500,000 Miles & the Fourth Year!

Butch & Maverick II

Today marks the Anniversary of Butch's Fourth year driving OTR!  It almost seems surreal it's been that long since the day he left from CFI for his first solo dispatch!

2-28-2025 Delivery, Flesh Company, Parsons, KS

The winter weather was mild for the mid-west.  Dispatching was consistent & the year started off smoothly.  It was a surprise when he started getting dispatches back to the Caves.  The Caves are huge & are used as a warehouse facility for many companies.  There are several entrances in both MO & KS & IL.

3-6-2025 Entrance to the Caves~ Independence, KS

These underground facilities have been put to use store housing treasures from the National Archives.  The more I've read about the area, the more fascinating it is.  It is as safe a storage as any I can imagine for a variety of assets that aren't safe in an area prone to tornadoes.

Butch flew out to Columbus & picked up Maverick II (#2616) March 11th.  The engine had been replaced.  This is the truck he finished off the year with & is still driving.

4-8-2025 Amish Horse & Buggy~

Butch was on his way to Massillon, OH in the photo above.  Can you spot the black horse & buggy waiting on the right - at the light at the upcoming intersection?  Just after he'd finished his time with his trainer, he'd followed a horse & buggy for miles in PA on a two-way road.

5-19-2025 Waiting to pick up at Independence, KS

May, the weather turned stormy with possible tornados in the forecast.  Butch arrived at the Caves late in the afternoon & spent the night just outside the entrance.  I told him if the weather got any worse, to go to Security & ask to go in!  

6-20-2026 Butch arrives home~

June 20th, Butch made an unplanned trip home.  I'd made an unplanned trip to the hospital.  It was such a relief to see him when he walked into my room!  I think my rapid recovery was due to his return!  I went home the following day.  

6-25-2025 Tune-up

At Nationwide in Omaha, it was time for Maverick II's (#2616) tune up.  The VNL 860 has been running perfectly with the new D13 engine.  Its size is impressive.  The semi weighs 18,200 lbs. 

7-3-2025 Love's Service truck arrives ~

An inside tire blew out at 5:37 p.m. on the trailer, 39 miles from Butch's delivery in Kentucky.  After calling Nationwide, he called Love's service.  The service truck made it to his location by 9:57 p.m. & had the new tire on by 11 p.m.  He had 28 min. left to drive on his clock.  He arrived at his destination within minutes of his 1 p.m. delivery time.

7-23-2025 

Butch was returning to Nationwide early in the morning, to pick up a trailer after a few days of home time.  Traffic was light when suddenly, a car came up in the outside lane & hit the side of the semi at the drive tire.  The car was thrown into the bull bar, bounced off from the impact, flew into the air, flipped over & landed on its wheels, on the shoulder.  Butch pulled off & called 911.  He walked toward the car to find a man in a police uniform, who had just gotten out of the car.  Bellevue Police & Emergency vehicles arrived on the scene.  After giving them his information, Butch was told he could leave.  We later found out the driver was a Bellevue PD officer.  

Maverick sustained a few scratches on the fender - each side of the drive tire.  The lug nuts were scratched, but the bull bar protected the front from any further damage.  We were thankful no one was seriously hurt.  Butch turned in his dash camera to Nationwide, who gave it to their insurance company.

8-31-2025

Above is the view inside the Kenosha Visitor Center, WI.  Some of the welcome centers Butch visits are beautiful & very informative.  The Schaefer & Hebior Mammoth's are 14,500 years old.  Kenosha County has two of the six oldest Archaeological sites in North America.  

9-23-2025 Ohio Welcome Center

Looking back at the month of September, Butch made a total of seven pick-ups & twelve deliveries to OH, TX, KY, IL, NE, IN, MO, KS & IA.  Driving the mid-west, after two years now, Butch still prefers to overnight at rest area's when he can.  Many of the rest areas or welcome centers have trails where he can take his evening walks.

