First Year with Nationwide~

 One year ago today, we drove to Omaha. Butch had completed his orientation at Nationwide Transportation, Inc. & was picking up the semi he planned to drive.  His sixth since starting OTR.  We named the shiny blue Volvo Maverick.

10-31-2023 A stop at Love's ~

On the way home, we stopped at the Love's just off I-29.  It was a beautiful evening & as I returned to the Explorer, I couldn't help but admire Butch's new wheels as the sun set.  We spent a couple hours loading some of Butch's things into the truck.  He was leaving on his first dispatch the following morning.

11-1-2023 - 239,496 Miles on the odometer~

The 2022 truck had the mileage above as he took the keys.  I wouldn't see him again until just a couple days before Thanksgiving.  He parked the semi & empty trailer by one of the local schools & I picked him up.  Since then, he drops the trailer at Nationwide's yard & brings  Maverick home.

11-27-2023 Leaving after Thanksgiving~

We had snow on the ground the day he left.  It took him a while to get used to the new to him semi, but after a short time, he was appreciative of the comfort of the larger cab & smoother ride.

11-14-2023 Shopping for a horn~

There was one issue with Maverick!  The horn just wasn't loud enough.  Traveler, Butch's last truck had a great horn & Butch used it.  He joked that Maverick's horn sounded like a VW Bug!  His first stop at Iowa 80, he bought a 130-decibel horn & installed it.  Maverick's horn is now loud, distinctive & attention getting!  I love hearing it when he's a few blocks from home!

In December, Finnigan became a member of our family while Butch was away.  On the 12th Finn & I made a drive up to the Flying J truck stop near Avoca. Butch & Finn took to each other instantly.  It was meant to be!  

12-22-2023, Butch comes home for Christmas!

When Butch pulled in before Christmas, Finn remembered the truck & got so excited as Butch parked the semi.  It hadn't been a chance meeting after all!  He did have a dad!  

1-7-2024 Great Sauk Rest Area, IL

Butch was home to see in the New Year & left on the second.  By the time he was driving in IL, winter was making itself apparent.  Definitely not as difficult as driving I-80 through WY had been last winter.

2-18-2024 - Rest area Chelsea, MI

Driving the mid-west states, he still sometimes made deliveries to warehouses he was familiar with from his first year driving for Blake Scott & pulling D&D trailers.  I appreciated him getting home now & then for an overnight stop.  Also reminiscent of his first year OTR.

3-24-2024

He had driven 633-miles to make the delivery above.  From spending the night at the Flying J in Lebanon, OH to Steelcraft in Cincinatti, OH & finally to Allegion Steelcraft in Lenexa, KS.

4-1-2024

The first of April, Nationwide gave him an April Fool's surprise!  A full set of new tires on Maverick!  He said the difference was noticeable & now the truck traveled about as smooth as could be expected of a semi.

5-22-2024

In May, the rains came!  He was waiting in Jackson, TN as rain came down in buckets.

6-1-2024 - Valero, London, KY

The first of June was another drive of over 600-miles from London, KY, to Steelcraft in Cincinati & ending the day at his favorite truck stop, Iowa 80.

7-15-2024 Lights on the trailers ~

July, mid-month he had a short drive & a long wait, as usual at the Triumph Warehouse in St. Joseph, MO.  To be so close to home & have long waits is the worst.

8-20-2024 Driver Appreciation Day~

In August Nationwide has their Driver Appreciation Day!  The company has drivers who have driven for them over 25-years.  This says a lot about a company's integrity.  They never fail to wish a driver happy birthday on their Facebook page or give congratulations when an employment anniversary date arrives.  All drivers received the above gifts.  Butch is one of the lucky ones who lives near the yard.

9-25-2024 In the shop~

Maverick had traveled a lot of trouble-free miles, until Butch had issues with the battery charging. Luckly he was on a dispatch from Holstein, IA to Sioux City & then home, when it happened.  He made it to the shop, where the alternator was replaced.  He left, but within a couple miles the battery was still not charging.  Back to the shop, where the mechanics found the ECM ground wire was corroded & replaced it. 

10-15-2024 - Fall ~

On the evening of October 15th, Butch was at the eastbound US 30 rest area near Nevada, OH on his way to Chillicothe, OH.  He's familiar by now with most of the dispatch routes, or at least the one's he travels often. 

10-31-2024 - Maverick's odometer

Butch has driven Maverick 125,903 miles!  Congratulations to my husband on another year of safely navigating the highways & byways of the central United States!  Soon, I'll be adding up the mileage from his first day of driving February 1, 2022, to the same date in 2025!