Article
Gazette Post-News, October 29, 2001
Dear Citizens of
Gainsborough, SK:
First, of all I must say that I enjoyed your article in the Monday, October 15th, 2001, issue of the Gazette Post News. Ironically enough, the papers arrived in my mailbox, before my husband even got home. Actually, Bill, arrived home that evening, much to my relief.
Well, from a wife's/dispatch point of view, my husband the driver had the easy job, I had to call every state, and province, arrange police escorts, give approximate times for bridges to be closed, etc...Sometimes, I was on the phone all day, from 9:00 am to 3:00 am, especially when the time difference meant that Bill, would call for new permits or new routing. As you can well imagine it was not an easy trip for him or me. There were many days that I would bring my cell phone in the house, just in case Bill, needed me and I was already tied up on two of the other lines. The only people who enjoyed it were our children who had take out food quite often. Only when Bill, called to say he was in Monterey Bay, California, did I cook a proper meal. In over twenty years of doing this job, I have never heard Bill, speak so highly of people he has met in his extensive travels. Wow, was he impressed with the people of Gainsborough!
People from the Maritimes are world renowned for their hospitality, however, it is nice to know that we have a rival in the great people of Gainsborough.
There is no doubt about it that this was perhaps the most diffcult trip Bill has ever had, however the hospitality and sincere friendliness exhibited by you folks was in fact the highlight of his trip. When he phoned me that night from the Riverside Hotel, he went on and on about how nice the people were. I got the impression that if he had not gone from home for so long he might have stayed a few extra days.
Getting back to the actual trip, it was actually more like a zig zag journey from the East Coast to the West coast. Bill, Charles and Rudy, were gone for 4 weeks. Yes, Bill got cranky, and sometimes could not understand why I could not get permits or state troopers as quickly as he would like. Not all trips to the West Coast have been this long, however, the size of this load and the fact that there was still so much road construction caused more and more routing changes. I must say that there were a few times that I broke into tears. One particular incident was when Bill, was approaching the Ogdensburg Bridge in New York, which crosses into Ontario. It was a Friday afternoon, and the permit agency called to tell me that the Bridge required 72 hours notice, in order to shut it down, I had told the permit agency five days before when Bill would be there.
I asked for the phone number for the Bridge Authority, and talked to a wonderful lady named Rosa, yes I sniffled. She explained everything to her boss, who just happened to be named Bill, they offered to stay after ours if need be and agreed to shut the Bridge down for him to cross as soon as he got there.
Yes, there are many memories both good and bad when we look back at this trip, but perhaps the best memory for Bill, Charles and Rudy, was the warm welcome they received from you kind people. No matter how hectic it was here at home tying to keep that 49 ton boat rolling down the highway, it warmed my heart and made me feel a sense of relief knowing that for one night they were made to feel at home. So, I will leave you a great big thank you from a South Shore Nova Scotia, wife/dispatch, who vows to make the trip to visit you, with the only condition that the load be under 17 feet wide. If any of ever you find your was to Nova Scotia, look us up, we would be honoured to return the hospitality.
Sincerely,
Sherri D. Harris
Wife/Dispatcher
Don AtkinsonTrucking Ltd.
P.S. I did consider quitting as dispatcher, what can I say, "it is a roof over my head, and not only is he the best truck driver in the world, he is a great guy!"
Coast to Coast
Boat Transportation
