Be back soon. Hopefully.

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The-Dark-Lord-Link's avatar
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I didn't want to say anything until I was absolutely sure it was a permanent thing. But, I got my big black Gator back and we're on the road again. This time, as owner operator, meaning 75% of the gross pay goes to us rather than the 23%, though now we have to worry about fuel costs and repairs. Fortunately, they built Gator right, so she's holding pretty sturdy.

Theres a wire loose in the head that's causing the Check Engine light to come on. It has a lot to do with our emissions control software, and because it isn't connecting, the computer on the motor, or the ECM (Engine Control Module) has automatically forced the engine to operate at a factory set torque and horsepower rating, lower than what she is set at currently, which is 475hp and I think 1650lbs of torque. It's working at what feels like 435-450hp, because that wire wont stay hooked up.

Like I said, didn't want to mention it until I was absolutely sure we'd be staying in a truck this time. Here's hoping. The first month or so has been rough, the paychecks are low (that was because of cruise control during hilly states like Georgia, my old man wont use it now since he figured out it was drinking too much fuel with CC.) Additionally, the tags are due in at the end of March, so part of the checks are going to that, as well as truck and cargo insurance initiation fee.

I'm sitting in the old girl as we speak, at a Loves travel center in Houston, Texas. I hate driving through this area. Got caught in a residential area and rode alongside a little traincar on a single-lane road with an 8-foot barrier on each side and a 53 foot trailer hooked up to our rear. That, was a nightmare. If we had Candy, it would of been a disaster because someone messed up her steering box and she turned like crap.

Got further in Metroid Prime, found the Plasma cannon and the X-Ray scanner plus 2 more artefacts. Now I have to head back into the mines. Don't wanna do that, either. Darn mines are hell to navigate. So, to counter my frustrations with the mines, I started again on Star Fox Adventures. Last night I cleared the Cloudrunner fortress and am heading to the Ocean Force Point temple.

Unfortunately, I can't play the games as much as I'd like. The power they're pulling from the inverters are eating up the battery power in the truck. So I can't turn on the tv or my gamecube unless the truck is idling that way it keeps the batteries charged. And, the reason my old man doesn't want the truck idling is because the truck drinks 2 gallons of fuel every hour (She's old and tired, and in need of a rebuild. Added, the injectors are worn which is allowing more fuel into the motor). I usually play at night when we park, and the truck would idle for 10 hours if we didn't have to get up and run before our 10 hour break. So if it's idling for a full 10 hours, the truck will burn up to 20 gallons of fuel, and you will see the difference in the fuel gauge. Now, if it's cool outside, the truck will be shut down until morning. Unless, like last night, it gets up in the 80s and both me and my dad are covered in sweat and can't sleep, she'll be turned on for A/C.

When you're running a vehicle that gets average 5mpg, and fuel is about $4.28 a gallon (it's equipped with 2 150 gallon tanks but you can only fill up 97% of the tanks, so figure 290 gallons) we're spending anywhere between 1500$ or 1900$ depending on where we get fuel at. We don't always fill up, because it puts more weight on our truck and we can't haul as much frieght. Averagely, we'll spend 400$ on fuel in medium distances to keep the expenses low as well as our weight.

The money issue should clear up soon. Hopefully. And then we'll have to start making our payments on the truck, hopefully that doesn't suck. I had to pull some strings to get this truck back and ensure we had help from the company to get us started... Then there was the matter of conviencing the old man to get back in it, which finally happened when his mechanic job wasn't clearing the bills like it used to.

Now we need an Auxillary Power Unit, or APU, to help us save fuel and keep our butts cool at night without having to run the truck. There goes another $3k that we don't have yet. Gotta wait it out until we can find a cheap one, fix it up, and put it on the old girl.

I'll be back home around next week, not sure if I'll stay there for a bit or keep trucking with my old man. I'm still hurting from Candy's loss, and everytime I see a Peterbilt 379, my heart just aches like I'm being stabbed. I was in love with that truck... Now I've got my eyes set on a green one, regular work truck with the same age as my red one, same motor and transmission, but no custom addons that I can see. It's priced under 20k, but I have no way of getting it. Should whatever oppurtunity arise that enables me to get that truck and get to buy it, I'll take it. By God, I'll take it.

I'm also still in self regret when I failed to acquire the blue 1988 Peterbilt 379 and the other red 379 that I called Hellraiser. But if I get my hands on this green one, I'll be able to let them all go.

I know I'm a dedicated trucker by heart when I care more about the truck I'm driving than the paycheck I'm getting. It's an obsession that can't be broken. Many will agree, there's something about an old, long-nosed rig that feels right. And let me tell you, it's heaven.

Your friend,
                    The-Dark-Lord-Link
© 2014 - 2024 The-Dark-Lord-Link
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Ethereal-Saviour's avatar
That sounds like a tough situation. but hey, no one can blame you if you love the truck more than anything else at the moment, it is an opinion and opinions aren't wrong. At least its not like you are forced to take this truck around, that would be more burdensome.

But when memories hurt like stab wounds, it strangely hurts for some reason, as if you really are getting hurt, but its not showing anywhere.
Things are going rough, but you'll manage. I'm not saying that i HOPE that you will, I'm saying that i KNOW you will, since no matter what happens, My Lord is still a capable person. One day when the right time comes, pursue for that goal you are aiming for. For some reason, i have a firm belief that it would be worth the time and money.

Oh and what's this truck name?