Next week, I’m headed to the TIA conference in Orlando, FL. It is billed as the world’s largest gathering of third-party logistics providers, and is a great opportunity to learn new things, connect with others in our field, and discover the latest tools available to our industry. I’m looking forward to it, and if you plan on being there too, please drop me a line so we can connect.
I have to confess, I waited a little too long to book my hotel room. The hotel hosting the conference is completely sold out, which means that I will be staying at another nearby property and shuttling back and forth to the conference via water taxi.
It’s kind of fitting (don’t you think?), using this unique mode of transportation to get to and from a transportation industry conference. As I secured my reservation, I couldn’t help but ponder taxis in all of their various forms – pedicabs, rickshaws, water taxis, yellow cabs, black cabs (in London) – it seems there is no end to the various modes of paid transportation. I’d venture to say that these taxi drivers have just as much personality as their unique vehicles.
And, just like the truck drivers in our industry, taxi drivers must have plenty of great stories to share about life on the job. Take, for instance, the 
Louisiana-based taxi driver who charges $100 for cleaning up bodily fluids, or the Las Vegas-based driver who encourages his clients to live it up in the back of his vehicle. In both cases, I’m sure they have “seen it all”.
Of course, it’s not always the passenger who pushes the limits; sometimes it’s the taxi driver. Here’s what happened when one young cabbie decided to get frisky with a customer:
A newly licensed taxi driver picks up a nun. Once in the cab, the nun notices that the very handsome cab driver won’t stop staring at her in his rear view mirror. She asks: “Young man, why are you staring at me?”
He replies: “I have a question to ask you, but I don’t want to offend you…”
The nun answers, “My son, you cannot offend me. When you’re as old as I am, and have been a nun for as long as I have, you get a chance to see and hear just about everything. I’m sure there is nothing you could say or ask that I would find offensive.”
“Well”, replies the cabbie,“I’ve always fantasized about being kissed by a nun.”
She responds, “Well, let’s see what we can do about that. But, I must insist on two conditions: #1, you have to be single and #2, you must be Catholic.”
The cab driver’s eyes light up and he replies, “Yes, I’m single and Catholic!” “Okay, then,” says the nun. “Pull into the next alley.”
The nun fulfills the cab driver’s fantasy with a kiss that would make a hooker blush. But when they get back on the road, the cab driver begins to cry.
“My dear child,” said the nun, “why are you crying?”
“Forgive me”, replies the cabbie, “but I have sinned. I lied, and I must confess that I’m married and I’m also Jewish.”
The nun replies in a much deeper voice, “That’s okay. Don’t worry about it. My name is Kevin and I’m on my way to a costume party.”
How will you ‘get around’ this weekend?
~Bob
