Pictures, Etc for May '09

Hello All...

Haven't posted in awhile so I thought I'd catch my millions (OK, dozens) of fans up on what's been happening in the World of Big Al.

On Thursday I rode with another of our drivers to Baytown, TX to pick up a truck that had been in a repair shop. The thing was just sick. No power, no throttle response, no nada. Took about two hours longer than normal to make the trip from Baytown back to our facility in Magee, MS. This is usually a seven and a half hour trip.


When I first arrived in Baytown, we discovered that the truck wouldn't start. Took a couple hours to finally get the thing going, and then discovered that the computer in the engine was shot. Dead batteries, too. The image here shows one of the mechanics basically burrowing his way under the cab to replace the battery cover after we got the thing to start. This dude was way over six feet - no clue how he managed to squeeze under there.

The reason I had time to do all this was because my truck was due for an oil change, and I had a tiny leak on the bottom of the oil pan. When I got back to Magee Friday morning, they'd pulled the oil pan off and found about a pound of metal shavings and a few chunks of metal inside. This was not good news to me since it means several days driving a spare truck whilst mine is repaired. I am of course thankful that this was discovered here at home and not in B.F.E. or some other equally unappealing place.

Today (Friday) I stopped in Laurel, MS on my way to load to grab something to drink. Spotted this old Mercedes sitting in the parking lot and shot a few pics. No clue as to the year model, although I'm assuming it's fairly old. This is due to the fact of it having a 3-speed standard shift on the column. Never seen that before on a Mercedes. The old girl is evidently road worthy, though; it has a New Mexico tag.







And hey! Who sez a trucker can’t thread a needle?! This image is from a customer of ours in Winchester, VA. Nice folks, but I hate their dock. It’s inside the building, and designed so that they can side-load a flatbed trailer, or rear-load a van. As such, the dock is ridiculously narrow. Check the microscopic amount of side clearance once the trailer clears the outer door. Worse, when backing in during daylight hours, the dimmer light inside creates a situation like backing into a black hole. You can see very little down the side of the trailer.

So far I’ve loaded there 5 or 6 times without destroying a trailer door.

Thanks to everyone who wished me well during my recent battery of tests. I'm back on my regular meds and no longer having to poke myself with a needle. My trucking career is, for the moment at least, safe.

Leaving MS Saturday morning for Clinton, IA (near Davenport), and after that points as yet unknown.

See Ya'll on the Road
Alan