It's a Team's Life
Changing World - A look back
At the time of this writing, we have been home ten days, from March 10th and leaving today, March 20th, to pick up a load going to Tennessee. During our time at home it seems that the world is changing by the hour, and not for the better.
We were home to get a few things done before heading out for the Mid America Truck Show in Louisville, KY.
One of our first goals was the grocery store to stock up the house. We had heard about the toilet paper and other paper product panics, but those products were not on our grocery list. The news was grim, and I was sure that I would see empty shelves. I made a list of meals I wanted to make and created a grocery list, and off we went—what a surprise when I went into the grocery store, and it was business as usual.
Almost every shelf in the store was full, and I had no trouble finding everything on my list.
Our plans continued to get a few things done at home before we were to leave for Louisville and the truck show. Since we do not have TV, our minds are not being bombarded by news of the virus and the panic. While not on purpose, we practiced self-quarantine because we were glad to be home and have a chance to relax. Within a few days, we learned that the Mid America Trucking Show had been canceled, and now our plans needed to change. Instead of going to a truck show, we needed to go back to trucking, and we were going back to a changed world.
We left the house with the truck stocked with food and thankful that we have the truck we do and the ARI Legacy Sleeper with almost all of the comforts of home. We can self-quarantine in our truck and still work. The coming weeks will be interesting, and I am sure staying proactive instead of reactive will be the key to a relatively stress-free future.
Now at the end of July, we have been through states quarantining, killer bees, and protests that continue. Many of our friends decided to stay home until the pandemic was over and are now running a limited amount of freight. So far, we have had family members exposed to the virus without catching it, and we are still healthy and running all over the USA.
We see many people wearing masks while driving, exercising, and in stores, having our temperatures taken before we can enter a customer’s facility is not uncommon, and we often see people driving wearing gloves as well as their masks. Lines are seen in front of banks, grocery stores, as well as fast-food restaurants. Families and friends are divided on how to react to the pandemic as we all receive mixed signals on how we need to change or not change our daily routine. Who would have guessed in March how much of the country would be shut down for months? Any ideas on what the next six months will bring?
How thankful we are to be expediters, have the truck we have, and our self-contained sleeper.
We have a lot of positives in trucking, and now is our time to shine.
Bob & Linda Caffee
TeamCaffee
Saint Louis MO
Expediters since January 2005
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.