Big Truck

My minivan is in the shop…again.  It has been having the same “stuttering” problem it had last year.  On occasion, it surges forward in a kind of jerking motion that I mostly feel in the engine but sometimes it is strong enough that the whole van will jerk.  It’s a little disconcerting to drive it when it does this.  As I said, this happens on occasion but the occasions have become more and more frequent.  The same thing happened last year and my mechanic replaced a sensor and fixed the problem.  So, my thought is that the sensor was bad and needs to be replaced again.  Since it is under warranty, this shouldn’t cost me anything but I knew that it would inconvenient me since I would have to rent a car so I could leave my van at the garage.

Yesterday morning, as I was driving to work, my ABS light came on and the brakes became mushy. I called my mechanic, explained the problem and he said it might be the brake line. I also mentioned the stuttering problem and he confirmed that it was under warranty and would look at it when he was fixing the brake problem.  I said I would drop it off Wednesday night, called Enterprise to rent a car and then told my boss I would have to leave a little early to take care of all of this.  This is where the big truck comes in.

My boss insisted that I drive his big truck.  It is a 2009 Toyota Tundra.  He doesn’t have room for it in his driveway so it stays in the parking lot here at work.  He usually only drives it when he has to haul something but otherwise he just drives his SUV.  So the truck just sits in parking lot.  I told him that I would be uncomfortable driving it since it is so big and intimidating but the thought going through my head was if I damage the boss’ practically new truck it could lead to my getting fired. He insisted and his wife insisted (she was in the office) and she suggested that I drive it around the parking lot to see if I could handle it.  Looking at the two of them I realized that arguing would be rude and inconsiderate so I agreed to test it out.

I climbed up in the truck, started it and slowly drove it around the parking lot.  I tried backing up and turning and then parked it back in it’s spot.  When I went back in the building, I told my boss that I would accept his gracious offer and drive the big truck and thanked him for being so generous.  I called Enterprise and cancelled the car rental and called AAA to have my van towed to the mechanics.  And now I am driving a big Toyota Tundra.

Now that I am used to it, it is fun to drive.  I’m sitting way up, which I like (one of the reasons I like my minivan) and it handles beautifully.  It also has all kinds of neat gadgets like a map that shows where you are which is handy if an intersection is approaching around a curve and I need to start slowing down. It has a nice stereo and a camera in the back, which helps in backing up.  There are also sensors on both bumpers, which also helps in maneuvering it into parking spots.  I don’t know if I would ever want to own one because it doesn’t get that great of mileage but it is fun to drive on a temporary basis.

Of course my boss now teases me that I am a trucker.  But he can tease me all he wants since he is loaning me his big truck.  I just have to be careful not to damage it.  Drive very slowly and carefully…that is the goal.  Otherwise…yikes…hate to think of THAT conversation…