My main hauler is a 03 Freightliner Coronado, but I haul mostly paper and not quads, and mostly to the Chicago area and not to riding spots. Well, as far as mods, it doesn't have much except my PS2 and straight pipes, and a Cobre L.E. CB, but came from the factory w/ a 625hp CAT and 2200 ftlbs of torque, 18 forward gears, 3 reverse, double bunks, fridge, 2 burner gas cooktop, microwave, heated leather captain seats, XM satelite radio, TV/VCR combo, A/C, Jake brake (really nice w/ straight pipes). The suspension is all air-ride, and it rides more like a nice SUV than a big rig. I also haul a 48' or 53' box trailer, usually right loaded with big rolls of paper so my gross weight is always near the legal 80,000# limit. I usually live in it 4-5 days out of the week with the weekends off, or times like now when the mills are friggin' off.

So anyone else drive OTR? I used to drive a nice Freightliner Columbia for Swift Transportation, out of Pheonix, AZ, without coming home for 2-2 1/2 months at a time, and hit all 48 states several times, but the truck was governed at 60mph, and it got old after about 7 mos.

My unlce owns a 95 Peterbilt with a small bunk that he hauls logs with, and he has mentioned selling it. I have been debating selling mine, buying his, and hauling a fuel tanker around Maine. Goin through MA, CT, NY, then OH, IN and IL twice a week is starting to get very annoying, with all the traffic...Luckily, driving through PA keeps me fairly subtle. Anyway, his truck is set up w/ double frame rails, 40,000# axles, and has a 425 Cummins, and a 13 speed. And weighs a bit more than my truck, but his is for 100,000# weight limits (logs are heavy!!). I don't know if anyone's seen a Pete all decked out with a wing, round headlights, a big ole texas bumper, fat stacks, and tons of lights and chrome, but his truck is a perfect candidate......WOO HOO!!

So anyone else go big riggin'? I know this isn't a truck forum persay, but I figured I'd put something in here.....Latah...

 

Hey faster, I was looking at your photo and it seems to me that you are missing a couple of wheels to be a quad. I have an Uncle out of Virgina who used to long haul around the US but he broke his back I heard so now he sold his rigs and sits on the couch now. I rember a few years back he had picked up a run out of San Diego to Anchorage but our grandma died and he had to pass on it. He was looking forward to get paid for seeing Alaska. AlaskaBoy.

 

I would love to drive to Alaska, but the closest I can get is a shipping yard in WA. Sorry to here about your uncle.........Yeah, I just wrecked moments before hand and tore the other two wheels off!!

 

Seems like a large number of my local riding buds are truck drivers. (local)

I guess if you like quads, you like trucks,,,,,Im sure you will have plenty to talk about once they find this new section of the forum!!!!

 

That would be a big 10-4!! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

It's tough to beat a decked out Peterbilt for looking good.

One time when I had my sandrail my cousin and I went to the Oregon dunes with our '77 Peterbilt and a borrowed hydraulic beavertail trailer as our toy hauler. We got a lot of looks when we pulled in and set the back end of the trailer on the ground to unload. I had some pics but I think they were lost in a computer crash.

I'm a big fan of trucks, and like driving them, but hope not to do it for a living. Right now we have seven trucks on the farm, and that number might increase. It doesn't really pay to get a nice truck for farm use, but I hope to do it someday anyway.
Right now the trailer fleet consists of tankers, live bottoms, a grain trailer, and a flatbed set up to haul hogs.

I just wanted to post under "The very first topic!!"

 

Howdy Fasternu


Sorry to hear you had a spell with "Mr Swifty". My son drove for them for about a year and got tired of their routing.

Been years since I did any over the road with semi or truck and trailer and then it was mostly day cab stuff in trucks we owned on the farm. Got started with my first license at age 14, a "farm permit", hauling wheat to the elevator in a long nose Pete with a 35' belly dump behind it. Five and a four and really low and slow rear axles. If I remember correctly that beast had a 220 Cummins in it. The license examiner had told my dad to bring me in for the driving test in the rig I would be driving. I think he expected a pickup or farm truck and not that old Pete.

And yes, I can tell you what Yamaha dust tastes like, my son-in-law has a Yami dirt bike that he beats up on me with from time to time.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] But thats OK because my boat will run circles around his.

 

Yeah, my first driver manger with Swift was awesome. He'd send me everywhere I wanted to go. After 5 mos. I got a new guy that always kept me on the east coast. I was home for a weekend and called the terminal manager and told him about it, and that I was going to quit if he didn't do something about it. 20 minutes later he called back and got me a light load of blankets from Biddeford, ME, to Mira Loma, CA. After that, I was in Columbus OH and asked for a load out west, and my driver manager sent me a load to Portland ME, so after I got unloaded I bob-tailed back home to Lincoln and sent him directions on where to get his truck.


I just noticed you were from Seattle. We lived at Ft Lewis for 2 years when my father was in the ARMY, back in the late 80's.

 

Fasternu:

Sounds like Swifty did the same thing to you as they did to my son. West coast dispatch was fine but he always seemed to end up back east.

We have a place here in Seattle but our main residence is near Goldendale, Wa. South central part of the state just a few miles from the Columbia River. I just retired a few weeks ago and am now enjoying the good life.

 

hey fasternu, I drive a tanker here in the great state of maine ......mostly stay around the coast....Deer Isle, Rockland, Belfast ect. but I will go where ever they want me.....Do alot of outside contracting for Webber Oil. I drive a 2003 Volvo with a 475 Volvo motor with a 10 speed. My new trailer should be here next Thursday thats a 2004 Polar trailer all air ride with the bright chrome finish. Looking forward to getting it! I have probably passed you on the road but corse you would never know it lol!