Bye Ranger - Hello Blue!

 It was somewhat of a surprise when Butch was told he'd be switching trucks with another driver.  Pete's newer truck had come in & Ranger was to go back to Texas to be traded in.  Sad, since Butch really liked driving the big red Freightliner.  

His final trip with Ranger was to what's called;  "The Caves" in Carthage, MO.  It's an amazing place, 60 degrees year around, making it ideal for cold storage.  Butch had been in the area before, but dropped his trailers at another location. 

8-2-22 Driving toward "The Caves"~

This time, he'd be driving inside!  The photo shows the entrance to a place carved out of a rock mountain!  No one seems to know for sure how many loading docks are located inside, but the numbering system goes to well over 100.

Interior of "The Caves"~

Butch said the coolness inside was so nice, compared to the hot day outside.  The personnel who work here though, were bundled up in layers of  jackets.  

8-2 Ranger waits to be off-loaded~

Butch said it was wonderfully cool - on what was a hot day outside.  Loaded by mid-afternoon, he drove most of the way through MO before stopping for the night.  The following day he drove through NE & crossed the border into WY.  By the fifth, he had dropped his load in UT & had a a new load waiting a short distance away.  At 1 p.m. he was again back on the road, heading east.  He'd been notified that Pete would be waiting for him in Rawlins, WY - where they would switch trucks.  

Switching trucks may sound easy - but it's far from it.  I found out when we first loaded Big Red at home, how much work it is getting things up into the cab.  Arriving at 7 p.m. it was time to empty Ranger & load Blue.  Pete had been there all day & had time to get his things in boxes.  Butch had been keeping the wheels turning, so had to toss things into the reinforced bags I'd sent with him.  By midnight - they were mostly done.

8-6  Ranger & Blue

Needless to say, everything has to find a spot, it can't be laying loose in the cab when the semi is under way.  Nika was pretty unhappy about the entire thing!  After trying to jump out & take off again, (Butch caught her in mid-air.) she finally decided the drivers seat was the place to be during the transition.

7 a.m. on the sixth, Butch was back on the road.  Blue's interior had gone through some modifications somewhere along the way & they weren't helpful.  The storage area doors didn't fit correctly.  They'd moved the refigerator from Ranger into Blue & that took a major re-wire to get hooked up, as did the microwave.  

8-6  8:00 p.m.  Home!

Late on Saturday, Butch pulled in at home for the night.  He'd driven from Rawlins, 667-miles & had 3-minutes left on his drive clock!  We had Sunday together - before he had to leave at 5 p.m. 

8-8-2022 Home!

After dropping his load in MO mid-day on  Monday, he deadheaded back to Glenwood.  Arriving at 6:30 p.m. in the evening for his scheduled  three-days at home.  It seemed pretty strange to see a blue truck backing into the Cabin's driveway!  The evening was one of the nicest we've had all summer.  Low humidity & cool temperatures.  We sat out on the deck & watched as Nika checked out her yard.

Blue - 2018 Freightliner Cascadia

Blue does have some positive things going for him.  All new tires & new brakes!  (Ranger had two blowouts in two weeks & putting new tires on a truck that was going to be traded in didn't make sense.)  Tuesday, I enjoyed a ride to the truck wash in Council Bluffs.  We stopped at Freightliner for interior air filters, where I found a really cute semi for me :-) LOL!

8-11 - On the road again~

We'd planned for Butch to have three-full days at home, but a new dispatch changed that & by Thursday afternoon he & Nika were pulling out.  This time picking up a load at Conagra in Council Bluffs - going to Utah.   Trucking has slowed with the downturn in the economy.  We've heard rumors of many, many drivers sitting in Joplin waiting for dispatches that don't come...  Many of the big warehouses are laying off employees which further slows the turnaround time for the drivers.  

Yet to find out what winter weather will bring, Butch plans to keep the wheels turning as much as possible during good weather & has been averaging about 3,000 miles per week.  All drivers are limited by Federal Regulations as to how many hours can be driven in a 70-hour period.  That, along with sometimes long waits to pick up or drop off a trailer (due to staffing shortages) takes time management. 

Blue is the third Semi Butch has driven since he started out on his own the end of February.  He's told he'll be getting a 2021 Kenworth as soon as it's available. He was hoping to stay with a Freightliner but each tractor has it's advantages.  Another tractor swap should happen & hopefully be the last for a long while!