Hello once again, everyone and thank you all for tuning in to another episode of Kevin in a Big Rig. I know many of you are wearing out the edges of your seats and the refresh buttons of both Reddit and YouTube waiting for this installment and I am bringing these stories to you as quickly as my schedule will allow while maintaining the quality you deserve.
As always, if you haven’t already, please check out YouTube channel Karma Comment Chameleon. I know my cliffhangers have been torturing poor Rob for a while and I’m sure a Like and Subscribe from you will help his suffering. He puts out quality Reddit-based content everyday and never fails to disappoint. Having my stories posted to his channel is truly an honor.
And for those of you who have a love/hate relationship with the cliffhangers, I refer you to a quote by the late Bobby Womack: ‘’Leave them wanting more, and they’ll always call you back.” It worked for him and it worked for Scheherazade.
And now, you can call off the angry mobs and reseal the Pit of Eternal Kevins. I present to you Kevin in a Big Rig Part 8: Brake Check.
Backstory: This story takes place immediately after the events in Part 7: Flashpoint. After making me dodge a bullet from Safety after FK’s petty little phone call, he decided to continue along Interstate 90 eastbound through Montana. The winter storm that had forced us to shut down had slowed and moved south during the night; leaving us running along the its northern edge. We hadn’t seen the last of it.
After sending the email that I hoped would seal FKs fate, I tried to get some sleep. It wasn’t easy; going over the possible scenarios and contingencies to which launching such an unexpected attack would lead. I didn’t expect a quick resolution or that I would be taken seriously at first. That was fine: if I, a lowly truck driver, wasn’t enough to get a trucking company to stick to their “Safety First” policy, then I had some bigger guns play with. I need only to bide my time, give them a fair chance, but give no quarter should they try to hide from their responsibility. If management had any sense, they would play ball and get this moron off the highway.
I woke up again around mid afternoon. FK was still driving but, knowing he would be out of time soon, I decide to get up and see what new mess FK had gotten us into. I pull on my boots and, expecting nothing, I check my phone. To my mild surprise, there’s an unread email from my Fleet Manager.
“Ok,” it
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Hello, everyone and welcome back to another edition of Kevin in a Big Rig. If you haven’t already, please check out all previous posts in this series before continuing; particularly parts 2-7 in order to get up to speed on the story so far. So many of you have been BEGGING for the conclusion of the First Kevin (FK) saga and have been anxiously watching Reddit and YouTube waiting for the Grand Finale. I know it seems like I have been intentionally tormenting you with cliffhangers, but I can assure that I am simply trying to balance narrative content and maintaining a manageable length. Finishing with cliffhangers allows me to provide a quality story without tying up hours of your time. But, this time, there will be no cliffhanger. That being said, I suggest you start reading with a full coffee cup and an empty bladder because this is gonna be a long one.
And so, to put an end to the suffering, lets get into Kevin in a Big Rig Part 9: Nuclear Winter.
Backstory: this installment begins immediately after the events in Part 8.
It wasn’t long after leaving that truck stop in Wisconsin that I began regretting my decision to push on. It seemed as if the storm had been watching us since we left Lewiston and decided to lay a trap for us once we crossed back into Minnesota on that remote two-lane highway. Every moment that passed brought heavier snowfall, falling temperatures and winds that threatened to push the truck into the ditch and leave us stranded. Even as the sun went down and the sky turned to pitch black, there was no sign that the storm was inclined to show mercy. On the contrary, it seemed dead set on punishing me for the Hell I had unleashed upon the company a few days before. Karma can be a bitch like that.
I’ve learned that, during times of life-threatening conditions beyond the control of mortal humans, people have one of two reactions. Many, unable to cope with having their fate in hands other than their own, become overwhelmed with anxiety and give in to irrational panic. Those who are unwilling to simply resign themselves to whatever fate may have in store will stop at nothing until they find a way to cheat fate long enough to make an escape. That night, I knew that giving in to fear would mean more than likely end in our deaths: at the very least, we would be stranded in the middle of nowhere until someone dug us out of several feet of snow. Maintaining control; of both myself and the truck, was non-negotiable if I wanted to se
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I found my old peavy bandit and on the back it has a diagram of the circuitry and underneath it says that “Circuitry Patent Pending” all others I have seen say “Built Under U.S Patent Number 4.405.832 or something like that so I was wondering if this is like rare or a early model?
I mean, come on. It's about a boy who isn't a ninja learning what it means to be a ninja. It's about body snatching. It's about trying to avoid the fate of being consumed. The similarities. The parallels.
https://preview.redd.it/mhhyfqtj9fz61.jpg?width=300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b026820971a00e2fbcda973442fb4feff4aaf269
Hello again, everyone, and welcome to another episode of Kevin in a Big Rig! As always, a big thank you to everyone who has followed this series this far; either on Reddit or through the YouTube channel Karma Comment Chameleon, have been so generous with your support, encouragement and kindness. I know I say this a lot, however, it never feels like it’s enough.
