Everyone knows driving on the George Washington Bridge can be nerve wracking. Theres bumper-to-bumper bustle and Big Apple drivers can be insolent and unforgiving. And during rush hour the traffic notoriously backs up several miles away taking over an hour to cross. The massive GW bridge is literally a steamy double-deck parking lot. It’s complete chaos with a commanding view of the Manhattan skyline and the churning Hudson below.
Traffic was flowing and I was happily on schedule to deliver my Convoy load to Fresh Direct in the Bronx. After passing Vince Lombardi, the flow suddenly slowed down to an agonizing crawl. I tried to cross over so I could enter the main toll plaza in the EZ Pass lane. All of a sudden, my oil pressure needle took a nose dive and my 18 wheeler came to standstill. To my dismay and the angst of others, I wasn’t just blocking one lane, but two. Cars were honking and fussing – causing quite a stir. I met eyes with a mad trucker who yelled obscenities like I did this on purpose and then sideswiped my side-view mirror to teach me a lesson.
I turned on my hazards then calmly got out and added a gallon of motor oil. Switched the key and the ole beast started to crank but it wouldn’t rumble. My starter and alternator seemed fine. Radio Free Brooklyn was blaring and my AC was still pumping out chilled air. More than likely, low oil pressure caused my stall. But it was something more complex that won’t let me get off this bridge.
I called a tow truck company in Hackensack who informed that on the GW Bridge, only the Port Authority can tow me off. It’s the busiest bridge in the world, and they wanted to ensure the operation was conducted smoothly. That’s great – everyone knows that Jersey likes to keep their lanes open. Gov Chris Christie taught them this.
Where would they take me – Fort Lee or over the river to the Big City? Sure enough, within minutes that seemed like eternity, the port authority police showed up to rescue me. They were kind and efficient, and I got the ride of my life right off the double deck suspension bridge. Even though there are 14 lanes ( 7 west, 7 east) on the GWB, I felt terrible about blocking two of them.
I got towed to NYC. 178th W and Broadway was an ideal spot to hang and the NYPD wouldn’t harrass me here. The Port Authority surely had saved the day.
I then called the towing company back who informed me that it would be several hours before they could send someone. July 4th was around the corner and it was the peak of rush hour. Without a running engine, I had no AC so I had to find a good spot to chill. If you’re gonna be broken down in this mad city, this is perhaps the best spot to be OOS
Thankfully, NYC had recently entered Phase 2 where battered sidewalks had morphed into outdoor cafes. Since I had just arrived in the blistering Bronx, I was hit with the irresistible aroma of curried goat stew smothered in cilantro . I followed the scent to a counter-service Dominican eatery that offered many meat dishes with a heap of rice and spices.
I enjoyed the Oxtail stew with Moro rice at La Casa Del Pollo. A mother sitting at an-appropriately distanced table was enjoying mofongo with pork and plaintains.
The meal was thick and heart warming, and now I was ready for an after-meal concoction. New Yorkers appeared to be getting on with their lives, despite the pandemic and economy. The delay of baseball season definitely made an impact amongst Yankee fans and those who made a living supporting them.
Down the street was lively Terravita which offered empanadas, tostones and the creamiest happy hour smoothies. Since I won’t be behind the wheel of my truck, but a passenger in the wrecker, a drink or two would do the trick to calm my nerves.
Then amongst the chatter and cheers, of da Bronx, I got a call. The wrecker would arrive soon.
I had two things to accomplish. Deliver the trailer to Fresh Direct. Then tow the bobtail to Truck King in Hunt’s Point, Bronx.
Then came the question of how long I would be stuck in New York City. Would this be a quick down and dirty, or would I be stuck in the shop for an extended repair? Everyone knows this is one of the most expensive cities in the world – not a place to break down in.
Thankfully, NYC had recently entered Phase 2 where battered sidewalks had morphed into outdoor cafes. Since I had just arrived in the blistering Bronx, I was hit with the irresistible aroma of curried goat stew smothered in cilantro . I followed the scent to a counter-service Dominican eatery that offered many meat dishes with a heap of rice and spices.
I enjoyed the Oxtail stew with Moro rice at La Casa Del Pollo. A mother sitting at an-appropriately distanced table was enjoying mofongo with pork and plaintains.
