Utah to Saskatchewan, and hoping for smooth travels.

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Tomo had a great Sunday morning meeting and Gospel meeting on Sunday in Salt Lake City. With the help of a friend picking him up, he was able to spend the day with them in fellowship.

Tomo's New Truck-- Big RED

After the meetings, Tomo went back to his truck and drove to Walmart, which was a mile away from the truck stop.  He did some grocery shopping to prepare for the next trip.   Then he organized his truck a little bit after coming back.

On Monday morning he is in Clearfield, Utah, getting loaded with housing insulation material. This load is bound for Regina, Saskatchewan to be delivered by Wednesday. This trailer is heated to 65 degrees F or 18 C. Tomo is headed for deep cold area of Canada.

My gross vehicle weight is 75,760 lb. or 34,364 Kg.

Liquid plastic. For roofing insulation to be exact.

He said that so far the truck is running great.

Larry's Old Red Truck!

Tomo's friend Larry that introduced him to the company will be leaving the company at the end of the week.  This week is Larry's last week. Good luck, Larry and thanks for all your help and support in getting Tomo started.  

Tomo has gone over the border after spending the night in beautiful Great Falls, Montana.  Waking to some beautiful Big Sky Country this morning.  

He is now in Regina, Saskatchewan unloading and waiting for the next orders.

Going further south! Butte, Montana to Salt Lake City, Utah

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Tomo was in Butte, Montana not far from the Home yard. He was going to head down to Salt Lake City, Utah to pick up a load. He was to be there by Monday morning.  

Southern Montana on I-15.

He headed south and stopped by Idaho Falls to see a friend on the way.
Lunch in Idaho Falls, Idaho with a friend at a local Sushi Shop!

Lunch with a friend

Tomo is now in salt lake city for the night and is suppose to get a load on Monday. So he will be able to go to Sunday morning meeting and Gospel meeting tomorrow. He has already talked to one of the friends, Lois and she will be picking me up for meeting in the morning.   Thanks Lois!!

Going South for a HOME VISIT and other EXPERIENCES!

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Well at the end of the last post on January 19th, Tomo was in Vancouver, British Columbia (A) trying to back his lovely big RED truck down a slope to a dock with very little visibility.  So after that job was done, his Road Manager gave him the option to head south to the Seattle area, and if he was interested have a night in his home community of Granite Falls, Washington (B)!  Tomo's response was to put the truck in gear and head for home.  He made it in time to gather with many friends on that Wednesday night and enjoy some special fellowship.  He spent the night with his former boss and family and youngest brother.  

On the following day, January 20th, while waiting for the call for his next assignment, he went back to his former work place and visited around with the crew.  In the afternoon, he hooked up his trailer and was going to proceed to his next assignment in Tacoma but ..... his truck had other plans.  The truck stalled outside the company and would not start.  Once again, Tomo called for a tow truck and off his RED truck went to Everett for a check up.  With a back up at the repair shop, on Friday the 21st, his truck was looked over and after full diagnostic testing and repair (to the tune of about $530) and all, it was decided that the truck's fuel pump O-ring ($34.00 item) was damaged.  Unfortunately, now the part had to be ordered and the earliest delivery would be on Monday morning. 

On Monday, the 24th, Tomo received his truck back and headed south to the Port of Tacoma, Washington (C) to the pick up site.  He was told to pick up on the following morning at 7 am and head to Alberta border (D,E) where he would swap trailers (passing the baton--like action) with another driver as the repair work had put a delay on the delivery and time was running out.  The next driver would carry it through the night to make the morning delivery deadline.  One side issue developed.  Unfortunately, at that pick up spot, Tomo's truck was leaking oil and that caused a bit of a complaint from the site manager as it was a land and environmental violation against the company and equipment.  Although there was nothing Tomo could do about it, he just called his supervisor and let them handle it.  I can only comically envision a large diaper on the truck to keep the oil from leaking on the the land!  

Edmonton HWY 2

As of tonight, Tomo is in Edmonton, Alberta (F) with a load of office furniture to be delivered on Thursday morning at 7:30 am.  Next destination point is unclear, but rumor had it, that he might be headed back to the Company yard in Anaconda, Montana (G).  Total mileage: 1,741 miles/ 2,802 kilometers.

Night scene of Calgary, Alberta

In for the OIL LEAK repair, Missoula, Montana

Big Red Going Through Banff National Park!!! VERY,VERY BEAUTIFUL

Tomo was assigned a 'new' truck in Anaconda, Montana.  This truck is said to have the best engine of all the trucks in the company's fleet.  Here is Tomo going through Banff National Park was very, very beautiful. 

