Freightliners and Other Damaged Entities

Florence, South Carolina. I'm at a Freightliner shop. Anyone who knows the word “Freightliner” knows that this isn't good. Basically, my truck is trying to reject a part of its engine. Must have been a donor mis-match or something. I wish I could explain what's wrong, but I faced my full grasp of the subject when talking to Epes Breakdown.

I told them, “It's the flywheel thingie with the biggest belt closest to the engine.”

That made no sense to Breakdown. “Does it have two wires sticking into the top of it?”

“Nope,” I said.

“Is it your compressor?”

“Depends. What does my compressor look like?”

“I had two wires sticking into the top it. It looks like a compressor.”

“Okay, so how would you describe a compressor to someone who doesn't know what the compressor on a Mercedes-Benz truck engine looks like?”

“Um ...”

“Does it help that it's leaking what I assume is anti-freeze?”

“Not really.”

---

Well, since that last bit I've been pulled into the shop and told that it's my water pump. Actually, now that I think of it, I told Breakdown that if this was a car it'd be the water pump. He was determined it was going to be the compressor. Hey! I'm smarter than I thought!

Well, it doesn't look good. The mechanic said it would take the latter part of the day and maybe into tomorrow. I'm supposed to call my dispatcher by 16:00 to arrange a hotel room, if necessary.

I would complain, but it's been a long time since I've broken down. And if I go to a hotel room, I'll sleep in a bed tonight and will, hopefully, be able to get onto the Internet. It means this week is shot, but that's the way of things. At least I was able to get to a shop and didn't have to be towed.

Wish I had wound up at a better Freightliner dealership, though. This one is underwhelming. Oh, well. On the upside, they have some really interesting crime fiction books laying around. How about Is Over The Road Trucking for You? Anyone?