This Monday was Veteran’s Day, so to all of our former and present servicemen and women, thank you for your service. It was heartwarming for me to see so many Facebook posts from friends and family honoring the many veterans in our community. In the trucking industry, we are doubly thankful for our veterans – not only for the service that they provide our country, but also because many veterans go on to work in our industry upon their return to civilian life. In fact, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration provided a $2.3
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A bird poops on your head, a cup of hot coffee spills on your lap, a mischievous Great Dane destroys your favorite refrigerator magnets… While totally out of our control, such random, unforeseen events can still put a damper on your day. Take the other Sunday. I was driving my beautiful new Ford truck on the way to play pool (my favorite pastime, as you know), when a small rock struck my windshield. That little rock left a big, bullet-sized dent. While this may sound like just another small frustration, I’ve got a long history with
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Small miracles, safer homes. That’s the motto for WARM (Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry), a local nonprofit that organizes volunteers, building materials and funds to complete urgent home repairs for low-income homeowners. In the wake of Hurricane Florence, they’ve been busy– and in need of some miracles. Here’s one story of how small miracle after small miracle – from New Jersey down to the Carolinas – brought Matchmaker Logistics an opportunity to serve. It all started with Juicy Fruit Party Dragon, a uniquely-named charity located in Ocean County, NJ, with a fun mascot (right). The nonprofit, started by three friends,
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There’s nothing worse than being sick. Actually, maybe there is – being sick and having no medicine. I know all about this, thanks to a series of respiratory illnesses and my beloved Great Dane, Carly. As you may remember from Mondays past, Carly has an affinity for eating odd household items – like comforters, pillows, loveseat cushions, and…refrigerator magnets. My allergies have been worse than ever this year, and after I crawled out of bed to get some sweet over-the-counter relief, I found the remains of Carly’s latest treat: an empty box of Allegra.
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Inspiration can come from some of the most unexpected places – like a viral video on Facebook. In this clip (which already has nearly 300,000 views!), little Jake Boone, an adorable toddler with an endearing southern drawl, helps his mom put together an impressive grocery list. Strawberries, milk and cheese, sketti, taco stuff, ‘nanas, ‘tatoes, and so much more! All it takes is asking one simple question, over and over again: “What else?” As entertaining and cute as this video is, little Jake Boone has some wisdom to pass on. He’s a natural when it
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In times of trouble, you can’t go wrong with a healthy dose of Mr. Rogers. If anyone can find a silver lining in a hurricane, it’s a friendly, red cardigan-wearing puppeteer who can calmly explain divorce to children. So, in the wake of Hurricane Florence, I turned to our friendly neighbor for some much-needed advice. As he said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”” So I went looking. And, as
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“Bad things do happen in the world, like war, natural disasters, disease. But out of those situations always arise stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.” ~ Daryn Kagan Tragedy and disaster come in many forms, bringing with them unexpected opportunities for ordinary people to step up and do extraordinary things. On the anniversary of 9/11, one of our nation’s greatest tragedies, I reflected on those who carve good works from tragic events. Today, I want to reflect on those who are helping us recover and rebuild in the wake of one of the
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I’ve been starting my Mondays off at Matchmaker Logistics for the past seventeen years – that’s eight hundred and eighty-seven Mondays for those keeping score at home. I’m lucky to spend my Monday mornings doing something I love. But not everyone is as lucky as I’ve been. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American switches jobs every 4.2 years. And while the prospect of the grass being greener in another position is often tempting, the job search itself can be exhausting. In the age of the Internet, job searches aren’t limited to the locals
Read more →You might remember a recent article about Nutella and the trucking capacity crisis, which, in addition to making us all hungry for Nutella, discussed the idea of capacity in trucking. To sum it all up – there’s only a finite amount of trucks, roads, and people to drive them. And nowhere is that more true than with tanker trucks. Tanker trucks are a special subset of the freight vehicles we all know and love. Made to carry large amounts of potentially corrosive or dangerous liquid, with great limitations come great responsibility (to paraphrase one of
Read more →Whoever she is, she’s about to get a challenge of her own! Like Bob (and the rest of the internet), I’ve been following the Kiki challenge. Admittedly, I wasn’t into it at first. I don’t listen to a lot of Drake, and I generally try and stay away from anything that lands people in the hospital or gets them hit by passing cars. But what can I say? Something (or, ahem…someone) got me interested. (It was this Dancing Dentist.) Dr. Rich Constantine of Constantine Dental is currently my #1 crush. I know Drake gets
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