Thanksgiving at Cracker Barrel
by
Phil Madsen, Expediter
(Written November 23, 2006, for publication on SuccessfulExpediters.com)
Since we started driving trucks as an expediting team, Diane and I have celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday four times. This year (2006) we enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving meal at the Cracker Barrel restaurant in Pickerington, Ohio.
As Thanksgiving holidays go, this one was unremarkable. We were working; hauling freight from New Jersey to Oregon.
As loads go, this one was not too bad. The pay was fair. The schedule was better. The load picked up Wednesday and delivered Monday morning. That gave us time to stop and sleep in a non-moving truck each night. It also kept us busy over a long weekend when freight can be more uncertain than usual.
The time built into this load gave us the option of taking a longer route to Oregon. If we went through Minnesota, we could have spent part of Thanksgiving Day with relatives at home. Doing so would mean diving the clock around to get there on time, which would mean spending more time asleep than with the relatives after we arrived. Still, Thanksgiving at home had a certain appeal.
As we considered that option, a weather check made the routing decision for us. A Minnesota stop would mean taking I-90 through Montana to get to Oregon instead of I-80 through Utah. Snow was predicted for Montana but not Utah. Rocky Mountain snow is something to avoid if you can, and we did.
That's pretty much it for 2006. We don't have much of a Thanksgiving story to tell. Still, when we consider the things we are thankful for, the truck-driving career we together enjoy comes early to mind.
For previous Thanksgiving stories see: "Thanksgiving on the Road," "Thanksgiving at Home" and "Thanksgiving in Jackson Hole."