While it seems the trucking industry is getting hit as hard as any other with the current economic down turn, I’m happy to say it seems I am in the right part of the industry for a change. That in itself amazes me as I have a habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I was just reading in another blog, http://truckingblog.blogspot.com/, that the writer believes the trucking industry just may be recession proof.  I don’t personally believe that, but it’s obvious that one facet of the trucking industry is more recession proof than most.

CNN is announcing large reductions in freight and the cutbacks that many trucking firms are making however, for once it seems my current employment in the reefer business is a good place to be. Food hauling should remain strong.  Let’s face it, folks still have to eat. I know some folks are laying off the most expensive cuts of meat in favor of Kraft Dinner but the main product I haul, potatoes, is a staple commodity and seems in more demand than ever.

So folks keep buying those french fries, potato salad, baked potatoes, and mashed. My bank manager and truck financier are as grateful as I am.

n trying to decide what to write about next in my Grumpy Old Trucker Blog, I’ve been perusing other blogs searching for ideas.

There is certainly no shortage of things to blog about these days. Between the war on terror, politics, the slumping economy and thousands of other things on people’s minds, the real question is, what, out of all those topics, would actually grab folks attention or interest long enough to cause them to actually read what I have to say?

Just this morning I read a blog post by a pastor, describing a dream he had and asking his readers what they thought it meant. Well I read it, so I’m assuming at least a few others did too.

The dream had very little to do with anything. It was just a loosely connected series of events, seeming to lead nowhere and mean nothing to the man who dreamed it.

That is kind of what life has become for many people in the world today. Things are happening around them at a rapid pace. A few things relate to their lives in some way and seem to hold meaning for them, but many things are just happening way beyond our control or even our understanding.

For those in the middle of the violence in Gaza, Iraq, Africa or Afghanistan of course, events are very real and frightening. To those of us fortunate enough to live in less strife torn areas, it is like a bad dream at the edge of our consciousness.

For those who have seen their retirement savings diminish overnight due to the harsh economic conditions, the worry is very real. For those with no savings and no retirement plan, they just continue to struggle to pay bills and keep a roof over their heads.

We may have feelings of despair, outrage, or fear when we read, hear or view the news reports but then we carry on with our lives, and for the most part these feelings fade much like the memory of the dream we had last night.

I, of course, don’t have the answers. However, I can say this much. All these things will resolve themselves. They’ll either get better or they’ll get worse. They always have and they always will.

The important thing is that we human beings try to be there for one another. A simple thing like a smile or a kind word can make all the difference in someone elses life. If we are lucky enough to be in a position where we can do more, we should. But each and every one of us should do what we can to encourage others through the hard times. Besides, focussing on someone else besides ourselves can’t be a bad thing, can it?

Many of my readers found my story about Nash Produce of some interest.  Some posed the question, “How do you get them back out of the trailer.

When delivering to most large food processors around the country they usually have a large ramp onto which one backs the trailer then disconnects and pulls the tractor ahead out of the way.  Then the ramp is tilted up with huge hydraulic rams, gradually dumping the contents out into a big hopper from where a conveyor belt whisks them into the plant.

In the case of this load of sweet potatoes, however, things were a little different.  Also the delivery was a pretty good example of how a truckers day usually goes.

Since I picked up the load in North Carolina on a Friday, normal driving time would put me at the delivery point in Ontario the next day.  Such was not to be however, as this customer was closed on the weekend and I had to cool my heels until Monday morning.  I was on their doorstep dark and early but that too did me no good.

It was almost noon by the time I was able to back the trailer into a dock and they proceeded to unload the potatoes one bucket full at a time with a skid steer loader.  This took over an hour and of course made quite a mess in the trailer which then required a wash out. They were quite cooperative in this matter, and directed me to another dock for the wash out.

Long story short, it was around 3:00 in the afternoon before I was finally able to leave that location.  They were not rude nor necessarily unfriendly but just like most customers I see every day, not too concerned about the hours of time I had to spend there without income.  I only get paid when the wheels are turning.

Anyway it wasn’t till about 6 AM the following day when I finally got a reload and headed back toward the east coast.  Keep in mind for the past week I was suffering with a toothache and needed to get home for a dentist appointment on Wednesday afternoon.  I could add more details of unpleasantness but then that would really make me look like a Grumpy Old Trucker.

Being the Grumpy Old Trucker that I am, I would find it very easy to write articles about the problematic shippers and receivers I encounter occasionally. However, that would only serve to fuel my Grumpiness and the problem spots would then by default, come out the winner.

Instead, I am choosing to highlight from time to time, businesses, which in my estimation deserve praise for positive and professional attributes. I was lucky enough to encounter one such business this week when I was sent to Nashville, NC to pick up a load.

Well, I didn’t exactly see Nashville, because Nash Produce is just a little over a mile off of I-95 and  the town of Nashville is 6 miles past that, but one couldn’t find a quieter or more peaceful spot.

