretty scary! is this going to affect you?
The duel prices are already affecting me, just last week the company announced that they are cutting our speeds back by 2 MPH. This wont make much of an impact in my pay but I will now be running just that much slower than the cars around me. I have noticed in the last couple weeks that a LOT of truck are running slower than before. People in cars don't handle slower traffic very well. As the trucks slow down that the 4-wheelers(trucker talk for cars) don't it starts to become a safety problem. I watch everyday as 4-wheelers do REALLY REALLY stupid things to get past slower vehicles.
I don't pay for the fuel, my company does, but I do keep track of the fuel consumption of my truck, as well as prices. So far this year I have put over $14k worth of fuel in my truck. $3500 of that was this month alone, and that was without running for 12 days this month. Frightening isn't it?
Right now I am getting $.29/mile and I average about 2400 miles per week, or about $700 a week, give or take depending on the week. In a few weeks my pay will go up to $.31/mile, or about $740/week.
As you gain experience that pay goes up. Some companies will pay for to $.50/mile for a guy with 10+ years of experience.
Edit to add: I threw some info about my $50 pickup on my website.
I don't pay for the fuel, my company does, but I do keep track of the fuel consumption of my truck, as well as prices. So far this year I have put over $14k worth of fuel in my truck. $3500 of that was this month alone, and that was without running for 12 days this month. Frightening isn't it?
Right now I am getting $.29/mile and I average about 2400 miles per week, or about $700 a week, give or take depending on the week. In a few weeks my pay will go up to $.31/mile, or about $740/week.
As you gain experience that pay goes up. Some companies will pay for to $.50/mile for a guy with 10+ years of experience.
Edit to add: I threw some info about my $50 pickup on my website.
I keep track of everything I can think of. If I can quantify it, I keep track of it. I do this to keep track of my own performance, and compare it to the company quarterly figured they give me.
Today I compared my pay to my logs books, I have been making just a tick over $14/hour.
My average load is 638 miles, 101 of those are empty. I average about 52 MPH and 6.3 MPG for all my driving combined. The cost of fuel has gone up from a high of $.54 cents per miles and a low of $.31CPM in January to almost $.70CPM this month even though I am I am getting better milage this month.
I spent $34.53 per load on food and other odds and ends. It works out to $11.82/day in personal expenses, I'm trying to get this under $10. I've paid $2271 in just pay-related taxes this year. The average truck in the US spends about $14,000 in road use taxes a year, thats before paying the driver, insurance, fuel or any of the other countless things that get tacked on.
Today I compared my pay to my logs books, I have been making just a tick over $14/hour.
My average load is 638 miles, 101 of those are empty. I average about 52 MPH and 6.3 MPG for all my driving combined. The cost of fuel has gone up from a high of $.54 cents per miles and a low of $.31CPM in January to almost $.70CPM this month even though I am I am getting better milage this month.
I spent $34.53 per load on food and other odds and ends. It works out to $11.82/day in personal expenses, I'm trying to get this under $10. I've paid $2271 in just pay-related taxes this year. The average truck in the US spends about $14,000 in road use taxes a year, thats before paying the driver, insurance, fuel or any of the other countless things that get tacked on.
My dad gave me his old radio. It is a Cobra 21, only 21 channels instead of the standard 40. Some of the channels don't work anymore but it get 19 and 17 just fine. It has my dad's old license still on it, dated 1980. He modified it to get the "funny channels," a bunch of illegal channels below channel 1. I have to mount it upside down because of the knob for the funny channels. He also turned it up to 4.5 Watts, the legal limit is 3. I'll keep using it until I've saved up enough points on one of my fuel cards to get a new, free radio.
Guys on the radio today are not what they used to be. Most of the time I keep mine off because of drivers just fighting with each other. When the weather or traffic turns bad I turn it back on and listen for any useful info. I also turn it off when backing up in a truck stop. I heard a funny joke one time I a traffic backup in Alubuquerque, NM:
SixString: I wrote a song about my Ex-wife and all the good times we had, Anyone wanna hear it?
Random Driver: Yeah driver, I'd like to hear that.
Six String: Ok, goes goes like this...
(silence)
SixString: Did ya like it?
I wouldn't actively pursue a gig on the ice roads, but if one came my way I'd jump at it in a heartbeat. It isn't quite what The History Channel portrayed it to be. In fact Nuna Logistics will not allow The History Channel back on their roads due to how bad of a job they did on the TV show. I believe The History Channel has been seeking the use of other roads for another season of "Ice Road Truckers"
Guys on the radio today are not what they used to be. Most of the time I keep mine off because of drivers just fighting with each other. When the weather or traffic turns bad I turn it back on and listen for any useful info. I also turn it off when backing up in a truck stop. I heard a funny joke one time I a traffic backup in Alubuquerque, NM:
SixString: I wrote a song about my Ex-wife and all the good times we had, Anyone wanna hear it?
Random Driver: Yeah driver, I'd like to hear that.
Six String: Ok, goes goes like this...
(silence)
SixString: Did ya like it?
