On the Road with Gina Stumborg

Hello Everyone,

Well the Charlotte Show has come and gone and it went quite well. The crowds were great and the weather couldn’t have been better. It was in the mid 70″s with a slight breeze for both days.

This show is a little different than any other truck show I have been to. First of all it is held at the Zmax Drag Strip in Concord, Nc. The reason that I find that interesting  is because during the truck show you can actually drive or race your bobtail down the drag strip. I guess that gives some of the ” super truckers” a chance to prove that they can run with the big dogs. I am not sure who won the races but I have to say that there was a Jet truck there that went 195 MPH down the strip. It was amazing to see.

Ok before any of you ask I did not put my truck in the running since I am about fuel savings the last thing I needed to do was race it. I think that would be completely against the Run Smart catch phrase that freightliner stands by. Mike Ryan was there; however he ran his race truck so hard this race season that his transmission was not working properly.

Some of the group from Alliance Parts were there along with  Trucker Buddy, Michelin, Convoy for the Cure, OOIDA,  some trucking companies, insurance companies, and misc. products were all there to promote their products and of course Freightliner. This truck show is pretty much the last show of the truck show season so it was fitting that Dick McCorkle and I were both there. We missed Henry Albert as he had prior engagements with the board meetings with OOIDA.

The Michelin man came over to check out the Super Singles on the Cascadia he said they are doing great.

Bruce Mallison with pittsburgh power was their along with Kevin Rutherford. There was something for everyone.

The truck show season is busy for all of us and we are sad but glad that it will slow down just a little while we start preparing for next years events. Yes the planning already starts for next year. MATS in Louisville will be here before we know it.

We met lots of people that came by the booth and we appreciate all of the interest in the Cascadia. We will keep sharing our stories with you all through the blogs. If there is anything that you are wanting to know about the Cascadia truck please do not hesitate to ask and we will get the answer for you one way or the other.

Have a great winter season and be safe out there the Holidays are upon us and we all know that means more traffic and families traveling together. Lets do our part to watch out for them, see you in the blog.

Gina, Don and She-La

Hello Everyone,

On September 17TH it was time again for the Worlds Largest Convoy for the Special Olympics. This event is held all over the country on the same day and I attend the convoy held in Wisconsin.

The participants of the convoy start the morning off with some socializing and coffee and donuts. The events start around 0630 at the Pioneer truck stop in Richfield, Wisconsin. This year we had some entertainment by Leland Martin before we started the trucks up and headed north towards Oshkosh.

We had 101 trucks in all and raised over $70,000.00 for the Special Olympics. This organization is incredible the athletes love to have us there and we love to have the athletes there. As a driver it is nice to be met with a smile just for being there. There is no way you could come to the convoy and leave without a smile.

We also had a visit from Sparkles the clown and cannot make this happen without the help of the State Patrol and other law enforcement helping make this event safe.

Last year Adam rode with me and this year it was great to see him again and find out that this year he was the convoy marshal. Way to go Adam, I am so proud of you and your accomplishments. This year I had another athlete ride with me K.C. we had a lot of fun riding up the rode together.

K.C. kept watch for all the people that came out to the overpasses and sides of the highway to wave as the trucks drove by. He would also let me know if I missed any of them because K.C. wanted me to honk at everyone we saw. Let me tell you if I missed someone he would be sure to tell me so. With every honk of the horn we would laugh. It was great having you with me K.C. and I look forward to seeing you again next year.

I was over excited to find out during the trophy presentation that the athletes voted my Cascadia with the mountains on it as the third best of show. Thank you to the athletes for this great honor. During lunch they hold a  live auction and I was proud to one of the bidders for the Convoy flag and won the auction with my impression of Dave Hester. The day couldn’t have gone any better but next year we want to increase that number of trucks by at least 100.

Thank you to the athletes for all of there hard work and I look forward to going to the convoy next year on September 15, 2012. Same location and you will never forget the experience.

