Dead Truck

Coker, Alabama

Weather: low 15 degrees, high 28 degrees, clear skies, breezy

First, the good news: this cold weather will end eventually. Now, the bad news: we have at least one more night and day of the same kind of weather we had today. Next, the even worse news: it was so cold today that the truck would not start.

When we were in Texas in November, I noticed that the starter on the truck seemed to be dragging a little. Being the type of person that does everything I can to make sure we don't get stranded somewhere, I took the truck in to a shop to have what I perceived as a potential problem checked out. The shop in Texas said there was not any problem, so we went on our way. This morning, with the cold weather we are having, the truck starter would hardly turn over, and I couldn't get the truck started. I had an appointment at Terri's house to meet the pest control technician so he could perform a termite inspection as part of the preps for selling the house. When I found that the truck wouldn't start, I called the technician and arranged for him to pick me up on his way to the house.

When I got back from the house, I tried to start the truck again, and no luck again. We have road assistance, so I called them and told them about the problem. A service truck was sent out from Tuscaloosa, but it took the truck over an hour to get to me because they were so busy today. We tried to start the truck using a booster battery and charger, but again, no success.

I called the road assistance company and told them what had happened. They sent a wrecker out to tow the truck to a diesel garage, where the problem was diagnosed and repaired. Guess what the problem was? Bad batteries, because it seems that the shop that checked the batteries in Texas failed to check them in the correct manner.

That really ticks me off. We've been driving a truck that was just waiting for cold weather like this to strand us, when it could have been repaired in Texas, with no inconvenience at all.

This sequence of events started at 0730 hours this morning and ended at 1730 hours, when I drove away from the garage. As you can see, I was busy all day, and only got two things accomplished. At least we got those two items done, and our truck is running again.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Gainesville, Florida: Title Town

Not all who wander are lost.