Hot, hot, hot!

Sorry we haven't posted for a few days; it was a hectic weekend!

Anyway, Lori got her load of fresh produce to Corinne, UT on Saturday evening. On the way up, she got a phone call from her brother and sister-in-law, (Curtis and Candy, the ones who introduced her to trucking.) They asked where she was and where she was headed. "North on I-15 towards Salt Lake," she said.

"Really, we're headed south on I-15 towards Salt Lake!" So they decided to meet at the Prime drop yard in Salt Lake after they finished their deliveries and have some dinner. After dinner, they checked in with their respective fleet managers and found out they both had pick-ups at the same location; Nestle's in Springville, UT to get frozen Stouffer's/Lean Cusine pizzas. And, they were both headed for Southern California; Curtis and Candy to the Vons distribution center in Mira Loma and Lori to Albertson's in Brea.

This is where the "hot, hot, hot" title will begin to make sense. Lori's auxiliary power unit (APU -which allows her to run the air conditioner and electrical items without idling the truck engine) was giving her trouble - in fact, it smelled like it was burning when she turned it on! She shut it off, took a look, and noticed the coolant level was low. She filled it up and then checked it again a little later before trying to start it. That's when she noticed the puddle of coolant. She told headquarters and they said she could get it fixed Monday morning before her afternoon delivery in Brea.

Her and her brother then started south toward California. That's when things really started to warm up. Summer in the desert can be blistering; the temperatures were 108º as they drove toward Las Vegas. The trailer needs to be kept at -10º with frozen loads, a real feat even in normal weather.

Well, the heat took its toll - on both trailers! Lori's refrigerator kept running but couldn't maintain -10º and her brother's refrigerator unit just quit completely. Calls to headquarters got them appointments at the repair shop in Fontana Monday morning. They took Lori's brother as soon as he got there (since his unit was completely shut off) and got to Lori about 8:30 a.m.

A few new parts later, Lori was on her way to Brea - where she spent six hours waiting to get unloaded. Unfortunately, that meant no repair work on the APU that day, so it was over to the truck stop in Fontana for the night. Mike was able to swing by with dinner and spend the night. Curtis and Candy also stopped by for a few minutes before driving up to North Las Vegas with a load of Arizona tea for Tuesday morning delivery.

Tuesday morning Mike headed off to work and Lori went to get the APU fixed.

That should be it for trucking until after Lizzie's wedding on Thursday and then the Fourth of July on Friday.