Until next time be safe and make it home to your families.

Gina

Hello Everyone,

In this industry we tend to get caught up in drive,sleep and eat. You need to take time for yourself and get out of and away from the truck. I had such a chance awhile back when I was asked to go to Wton.

Truck Country Group

Now don’t get me wrong it took asking how to spell that because I really didn’t understand what anyone was saying when I was asked to go to this. This event is held every year after The Waupun Truck show for appreciation of those in the trucking industry that came to the show. Wisconsin Truck Association holds this and Truck Country asked me if I would like to come. It is a party basically it is an event before an event let me explain.

We meet at the parking lot of the Brewers stadium Miller Park where there is entertainment being played there is dancing going on socializing amongst trucking companies, drivers and  dealers you name it there is a group there. After we tailgate basically we all rush into the Brewers game it was a great night and I want to thank Truck Country for the invite we had a great time. It also helped that the Brewers won the game that night in the 9th inning.

Take time away from the truck you will  get to where you will love this career more if you do more with it than just drive,sleep and eat.

Until next time be safe and make it home to your families.

Gina,Don and She-La

Hello everyone,

Most of you know that I just got married this last June, well at the Eau Claire truck show we put him to work. I have to give him perks and thank him for doing all that he does. Here he is wiping down the tanker truck at the show. He would rather polish a truck than do anything else. Thank you Honey. There are new photos on my flicker page.

Gina and She-La

Hello Everyone,

I do not know about you; but I am always looking for new products to make my trucks more efficient. I do not like unused space in my trucks either. The side box has always been one of those spots that seems to have open space. I like being organized too. Well I found a product that does both helps you organize and helps you utilize the space in your side box.

I know most of us that carry tools use a tool bag. I personally do not like using a bag because when you need a tool it will undoubtedly be at the bottom of the bag. So not only do you have the problem you are trying to fix now you also have to clean up all of the tools you just dumped out on the ground looking for that one screwdriver.

Well I have a solution I got this tool box called Cubby Buddy. This tool box is great it fits inside the side box. The drawers in the Cubby Buddy are 20″ or 24″ deep so they go the entire depth of the side box. The drawers also pull all the way out. They are also deep enough to hold a sledge hammer so all of your tools will fit in these drawers no more having to dump out the tool bag.

The other great thing about this product is that you can customize your drawer sets. They come in one drawer or two drawer configures and you can add sets as you like. In my side box I have a two drawer set and getting ready to add another two drawers.

The inventor and builder of the Cubby Buddy is a driver out of Minnesota. Jeff and his wife Debbie is in charge of the shows. By the way she gets employee of the month every month too!!!!! Of course she does….

Whenever I see Debbie at the truck show she hears me shout I Love My Cubby Buddy it has become one of our little jokes. Really though I do love this tool box. I had been looking for something like this for awhile and the other tool boxes on the market were either too big or not big enough. With this system you can make it how you need it. I encourage everyone to get one of these tool boxes they will ship them too you and they come already put together. They really are great.

The website is 16tonindustries.com. Jeff and Debbie are extremely helpful when answering questions about this product. Debbie has been out there all summer long at the truck shows showing these and selling them at the shows. The next show that I know for sure they will be at is Joplin at the chrome shop mafia show. September 30 and October 1.

Come check them out. Until next time be safe and make it home to your families.

Gina, Don and She-La

Hello Everyone,

I thought I would share some information about the Eau Claire Truck Show with you. This was the second year of this show and the crowd was great. Last year the event was held at the mall parking lot this year the college volunteered their parking lot for this event what a difference this made from what we were told. I was not there last year.

The Freightliner booth was set up right in front of the grand stands where Joey Holiday performed all day everyday of the event.

