I just moved out of my 2007 Peterbilt 387 into this beautiful blue W9 Kenworth. No matter how much I avoided thinking about it, my Peterbilt was always a fleet truck at its core and concept, so the difference is simply huge. Here are some early impressions of this new truck before they fade away! This thing is big. No more tight turns from inside lane, I’m gonna need two lanes now, and still gonna run over curbs and people’s feet if I don’t pay real good attention to my mirrors. This thing is heavy, too. No way to scale my typical 42k load anymore. She also loves burning diesel fuel, especially when pushed hard, because this poor emission-restricted 605-hp engine has a lot of work pushing this WW1 tank (the bill to keep her in the left lane is astronomical). By now you are probably wondering how stupid this move was… well, it wasn’t stupid at all – I LOVE IT!! I just like working hard instead of pretending, and I like turning every single day into a challenge, and every night into a straight-up cage fight to the point of misery. It keeps me humble. I hope it also keeps me on the same page with all the truckers from the past who had it rough. Some worked twice as hard as we ever will to provide for their families and never cried about it, they just got it done, never knowing today’s comforts. This is why large cars still exist today – they make you a better driver, and a better man through… struggle. I believe a lot of great truckers simply want to be one. So, wish me luck on my new dream of keeping this Old Spirit of the American Trucker alive!
