It's a Team's Life
It's that time of year...
This is the time of year when I must think into the future and when do we plan on getting back to our house. What kind of weather will find? It is entirely possible that in the morning we can be in snow and in the afternoon have our shorts on and be hot. The fun part of this weather change is how much clothing we have to carry in the truck and make room for all of this extra clothing.
What I do look forward to this time of the year is the soups, stews, and fall foods. I really enjoy squash and they hold up well in the truck. The squash is also easy to cook in the microwave and can be fixed a million ways. Much of the squash can be served in the shell and I find that is very convenient. For ideas about cooking in the truck here is a link to the cooking blogs. http://www.teamrunsmart.com/cooking
Going into winter there is a lot to think about getting the truck prepared as well carrying winter and emergency supplies. Something that those of us that stay out for extended periods of time have to think about is the holidays. Often we are not home early enough to send out gifts, shop for gifts, or wrap gifts and this can take some coordination. The last thing I want to do is get home a couple days before Christmas and go shopping...
We have found that it is easier to skip going home for Thanksgiving and then spend a little bit more time home at Christmas and a little time after the first of the year, as the freight is typically slow.
Winter requires patience and a lot more cleanup. When it is nasty outside it is tracked to the inside of the truck. The truck is washed more often and I spend a lot more time keeping the floors clean. We try to take our shoes off as we get into the truck so the grime does not go into the sleeper. We chose to put wood floors in the sleeper for ease of cleaning. We also did not get cloth seats so that we could clean them easier.
We also added tire chains for our shoes that we keep in the door pocket so that if it is icy we can easily slip them on. During the winter when the parking lots are icy and we slip around I am quickly reminded that we need to stay healthy with no broken bones. Our income would drop drastically if both of us could not drive our truck.
Something else I like to add is holiday decorations that will be stored until they are ready to be put on display. Nothing to elaborate for decorations as they have to be able to be stored and during the winter storage is at a premium. I enjoy putting up decorations and when at home I would start putting up decorations as soon as I could and they were elaborate. In the truck I have found that less is more and if I put out to many decorations the truck looks cluttered.
This is what I put out for Halloween and the Mickey Pumpkin has seen each October from a Windshield for the past sixteen years.
Bob & Linda Caffee
TeamCaffee
Saint Louis MO
Expediters since January 2005
[email protected]
Expediting isn't just trucking, it's a lifestyle;
Expediting isn't just a lifestyle, it's an adventure;
Expediting isn't just an adventure, it's a job;
Expediting isn't just a job, it's a business.