Ride Along with Brown Dog Carriers
If you have ever been curious what a day in the life of a truck driver looks like, what follows is a recap of my recent ride along with Brown Dog Carriers President Graig Morin.
Often, it is our Chief Canine Officer Lily riding alongside Graig, but this particular day it was me in the copilot seat. We had a client who needed an extra end-of-week product delivery, so Graig decided he would take care of it personally (so when we say that we’re your loyal carrier, you can bet we mean it). Enjoy.
Starting the pre-trip safety inspection
3:45am – My alarm sounds. I am up and into the shower with anticipation. It is a beautiful day outside. I grab my lunch (made the night before) and I am out the door in 30 minutes.
4:30am – Heading southbound on 295 toward Biddeford and our office and seeing a lot of trucks already out on the road. Over 70% of product in the USA is delivered by the trucking industry, accounting for $700 billion in annual GDP. That would make the trucking industry the 32nd wealthiest nation if it were a separate country! By the way, the sunrise over Portland is spectacular!
5:00am – As I roll into the Brown Dog office at 432 Elm Street, Graig is already there prepping for the trip, including organizing paperwork and doing pre-run safety checks. No need to visualize it; you can watch our industry-leading safety check process for yourself here or download our safety checklist.
5:25am – We depart Biddeford to pick up our cargo in Portland, Maine. We have two deliveries today and then we will return the empty trailer back to our client. After that, we will head to Ryder Transport to pick up an extra trailer to be used on a weekend delivery.
5:45am – We arrive at Paradigm Windows and pick up the trailer full of product. The client is finishing the loading of products while Graig inspects the trailer.
6:10am – We depart for Bangor, about 2 hours of driving. Enjoying a breakfast to go and conversation about the trucking business and types of equipment. We talk about the use of engine governors that limit our top speed to 69mph ((110kph). An engine governor restricts the fuel supply to the engine once a predetermined rate of speed has been reached. All Brown Dog trucks have this device installed, as it improves safety and is better for the environment (as we burn less fuel).
7:45am – Just south of Bangor, we are flagged for standard inspection by a Maine State Trooper. We pull into the inspection area and are greeted by a very professional Trooper, who spends the next 35 minutes checking paperwork and going over the truck and trailer from nose to tail. He finishes and gives us good news: no violations, and he’s heard good things about Brown Dog Carriers. I like that! He thanks us for our patience, and we are on our way.
8:20am – Back on the road, I am happy we have great precheck safety protocols in place. It makes life as an owner less complicated when you are not having to face safety and DOT violations and fines. The remainder of the drive to Bangor goes smoothly.
9:02am – We arrive at our first stop in Bangor. Graig makes backing the truck in look easy. We go to find the receiver to complete the paperwork. In the age of COVID-19, finding people onsite hasn’t been as easy, but we soon find the right person, complete the paperwork, and walk back to the truck, which has already been unloaded. We are good to go – and in only 7 minutes!
9:20am – We are back on the highway, southbound to Augusta and our second stop. It’s really warming up outside and the air temperature is 94F, and its only June in Maine.
10:32am – We arrive at our second stop in Augusta and again encounter an efficient crew. The remainder of the trailer is unloaded, and we are on our way in 15 minutes. Incidentally, the asphalt temperature is 112F. While waiting, I had checked out our tires more closely and noticed the front (steer) tires on the tractor are different than the back (drive) tires. Graig explains this is to account for the additional stress of turning and the loads on the tires. Steer tires can run about $500 each while drive tires are $300 a pop. That is $3,400 for a complete set of tractor tires.
10:50am – We head back to Paradigm Windows in Portland to return the empty trailer. Graig and I talk shop and share summer plans. I munch on a turkey sandwich. I can see how eating to pass the time could be a problem for me if I was doing this as a full-time gig.
11:50am – We return the trailer to Paradigm and then head to Ryder to pickup an empty trailer for a weekend grocery client run.
12:20pm – We arrive at Ryder to pick up the empty trailer and we are on our way back to Biddeford.
12:50pm – We roll back into the Brown Dog lot in Biddeford. I still have a 50-minute drive back home. I think about doing this every day and I am exhausted just thinking about it, though am glad for the firsthand experience. I have a much better appreciation for the men and women who transport our nation’s products and provide an indispensable service to all of us. I head home feeling proud to be an owner of a trucking & logistics company, but even prouder of the talented professionals like Graig who make Brown Dog Carriers such an exceptional trucking partner for our clients and a great place to work for our employees.
If you are looking for a trucking partner that values safety, family, service, reliability and transparency, we’d love to earn your business. Contact me anytime at dpardy@browndogcarriers.com.
If you are interested a career at Brown Dog Carriers, we offer very competitive pay, health benefits, bonuses and most of our routes are short haul so you are home at the end of your shift. Visit www.browndogcarriers.com/careers for more information.
Cheers!
Darrell Pardy