Well I'll kick this off by saying I finally tried the Black Rifle Coffee Company’s Beyond Black roast. It is a tasty cup of joe. Although I will admit I do put a little less ground in the coffee maker than your standard coffees. So grab a cup of your favorite, sit back, relax and enjoy another cup at Preferred’s Truckstop Coffee Shop with us to take a load off.
It doesn’t come at a surprise to see trucks in the Midwest but it may seem like a surprise if you caught one of PTI’s local trucks skirting along the Mississippi River last week. Normal routes for our company owned trucks are within 250-300 miles from our shop, so the 2000+ mile round trip was about as common as a $1,000 dollar bill. Without looking, who's on the front of that denomination? (Answer at the end)
When our driver got his dispatch info, he realized his last stop was right across the river from the American Pickers’ Le Claire, IA store. He was almost giddy when he hinted that on the phone and asked if there was any way to stop in there. Due to the time constraints and on this particular shipment I wasn’t sure. Since he wasted no time in delivering the first two in OH and IL I thought, perfect. It was only a few miles out of route and from the next morning’s delivery. It was driver appreciation week after all. He was excited and got to cross that off of his bucket list. When I asked him how it was, he said “I touched as much as I could and bought a few things before they closed.”
Maybe being a little envious of the long run, another driver shot back the next morning with a picture of his own: “The real American Picker.”
“It’s not garbage, it’s recycling!” I told him when he joked he was hauling garbage for us. Might not have been as glamorous as the 2000 mile trip, but definitely an important back haul from a delivery we made.
It’s fun to see a little banter now and again. All kidding aside, last week was Truck driver appreciation week. It is all too easy to give drivers an assignment and expect it to be completed safely and efficiently. It is also very easy to not praise as much as you should. So hats off to the drivers in our company for grinding through the year hot, cold, early, and late. For dealing with people yelling at them at construction sites, shippers, receivers, and for tarping loads that might just sit outside at their destination. Hats off to the other companies’ drivers that we work closely with. Thank you for working hard and keeping America, even the globe, moving forward.
Stay tuned for another edition of Truckstop Coffee Shop and, MAYBE, even a return of Brother Truckers.
-Grover Cleveland is on the $1,000 dollar bill. It was first Alexander Hamilton. After it was realized it might be confusing to have him on multiple denominations, they changed it to the 22nd and 24th President, Grover Cleveland. If you have a $1,000 note, hold on to it. Currently, they could be worth anywhere from $1,500 to tens of thousands of dollars depending on when it was printed and the condition.
