And it just keeps going...

Got truck 280 back... $11,800 later it has a new engine. Now it's in the shop getting a water pump and I noticed a puddle of gear oil under the front driver this morning. Neat, because I really wanted tear a rear end down to change the front cover gasket.

Valley Freightliner is putting on a training class next month that I'll be going to, "Multiplex Electrical & Smart Switch Training". Should be good!

Week: 50
Total: 406.5

Summer 13

More interesting times... OSHA inspection last week. Coincidence? And then a literal pile of steaming feces awaited me in the loading yard on Saturday. I think someone may have been a little irked over being fired... Apparently the belt drive grinder with all the guards broken off is no bueno. Who would have thought? And maybe the pvc airlines, complete lack of chemical inventory or MSDS's on file, and the loading dock is well... We hired a structural engineer from Carlson Steel to draw up a few modifications to pass the OSHA inspection. Spent some time with him today and he thinks he'll have his report done by Monday. Because I didn't have enough to do already!

Learned that neither Motor Trucks or Valley can look up trailer brake parts off VIN or axle numbers... What if I want to have the parts sitting on a shelf before I tear the trailer apart?

50 hours for week
Total: 356.5

Summer time

This has been a very interesting week... Eric W. (Owner of the business) fired the operations manager and the other mechanic on Tuesday. I am now in charge of all the maintenance and repairs in our fleet working on ways to streamline the operation now as I am now expected to accomplish in a 40 hour week what used to take two mechanics a full 80-90 hours total. I'm setting up a maintenance schedule and parts inventory list right now as well as deciding on the best way to track service costs. Also decided I need to buy some better torx bits... I broke every T-40 we had in the shop by 10:00 this morning (The 24" breaker bar may or may not have had something to do with this).

Week: 48
Total: 306.5

Summer 2013

More work on the flatbed project... Built a new carrier bearing mount, got the air solenoid for the dump gate plumbed in along with splicing the wiring harness into a junction box. Just waiting on parts now so I can put the wet kit on.

Also learning about all the "interesting" things that Case engineers did on a 580B Construction King... You have to pull off the loader frame, backhoe, and cab to access the last bolt holding the brake housings on!

Week: 51

Total: 258.5