We drove from Atlanta to Hagerstown, Maryland today. I’ll admit it – I was just a little terrified getting on I-85 today in Atlanta with the 22 ft. Penske truck. We ended up filling the whole truck; so there I was, a newbie “trucker” with all of our worldly possessions in the back. The first time two semis passed me on both sides, I about screamed. But…it got better. Soon I realized I could go faster than 55mph…faster than 65mph…but no faster than 70mph. It probably wouldn’t have been good to go faster than 70mph, but the truck really wouldn’t go any faster than that. I started to get into my groove with the truck, and after a few hours, felt pretty comfortable in it.
I should tell one story though. Around 1.30pm today I was starting to get hungry, and I was down to about half a tank. So I exited and looked for a gas station – I pulled into one but didn’t see a diesel pump, so I pulled out, and then I saw a diesel pump at another station, but it looked too crowded and I didn’t trust myself with the truck, and then I got nervous about pulling into the restaurant, so I turned around and got right back on the freeway. Still hungry and still half a tank of gas. I did try again and was successful a few exits later.
While I was enjoying my Penske truck, I did feel sorry for all those U-Haul renters on the road, with their old-looking, U-Haul trucks that would probably break down somewhere. As we started talking more about which company we decided to go with, it seemed like “everyone” had a story about a U-Haul truck breaking down. Our truck only had 36,000 miles on it and it was a really smooth ride. It’s also diesel, so instead of getting the 4-5mpg that a gas truck would get, I think I was getting closer to 8-9mpg. Anyway, just wanted to say that I officially love Penske trucks; not to mention it was HALF the price of what U-Haul quoted us. So, if you’re moving soon – go Penske all the way.
