On the Road with Henry Albert

Hello Everyone,

I just finished attending the Walcott Truckers Jamboree at the Iowa 80 truck stop.  I made a lot of new friends, and caught up with some old friends. I met two Dart Container drivers out of Leola, PA my old home town.  I told these drivers that I used to drive for Victor F Weaver Chicken (Tyson Chicken now) out of New Holland, PA which is a neighboring town.  We chatted and figured out we knew a lot of the same people including the dock supervisor who loads their trucks.  I had to go all the way to Iowa to meet a gentleman who works with Rand McNally GPS who lives approximately a mile and half from my current home in North Carolina. I drove half way across the country to meet neighbors from my old home town and my current residence.  It’s sure is a small world.

I had my new 2011 Cascadia with Blue Tec, SCR technology, in the show with Truck Country Freightliner / Western Star from Davenport, IA.  Jeff Baedke, General Manager and his staff offered me warm hospitality during my stay.  At the show a lot of the topic was on fuel mileage and driver comfort which are all areas my Cascadia excels in.  Several topics were discussed among the drivers and myself.

We discussed the ease of  pre-planning when I will need DEF Fluid  as I have a 23 gallon tank and that I am currently getting 547.304 miles to the gallon on my DEF Fluid.  I have not found the DEF Fluid at the pump in many locations, but I have found a few pumps at Pilots.  If I were to run low almost every truck stop is now carrying the DEF Fluid in 2 ½ gallon form.  I only need to fill every two 1/2 to three weeks due to my great mileage with the DEF Fluid.

Many of the drivers commented on the roominess of the cab for tall drivers.  As usual the most common comment was the quietness of the cab.  I was located very near the concert stage that Tracy Lawrence, country singer performed on.  When the drivers stepped into the cab and immersed themselves with in the spacious interior they were amazed at how much of the sound from the performance the insulation package in the Cascadia muffled out the music.  Many drivers made comments that they would have a more restful sleep period while parked next to a refrigerated trailer.  I explained to them that they were correct, you can still hear the refrigerated trailer but it is much muffled. 

There was much discussion about the tag axle that I have on the 6 X 2 axle configuration that I speced on my Cascadia. I told them that I speced the truck this way to obtain maximum fuel economy.  Many questions were asked about how the axle does in the snow but I could not answer that question with this truck as I have not been in the snow yet.  I told them I used to drive a straight truck that did nothing but job site deliveries and in the eight years I drove that truck I never got stuck.  I acknowledged to them that it has its limitations and you have to be aware of where you are taking the truck.  I tried to minimize the risk of getting stuck by having a locking differential in the drive axle.   I will report on how well this configuration does for me this winter, but I am very optimistic that from my past experience I will be just fine.

I met several people that have read and enjoy following my ramblings on my blog.  One in particular, a self proclaimed FLD fanatic, Michael Gully,  had his FLD pulling a trailer with two perfectly restored antique freightliners on its deck. 

The entertainment that Mobil Delvac Oil  provided was greatly appreciated. Tracy Lawrence,  put on a great show Thursday night and the area was packed.  Everyone, including myself enjoyed the show.

 Before I left I had the opportunity to tour the Iowa 80 trucking museum.   When looking at the older trucks I was impressed at how far we have progressed, the top speed on the majority of these vehicles was under 30 mph. Driver comfort and amenities were nearly nonexistent.  It was interesting to me that a majority did not even have doors.  We think we are having a bad day if our cruise control does not work.  The individuals that drove these trucks had to be very tough physically to handle these menacing mechanical monsters.  As I reflected on leaving the museum that a trip we do in a day these trucks could not have done in a week let alone stop at facilities such as the beautiful Iowa 80, Worlds largest truck stop.

Henry

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 10, 2010 at 9:28 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.