10-27-2025 In the Caves~

This year, he made several trips to the Caves, both to deliver & pick up from several different companies.  He'd spent the night at the Ameristar Casino's parking for semis - across from one of the entrances to the Caves.  The following morning, he made his delivery. (Many of the early homes, churches, barns etc. in the Kansas City area were built using limestone block.

11-17-2025 6 a.m. View from the Love's Travel Stop, Bates City, MO

His favorite truck stop is still Iowa-80, but Love's is a second choice when there's a spot open.  He's seen inexperienced drivers cause damage to other trucks, already parked at the overcrowded truck stops.  He also has one or two smaller truck stops where he overnights, especially in KY. 

12-1-2025 - Leaving home~

Butch had been home for a few days.  He helped with the start of the Christmas decorations.  The furnace went out the afternoon before he left.  He called a friend who has a local HVAC company & thankfully the replacement was installed within two days!  Finn & I stayed warm with the fireplace & oil heaters.  Butch managed to stay just ahead of the storm to pick up a loaded trailer & travel east.

1-15-2026 Butch & Juanita

Those of us who crochet ground mats from plastic shopping bags, tell our family & friends to always be on the lookout for colorful plastic bags.  Butch found a truck stop with some bright red bags.  We gave then to Juanita, who makes some of the most beautiful mats of our group.  Juanita gives each completed mat a name.  The one above is the 55th she's finished, christened Hot Rod Hoge! 

2-19-2026 Gateway Rest Area, Mascoutah, IL

This season Butch drove Maverick #2555 from 2/25/25 to 3/11/25 a total of 4,297 miles.  3/12/25 Butch picked up Maverick II #2016.  From then to 2/25/26 he's driven that semi 115,566 miles.  

Total mileage with both trucks for the fourth year is: 119,971.  In the last four years of Over-the-Road driving, Butch crested the half-million-mile mark with a grand total of 502,797 miles!   

Congratulations to my husband for making his goal, staying safe & covering a LOT of miles at the wheel!

Third Year - OTR

Third Year - ORT~

Another year of the wheels on the semi going round-n-round!  February of 2024 marked the start of Butch's third year driving Over-the-Road.  He's been with Nationwide since the end of October 2023.  His dispatches cover the mid-west, with driving somewhat less challenging than either the east or west coast. 

2-16-2024 Hy-Vee, Cherokee, IA

He's been driving the same truck - Maverick.  Dispatching was consistent, home time was roughly every three weeks & the semi had the largest cab of any he'd driven. It's always a bonus if a dispatch brings him within range of home, with enough time to spend a night.

2-16-2024 Sunset, Speedway, Kingstown, IN

Winter wasn't too bad, especially without the mountain passes or winds & ice of Wyoming.  I-80 through Iowa though - kept its reputation for being as difficult - if not more so.

3-8-2024 I-80 westbound~

The view above was the drive Butch made early March, as he was returning to Omaha for scheduled time at home.  By the time he'd reached Avoca, within a ten-minute period, he saw three semis jackknifed along the interstate.  The biggest cause of the wrecks always seems to be the same, excessive speed.

4-11-24 Sunset, Spoon River Rest Area, IL

Above, another gorgeous sunset from the Spoon River rest area.  Leaving the following morning - he was on his way back to Omaha.  He made his delivery, checked in at Nationwide & picked up another load at Armor Swift.  He dropped that trailer at Nationwide for the night & still made it home by 7 p.m.  It takes just the right circumstances to get him home overnight, but we take it.  I call it a "Stop & Go".

5-6-2024 Chicago rush hour traffic~

Having delivered a trailer to Smithfield in Greenfield, IN - he was to pick up a loaded trailer there & deliver to Oconomowoc, WI & Ankeny, IA by 5/8.  The only Nationwide trailer there - had been loaded with the wrong load.  Butch had to wait for it to be unloaded & reloaded before leaving.

6-23-2024 Iowa 80

Iowa 80 became his go to truck stop when crossing our state.  So large there's always parking, plenty of indoor space to walk & the restaurant serves great coconut pie!  Since we'd stopped there on our way to LeClair one year for our anniversary - I always feel comfortable when he's parked there.

