Breakdown~

February fifth, I received a text from Butch with the following photo attached.  I could hardly believe what I was seeing!  

2-5-2025 Maverick II gets towed~

 Butch had been at Pixelle in Chillicothe, OH picking up a load of paper to be delivered in Columbus Kansas.  From there, he was heading home for our birthday's.  He'd hooked the loaded trailer & was doing a final inspection when he noticed oil pouring from under the semi!  Pouring was the word he used!

Maverick II, ready to be towed~

Butch put in a call to Nationwide.  Since the truck was brand new & under warranty, the tow truck was called.  It would be hauled to McMahon Truck Center in Columbus, OH. 

Arriving in the tow truck at McMahon~

Butch arrived early afternoon.  He was hoping it would be a simple fix, maybe an oil pan gasket etc.  He'd had no warning at all that anything had been wrong.  Nationwide made him a reservation at a local Comfort Inn.  He grabbed his small bag & called an uber. 

2-6-2025 Comfort Inn, Columbus, OH

 The following morning, the news was not good.  Whatever repair was needed, parts would have to be ordered etc.  Nationwide found Butch a ride back to Omaha, with a driver he'd picked up a few weeks ago, who needed a ride to Chicago.

Frank coming up the street~

As Butch described it, he was a passenger princess all the way back to Omaha!  He hadn't taken anything out of Maverick II, not expecting the repair to last any length of time, or to be sent back this way.  Frank was on a schedule, so there was no time to pick up any personal belongings.

I asked Butch if there would be a truck for him here & he replied "yes".  Frank dropped Butch off at Nationwide & there was Maverick - waiting for him!  I'd asked him if there were any chance his original truck would still be there?  Well, it was! 

2-7-2025 Maverick!  The original!

 It didn't take him long to be on the road for home!  I don't think I've ever been happier to recognize the big blue truck coming down the street!  He'd made it home several days ahead of what we'd scheduled but earlier is always better than later!  Part of the reason it's so hard to make reservations for anything...

2-7-2025 Maverick back home~

I know this truck was happy to be back home.  I was very happy to have the driver back safely home!  Butch was here for three full days, before going back on the road Tuesday morning the 11th.  We'd had to pick up a new sleeping bag etc. for the trip back east. 

Nationwide dispatched him back to OH & within 40-miles of Columbus.  He made his delivery, then drove to McMahon to check on the 24 Volvo.  Word is - the crank shaft destroyed the engine.

2-13 View inside Maverick II~

  Butch moved all of his personal belongings back into Maverick.  He'd been traveling without a microwave, his GPS, etc.  All his food was destroyed, since the truck hadn't been plugged into power.

He & Maverick are back on the road & as of last night, he was putting things away - again...   

Traveler to the Rescue ~

 Butch is - as usual - taking the long way home.  By way of CA, AZ & to Tacoma, WA.  He was running out of hours on his 70-hour clock.  He had just enough time to navigate mid-day traffic through Seattle & get to the TA Travel Center, just east of North Bend, with 49-minutes to spare.  By the time we talked in the evening, he'd started his 34-hour reset. He'd been driving in rain for two-days.  In the evening, I received a text with the Google Earth image below.

Butch's map~

Yes, in case you're asking, Big Brother, i.e., most trucking companies, know exactly where their semi's & trailers are at all times.  You can see the icon in the top left corner of the image with Butch's name, truck number & trailer number.  In the bottom right corner, is another icon which had the same information on another truck, which had broken down on the eastbound side of the I-90.

A Volvo~

Butch was asked if he could go pick up the trailer & bring it back to the truck stop.  That required filling out paperwork for the TA.  Truck stops do not allow trailers to be parked on the premises without being attached to a semi.  He also had permission from the company safety person, to drive on Personal Conveyance.  Butch unhitched & left his trailer where he'd been parked before bobtailing to find the driver, truck & trailer.  

Traveler, on the eastbound side of I-90

When Butch researched later, he found that in WA state, it is illegal for a towing company to haul both the semi & trailer.  This was a surprise, since when he had broken down in TX pulling a hazmat load, the tow company had towed both semi & trailer to the Kenworth dealer in Dallas.

May 26, 2022 - Big Red being towed~

It still takes a big tow truck to take a semi anywhere.  If they have to come back for the trailer, the fees can range upward of $2,000.  The liability of leaving a trailer unattended along the side of an interstate would be daunting enough & an open invitation to thieves. 

Tow truck arrives~

The tow truck had to get the Volvo into towing position & move it forward.  That gave Butch room to back Traveler & pick up the trailer.  Butch only had to drive up one exit, to turn around & return to the TA.

Tow truck picking up the Volvo~

When he pulled in, every single spot was taken, except for a few that were blocked off & marked reserved.  As he was circling the lot, one of the employees drove up & after hearing of the breakdown, told Butch he could park the trailer in one of the remaining reserved spots.

 Butch was impressed with how accommodating the TA was to the entire event.  This particular truck stop is one of the busiest anywhere.  Trucks are usually parked for miles along the off ramps, on ramps & along the edge of I-90, especially in bad weather.  

Butch & Traveler were back in their parking spot by 8:30 p.m., Traveler mumbling something about Volvo's.  :-)