An Unexpected Kindness

A little more than a month ago my first grandchild came into the world screaming and crying for something to eat. During a brief conversation with my dispatcher I happened to mention it. He asked me where my oldest daughter, the mother of this little grandson, lived. I told him Dayton, Ohio, and never thought about that conversation again.

Just a few weeks ago I was in Miami, Florida and my dispatcher called to see when I would be finished with my current load. I was at my final stop and told him when I'd be back to our dedicated customer's plant in Louisiana. He said he had a loaded trailer sitting there waiting on me. What? It will be two days before I'm back. We never have loads sitting around like that. When they load a trailer, they want it on the road. I asked him, "What are they going to say about that load sitting there for two days before we move it out?"

His response was, "That's my problem, not yours. I told them this load has your name all over it, and they are just going to have to wait until you can get here to get it on the road." I didn't even think to ask about the load, I just assumed it went up to the Northeast since I seem to be the only driver here who is willing to do those loads. To my surprise it was a load to Dayton, Ohio. My dispatcher told me to take a few days off up there and introduce myself to this new little guy. So... I emptied out in Dayton, and spent a three day weekend with my oldest daughter, her husband Andrew, and their new little baby boy, Timothy James. Oh, and there's a bonus - my wife was there too - she was there helping out the new Mom.

That's how you make this career rewarding and enjoyable. You keep the team that's dispatching you happy, and they'll keep you happy. At times they even surprise you with an unexpected kindness.

Here I am with my new little buddy...