7-11-24 Near Williamsfield, IL

Butch had left home on the 11th, dispatched to Carriage Hill in Salem, OH.  Mid-morning his dispatch had changed.  He was to meet-up with another driver at Love's in Oakview, IL & exchange trailers.  That driver needed to get home & Butch's original load would get him there. 

I still follow his daily drives with Google Maps & keep a log of where picks up, delivers & stops for the night.  It's not too often he has to drive at night, which I'm thankful for.  

8-23-24 Record Printing, Story, IA

August 19th, Butch was back on the road, after our trip up to WA.  He's done a great job of photo journalizing his time on the road.  We're both getting more familiar with routes he does frequently.  We talk twice a day.  I like seeing photos of the different warehouses & places he's stopped each evening.

9-5-2024 I-80 East Bound Rest Area, Casey, IA

Having picked up a load in Council Bluffs, Butch was delivering to SK Food Group in Columbus, OH on the 6th.  The wind turbine blades make even the semi's look small.

10-31-24 - A stop at McMahon Truck Center, Indianapolis, IN

Maverick's instrument panel started showing warning messages.  The computer said he had an hour to drive before the engine would shut down.  He made it to McMahon without a tow bill.  The problem was a ground pin that had disconnected from a sensor!  A minor issue, soon fixed & Butch was back on the road!  It wasn't in time to make his delivery at Walmart; they refused to take a late load.  Nationwide had to call & reschedule, which left Butch waiting another full day.

10/24/24 - Driver of the Month Award~

We took our usual yearly time away for our anniversary.  When Butch arrived at Nationwide, the award was waiting for him!  He'd driven almost 12,000 that month.  Two years with Nationwide~

11-13-2024 Home on a Stop & Go!

Butch texted mid-day he'd be home overnight with a delivery this day & a pickup the following in Omaha.  The timing was good, since Maverick's hood latch had broken that morning. (Living here, it seems we get so little rain - it's almost become a novelty!)

12-3-2024 Leaving Gary, IN on the way to MI

Butch left home in snow flurries.  The weather deteriorated with each mile he traveled north.  After picking up his loaded trailer at Farmland in Denison, IA he was heading east.  By the time he reached his delivery in Ohio, the weather had improved.  

12-30-2024 Conway, MO Rest Area

Delivering commercial doors from Steelcraft in Cincinnati, Butch left early in the morning to make deliveries to Springfield, MO, Springdale & Magazine, AR.  He enjoys delivering to commercial construction sites.  They remind him of his prior occupation.  He was asked one day - after mentioning something on the site that needed changed - if he wanted a job!

1-10-2025 Flying J, Springfield, MO

With the first of the new year, came the worst of the winter storms.  Butch was on his way to the Caves in Independence, MO when a big storm blew in. Trucks pulled off the interstate to find parking at truck stops that were soon full to overflowing.

1-10-25 Entrance Road to the Caves, Independence, MO

The following morning, 4-6" of snow welcomed him, along with 28-degree temperatures.  On the drive to the Caves, trucks were off the road everywhere.  Even on the entry drive, a semi had slid off the shoulder.

1-18-2025 Maverick II

Butch came home on the 16th.  He dropped Maverick off at Nationwide & brought his new truck - Maverick II home on the 17th.  Monday morning, he was back on the road, all his gear moved into the new truck.  

2-5-2025 Maverick II - towed~

On February 5th, backed to a loading dock, he found a pool of oil under the engine compartment.  The Volvo was towed to McMahan Truck Center in Columbus, OH.  Butch caught a ride home with another Nationwide driver & picked up his original truck, still at Nationwide. 

2-24-25 Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, MO

Butch picked up Maverick #2555 on February 7th & drove it to finish out his third year.  Maverick turned over 400,000 miles.  This was the first time he's driven a full year with the same company.  Getting regular time at home has been great, too.

Mileage for 2/25/24 to 2/25/25 is - 124,617.  His three-year total is now 382,880 miles & the half-million-mile goal is getting closer!   

We'll see what the coming year brings!

First Year - OTR

Second Year - OTR