This trip was going really well, almost 1900 miles in 3 days, my I94 renewed and my interview at Duluth, Minnesota for my TWIC (Transport Worker Identification Credential) card another scam by homeland security to get more money from transport workers. I am really lucky as Jade pay for all these cards and the time spent getting them.

So everything went well, including the 90 minute detour around Morris because of the floods, until 3 miles from the yard. Traffic lights were on green, sitting at 80km/hour, BANG, bang, bang, rattle, rattle, scrape, hiss, hiss, no power, no air!!! Got the truck onto the shoulder and there it was, the drive shaft and u-joint resting on the exhaust. The hanger had given up, the drive shaft came out at the gearbox, wrecked my exhaust, ripped of an air line, damaged the pto drive shaft and who knows what other damage underneath.

What really surprised me was what happened next. I have been quick to praise Jade as a company and the people that work there but read on, I made a couple of calls and spoke to Mark, shop supervisor, who was arranging someone to come out to me. Kris turned up about 20 minutes later and crawled underneath. After some rattling of spanners and banging he dragged himself out and made a phone call.

It was decided to give me a ride back to the yard to let me get home and Mark would come out to help Kris while they waited for a wrecker to tow my truck to the shop!!!!

It felt strange to jump in the pick up truck and leave my truck at the side of the road for someone else to deal with.

Another couple of days at home waiting for repairs now.