Awesome, Kev. The truck looks great. I love the fender flares and wide front tires. I dig it. What engine is in it?

And I knew what you meant, BTW. My dad just got a new rig assigned to him. He did have a Kenworth with a 425 CAT. Now he has a Kenworth with a 485 (I think?) Cummins engine. He says the Cummins has more power.

 

It's a Mack Granite style truck, and I'm almost positive it's a Mack AMI 370. It's got a 10 spd maxitorque trans. The wide front tires (floaters) look great but it never sees pavement so when it rains or snows, I steer with the throttle more than the steering wheel That can get scary though because the dozer operators seem to think if a D-11 can go, a truck can too. I've had that truck in places that caused me nightmares and I never tell the wife or she'd make me quit. After a year or so, not much scares me anymore though. I know what I'm capable of and I know what the truck is capable of. My first work truck was an old awd model. I have some pics of it somewhere I'll try to find them and post.

 

Your wife must love you. Lucky man!

The reason you go places that gives you nightmares is because you live in WVA. My dad has his own stories and we've only been here less than two years.

A lot of places he goes he has to get pulled up the mountain by a bulldozer. This isn't the bad part but I know that would scare a guy like me. Dad came home one day and told me how he barely made one turn; the rear trailer tires started to slide off the mountain!!!!

I want MY dad to quit!

People don't know what Mountain truck drivers have to do.

 

Yeah I've been pulled up many a hill, and rode the blade back down. I guess some get used to it and some just never do. I had a redhat with me one time and was backing down a steep road and it curved around the contour as it went down. Everytime I touched the brakes the front of the truck came off the ground lol. Poor guy lost his lunch. In his defense, he shouldn't have been with me on that road (if you can call it that) his first week on the job but one of the other helpers insisted on riding in the pickup, then had the nerve to tease the guy for days afterwards.

 

Oh I didn't say the old man wasn't used to it. He's about 200 years old and has been driving truck for 150 of those years!

I'M the one not used to it!

How long have you been driving truck Kev?

 

Not really that long actually. I started working for this company a little over 5 years ago and normally redhats aren't supposed to drive unless they have a black hat with them. Buuuuut......you know So, four and a half years I guess. By no means a pro, but me, my best friend and one other guy are the driver/trainers. Out of us three, I'm the only one that hasn't had prior training and experience so I am proud of that.