Great spot for the booth and it also reminded me of how quiet these Cascadia’s are. I would get in the truck with a driver to answer some questions and show them the truck and we could shut the door and talk in a normal tone and not be shut out by Joey. Don’t get me wrong we enjoyed the entertainment; but I had almost forgot how quiet this truck really is. You get used to the quiet you sometimes forget how the Cascadia compares to other truck out on the market. Lucky for us right next to us was Peterbilt and International. Drivers would sit in those truck after sitting in the Cascadia and come back over to say what a difference in the cab quietness.

The weather was great all three days of the event. The town opened their hearts to the trucks coming through on the parade at night. We woke up the town with the horns. The drivers did a great job and the parade came off without a hitch. That is what we like to see at all the events good fun.

The trophies were donated by River States Truck and Trailer. I have to say congratulations to the Quad Graphic show truck for taking First place in two categories and second in another. Nice job to Quad and to Chuck who is the driver of this truck.

Like I had said in the last post the group of guys from River States were there from sun up to sun down and it was great getting to know these guys and the way they look at selling trucks and customer service. We also made some good friends with these guys.We had a blast at the Eau Claire Truck Show and we hope to be back there next year.

Alex the Ice Road Trucker and the guys from River States

Until next time be safe and make it home to your families.

Gina, Don and She-La

Hello Everyone,

It feels great to be back behind the wheel and rolling down the road. You do not realize how much you miss your truck until you do not have it. The truck was down for 27 days in the shop. Lightening can really tear a truck up. I have had some questions about what all happened to the truck so I will try to explain it the best I can.

The lightening basically went completely through the electronics of the Cascadia. Keep in mind this would have happened to any new truck out on the road. There are so many computers in the trucks to make them work that it is inevitable. The truck was taken to Truck Country in Oak Creek, Wi. thankfully this happened in Wisconsin so we were able to be home for this so called forced vacation.

They  plugged the truck into the computer and started seeing what all was wrong with her. The ECM and Chassis computer were not talking at all let alone to each other. So we started there the Chassis computer it was replaced and working; but still not talking to the ECM. That meant the Gateway computer which allows these two computers to talk to each other was next. That was replaced then the ECM, The ECU the MCM. Also the ABS computer had to be replaced. Basically every computer in the truck was out. The parksmart also took a hit so that had to replaced.

One of the things that I learned from this is you do not want to get hit by lightening. Also the computers had to be replaced in order to sync them all together. This is why it took awhile one would work but wouldn’t talk to the next one in line and so on.

I am very happy to say that we have had the Cascadia back on the road for a week and no glitches. That was a concern with electronics. With 5000 miles behind us we feel confident that the truck is back the way it should be. As a matter a fact it seems to shift even smoother.

We missed you cascadia!!!! Glad to be back out on the road with our friends delivering freight and helping keep America rolling.

Until next time be safe and make it home to your families. And watch out for Mother Nature she can beat up a truck worse than a Deer!!!!

Gina, Don and She-La

Hello Everyone,

I have had the pleasure of being up at the Eau Claire big rig show this weekend and I have to say what a great show and a good time. I was there with River States Truck and Trailer and the group was wonderful. This was one of the longest shows I have been at. What I mean is that we started at 0800 in the mornings and went to 11:00 P.M. what impressed me the most was that the staff from River States was there from start to finish everyday. I mean the Sales team keeping in mind that there is only one Gary Kretschmer. We had a running joke that I was going to take his job this weekend. Service Manager Henry Lebakken , The parts manager Larry Jasper, Finance Manager Dean Loftus, General Manager Bob Tyman  were all there all three days from start to finish. We had a visit from New Truck Sales manager Alex Mackiel and The President of  River States Joe Laux on Friday.

I will be back on the road with my Cascadia on Monday. I can’t wait to get back out there.

I will post more about the event later this week and pictures are to come. Until next time be safe and make it home to your families.

Gina and Don: She-La is at the dog sitters this weekend!!!

Hello Everyone,

The Cascadia is about 3/4 of the way back together. We are waiting on two more computers to come in and hopefully we will at the Waupun Truck Show with the truck.