Nash Produce has extensive warehouses and shipping facilities, specializing in potatoes and cucumbers.

From my arrival at the little office building you see here, and upon meeting Mr. Dickie Bass, Manager of Freight and Logistics according to his card, I was treated with cordiality and respect which is a rare thing to encounter these days.

First of all my trailer wasn’t the cleanest, having just delivered a bulk load of PEI potatoes the night before, and not having found a place to do a washout. Some shippers would have found this to be a good cause to give me a hard time, but not Mr. Bass. He merely pointed out the place where I was to back the trailer near the warehouse, close to the water hose.

There was some concern that the hose might be frozen as the temperature had taken a dip during the night, but that soon proved not to be a problem and Mr. Bass proceeded to wash out the trailer himself with a little assistance from me to haul the hose and turn the water on and off.

Prior to the washout Mr. Bass had recorded the empty weight of my rig as I drove across the truck scale, so now that the trailer was clean I proceeded to back up to the bulk loader which is a long conveyor apparatus which extends right inside the trailer.

The fork lift operator dumped the sweet potatoes, two bins at a time into the hopper of the bulk loader.

A short conveyor belt brought the sweet potatoes up from the large hopper into a smaller one at the back of the trailer.

From there the long extended conveyor carried the potatoes to the front of the trailer. As the pile grew high enough, the extended part of the conveyor was gradually drawn back to allow even distribution. At one point I needed to pull the truck ahead half it’s length to allow the back half of the trailer to be filed.

And that’s what a little over 20 tons (18 tonnes) of sweet potatoes looks like on the floor of the trailer.

Then it was time to weigh the truck again loaded, so as to calculate the net weight of the potatoes, have the paperwork printed out so I could sign it, and have the Canada Customs paperwork faxed to the border, all very capably handled by Mr. Bass.

All in all a very pleasant experience, and one which I hope to repeat again some day. See, I’m not always Grumpy.

Hi I’m Marilyn and I am the wife of the Grumpy Old Trucker – strange that he’d choose this name for his blog, as he is truly a sweetheart, the love of my life…

Being a truckers wife hasn’t always been easy. Raising three sons with Dad only home now and then. But somehow we managed, simply because Bill and I have a very good relationship, which is vital when your husband is a trucker.

In the early years the only communication we had, was the 9pm phone calls. He, usually standing at a pay phone, often freezing his butt off, or hanging onto the booth during high winds, or huddling by the phone during a rain storm….Then we advanced to the cell phone, and what an improvement that was. Nowadays we use email when data service is available, sharing with each other whats going on in our daily lives…

I was blessed from 1995-1997 to be a part of his life on the road, 24/7, and really had my eyes opened to what life on the road is really like. For example: – the demands put on the trucker to meet pick-up and delivery deadlines. Often being only a short distance from home, but headed in the opposite direction because the load just had to go.

Winter driving conditions was another adjustment I had to learn to deal with, something I never thought much about while in the comforts of our home. Then there were mechanical breakdowns and flat tires. Long waits on the shoulder of the road for roadside assistance, sometimes being towed to the nearest shop for repairs. The city traffic was also a nightmare experience for me, especially going through Hartford, Connecticut. To this day I cringe just thinking of it. Cars zipping in front of us, changing lanes without warning, pulling in front of us and oh so close to wearing our bumper. Of course going through Montreal or any other city was no better.

It didn’t take me long to realize that a truckers day on the road can be tough at times. It’s not simply sitting behind the wheel driving and seeing the countryside. I have much more understanding, support and respect for all the truckers out there. I would still be on the road with the Grumpy Old Trucker if it weren’t for my medical problems. To this day we share a lot of wonderful memories, have met many nice folks on our travels, and were able to have quality time together, which I shall always treasure.

In closing I would like to share with you a few other things I learned from being a trucker‘s spouse…

1) It’s impossible to make plans, so when my trucker is home we make the best of the time we have together.

2) Most truckers will be away from home and family for extended periods of time. My advice…. accept it…be there for them, as he/she too wants just as badly to be home with you. The need for miles which equals a pay check often comes first.

3) Many truckers don’t get three decent meals a day on the road, as they would if they were home. Appointment times or poor driving conditions for example, interfere with meal plans, so grabbing fast foods and eating while driving , often becomes a necessity…

4)The trucker experiences a lot of wear and tear on the old body…. irregular meal hours, lack of regular set hours for sleeping, driving even at times when fighting the flu for example feeling miserable, but has to get the load delivered on time…whereas if he/she was home they would be getting lots of liquids, rest, and TLC…

All of the above can be very stressful for the trucker on long -haul, which can sometimes result in them being depressed or totally burned out. If away from family for weeks on end, they too experience loneliness just like the spouse left at home.

Do you have questions you’ve always wanted to ask that trucker up there in the big rig? Well, here’s your chance to get the answers you’ve been wondering about. I’m sure my grumpy old trucker would gladly share what he knows…Have a great day !