 Tomo went from Edmonton, Alberta to Vancouver, British Columbia. He drove  down to Calgary, then went up Hwy. 1 and then on to Hwy. 93. Only Hwy. 93 had been closed for a few days due to unpredictable avalanche.  Tomo got to where Hwy 1 and Hwy 93 intersect and it was still closed. He had to sit there for about 4 hours and when it opened up, he hit it hard and got to Vancouver, BC on  Wednesday morning at 6 am. 

Vancouver where my drop was. Had to back around all these vehicles.

Blind back in and down to the dock.

Another shot of the blind back in and down to the dock.

That took him a good 30 minutes to complete.

He dropped his load and then received the next order to head toward Seattle, which his boss gave him the option to go back to Granite Falls (home) for the night if he wanted. So again, he hit it hard to make it in time for Wednesday night meeting. At last contact he is in Granite Falls waiting for the next order.

On the Canadian Route Again, but NOW in the BIG RED Truck!!

On January 15th, Tomo was back in the yard getting the briefing about his new rig.  He will be driving a 'NEW' truck (new to him, that is).  His new truck is a 1998 Freightliner and RED!  According to the company people, this truck has the best motor in the fleet!  He next step is to clean out the new truck, swap the driver's seats and get all his tools into the new truck.  Not to mention get his own gear and supplies moved into the new truck.  Apparently this model has a bunk and so that makes for more storage space for Tomo.  (hopefully he will send photos later!) 


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On the 16th, Tomo needed to prepare for a partial load of office supplies to Edmonton, Alberta again and the remaining load for Vancouver, British Columbia. Tomo left on Sunday afternoon for Edmonton and dropped off his load on January 17th, Monday morning.  He was then heading for Vancouver but got a flat tire on the trailer, so he is parking for the night in Calgary and will fix it in the morning.  In the meantime, he would do his laundry and take a shower and when all that is done, would head back to his truck for his dinner that was warming in his trusty crock pot! (Thanks Bjorn & Leanne and Ellie & Nik)

Reached the HOME YARD!

Friday morning, Tomo made it back to the Western Motor Freight Home Yard in Anaconda, Montana.  Today's runs are short hops from Anaconda to Bozeman to Three Forks and back to the home yard.  He is still driving the Big Blue Truck and so.... we will see what the boss has to say about the future of his vehicle.  




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Another repair...........in Altoona, Iowa and now back on the road to...

 In Williamsburg, Iowa

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 Well, it seems that Tomo's truck is headed for the parts department!  Another repair has caused the company to reconsider the reliability since on this run, mind you it has been a long and rigorous one, has had three major repairs made and causing Tomo to sit in line waiting for a free garage.  The latest was the brakes!!!  Here is Tomo's own words: 

Hahaha in to the truck hospital again.... Company has had it....they are going to switch my truck for good it seems like, at least once I get this load done. The latest problem is the brakes on the truck.  They are not locking correctly, so when I park, if I don't have a trailer attached and I am on a slight grade, the truck would roll.  Not a good thing to be asleep and wake up somewhere else!!  We'll see how it goes. 

Just getting ready to be looked at finally. There was a 3h wait or so....

Found the problem when I did a static brake test. You set your brakes and put it in gear and tag against it and the truck is not suppose to move. However, mine did so obviously it's not doing it's job.  The big issue is should the DOT (Department of Transportation) find this problem, I would get shut down in a heart beat!!

Now while the young trucker was waiting patiently for the repair work to commence..... he took some random photos that had been requested.  Mainly of the cab to know what exactly the inside looks like!!  Beware .... Tomo's housekeeping (cab keeping???) skills need a bit of instruction maybe.  ; )

Sleeping area in the Cab.

From the Sleeping area to front of the cab.

A nice item to have in the freezing windy weather.

 

A Very Fast Turn Around!

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On Sunday late afternoon, Tomo got his truck repaired in Lloydminster, Alberta which is just across the Saskatchewan line from Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. 

Amazing as it is, these two cities are actually one but in different provinces, and also cross the timezone line, so.... just across town it is an hour later!!  ; ) Don't you just love the breadth of our great Northern America!! 

A long road in Saskatchewan.

A snap shot out side of Saskatoon. Tomo saw some signs that told to watch out for moose on this road.  Then a little farther down road, as a matter of fact he did see one that was 'sleeping for good' along side the road. He doesn't ever want to hit one of those 'brick wall' creatures. 

