On the Road with Kurt Grote

Hello everyone, I hope all of you had a safe and profitable week! By looking at things I can tell Spencer has been doing some writing. I will give him a pass this time. I wanted to relay Spencer and my adventure this week. To set the stage, i’ll start from the beginning. We had picked up a load of tomatoes out of Arizona, with 2 stops one in the Chicago area and the 2nd in the St. Paul Minesota area. Doing my usual fueling strageties I was figuring on my last fuel in Pacific Mo. There is a pilot there. I also knew my next load was going to be out of Iowa. Going to California. Most of you already know that I dont run much midwest and with the new truck I wanted to see what fuel mileage I would get. After my drops in both Chicago and St. Paul with my deadhead down to Iowa my MPG was 7.53. I was feeling pretty good cause I have never seen over 7 MPG before. So doing some math and going across I-80 I could squeck out maybe a Cheyenne WY., for my next fuel. I’m thinking this is going to be great on my pocket book! The numbers say that I am right! As I am going across I-80 I keep checking the fuel and my numbers, it’s going to be close! I desided to go for it no turning back either I make it or not! I dont know about you but with a new truck I like to push the fuel so I know how far I can go. My target was the Flying J in Cheyenne, and yes I did make it! I found a parking space and went to bed. What a load off my mind, all I have to do is get up and drive over to the fuel island and be set for the day. When I got up and took Spencer out and made my bed and got my log book all ready, I went to start the motor and it wouldn’t start! Oh crap I had run out of fuel just when I had parked. Thinking I was going to have to carry fuel to get it started, I desided to see if the pump just needed to be primed. So I lifted the hood and started pumping the fuel pump. It didn’t take very long before it picked the fuel up, once it did I close the hood jumped in the seat and turned the key and to my surprise it started!! I quickly put it in gear and drove it over to the fuel island where I put in 275 gallons of fuel! I had shone using only 247 gallons, I couldn’t figure out why I was so far off! Then I remembered, when I fueled in Pacific Mo., the pump had shut off on me with still needing 15 more gallons to be put in and also those fuel islands have a forward slope to them so I wasn’t going to get all my fuel any way. That is where my miscalculation had come in to play. I didn’t have to haul fuel because I ran out, but I do know how much useable fuel my truck will burn 275 gallons. I still ended up with a 6.98 MPG! Until the next truck stop all of you be safe!

Kurt and Spencer

Hello everyone, I hope everyone has had a safe and profitable week, as dad would say. I can tell you from my stand point that I’m glad fun and games for dad is all done for now! He might have a lot of fun doing these events but for me it’s not so fun! I am always some place that I really dont want to be, I’d rather stay on the truck and just chill, or bark at passersby as dad is fueling. To me that is great fun. Now that is worth all the shows put together. This time wasn’t to bad I got to spend time with Jessica, Erin, and the grand son Dalton. He is 12 years old so he still has a lot of energy that is fun for me. Dad even got to see his oldest daughter Janee” which he hasn’t seen for about 10 years. Dad says he did have a real good time at the cmc with Kevin Rutherford and learned a lot from the guest speakers, on wheel alignments and negotiations. However I can tell he is ready just to get back to work! I have seen some of the pictures that he is posting and they look great! I really like this new truck, I can spot it right off from across the parking lot. As much talking as he has been doing about all the different  products I sure he will let all of you know what he thinks about those as well. Until the next truck stop all of you be safe!  – Spencer and Dad

Hello everyone, I hope you all had a safe and profitable week or if you did take the 4th to spend time with family and friends that you did blow to many things up! Since I have been driving my new cascadia the most frequent question that I get is about the def fluid mostly if I have any trouble getting it and is it more expensive than diesel. I can report to all of you that the def fluid is more available on the east coast than on the west coast. Maybe its because of more of the wide open spaces out west, I don’t really know. However because I have fueling strategies I don’t seem to have any problem getting what I need. I guess I just plan for it, fuel accordingly. I will tell you this also that even tho my def fluid tanks were full when I picked the truck up from Charlotte N.C. I have only put on 14 gals. of def fluid, and I have just over 9000 miles on the truck now! The fuel mileage is great also I have not seen under 6.5 mpg yet. I’m also waiting for some feed back on my gold rims! Do you all like them or not or don’t have an opinion! I would like to hear from you! Just to keep all of you up to date on Spencer and I’s agenda. We will be in Kansas City Mo. For the cmc seminar for the week. My grand son has volunteered to take good care of Spencer while he’s there. I’m sure will enjoy himself as well! After that except for maybe some open houses here and there I should be clean until GATS in Dallas. I should be able to get some miles on the truck in that length of time and have more numbers to throw at you. Until the next truck stop all of you be safe!!