I wouldn't actively pursue a gig on the ice roads, but if one came my way I'd jump at it in a heartbeat. It isn't quite what The History Channel portrayed it to be. In fact Nuna Logistics will not allow The History Channel back on their roads due to how bad of a job they did on the TV show. I believe The History Channel has been seeking the use of other roads for another season of "Ice Road Truckers"
Lumberman, I read through this whole thread and it was a really interesting 15 minutes.
Couple things - if you like Seattle hip hop, you owe it to yourself to at least give Dyme Def a listen. I prefer them over BS and Common market quite a bit.
Beths isn't half bad either. I'm assuming you're from the area or at least come through alot?
And we can see that you're a Swift man based on those accident pics
Couple things - if you like Seattle hip hop, you owe it to yourself to at least give Dyme Def a listen. I prefer them over BS and Common market quite a bit.
Beths isn't half bad either. I'm assuming you're from the area or at least come through alot?
And we can see that you're a Swift man based on those accident pics
What are your thoughts on states with separate speed limits for 4-wheelers and Trucks? The only one I can think of off the top of my head is Illinois, which is 65 for cars and 55 for trucks.
taylorwilsdon: I'll be sure to give them a listen. One thing I really like about the Seattle hip-hop scene, and the rest of the Seattle music scene, is that there is no one particular sound that defines it. You can't pick one song on the radio and say "that's what it sounds like" It is also one of the few places where record store open and thrive, in others cities then close.
I was born and raised in Greenwood. I really love the area but I can't stand the traffic and can't afford to live there anymore. Last September I moved to Colorado Springs. I really like being able to drive accross town between 3 and 7pm! One thing I alwady do when I'm in town is visit Sonic Boom and Beth's. I have yet to find and omlete or hash brown better than Beth's.
I also had a cool weekend gig for about 2-3 years. I setup sound, lighting and video for concerts, mostly at White River. It was a blast and quite a workout. My first show I lost 3lbs!
Afk: I could name 6 states off the top of my head that have split speed limits. I find split limits to be dangerous, for the reasons mentioned above. There have been lots of studies done, both by independent groups and the government, and all of then show that between 70-80% of car/truck accidents are caused by the 4-wheeler.
I was born and raised in Greenwood. I really love the area but I can't stand the traffic and can't afford to live there anymore. Last September I moved to Colorado Springs. I really like being able to drive accross town between 3 and 7pm! One thing I alwady do when I'm in town is visit Sonic Boom and Beth's. I have yet to find and omlete or hash brown better than Beth's.
I also had a cool weekend gig for about 2-3 years. I setup sound, lighting and video for concerts, mostly at White River. It was a blast and quite a workout. My first show I lost 3lbs!
Afk: I could name 6 states off the top of my head that have split speed limits. I find split limits to be dangerous, for the reasons mentioned above. There have been lots of studies done, both by independent groups and the government, and all of then show that between 70-80% of car/truck accidents are caused by the 4-wheeler.
I wouldn't dispute that fact. Most drivers don't realize how difficult it is to drive (and stop, for that matter) with ANY trailer, let alone a 53 - footer. My driving philosophy is "give the truckers space." Maybe someday they'll realize that darting between 50,000lb. 18 wheelers is going to get them killed, but I'm not counting on it.
I send Emails to family and friends every few days. This is the one I just sent them:
Well, I made my 570 miles today, barely. Turns out Wyoming is still covered in snow and ice. Take a good look at the below picture. I took it around 8:15am today.

About 4 hours earlier I was almost that truck.
Ok, so last time I was stuck in Rawlins due to the weather I tried to go around on a local highway, I turned around because I felt the truck doing bad things. Well, this morning it did some really ****ing bad things!
When I got to Wyoming it was 25º out and it looked like it was raining. Rain at 25º is NOT a good thing. I turned off the jakes and slowed down a bit juts to be safe. After a bit the water stopped falling from the sky and the road looked clear again. As I was starting down a hill time suddenly slowed to a near-halt. I felt the back end of my truck start to come around to the right, the nose of my truck started moving left and I felt nothing through the steering wheel. My first thought was "this is the end" then I had a clear picture of my truck sliding sideways into the center median, like the truck above. My next thought was "I've made it this far through this winter, I'm not gonna stop now" I gave the truck just enough throttle to get some sort of traction back then started to counter steer, and yell "ARGH!" At this point the nose of my truck was in the middle of the left lane and the rear was in the right lane, the trailer was still traveling straight. I told myself not to over-steer and hung on. Miraculously I pulled out of the skid, regained control and continued on my way.
The really amazing thing is that all this took place in about 2-3 seconds. I was quite blown away at how time seemed to slow down and actually let me react to what was happening. As soon as I regained control I got on the radio and warned the other drivers.
That was some scary ****. I've lost control of my cars a few times, even drove my first pickup over an embankment on deer creek once (I bet mom and dad didn't know that!) and never once were any of those things as frightening as this. In a car you are fairly well protected if your stupid-human trick doesn't pan out. In a truck you'll be lucky if you wind up like truck pictured.
Well, Now I'm gonna go to bed and so i can get to my deliver on-time tomorrow. Looks like I'll be home Saturday.
John
