Tuesday, January 6, 2026

 I went over to Caterpillar for my 11:30 AM loading appointment.  When they looked at what I was supposed to get, they saw that there was no way to get 11 pieces on my trailer.  So Caterpillar Transportation had to get involved, and the load had to be made smaller.  Eventually, they got it figured out, and I got loaded with parts for a Caterpillar 995 Wheel Loader that are going to the Port of Baltimore. The largest part is the radiator.  

This is what a 995 looks like when it is fully assembled.

I left there but didn't go very far.  Stopped for my 10 hours at the Pilot truck stop in Oakwood, Illinois.

Monday, January 5, 2026

 At about 3 AM I went and got the truck washed.  My next load is tomorrow in Decatur, Illinois.  Doesn't load until 11:30 AM.  At about 10 this morning, I left and drove down to the Pilot truck stop in Decatur for the night.

Friday, January 2, 2026

 I left at 3 AM EST this morning.  Drove to Fenton, Missouri, and delivered the excavator.  Don't have another load yet, so I headed for the most likely area to get one.  I went to the Iowa 80 truck stop in Walcott, Iowa.  That puts me in the middle of Caterpillar and John Deere. 577 miles today.   While doing my post-trip inspection, I found a hole with the cords showing in my right front tire.

I also found a coolant leak.  Had to add a half gallon of coolant.  There was coolant all over the back of the truck.

I checked in at the repair shop and waited for them to call me to bring the truck in to the shop.

At 5:15, they brought my truck into the shop to start working on it.  At 7:15 they were finished.  

Thursday, January 1, 2026