Slight Detour – June 2023
Life on the road is full of little surprises. While many of the days can begin to feel monotonous, every now and then something comes along that throws a wrench in your plans. Whether it’s interesting cargo or an unexpected delivery, some things can just catch you off guard.
In this edition of Slight Detour, we take a look at a few of those surprises from the road.
Special delivery
Truckers usually like an early arrival, but that wasn’t the case for driver Michelle Lewis.
Late last year, Lewis, a long-haul trucker from Orlando, Fla., was passing through Memphis, Tenn., on her way to deliver a load in Indiana. What began as a quick stop for groceries quickly turned into a medical emergency.
Lewis said that after making her purchase she returned to her truck. It was then that she said she felt “water” and realized what had happened. Just 27 weeks into her pregnancy, she was going into labor.
An ambulance rushed Lewis to a nearby hospital, where she delivered a 1-pound, 11-ounce baby girl. Due to complications from her premature birth, baby Ruby would spend the next five months in the neonatal intensive care unit. To make matters worse, she was unable to travel in her condition, so Lewis had to return home to Florida while her daughter recovered.
The story does have a happy ending. Recently, the healthy baby girl was released from the hospital and is now at home with Lewis. That certainly redefines “cross-country delivery.”
Spread the love
There isn’t much that doesn’t move across the country via trucks. Apparently, rodents are no exception.
A recent video shot by an Ottawa resident is evidence of this. In the video, the individual is seen following a truck that had been picking up garbage at an apartment building. As the truck drives out of the apartments and onto the street, more than a dozen rats can be seen jumping from the moving vehicle – one by one – and scurrying to safety.
According to the person who shot the video, one of the truck’s occupants told him to follow behind as they left and watch what happens. CBC News in Canada spoke to a resident of the apartments, who wasn’t surprised to hear of the rat problem.
“They always just stay near the dumpster. We see them under our car, and they attack the birds a lot,” they said. “Especially at nighttime, because you walk to your car and then you hear them (scurrying). It’s actually kind of creepy.”
Gross. While the property owners claim they’re working to address the issue, it may be time to move to “RATCON 1.” I’m no exterminator, but it certainly sounds like the apartments – or at the very least the parking lot – is the rats’ turf now.
It’s an issue they need to address, Bobby Corrigan, an urban rodentologist (I guess that’s a thing), told CBC News that incidents like this could lead to bigger issues.
“We’ve all heard of Johnny Appleseed. That’s like Johnny Ratseed. They’re spreading rats all along the route, wherever that truck goes, and it’s not acceptable,” he said.
Now that I have that mental image, I’d like to ask Johnny Ratseed to kindly stay north of the border. Thanks.
Who is Brian Henegar?
It’s always nice to get acknowledged for your contributions. Unfortunately, for truck drivers, that kind of appreciation can be few and far between.
That’s why, when presented the chance on a national stage to salute the heroes of the highway, Brian Henegar didn’t pass.
Henegar, a recent Jeopardy champion, went on a three-day run winning over $70,000 on the popular game show. During one of the shows, Henegar shared that he is a guest services agent with Pilot-Flying J trucks stops.
“Helping out truck drivers! Kings of the road,” quipped host Ken Jennings.
“They are the people that keep this country moving,” Henegar replied, “and they don’t get enough thanks, in my opinion.”
Can’t say I disagree. It was great to hear this on a big stage, so maybe others will take the time to think about how much they rely on truckers to maintain their everyday lives.
Land Line Now recently spoke with Henegar about his appearance on Jeopardy and why he felt it was important to give some praise to truckers.
“I’ve been working at Pilot now almost six years … and when you work with truck drivers every day, one of the things you learn is just how important they are to our country,” he said. “Everything you buy in a store, everything that is delivered to your home from Amazon or whatever, a truck driver delivered that to you. And it’s a shame that whenever you see truckers portrayed on television, or in the movies, they’re not always portrayed in the most positive of light. I think they’re the unsung heroes of America, because without them I wouldn’t have a job and we wouldn’t have a country.”
Props to Henegar for bringing some attention to the hard-working men and women behind the wheel. He was, however, docked for not giving his shoutout in the form of a question.
Greener pastures
I’m honestly not sure who divvies out official titles, but I would like to nominate Grand Island, Neb., as the “Meat Theft Capital” of the country.
Police there are investigating the theft of a trailer full of beef. Officials say the trailer and its contents are valued at $275,000. According to reports, a subcontracted trucking company picked up the load from JBS Beef Plant. Shortly after pickup, the driver cut the trailer’s GPS tracker.
Looking into stolen meat is becoming an art in the small town. Last year, police investigated meat thefts in July and September. At the start of the investigation, Grand Island Police Department speculated that the two incidents could be connected to other meat thefts in nearby counties. That hunch would come to be true, as three men were arrested in October in connection to 45 thefts across six states.
Officials say the theft currently under investigation is not connected to last year’s crime spree.
I guess if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, but you’d think thieves would want to “moo-ve” on to another part of the country. With the run of thefts last year, I’m sure meat plants in the area have “beefed” up security. Apparently not, because these thieves are still on the loose, which has to be an “udder” disappointment.
Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Don’t have a cow. LL