[Doghouse]

Got to use my TONU (truck ordered not used) for the first time today. The broker was a bit unhappy at first, but after I spoke with him and calmed him down,..all went well and he did an ACH into my account for the fee that I had in place on my Terms and Conditions contract that all brokers get when I sign a rate confimation sheet. I break it down like this.
TONU
a.$50.00 before departure to shipper
b.$100.00 after departure to shipper
c.$150.00 after arrival at shipper

He scored the $150.00 amount because I DH'ed 50 miles to arrive at the shipper, and the load was then cancelled.
So now I'm headed to Wasington to pick up a load of pipe. 250 mile DH, but the pick up is 30 miles from a town that has my new motor mounts for my genny, so its worth the trip.
$1.95per mile to Page AZ,.....another dead zone, but at least it near Lake Powell,...nice scenery. The load delivers on Monday so I'll be stopping in Kanab Utah to volunteer for 2 days at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

[tootie04]

OK DH....

where ya at ?? whacha doin and where ya goin??

Hope all is well.

tootie

[allan5oh]

Originally Posted by Doghouse

I don't know how much sound insulation is on other trucks, but mine is lacking in the firewall area. I was able to insulate from the dash down to the floor, but there was too much mounted on the firewall to cover it all. The sound that I'm getting now is engine roar, and road noise from the front tires.Relocating the exhaust got rid of 70% of the noise, the rest will have to go after I get home to finish insulating the rest.

Internationals are about the worst for lack of insulation I find.

[Doghouse]

I'm in Flagstaff trying to get an actual muffler for this truck that contains the sound and stops it from coming through the muffler and into my sleeper. I think my biggest problem has been this POS muffler from International,..the sound comes right through the sides.
Also since the sound/heat blanket under my hood is missing, that is another thing I'm trying to replace,....other than that all is well.
I wasn't able to spend time at Best Friends, no place to park the truck, but I was able to do a nice 15 mile hike in Page.
It felt good to be out in the sun.

[Doghouse]

I ended up taking a load of lumber from Ash Fork to Nogales ($1.41per mile) and then Had a pre booked load of bobcats going from Sahurita to Flagstaff ($2.21pm) and then from there I have a load of equipment going from Williams to Albany GA ($1.90pm). While in Flagstaff I am picking up a roll of sound deadening foam with a lead liner to place on my firewall and along the underside of my hood. The noise coming from the engine and road is getting to be too loud,...I hope this "miracle cure" works, or I'll be wearing my chainsaw earmuffs while I drive this loud old truck.
My genny has been less than reliable (do not buy an A-Trans unit,......do not!!!!!), I am constantly repairing this boat anchor, and had thoughts of dropping it into Lake Powell,...my luck,..the damn fish would get it to run.
On a positive note,..now that I am farther South,..the solar in conjunction with the propane is working flawlessly. I can run all of my electronics all day and the solar panels keep the batteries at 13.2 volts,..and the propane on low creates a nice quiet sleep environment,..unless a refer parks next to me. I am in Casa Grande AZ, for the weekend, I have some repairs to make to the truck,..and then on Sunday, the dreaded IFTA for my first time.
I left my power divider engaged for 50 miles coming down 89 into Prescott, and my tranny sounded like it was going to fall out,....(note to self,....make sure the PD is off next time),..I thought I needed a new tranny and was freaking out until I saw the lever in the engaged position.
I'm losing mudflaps almost weekly now that I'm running into uneven ground,..looks like its time to trim a few inches off before I reattach them,...this gets old fast.
I'm 6 weeks into this project, and we figure out that I have been able to make around $17,000 so far and spent $7,000 of that on fuel, repairs and living expenses. Its right on track with the research I did before I started, and as soon as I get some longer runs (after I quiet the truck down) I should be able to get back on track monetarily. I have spent most of January sitting and repairing,..doing short runs.
My fuel mileage is consistent, and remind me not to go over the pass between Cedar City,UT and Kanab ever again,...this was the closest to a nervous breakdown I have had so far,.....5mph,220 degrees and my stop engine light flashing while going uphill on a two lane road with 6ft snowbanks on each side,......I had to come to a complete stop at on point and then get started again,...........I was never so happy to see an 8% downhill grade in my life.
Dog gone

Just think how nice it will be once you get everything worked out, 3,000 mile run and nothing to do at the end of the day is just sit and relax. I went through sort of the same thing but no where near the magnitude you did. Every time I stopped there was something to fix or buy. I had a list of todo items that never seemed to go away.

Not sure if you know this but mud flaps that I've seen and purchased are 2 sizes and can be cut at a seam at the top depending if they are for a tractor or trailer. I went through a few sets until I broke down and bought the real heavy rubber ones and that was the end of my troubles there.

If you need help with the IFTA, give me a PM or call.

Just think how nice it will be once you get everything worked out, 3,000 mile run and nothing to do at the end of the day is just sit and relax. I went through sort of the same thing but no where near the magnitude you did. Every time I stopped there was something to fix or buy. I had a list of todo items that never seemed to go away.

Not sure if you know this but mud flaps that I've seen and purchased are 2 sizes and can be cut at a seam at the top depending if they are for a tractor or trailer. I went through a few sets until I broke down and bought the real heavy rubber ones and that was the end of my troubles there.

If you need help with the IFTA, give me a PM or call.

[Doghouse]

The mudflaps I have are on these bars that allow the flaps to drop if I'm going slow, and when I go on the road,..they shake and raise up. I try not to create too much waste, so I go back and pick up my broken flaps, redrill them and bolt'em back on. This time I am going to cut 3" off the damn things,..so when they drop down while I am going slow and backing, they will be high enough to not get caught under the tires.
As far as the IFTA goes,...I might be asking some questions,..its the first time I have done it, and I want to get it right.
My girl forgot to open some mail,..and now Kentucky wants a $1,000 bond because my license there lapsed, and get this I didn't even drive in that state during the time they want me to file for.
I called the # and get a busy signal for like 3 hrs,..... I have NY and NM under control, but this Kentucky thing seems a bit heavy handed.

Ya, Kentucky read me the riot act in one of their letters when I was applying for my initial permit. You have to file even if you don't run. Oregon is the same way, if you screw up, don't come back. Oregon requires you to get a permit for all the miles you will be traveling in the state and you pay for it on the spot. If you leave without telling them and paying for another permit, your dead meat.

Did you get your New Mexico permit online? All that for a $2.00 permit for the year!!!

[Doghouse]

NM online, but I don't recall getting one for Oregon,..whats the deal with that,...should I be looking for a letter in the mail?
I don't know about the Kentucy thing, they seem pretty p.o.ed. They make this hard,..how are we supossed to do this if we're on the road,..is there a service that will handle this permit thing,...without charging an arm&nut?