The meal was thick and heart warming, and now I was ready for an after-meal concoction. New Yorkers appeared to be getting on with their lives, despite the pandemic and economy. The delay of baseball season definitely made an impact amongst Yankee fans and those who made a living supporting them.
I’ve been towed before – in Charlotte by an unscrupulous tow truck driver who fleeced me out of $1,500. I had gone to the bathroom and when I came out – POOF – my truck was gone – vaporized into thin air.
I was towed 2 weeks ago by Smiley’s when I broke down in South Hill, VA because the TA screwed up my oil change. Smiley’s disconnected my drive shaft from my rear axle, and I thought it was a major undertaking. Just wait till you see what APOW did.
I was broken down on West 178th and Broadway, having been towed by the Port Authority from the GW Bridge.
I called Polifly Towing in Hackensack – Ross was extremely helpful and supportive. Because he was tied up, he referred the tow to another company in his network. APOW stands for American Power on Wheels and according to their website, “only the sky covers Westchester better.”
Today, my tow was even more extensive. APOW disconnected both axles from my double tandems. Broken down in a no parking zone on the side of a New York street with traffic zipping by, this was a huge undertaking – messy and time consuming.
Read about my breakdown on the GW Bridge
I had two things to accomplish. Deliver the trailer to Fresh Direct. Then tow the bobtail to Truck King in Hunt’s Point, Bronx.
First the wrecker driver had to remove the bolts to the axle. This leaked a lot of hub oil, which he captured with a rag and bucket. We cleaned up both axles and stored it in inside the truck.
I asked the driver whether I needed to replenish my hub oil – he informed me that there was already plenty of oil, so I would be fine.
After a long night, we finally made it to Truck King by 2:30am. Now the final part of installing the drive shafts – had to make sure we put the right one on each tandem.
I was happy with the price point especially since I got 2 tows for the price of one. Always carry cash – it’s handy and the driver realizes that cash is king.
So with my owner operator trucking career, I’ve experienced three strikes:
irst Strike: i pulled a heavy Amazon 3rd party load of books 60K lbs from Baltimore to Dallas (through I-81) steep hills. Amazon load are typically light, so I was surprised when I read the weight on the BOL.
Ran low on fuel in Tenn, so I got off the exit to find a gas station. Bad decision since the roads were steep and winding. I lost power going uphill and stalled several times – almost had to get towed. Once I got back on the freeway I had to do eight (8) Parked Regens during the remainder of my drive to Dallas – and that’s after not doing a single one in six months.
During the last 200 miles, my truck had progressed to Level IV without warning. My dash started to beep like someone was trying to break into my car or there was a mockingbird in my cab. Had to drive 350 miles from Dallas to Mobile constantly beeping. I got to become really intimate with my Bose headset with noise cancellation.
The International Dealership in Mobile tested my Emissions system and recommended I replace my DOC. Thankfully, they cleared the alarm and I decided to think it over – preferring to get any major work done closer to home. I then booked another Amazon load to Richmond. But when I found out it was too heavy, and I was concerned that my emissions would have issues again, I cancelled the load and Amazon suspended my account in retaliation. They eventually returned my account (after over a week of appeals but that was almost the last nail in my coffin).
Second Strike TA screwed up my oil change
I was sidelined for over a week because TA lost two bolts and didn’t tell me. They also improperly installed my drop pan gasket. http://18runner.com/the-oil-change/
An oil change is pretty routine and surprised they screwed it up. Also they first refused to help me leaving me stranded at a Walmart for a few days.
This was quite traumatic because I thought for sure my engine was toast.
Third Strike. After a surprising breakdown in the worst place in the world the break down – straddling two lanes on the GW Bridge, it takes International dealership in Bronx three weeks to fix my truck. Main cause: Air bubbles in my Fuel filter – this is pretty excessive considering the repair could have been done in less than a week. Meanwhile I had to stay in hotels and even spent money renting a car to drive home for a week unsure of when and if my truck would be fixed.
Because of the length of time I was down, this eats up my insurance which is costing me $1,600 a month.
Perhaps the good Lord is telling me something — The last 2 incidents (oil change and air in my fuel filters) were pretty routine and should have been repaired quickly – instead it dragged in the most worst time imaginable.
2020 has been a strange year. Maybe it’s time to hang it up.