Kurt and Spencer

Hello everyone, I hope all of you have had a safe and profitable week! I know those of you that have followed my blogs are wondering what my spec’s are and how the truck is preforming. If you are then this blog is for you! I did promise all of you that I would let you know, keep in mind I wont go line by line, but the most important things I will cover. I will give you my spec’s and then let you know how the truck is doing, so without further ado here it is. I’m running the DD-15 set at 565 for horsepower, I did stay with the 10 speed auto shift,( not to be confused with the ultra shift, I still have a clutch). Instead of the 326 rears I went with the 336 rears. I also spec’d this truck with all axle disk brakes. I stayed with the Michellin super singles which are the xdn2. I have the shore power and the park smart system in here as well. I also went with the 14500 lb front axle, with a 16 ply Michellin steer tire. I do enjoy the sliding 5th wheel along with the in cab 5th wheel air release. For the most part that’s about the extent of the basic’s. I know you all will have other questions on other things which I can answer as it comes up. Now on to the performance, the truck seems to be more quite than the first truck. I really like the way it handles, it does not have rack-n-pinion steering, because of the bigger front end. It just seems to sit on the road, almost like a big nose truck used to sit when you drove it. Changing of the rears really made a big difference in the pulling power, this thing can flat do it going up hill! If you are wondering about the Jake brakes just like before nice and strong and extremely quite. Once again the cab and sleeper are very quite just like before. All the gauges are in easy view from the drivers seat. Which makes checking things that much more easier. Over all this truck is very comfortable to operate. Now on to fuel mileage. I have 7200 miles on here so far with my weights at about 68 to 72ooo lbs and my mpg is at 6.59 I would like to mention that I have decreased my speed by about 3 mph. So instead of 68 to 70 I’m trying 66 to 67 just to see! Also over those 7200 miles I have used approximately 18 gals of def fluid. We know that we will have a long break in period just like before and if the numbers hold true at the weights I run and the speed I would venture to say we could be looking at a 7 mile per gal. Truck. Of course only time will tell us what we need to know! I hope this has satisfied some of your curiosity for now any way. As for Spencer yes he is back on the truck, he knew something was different but he seems to be getting accustomed to his new “digs”, just like he never left. Until the next truck stop you all be safe!

Kurt and Spencer

Hello everyone, well the 2010 Vegas truck show has come to a close. It wasn’t as large as I thought it was going to be being in Vegas I would assume it would have been packed. The first day was real slow but the next day was a little better and by the last day Saturday things got moving fairly quickly. As I have stated in the pass I really enjoy these shows, I guess it’s because it is so much different than what I do on an normal basis. For me they are fun and informative, I do really learn a lot not only the products that are out on the market but what the drivers are saying and what they are looking at. Some of the things that peaked my interest, ( besides the models) was a product that is of a tape variety, the name of the product is called “rescue tape” they you can fix just about anything that springs a leak, I bought 3 rolls just to put in my tool box. If I have my way about I will NEVER have to use the stuff however if a situation comes up I’m ready! I also got a chance to sit in on a work shop with atbs’s Todd Amen and Kevin Rutherford. I’m telling you between those two guys there is so much knowledge I find myself scratching my head wondering how they do that, think of things to save us money. I personally will be in Kansas City Mo in July for Kevin CMC seminar, which I’m looking forward to that! I am now reloaded and headed back east. Picked up a load of produce for wal-mart. I will try and get back into the swing of things, it takes me a couple of days and I’m back in to full mode sort of speak. For those of you that is wondering about Spencer, I chat with him to day, he seams to be over being mad at me and cant wait to get back on the truck. Those of you that know Spencer I’m sure he will have a lot to say when he gets back. Until then enjoy the picks and all of you be safe!!