Also, another big shout out to Karma Comment Chameleon and the effort Rob dedicates to bringing these stories to a wider audience. The fact that someone would deem these stories worthy of such effort is gratifying beyond what words can express.
And so, what so many of you have been waiting for, lets get into Kevin in a Big Rig Part 7: Flashpoint
Backstory: these events take place over the span of a couple of days immediately following the events in Part 6: Breakdown. The three-day breakdown had forced dispatch to call in another truck to rescue the load. I had figured as much since the load was considered high-priority and, with an even more serious winter storm than what we faced in Nebraska bearing down on us, dispatch wanted to get the load to its destination as soon as possible. That left myself, FK, a repaired truck, an empty trailer and precious little time before we become stranded again by Old Man Winter.
Almost as soon as we get the truck out of the shop from FK’s fiasco on Snoqualmie, dispatch sends us a load. It was to pick up in Lewiston, Idaho that same evening and deliver in Chicago. I was relieved as this put us heading away from the storm and, with luck, would keep us ahead of it. When I plotted the route, however, I was abruptly reminded that while the Patron Saint of Truckers might protect those who call upon him, he also has a very morbid sense of humor.
Lewiston is a mountain town along the Washington-Idaho border. From where we began, it would take the better part of a day travelling through remote areas with little chance of assistance if something were to happen. And because I hadn’t suffered enough, the only way in to Lewiston was south along US-95 and DOWN another steep mountain grade. That was worse than Snoqualmie. How bad? Well, if Snoqualmie was a Black Diamond ski slope, Lewiston would be a triple-Black Diamond, skull-and-crossbones level and require a signed waiver of liability and clearance from a psychiatrist. And, just for kicks, FK would be driving us there. Upon realizing this, I texted my mom, told her I loved her and that I was probably goi
... keep reading on reddit ➡Big rig trucks cane never make it to the finals, they can only make it to the semi-finals.
Hello again, everyone and welcome to another episode of Kevin in a Big Rig! The popularity of this series has grown by leaps and bounds over the last week and a half and all I can say is…WOW!! I can scarcely believe the amount of support and encouragement I’ve received from all of you and I can’t begin to tell what it means to me. The only downside I’ve encountered is that I have to take extra care so that these stories don’t completely suck!
I’d like to give a big shout-out to the viewers and subscribers of YouTube channel Karma Comment Chameleon. I read all comments on both Reddit and YouTube and your kind words of support are all the inspiration I need to continue this series.
And with that, lets get on with Kevin in a Big Rig Part 6: Breakdown.
Backstory: this story takes place about a week after the events of Part 5. FK and I made our delivery in Salt Lake City without incident and took another load north to Seattle, WA. We had picked up another load that was bound for the East Coast when yet another disaster struck.
I had made the initial pick-up in Renton, WA and headed east on Interstate 90. Since I had driven half the night before the pick-up and into mid-morning, my drive time for the day expired around Tanner, WA and FK and I switched out. Ahead of us lay , barren and mountainous terrain and nearly 3,000 miles of highway across the northern states of the lower 48. Combine that with the ever-threatening winter storms, FK’s horrible driving skills and a dwindling supply of tolerance on my part, I was beginning to wonder if FK would kill us both before I could get rid of him.
At the end of my drive shifts each day, I had been religiously copying the information from the notes I had taken into an email on my phone. I addressed it to my Fleet Manager and the company Safety Director. Using my most professional and courteous language, I outlined everything I had witnessed over the past two and a half months. I had reached the point where I didn’t want revenge or compensation; or even demand he be fired. I just wanted to get away from him. But, in order to do that, I needed a valid reason so management would be convinced. One reason? How about a hundred?
FK took over and proceeded east along Interstate 90 towards Idaho. As was my habit by this point, I rode shotgun upon first leaving out at first. I’m still in the jump seat when we reach Snoqualmie Pass.
In my opinion, there are three critical skills that all drivers must lea
... keep reading on reddit ➡Welcome back, everyone to another installment of the Kevin in a Big Rig Series. I apologize for the delay as I know many of you have been anxiously awaiting Part 5. However, the day after Part 4 posted and I sat down to make this update, I learned from another Reddit user that YouTube creator Karma Comment Chameleon had picked up my stories for a series of videos on his channel. Upon, hearing this, I was completely taken aback as I never imagined this series would be worth a such effort. That being said, it took a little time to process. If you haven’t seen his video, I’ll include a link to the video below where he covers Parts 1-3. I know how much work and time goes into making a video for YouTube and I feel the least I can do to repay the favor is to get the word out there.
So, without further ado, lets get into Part 5: Shutdown.
Backstory: this story takes place only a few days after the events in Part 4. FK and I were heading towards Salt Lake City, but the winter weather that had been slowly ramping up for the past month was only getting worse. We had been fortunate up to this point that the snow and ice hadn’t caused any delays, but luck was about to run out.
