Think back to the first home you bought. Ours was not ideal – perhaps you can relate? The house had been updated, but was quite small. The main reason it was affordable was (you guessed it): location, location, location. Specifically, our little cracker-box was perched above the I5 freeway in North Seattle. Eight lanes of traffic day and night, just on the other side of our backyard fence. We used to refer to the noise as “the sound of the ocean”.
Our little bungalow did serve its purpose. Twelve months after moving in, our daughter was born, and three years after that, we added a son. Ours was a happy home, and freeway noise was our constant companion.
Having made my career in the truck industry, it was natural while out and about to make a game out of identifying different truck models or maybe even components our company had supplied. But one lesson eluded me … I was never able to explain to my young family the intricacies of the heavy duty compression brake. The distinctive rumble that frequently shook our house may have lacked a technical explanation, but it did have a name: “Truck Farts”.
In 1997 we moved to Bellevue and left the freeway behind, but the memories, and nomenclature, lingered on. So when I thought about a name for a trucking-related blog, “Truck Farts” was the obvious choice. I hope to make a little noise without creating any noxious emissions. The material will be largely related to Class 8 Trucks and the unique aspects of the commercial vehicle industry here in the Pacific Northwest. Expect me to throw in some personal viewpoints and stories along the way. I look forward to getting your feedback on my musings!
Oh, and here’s the disclaimer. I appreciate the caveat used by John Grisham in his books. He dislikes research, and doesn’t pretend to be precise with his facts. It’s an unusual attitude for a former attorney, but I can respect his approach. Me, I’m half-German and half-Mechanical Engineer, so I do like my details to be in order, but - in the case of this blog – not every detail will be the product of doctoral research. I fully accept, in advance, responsibility for the errors in content and presentation. I hope you don’t find them odorous. :-)
