Originally posted by stevebrot I-5 Vancouver northbound on the rise just shy of the 78th street exit?
Steve
I think so. Right were Main Street passes over the 5.
It was last December, just before Christmas. I had finished my last OTR run for the year and didn't have enough time to make another, as I was taking my annual vacation over the holidays. I asked the Mother Ship to give me some local work. They sent me to the Port of Tacoma to pick up a huge compressor (28,000lbs) that had come over from Belgium, and was bound for Intel out by Hillsboro. Actually there were two. Another driver picked up the other.
The compressor is in the big wooden crate in this picture.
Also, my truck needed to go to the dealership for some work, so the shop had me make a temporary move to the Pete, which is a "pool" truck.
On top of the truck swap the load could have been picked up, delivered and had me back home in my own bed in one day. But the riggers at the Intel campus (it was a drop that required a crane to unload) insisted it be delivered at 7am, so we picked up at the port then drove to Jubitz and camped out.
The morning of the delivery I got up at o'dark thirty, showered, had a nice breakfast, then rolled out. As I was getting on the 5 the low air buzzer went off.
Great.
I barely off the freeway (I refuse to stop on busy interstates) at Delta Park, at the entrance to the road course, and had a look. There were no obvious signs of an air leak. My suspicion was the air compressor went legs up.
Sure enough, that was the problem.
So after the other driver delivered he came back and we swapped trailers and I waited for road service to come out and r&r the compressor.
Meanwhile, it was freezing all day, I had no way to keep warm, I didn't have my truck which has an APU, refrigerator/freezer, and is well stocked with food.
It was about 4 in the afternoon when the repairs finally were done and I could get rolling.
Oh, and there was no place to pee either.
What a trip.
And when I got back to the yard my truck was still sitting where I had left it.
I was pissed.
And that is yet another reason why I will not get a K3.