This story begins one night in North Platte, Nebraska on Interstate 80. FK, having driven the day shift, had parked the truck and we changed places. Believe it or not (I sure as Hell didn’t) FK had actually learned from me and decided to not only stop at in a safe place, but at our designated fuel stop. That meant we could get food, fuel and do a truck inspection. This was one of the few times FK made a rational decision.
While FK went into the truck stop, I refueled and inspected the truck. After making sure the truck was in good shape, I take a look at the weather. A massive winter storm had been building up and all predictions put it and us on a collision course. The company safety department had sent several weather alerts and issued a few restrictions. My personal rule is that shutting down early is more preferable to shutting down too late. I discovered that Wyoming, the next state we were to cross into, was taking a serious pounding from the storm and several accidents were already being reported. Thank God it was my shift this time or FK would have wadded the truck, and us, into a tight little ball in a ditch.
I knew we wouldn’t make much progress, but since the roads were still dry and the snow wasn’
... keep reading on reddit ➡Hey, everyone! Thanks again to everyone for the upvotes, support and encouragement you have shown me with the first two installments of the Kevin in a Big Rig series. When I first decided to share these stories here on Reddit, I never would have imagined that an old trucker’s tales would be so well received. So many of you have left comments asking for more of these stories and I am not one who likes to disappoint. On that note, on to Part 3: Frozen.
Backstory: The following takes place about a month after First Kevin (FK) and I were first paired up. If you’ve read Part 2 of this series, then you have some idea of the kinds of Kevin-esque things FK was capable of; and you’d probably be right. But what he did this time resulted in what the absolute worst nights sleep of my entire life; and the closest I ever came to committing legitimate murder.
By this point, I already had FK pegged for what he was; an incompetent buffoon who shouldn’t be allowed near a soap box car; let alone an 18-wheeler. But worse, in his obviously demented mind, he thought he was the absolute top-dog of the trucking world. This is in spite of the dozens of times he would have to wake ME up and get him out of another bad situation. However, at the time, I was more of the “Grin and Bear It” mentality because I was broke and afraid that any screw-ups or boat-rocking on my part would get me fired. But that was about to change…
One day, after picking up a load close to the company’s home terminal, we received instructions from dispatch to relay the load in the company’s drop-yard and take the truck sans trailer to a local dealer in town for scheduled maintenance. This was essentially a gloried oil change and lube job with a few other items on the checklist just to make sure the truck was in good shape. This was normally handled by the in-house mechanics, but because of some serious backlogs, they decided to contract it out.
The plan, as relayed by dispatch, was for us to drop the loaded trailer in the yard, bobtail to the dealership for a late-morning appointment, get the service done (it would take 2 hours maximum), pick the back up when finished and continue on to the destination. Easy in, easy out. Unfortunately, FK was the driver on duty during the shift in which we were SUPPOSED to arrive. But, in typical FK fashion, he got lost because his infamous system of navigation failed again. As a result, he wasted half a day back-tracking and ran out of drive-time; leavi
... keep reading on reddit ➡Hello, everyone and welcome back to yet another installment of the series Kevin in a Big Rig. Once again, I’d like to thank everyone who has read my previous episodes and shown more interest and support than I could have ever hoped for. I know a lot of you have been asking questions about how First Kevin (FK) got away with his stupidity and why I didn’t do anything about it. I apologize for not answering many of you outright, but I can promise that I fully intend to answer all of your questions in upcoming posts. I can assure you that it will all be worth it. Now, without further ado, on to Part 4: First Kevin Gets Lost, OP Gets and Idea!
Backstory: this story takes place a few weeks after the truck heater SNAFU. While I would like to say that FK learned from his mistakes and tried to do better, it would be more accurate to say that he merely doubled-down on his brain-dead antics. In the interim, his driving skills plateaued at N00b level, his navigation ability was at “Potato” and his superiority complex had gone from annoying to insufferable. Despite everything, I was still very much a rookie driver, a peon in a very big company and, most importantly, more broke than MC Hammer. I was afraid that doing anything to rock the boat with management would lead to me being fired, in further debt and my truck driving career at an end.
To add some perspective to my situation during this, I should mention more about the contract I had in place with the company at the time. In exchange for free training, I had agreed to work for the company for eight months. If I quit or was terminated for any reason before that contract was fulfilled, I would be liable for over $6,000 in tuition fees. Furthermore, since the company owned the training facility at which I trained, they could refuse to release my CDL school records to any prospective employers unless they bought the contract. Since most reputable employers required proof of completion of a CDL school and were unwilling to make such an investment in a relatively inexperienced driver, I was stuck and pretty much at their mercy. This is the dark truth that many super-carriers such as Swift, Werner and CRST will not tell you when they promise you a “rewarding career” and “free training”. In short, I was pretty much powerless. But that was about to change and, in some strange way, I have FK to thank for that.
The morning on which this story takes place started out like pretty much every other day for th
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