It's a Team's Life

Shut Down

Before midnight the truck comes to an unexpected stop which then requires the question “Why are we stopped?”   Accident ahead and the interstate is shut down and we are trapped.

All kinds of things run through our heads, as we know that when the interstate is shut down it is usually a fatality or a HazMat spill and tonight it could be both.   Rumor has it that a tanker has rolled which has caused the north side of the interstate to be closed.

This causes a lot of mixed emotions for the driver, the family, and the company, as the results are probably not going to be positive.   We are also thankful once again that we were not involved.  

This causes concern for us and for our company as the load we are hauling has an appointment time and we will be late.   We start fretting, as we know we are going to deliver late and we know we could very easily lose our pre dispatch, which pays nicely.    All of these thoughts do not make it easy to fall back asleep while waiting for the truck to start moving again while Bob continues to watch and wait.

While stuck along side of the road we are thankful we are in a truck with all of the comforts of home and not in a car.   We had to do a driver change while waiting and I had my usual morning routine, I made coffee, made my breakfast, brushed my teeth, and got dressed ready to go to work.   Bob got ready for bed, did a little reading, pulled the covers up and went to sleep.   We have our generator running with the air conditioning and we are both comfortable.  

Hopefully the road clears up soon and we can be on our way and the driver of the tanker is alive and well.

PS - the road did not clear up and was shut down for approximately 12 hours with us losing our pre-dispatch and having to deliver the load a day late.  What we found out was that the detour was opened about two miles behind us with the wreck being about three miles ahead of  us and while the cars where able to get around the trucks were not, those that were past the detour had to wait for the road to clear. 

 

Bob & Linda Caffee

Leased to: FedEx Custom Critical 


TeamCaffee


Saint Louis MO

Expediters 7 years been out here on the road 12 years

[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