20090809 In the Beginning…

 

I have been trying for over a year now to start a business, KzW, LLC. It has turned into a very long and complicated process; so I thought I’d tell you of our trials and tribulations. A little back ground is necessary to help understand where we are coming from and what some of our obstacles have been.

 

My Sweetie retired from the US Army before I retired from the US Air Force. While planning for my retirement we could not decide where we wanted to live, so we became long haul truck drivers and get paid to shop the USA. This part of the plan has been working wonderfully! We have traveled coast to coast and border to border, in fact we’ve even gone into Canada a few times. But, this is not the main part of our story.

 

After joining Lance (aka Sweetie) on our first truck I realized there was no where safe, neither secure nor organized to store our smaller personal items: glasses, remotes, CDs, medications, books, etc. So, I started thinking and brainstorming to come up with a solution. As company drivers we are not allowed to mark, screw nor install anything permanently in the truck. Whatever I came up with had to be transferable to another truck, for those times when we were required to change equipment.

 

I toyed with and built a prototype floating shelf for the foot of the bunk; but, discarded this option as too noisy and impractical once we switched to another truck. I am once again toying with another floating shelf prototype. Then, we tried various types and sizes of plastic drawers. As we share the bunk we do not use the other bunk, and typically turned in the extra mattress. This option too had its down falls: it was on the other bunk not where we could place our glasses or books right at hand. I kept my brain working.

 

I finally invented Bunk BUDDIES^TM, and have been trying to launch our business ever since. More about Bunk BUDDIES^TM later; for now let me tell you about KzW, LLC. Trying to launch a business from inside a big rig that averages 5,000 to 6,000 miles a week is difficult. There are places within the USA that connectivity for cell phone use, much less a computer, is an issue: the Rockies, Desert Southwest, Pocono Mountains and Texas Hill country to name a few. Dealing with space limitation is another, as well as abiding by the Federal Motor Carriers’ Safety Regulations regarding working, sleeping and resting requirements.

During one of the “Pre-trip Inspections,” Lance discovered a frayed piece of radiator belt and knew that was not a good thing. As we were in South Carolina we were directed to the Freightliner in Fayetteville, SC. Result, the fan belt had not been installed properly at the dealer in Las Vegas, NV. We did discover a fantastic place to eat. It was right across the street from our motel; www.thefirewatergrille.com we started with Fried Green Tomatoes with a horse radish citrus marmalade that completely complimented the tomatoes' tangy sweetness. I had the "Dr. Pepper" pork chops, rare, over a bed of garlic smashed red potatoes with crisp fried onion string onions. The sauce had a hint of fire that set off the sauce. Sweetie had Sesame seared & crusted tuna also on a bed of garlic smashed red potatoes. The roasted sesame crust sealed the flavors enhancing the tuna perfectly. Of course we had to finish with dessert, a decadent chocolaty pecan graham cracker crust of gooey sticky sweetness served a la mode with home made vanilla ice cream! Still not running like we want, but a great find.

This spring has been a tough one for Sweetie and me; however, I know it will only get better! It all started in Las Vegas, NV then on to Fayetteville, SC; Chattanooga, TN; back to Nashville, TN with side trips to Oklahoma City, OK; Tunnel Hill, GA and San Antonio, TX. Our trials started in Las Vegas, NV.

 

While we were on “Home time” we neglected to start the truck one day and had to jump it with our Jeep Cherokee. It took 45 minutes before we had enough juice to get the Freightliner to turn over. As we were doing our check ride we realized the AC was no longer working; so, breakdown had us take the truck to the dealer for repairs. More days off, but no miles for pay either. We picked up the truck and got ready to go back to work. After loading up our supplies, Lance (Sweetie) returned the Jeep and I started the truck.

 

15 minutes later Fred (our Freightliner’s nickname), started squealing like the preverbal stuck pig. It would not stop squealing; in fact, people would stop and stare as we went by. Called break down and back to the dealer we went. After we got the truck back, once again we tried to go back to work. The AC Compressor was replaced and while it was in the shop Freightliner rewired our inverter to match company standards. However, the inverter would not hold a load and it had to be rewired back to the “original” manner. At this point we just wanted to get rolling and left with the light green but not holding a load. Ultimately, we “jumped” the inverter with the jumper cable we had purchased to jump Fred. At last we had our refrigerator and microwave working.

20100505 Bone Jarring Roads

 

There are stretches of highway in the USA that are almost impossible to sleep upon. As a team driver I sleep while my co-driver drives his ten hours. Then he sleeps while I drive mine.

 

A case in point is any of the various highways, North, South, East or West, headed into and out of the New York City, NY / Newark, NJ port systems; the roads are so rough it jars your teeth and bounces you out of the bunk (straps and all) and usually throws the alignments off. Add to that, the unrelenting traffic is so bad and drivers so discourteous you are behind the power curve and trying to make up every spare minute of time.

 

Don't get me wrong these are great immense ports and systems, but the aggression and attitude necessary to survive and thrive in these environments are taxing to say the least. Give me a long stretch of open road any day!

20100424 Spring Storm / CO Chain Law

 

Made it through a late season snow storm! We were traveling west on I-70 through Colorado. Lance had pulled off @ mm (mile marker) 221. The Chain Law [http://cotrip.org/m/truckers.xhtml#chainLaw] was in effect. Since I was sleeping in the bunk and the chains were under it, he would need to wake me to get to the chains. Instead he decided to cuddle while we waited out both the storm and Colorado DOT.

 

So what do Colorado's Chain Laws mean for you and me? Hopefully, you will not have faulty thinking like me. As a Professional Driver you have the latitude to decide not to chain; if however, you are then stopped by authorities you owe both the fine and the surcharge. This will not be a courtesy stop, as I incorrectly surmised. (No I was not stopped; my Sweetie had corrected my faulty thinking.) The fine and surcharge if you block traffic or cause an accident are significantly higher!

 

I had first noticed the storm yesterday as we traveled south through the fog in eastern Nebraska. I had been checking when and if we would get out of the mist, rain and fog. As I "flicked" my phone to get a better view, I noticed the swirl. Then, I noticed the size and scope which lead me to start checking our route. I told Lance about the storm when we changed drivers.

 

Ultimately this morning, I decided to wait out the temperatures and Colorado DOT. As soon as the Chain Law was lifted for westbound I-70, we were off. Both the approach and ascent from Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel had snow/ice packed roadway. The valley floor's roads were wet with more snow falling. Once across the valley, Vail Pass was no where near as bad as Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel. It was weird to see the ski resorts covered in snow, but the chairlifts not running nor people skiing.

 

After successfully getting through we decided to treat ourselves to lunch. If you can find legal parking Outlaw Ribs in Parachute, CO (exit 75) is well worth the effort. They featured a 16 ounce Prime Rib with baked potato, garlic bread and a salad for $19.95 (12 ounce for $12.95) one was enough to feed us both, so we packaged the other for a later meal. The first time we stopped there they featured roast pig that had been smoke roasted in the parking lot. Actually, it had been the delicious aroma that drew us to them. Too bad it is so hard to find parking for a big truck.