Uhh yeah. My first winter experience in my truck.

Steven

By Steven
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Steven Monster Buck

Steven

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So, I was supposed to be home yesterday until Jan. 2, but things change, I suppose. I had just unloaded in Atlanta and was about to bring it to the house when my dispatcher called and needed a favor. One of our drivers who lives in Indianapolis had a load that was supposed to deliver in Atlanta this morning at 7 a.m., but his mother passed away yesterday. He said he could bring the trailer to Louisville, where we have a yard and drop it there. So, I agreed to run up there and drop my trailer which didn't deliver until Jan 3 and grab that trailer and deliver it today. Everything was going great, traffic was light, conditions were decent, I was happy as I was about to get an extra thousand miles on this week's check. Through Chattanooga, through Nashville, I was rolling. Then around Glendale, Kentucky the road started getting a little slick. I was only 50 miles away from the yard so I slowed down to about 35 and kept rolling. I would be in and out badda-bing, badda-boom and sitting at General Motors at 7:00 a.m.. No problem.

Then it happened. No, I didn't wreck. No, nobody hit me. No, I didn't put it in a ditch. I was passing through Lebanon Junction, Ky and the truck just started jumping like a brahma bull. I had just enough control to get her to the shoulder. I sat for a few minutes and tried to move on when I heard the most god-awful shattering sound and she wouldn't budge. I could get it in gear but the tires wouldn't turn. So, I called Road Rescue and they ran me through a list of things to check. Everything checked out and they called someone to come check it out. That was at 8:00p.m.. Finally at 2:00 a.m. I got a knock at the door, it was my mechanic. He checked out a few things and determined I had a broken drive axle. Wow! That was unexpected. I was going to need a tow. By now the snow was really coming down and the chances of a tow truck were getting slimmer by the minute, so I turned up the heat and crawled into my bunk and settled in for a little well deserved shut-eye.

7:00 a.m. I awoke to 13" of snow on my hood, my tires completely buried by snow plows and was in regular contact with my dispatcher and found out that a tow truck had come by and determined the snow was too deep and conditions were too bad for him to tow me the 50 some-odd miles to the Freightliner dealer in Jeffersonville, In.. He told me that a driver was headed south out of Indy to Tennessee and would be by to pick me up. He was very determined to get me home since I was stranded while doing him a favor. Finally, that driver showed up at about 2:00 p.m.. It took him 6 hours to go the distance that usually takes us 2 hours due to the conditions (he was in Indy where the snow totaled about 2 feet). Since he was southbound and I was northbound (and the closest exit was closed northbound) I had to grab my bags and cross the interstate (but one benefit of the cb is he was able to get a couple of truckers to stop and hold the traffic back so I could cross) and walk about 1/2 mile in shin deep snow to reach him at the exit ramp he stopped on.

Finally back in the warmth of a Freightliner cab we proceeded southbound (I liked that part best). The roads were still pretty hit-or-miss for about 60 miles but the eventually became pretty clear around Bowling Green, Ky. He took me to his house in Crossville, Tn and fed me then we got in his Tahoe and he carried me to Chattanooga, Tn where we met up with my mother to bring me home, 37 hours late. But, I'm here.

So, if anyone is northbound I-65 just north of exit 105 in Lebanon Junction, Ky over the next few days and you see a white Freightliner with P.A.M.Transport decals on the right shoulder buried to the door in snow, that's mine.

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Tominator Monster Buck

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Re: Uhh yeah. My first winter experience in my truck.

[ QUOTE ]

So, if anyone is northbound I-65 just north of exit 105 in Lebanon Junction, Ky over the next few days and you see a white Freightliner with P.A.M.Transport decals on the right shoulder buried to the door in snow, that's mine.

[/ QUOTE ]

that was yours?

man, what a story bud. glad you made it home ok.

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