Anyway, Tomo finally made it back on the road, and of course behind schedule for the pick up in Muscatine, Iowa on Monday morning.  So he headed for Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and parked for the night.  Then on Monday morning he headed south for Fargo, North Dakota.  He arrived but exhausted from the distance and the roads and weather.  On Tuesday morning he made the final leg and arrived in Muscatine, Iowa and picked up the load that was waiting for him.  He headed at once back and stopped for the night in Williamsburg, Iowa.  On Wednesday, his plan is to make it as far as he can, his goal being Rapid City, South Dakota.  Tomo is to head back to the Home yard in Anaconda, Montana and if all goes well, will head north to Edmonton, Alberta for the delivery.  Total full round  trip is 3,566miles / 5738km.  Maybe he will send some more photos along the way. 

Iowa or Bust........

The latest saga in the adventures of Trucker Tomo begin in Edmonton, Alberta.  As noted in the previous post, Tomo delivered a load to the University of Alberta and the original plan was to unload and head back to home base in Anaconda, Montana for some work on his big blue truck.  Well, as the trucking business goes, updates and changes occur minute by minute if not sooner.  So.......

The route manager contacts Tomo and tells him to cancel heading back to home base and instead .... head east young man, head to Muscatine, Iowa and try to be there by Monday morning.  (This message came through on Saturday morning!)  The eager young man replies okay and after his breakfast, he heads east towards Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and then on to Regina, Saskatchewan and down across the border into North Dakota and so forth.  Great plan ...... except for a few minor details!  

Edmonton to Lloydminster is about 156 mi / 251 km

Snow and road conditions in eastern Alberta and Saskatchewan were POOR and add to that none of his dash instruments were working when he took off .... however his lights were working, although dimmer than normal!!  Well, as the good luck would have it, Tomo pulled up to a red light on the major four lane highway(TC 16) and just happened to be in the fast lane when his truck engine dies and will not restart! 

Stalled in the fast land of a four lane highway in Canada.

Sherman Tank look-a-like Tow truck!!

Hauling Big Blue to the Repair shop!

This was near Lloydminster, Alberta which is on the Alberta/Saskatchewan border.  

His BIG BLUE TRUCK was towed and is not waiting in the line up for repairs in Lloydminster, Alberta and Tomo is spending his time in a rustic motel with wooden or linoleum flooring but it does have Wi-Fi access.   ;  )   


 Updates on the repair work for the Big Blue Truck are in and with a bit too much oil in the alternator, the charging power for the Big Rig was not happening. Tomo just got back on the road and on to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.  We hope he will have a good trip the rest of the way! 

Back on the Road Again!!

This is at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.  Tomo pulled up on this road in front of the receiving entrance to the university warehouse.

Tomo had to back up this drive way to the receiving docks.  His skill of backing is being challenged as you keep that orange dumpster in mind.

Keep backing up ...... this is a long drive.

Huh, okay, Tomo had the orange dumpster in view, and then had to maneuver around this windy corner .... at the same time not taking out the dumpster!!

Tomo then had to back around the second corner and then straight back and he reached his goal!! DONE! 

Tomo had to do this route twice because the other driver had a tractor that was not able to do the turns.  His tracker was longer then mine plus half of turn radius than Tomo, so he would have never made it. Therefore, when Tomo finished his back up and unloaded his trailer, they switched trailers out on the road and Tomo went for the second round! Haha it was really fun!!! Tomo loves the challenge to back up trailers. 

The other driver has been with the company for 7 months, and he introduced Larry Pendell to the company a few months ago.  Then Larry introduced me to the company last month.  This driver calls me the 'back up expert'!  The first time we came up to the University of Alberta for a delivery, he took an hour to back his truck up to the spot.  It was my first time into Canada and I was to next in line to unload but it took me only 20 minutes.  He was suppose to be my supervisor but he told me I made him look bad with that backing up phenomenal driving. 

Well now I've been giving orders to head to Iowa tomorrow, so will be heading out in the morning. There had been an idea of my truck going back to the yard for some work but .....that idea flew away haha.

When Wind and Trailer Face-off on Black Ice!

Quite an adventure began today and luckily it ended happy!!  Tomo delivered his load of office furniture and supplies on Jan. 5th, Wednesday morning and at 11 am he was back on the road out of Edmonton, Alberta headed for a trailer swap in Great Falls, Montana with an empty trailer* (*empty trailers and wind.... not a great combination).  Tomo had smooth sailing as far as Calgary where he had a flat and stopped in for repairs.

This is when you are glad for more than one wheel!

Calgary Tire Repair shop!

From Calgary, Tomo headed for Great Falls, Montana and had good traveling for about the first hour or so and then wind picked up.  Things were still going okay and traveling well until he arrived in Lethbridge, Alberta and the wind came up stronger.   It was in Lethbridge, Alberta that he met his first encounter with the Wind and Black Ice. Between the gust of strong wind and the snow that was shifting into drifts in all directions, this made Tomo a bit uncomfortable. 

The FACE-OFF Begins!

