1 boom truck to Carthage NC

... spending the night at Albuquerque NM

... I guess I am not a trucker ...

I still am, so far.

We spent last and ... and all morning in Holbrook at the Quality Inn. Breakfast was left overs. I was going to go to the office this AM to get paperwork printed, but BB mentioned that NM will also accept looking at a permit on a phone or tablet.

So to make sure, I called the Port of Entry. They will accept the digital ... AND as long as I was on the phone with them, I asked about the road conditions. NM had not updated their website in over 24 hours and a storm came through last night.

... Roads are clear from ABQ to Flagstaff.

We walk out of the hotel about 6:30 local. And the truck will not start. Seems to have enough power to turn the starter but only fires once every five tries or so. Finally after <> 20 tries I call dispatch.

They have to call the customer, the customer calls me, the customer calls roadside. They want to try new batteries instead of just getting a jump. FIVE hours later, roadside arrives.

We try to start it with starting fluid. Same thing. Fires once and then just cranks. So we try to jump it, it starts ... but.

These are gel based batteries. They need a <> 24 hour trickle charge to stay charged. Getting charged from the engine running allows the truck to keep running but most build up a charge and will likely need to be jumped again until the 24 hour trickle charge is done.

Even though the truck is running, the customer wants new batteries in. Which roadside has brought with them. Somewhere during the jumping, the coolant level dropped and the warning light came on. Roadside had that also. And they had starter fluid so I ended up with a can of that also and an OK from the customer to use it.

It is now 12 noon, 5-1/2 hours after inspection ... we are able to pull out.

Port of Entry is open as it <> always is. About a mile before the POE, it starts to snow ... I run the wipers and the right one FALLS OFF. I knew they were in bad shape and we were counting how many swipes we were going to get before something happened.

At the POE, we show them our permit on the tablet ... They say you're good with the permit ... BUT they want to do a truck inspection at door #2. I don't think I have ever been in a truck that was more likely to fail ...

I pull in, they ask for my paperwork. They seem OK with everything I tell them and show them. I have to dig for my daily logs as they are buried in the small cab. BB notices I am so nervous by now that my hands are shaking as I am trying to collect my past logs.

Then the inspector starts on my truck. First the front lights, then the wipers/washers ... :( the washer didn't work at all and as they walked past my door they said the one wiper did not work ... we said it just quit a mile back ... they smiled. I'm sure they have heard that a million times.

Then the back lights ... somewhere in there I was distracted for a few seconds ... NOT a good thing. But I was paying attention again by the time they got to the back of the truck. Lights, tires all check good.

I was distracted by another officer calling the person checking permits to send the next one in.

Then my inspector wanted to check my fire extinguisher, we are exempt but I didn't mention that. They checked the date, it was still good. Then triangles. First I showed them the ones with the truck. Not sure if they noticed there were only two, I did not then. But I told them I had better ones that were mine. When they saw my carrying bag, they started asking questions about that.

There might have been something else and then they said they had something for me to sign and asked how I liked their weather ... better than MN ... then they said their husband had been from MN.

Not sure what or how but I got a CLEAN inspection. I signed and was gone :)

By the time I pull out of the inspection bay it has mostly quit snowing. I pull off to the side to look at the wiper, I have to open the hood to get it to come off. It is bend and broken. There is a roadside replacing a tire next to me but I ask and they do not carry wipers.

I decide to stop at the next exit at one of the repair shops. They can have parts, but there will be a $350 delivery fee for the parts, plus the cost of the parts and service.

That was a no-go. I knew that before calling dispatch. While dispatch was deciding things on their end, I called the closest Kenworth dealer. They told me what they thought the issue was. About a $600 repair ... and they might be able to get me in next Tuesday or Wednesday. Nope.

Finally after an hour, dispatch gave me the OK to remove the broken one so it doesn't damage the window. I haven't figured out how to do that yet but by now it is sunny and the forecast is for clear skies the next 2,000 miles.

Finally we are rolling again. but we are only going to make it to ABQ tonight.

When I park, we are still thinking about removing the wiper. Then as we walk around the unit, we see that one of the outriggers/legs has dropped to within a few inches of the ground.

We check into the Quality Inn and walk to our Mexican restaurant. The walk is longer now that the hotels all have six foot high fences around them. At one point we have to walk in the street as the homeless have already filled the sidewalk.

We decided to eat inside. Great food, we have eaten here a dozen times over the years. And sometimes, like tonight, there is someone going from table to table, ?, live mariachi band? Tonight it is just a man with his guitar.

BUT he stayed mostly at one table and after a few songs, one of the people at the table started singing solo to his playing. This lasted about half the time we were at the restaurant. Finally their food came and the guitar man left.

As we were leaving, the man how had been singing and my eyes met. Instead of looking away (like strangers usually do) I gave him the thumbs up. His face lit up and he returned the thumbs up. I don't know a word he sang, but it seemed to me to be right on tune and a good voice. On one song I could here more voices had joined in with him.

Walking back to the hotel, we had to walk on the street again to get past the homeless. Now they even had a fire going just off the sidewalk. Blankets spread out on the sidewalk, not sure why, there is room off the sidewalk right there.

We go inside of a gas station and there is a homeless asking how much something from the hot food is ... then they walk away. Another homeless is using the stores outlet to charge a cell phone.

We get back to the hotel and look for how to raise the outrigger. Now it is almost touching the ground, it will be by morning. I see re receiver for wireless on the outrigger part but we search everywhere and there is no remote. I start the truck and we try to find switches to start the hydraulic pumps needed to run the outriggers. Nothing. We finally give up and will have to deal with it on Saturday.

Or not.

Unlike the truck engine repair, there is not an outrigger shop on every corner. The only local shop will be open at 8 AM ... Monday.

There may be a way to raise the outrigger manually, without a remote. But I would need to have someone walk me through it. And then, as fast as it is dropping, does it need to be repaired before it goes back on the road?

BB was looking this AM in Holbrook to see how we would get out of town if the truck could not be repaired. Greyhound comes through twice a day ... or an Uber costs about the same to Winslow where we could get a local car to go pick up a one way.

Here in ABQ we can get cars to anywhere easily. We will know more in the AM. But because of all the down time that I need to log, I don't have enough hours to run a full day tomorrow. And I will be likely be burning half my hours before the wheels turn ... if they turn tomorrow.

With the outrigger down, it needs to be repaired or operated on site. No tow.

My driveaway count for the day was 12 no-tow plus one towing. Short day, miles.

Load board

US - 211

IA - 22/21

MN - 1

WI - 7