Some great news however I have my quarterly results for fuel mileage. I love the Cascadia and watching the fuel mileage continue going up with each quarter. The last quarter was 7.71 since I run 90% of the time 43,000-45,000 lbs. I feel like that is great. I have  also been running 64 to 65MPH. Keeping in mind that the route I run is Wisconsin to Oklahoma all points East.

I had the overhead run on the Cascadia in March and I feel like it helped. I hope to back on the road with in the next week. I will be at Waupun, WI. and then off to Eau Claire, WI the following weekend. I am going to get a small run in between the two shows. I will be sure to keep you all informed about how the truck does after her little shock treatment.

That is what Don and I have decided to call the lightening strike a Shock Treatment. I have decided I will never need another one!!!

Until next time be safe and make it home safe to your families.

Gina, Don and She-La

Dewey's towing the Cascadia and a 53' trailer. What a stretch

Hello Everyone,

One of the things that I love about trucking is that you can see such beautiful things, and experience new things everyday. I have to share this with you. This is going to be one of those stories that most drivers would start off with you are not going to believe what I saw. Well here is the story.

On Tuesday this week I took over for the night shift in Missouri. I tend to listen to talk radio through the night and off and on go to the weather to see what I might be running into. All night I was hearing about thunderstorms working their way across Nebraska and Minnesota into Wisconsin. We were headed for Wisconsin for Wednesday delivery.

I like thunderstorms and watching the lightening in the sky. I have to tell you that on Wednesday around 0730 I was watching the skies close. We were just about to the border of Illinois and Wisconsin when we started to see the lightening. The sky was gorgeous the lightening strikes were so straight and bright off in the distance I was almost mesmerized.

Don had just  gotten up around the time I crossed into Wisconsin and I had told him that the sky was great and we both commented on the fact that the lightening was bright and almost all the way to the ground. Keeping in mind that the strikes were still off in the distance or so the ones we were seeing.

We were almost to the scale on I39 and the clouds opened up. A downpour where we could hardly see, rush hour and mother nature what a mix. Anyway traffic was picking up but we were still running around 55 MPH.

When all of a  sudden there was a flash right in front of my Cascadia and with in a second of the flash there was this huge explosion. Loudest thunder I had ever heard. Don made the comment that, that was close and I looked down at my dash because I heard warning signals and I said that was beyond close that got us. He asked what do you mean and I said the truck has turned off.

The dash lit up like a Christmas tree and all the warning signals were going off. We had no lights and no power steering and no engine. The lightening got us and got the computer on the truck. I was able to get to the side of the road safely and get the triangles out. We were both soaked from the rain. State Patrol came out to provide some safety for us since we had no lights on the truck or trailer.

Dewey’s towing and recovery was called and was out there within half hour to hook us up and get all of us off the road. We were towed to Truck Country in Oak Creek, WI. trying to diagnose exactly which computers went out in the truck. We are hoping to find out but as most of you know a short is never easy to find and a short like this one may take even longer. I trust that the Cascadia will be up and running again soon.

I can tell you this though that was probably the scary time that I can remember driving and I thought the tires would ground the truck. I had only heard of people getting hit by lightening and thought it would ever happen to me. She-La didn’t know what to think her eyes got as big as her head.

I want to extend a thank you to State Patrol of Wisconsin for being there to provide safety for us on the side of the road. To Dan from Dewey’s for being there so quickly and getting us safely off the road. Don, She-La and I appreciated the ride in the ’92 Super Eagle. Though it is not like the smooth ride of the Cascadia.

The only thing I would like to say is that the next time you see a truck or car and any object on the side of the road please give them some room and move over a lane. It is bad enough when you have to be on the side of the road because of something out of your control; but fear that with every truck passing you at 65 MPH might hit you because they will not move over a lane for safety.

Until next time be safe and make it home to your families.

Gina,Don and She-La