What usually takes him about an hour to reach the border, it took him over two hours.  He managed to slowly slip and slide his way to the border.  Once he crossed the border, Tomo's sights were set on Great Falls, Montana.  With a place to rest, a friend to visit, a trailer to pick up, this is where he wanted to be.  However, THE WIND had another idea!! 

At about 8:30 pm MST, Tomo began THE FACE-OFF with the WIND and BLACK ICE on a stretch of I-15 just south of the Canadian border.  Tomo's luck was with him as the Wind was blowing from West to East and caught his trailer and pushed it into the median.  Well, where your trailer goes, your cab must follow.  That was the fortunate part because if the wind had been blowing from East to West, his chances for survival were slim to none as there was a long drop into a gully on the west side of the road with only a small guardrail to stop them.  Tomo was only traveling about 35 mph but it seemed the Wind was doing about the same.  

This MOM is very thankful for wide Medians!!

Those lovely bright lights on the left was the rescue party!

Tomo said that he was fairly cool during the whole ordeal, that the things that he heard in CDL classes were made real to him, and that he has a greater respect for the power of the wind and the slipperyness of Black Ice.  Once his truck came to a rest, he quickly called his route manager and reported the situation.  In the meantime, fellow truckers stopped by to check and see if he needed assistance.  Not really sure why but probably due to the low speed and his calm reactions not to over correct, his truck seemed to slide to a stop on the snowy and grassy median.  No damage to the truck and no other vehicle was involved.  

His Route Manager contacted the police and so the rescue party came to his aid. This group of Highway officials, closed down the south bound traffic on the highway while the tow truck blocked both lanes in order to pull Tomo off the median.  All total he had a party of about nine police cars (four Custom/Border Patrol, two Montana Highway Patrol, two local Sheriffs, one Reserve-Duty Sheriff  and a large tow truck with driver to help him on his way. The Tow Truck escorted Tomo to the nearest exit and that is where he has parked for the night.  

Hopefully with Big Blue Sunny Montana skies in the morning, he will be able to get on his way to Great Falls and turn around and head back up to Edmonton, (at least that was the plan before the slippery slide into the median!! Will keep you updated on the next leg of his travels.  


Personal note from MOM* 
Some time while he was dealing with all this, I phoned him and he just said 'Call me back in about 2 1/2 hours!'  (click went his phone).  When I phoned a few hours later our next conversations started out ... 'Well, I almost died a few hours ago!'   We are thankful that he is still with us!  and even more thankful for prayers and God's plans for us!

Jumping the Border!!

Talked to Tomo this morning and he was bringing a trailer back down from Calgary, Alberta to Anaconda, Montana.  That is the home base for Western Motor Freight Inc.  It seems then he is going to swap trailers and then head back up to the north land to Edmonton, Alberta!!  He seems to be getting good at the border crossing!! 


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Staples Office Supplies in Edmonton, Alberta

Tomo's story continues .... one of the reasons that Tomo  has been border jumping lately is that only three of the drivers are eligible to cross the border smoothly with limited amount of difficulty.  Some of the others have past history that make for complications. 

End of the Year Adventure!

Puyallup, Washington to Boise, Idaho to Tooele, Utah to                                 Great Falls, Montana to Calgary, AB Canada

Passing by Ellensburg on the way to Boise. 

Tomo is back on the road again, after coming back into the States on the 29th of December.  He is picked up an empty trailer in Puyallup, WA and headed south again for Boise, Idaho the next day. 

Looking down on Ellensburg

Going up Cabbage Hill.

He wrote on the 30th and said "Well, I'm in Boise, Idaho now." He is suppose to pick up a load down in Boise but he hasn't got any information about it yet. He had to hang around until late afternoon and finally got a load for Tooele, UT.  He drove to Tooele, Utah on the 31st and is suppose to see what he is to take somewhere else???  All a mystery for him and us too.  

On another point, the idea was to get a 'newer' truck but he has asked if he could keep this one as it seems to be doing alright and he is satisfied with it.  Never having driven others to compare other than at the CDL driving school, he thinks this is fine.  So for the time being, he will continue to drive the Big Blue Truck!  

Beautiful weather down in southern ID on I15

Gotta check every once in awhile to see if my trailer is still there;)

That's the speed to make money! Don't worry, speed limit is 75 in Utah.

It is January 1st and Tomo is in Great Falls, Montana now. He will go to meeting there tomorrow. His load won't be delivered (dropped) until January 3rd, Monday morning. He thought it was to be delivered on Sunday according to the paperwork but ..... my boss told me it was Monday. So he will drive the rest of the trip to Calgary Sunday afternoon and go to meeting in Great Falls, Montana in the morning.