Kurt and Spencer

Hello everyone, I ‘m hoping everyone was safe and profitable this week! The launch of season two went off very well, in my opinion. All the trucks look very nice they should turn a lot of heads as we roll in to the various truck stops and venues. The graphics are just amazing!! I just gave Vomela an idea and they ran with it. It was a full day of instruction and picture taking for the new website which should be up soon. I bobtailed from Charlotte N.C. All the way back to Tulsa O.K. The comfort of the ride was more pleasant than I thought it would be without a trailer. What surprised me even more was the mpg. It came out to 10.47 mpg. I know I was just bobtailing but I don’t get too much better than that in my pick up truck. These are just some of the changes that I made on the truck, all wheel disc breaks, I am anxious to try these puppies out!! As far as I can tell just bobtailing the stopping distance very short, how well will they do under a trailer, under a load, with a trailer that has drum breaks, remains to be seen. I will keep you posted! I also changed the rear ends to a 336 instead of the 326 I had in the other truck. I kept the 10 speed auto shift. It should pull better and keep me in the sweet spot even in California at the lower speeds. I am taking the rest of this week off, to get not only my stuff but you all know Spencer is such a pack rat it will take me one whole day just for his stuff!!So I can also get the truck not only road ready but ready for the truck show in Las Vegas N.V. Which starts by the way June 17th thru the 19th. If you are there make sure you stop by the booth and say hi and look at the truck.

For those of you that follow Spencer he is at home with me this week. However by the end of the week he will be sent back to the sitters until I get back to get him. Of course he will be a little ticked off but he will get over it. He is in very good hands so I don’t have to worry about him. I’m sure he will be happy to get back on our regular schedule. I also know the first chance he gets to hijack my computer he will do so! Until next time enjoy the pic’s and I’ll see you in Vegas!!

Kurt and Spencer

Hello everyone, I hope all of you have been safe and profitable! Well the first season of sliceoftruckerlife has come to a close. It is hard for me to believe that it has been nearly two years since the program first kicked off. It has been a very exciting two years to say the lease. I have been able to do just some of the things drivers only dream about doing. It has been very rewarding and at the same time very humbling, with the two other sliceoflife drivers Dick McCorkle and Henry Albert their expertise and knowledge of the whole trucking concept is something one can only witness. I feel very lucky to be mentioned among the likes of these two individuals. I think from this day forward when I think of truck drivers I will automatically think of them. As we start the second season with Henry and Dick, we are also happy to have on board Gina Angsten as our forth driver. I’m sure all of you are wondering my final numbers for this truck! Most of you already know my operation, running a reefer unit mostly Midwest to west coast, there fore I’m heavy most of the time and I run the mountains, also I don’t run very slow which was part of my deal to run at a higher speed. I can tell you that if I would run that truck at about 62 miles per hour, like I would in California this truck would be a solid 7+ mpg truck. However being that I run at about 68-70 mph this truck is a solid 6.43 mpg. Which I think is a great number. I first put this truck on the road on September 1st of 2008 and I’m turning the truck into freightliner of Tulsa on June 1st 2010 with 255135 miles on it. I am looking forward to the new truck and the new challenges that will pose. There are many changes to the new truck that I’m very excited to be able to test and comment on as well as write about them on the blogs. I hope all of you continue to read and follow our progress. One other thing I would like to mention is that those of you that have followed and requested Spencer he is a little upset because he is unable to attend the launch of the 2nd season, he will have to stay at the sitters! Until the next truck stop all of you be safe and we will write again from the new truck! Take care.

Thanks Kurt and Spencer

Hello everyone, one of the advantages of being a truck driver is the fact that we get so see all that this country has to offer. You are usually never in the same place at the same time or in the same season, so every thing looks very different from one place and time to another. We see the good seasons and the worst any given state has to offer. Which is the case this week, I was hoping for a little sunshine and warmth being Spencer and I were going to be in “sunny southern cal” but that is not the case this time! Cloudy and overcast is the forecast for the week, so says the local driver that I talked to. A little disappointing, however there is always the next trip out! As Murphy’s law would have it, it might be sunny and triple digits for a temp. Oh I know we can never be satisfied, always complaining. I would have to imagine it would get pretty boring if it was all sunshine and 70’s, every trip. So Spencer and I will take this cool weather and enjoy it!! Until the next truck stop all of you be safe!

Kurt and Spencer