[AZKen]

Ed, check this out:
I went cheapo on a truck ship. Didn't use my regular guy. Found a guy on craigslist in Grass Valley, Ca. Had a diesel truck and a trailer. Bringing it to Phoenix for me. Had a nice looking truck & trailer and had him send me a pix if his drivers license. Everything good.

Calls me and says he can't make it up a hill near, I think, Bakersfield, Ca., overheating or whatever.... turned around, went back down the hill and says he needs to drop it off at a mall parking lot and go home. Think about that for a moment! I know no one there, I can't do anything. I said I'll get back to you, give me some time. Got off the phone, shaking, hardly could tell my wife what just happened. I couldn't think straight. I can't get mad at him or he will go home. This was a worse panic than when I got lost hunting Deer on the North rim of the Grand Canyon (Kiabab). On HORSEBACK no less! Deep snow.

Anyway........

So I called my shipper guy, who said call his shipper buddy in Fresno. The guy who answered was an angel from heaven. He said he has a worker who lives in Bakersfield and tell the guy to take it to his house and off load on the street and the worker will move it into his yard when he gets home. Then they will take it to Fresno for ship to Phoenix. Called the creep back and he did that. Eventually got it here using my new and old shipper friends.

The fellow kept emailing me that he lost money. I had not paid him anything. I asked him if he knew what stress he put me in. Told him I had to pay more to TWO OTHER shippers involved. He said he was trying to just recoupe and had two kids and so on. My conscience got to me and I mailed him $200.
The bed of the truck had almost fallen off when he went up the hill and he did strap it down after the CHP pulled him over. No one knew the bed was not bolted. I now realize I should not have told this story because I'm shaking again and this was 4 years ago.