Muck Boots 'n' Slickers - Life of a Livestock Hauler

50WT · Feb 8, 2024

NightWind said: ↑

This is an article that I wrote on the Wikipedia Website under Livestock transportation. Yes I know ya'll know all this stuff but I'm tryin to share.

The first known records of livestock transportation occurred in about 1607 on an English ship named the Susan Constant, which was transporting Jamestown bound colonists. As time passed and the New World developed, supply ships from England carried livestock as regular cargo. Purebred stock was imported to Plymouth and Philadelphia. By about 1700, the exports of cattle and packed meat regularly left the port of Philadelphia which was bound for the West Indies. Livestock fatalities during sea shipments would often be 50% or more, which was attributed to poor feed supply, overcrowding, and rough seas.
1800s
Chicago’s meat exports had risen to almost 10% by 1848. Supposedly the first shipment of live cattle to Chicago by rail car was in 1867 on the Kansas Pacific Railway. About twenty carloads of longhorns from Texas left the rail yard at Abilene, Kansas on the Kansas Pacific Railroad destined for the Chicago stockyards. This event changed the face of the livestock industry. Cattle from Texas were driven to rail yards for transport to major feeders, processors, and packers. Cattle trails were carefully chosen to minimize distance and maximize feed to sustain and fatten cattle. Cowboys were hired to gather, drive, and hold cattle at major buying stations. Cowboys reported route trail fatalities of about 3%. As the railroads expanded, processors multiplied and refrigeration technology developed, the refrigerated rail car was patented in 1867. The need to drive cattle ended and the cattle drive trail disappeared by 1889. The improvement of refrigerated transport gave birth to the dressed meat market. The distribution of dressed meat exploded, causing the need to ship live cattle by rail to slowly decrease and to become economically unfeasible.
1900s
By the early 20th century, railroads dominated the dressed meat market and the commodity trucking industry was in its infancy. By the middle of the 20th century, the refrigerated trailer was developed for commercial trucking and then the shipping of processed meats was done primarily by the trucking industry. The rail roads had fallen in to disrepair nor could they offer as many options for shipping and receiving of cattle and other livestock. Shipping live cattle by truck was much more economical, humane and offered more options in routing cattle to auctions, feeders, and processors. The trucking industry helped to create an interconnected road system throughout the United States.
Present day
Today most livestock and processed meat is transported by trucking companies that have specialized trailers for this purpose. There are strict rules about how long cattle can have water and feed withheld from them during transportation.In most cases cattle or other livestock cannot be held on any type of transport for over 48 hours. Normally when cattle are “rested” they are off loaded at various points called cattle stops in route for a period of 5-24 hours. Now you know why livestock haulers run as fast and hard as they do. It’s to protect the cattle. When the cattle are loaded and unloaded they are weighed. Cattle stresses just like anything else when it’s transported Even loading them stresses them because it’s a change in their schedules. When livestock stresses it looses weight, when it looses weight that’s like throwing money out the window. Most cattle shiipers allow a 10% weigh loss on the cattle during transport. In some cases if the livestock looses more than 10% then the company and or the driver have to pay the market price per pound that was lost.

Loading and unloading cattle is a very physical,dangerous, demanding job.Nomally the drivers load there own cattle with some assistance from the cattle ranch Sometimes you will be sent to load cattle alone, and this makes it harder.You have to be fast on your feet and watch every thing around you. You have to know the number and weights of each cow.Then you divide it out so that the weight and number of cattle are evenly distributed. We normally use a card called a “Tally sheet” It has a picture of the trailer with all the sections on it. As we load the cattle in the pods we keep track of the weight and the number of cattle in each pod

Cattle trailers are divided in to pods, each pod is divided again by gates designed to separate the cattle so that you don’t get too many in on area. This is so you can semi scale the trailer out and get the axles legal Which in its self is almost impossible These are called the belly, which is the very lowest point in the trailer. Then you have the middle which is of course the middle.Then the top and the jail house. Jail house you say! What’s that? It’s a small self contained holding pen in the top of the trailer toward the middle. It can be used for calves, smaller cattle that would get “walked on” by the rest of the cows and therefore injured or even killed.

They also have to be protected during transport from the weather. In the summer it’s particularly difficult to keep the cattle cool. You can’t spray water on them because then the get cold as the wind rushes over them. In the winter we add slats or boards to the sides of the trailer to break the wind. Most of the time the cattle’s body heat keeps them warm unless it’s extremely cold. It’s very important to check to make sure none of the cattle fall or lay down during transport as the other cattle will step on them causing injury or even death. When you have a cow or cows down in the trailer you have to get them back up. Sometimes this means getting in the trailer and walking on the backs of the cows or trying to make your way through them. This is extremely dangerous as they are scared and can crush you in an instant. We use what’s called a cattle prod or hot stick to load and unload the cattle. This it a fiberglass rod which has an electrical charge which comes out the two prongs located at the end. They come in various lengths and voltage as there are different times to use different ones. Longer ones are used for reaching cattle in the middle of a trailer or herd. The less you use the stick the better because that also stressed them. Most cattle are used to some human interaction but there are some that are for all purposes wild. Either one will hurt you. The best way to load them is to be cool calm and talk to them in a low controlled voice. Bulls are never shipped together unless they have been raised together because they will fight. They are never shipped with heifers as they will fight each other for dominance over the heifers. Some bulls are worth in excess of $100,000 just for breeding purposes. Cattle breeding has over the years become a very scientific process since the days of the cattle herds on the ranges. Most breeding is done by artificial insemination to protect the bull from being hurt by the heifers and vice versa.

There are different grades of cattle. Some are shipped to various states that have feed lots. These feed lots sole purpose is to put weight and size on the cattle for the owner. When they reach the idea weight and the market price is right they are sold, either in lots or herds. The other grade is called “kill cows”. These are taken to various meat processing plants where they are slaughtered for meat. A lot of these cattle are old dairy cows that have stopped giving milk and cannot be breed any longer or have other physical defects, not disease, which would be viewed as inhumane should the cattle be forced to live any longer. In closing to haul cattle or any other type of livestock you have to be a very special person. Not every one has the compassion, skills, knowledge, will power or the stamina to do this job. A Modern day Cowgirl or Cowboy is how I view the livestock haulers of today.
Click to expand...

You didn't mention toothpicks and triple digit light shows.
Just kidding you, that's a very well written article.

NightWind · Feb 8, 2024

50WT said: ↑

You didn't mention toothpicks and triple digit light shows.
Just kidding you, that's a very well written article.
Click to expand...

I don't want to give out ALL the insider info like overweight no sleep etc the PoPo might be watching

Dale thompson · Feb 8, 2024

The refrigerated rail car came about because of the AB brewing company.

exhausted379 · Feb 9, 2024

Grandson sent me this one. I don’t know where he saw it, but he took the picture. So get out the bibs and drool if you must.

Last Call · Feb 9, 2024

exhausted379 said: ↑

View attachment 504046 Grandson sent me this one. I don’t know where he saw it, but he took the picture. So get out the bibs and drool if you must.
Click to expand...

Nice ride

pete781693 · Feb 9, 2024

Thank your grandson for sharing. It is evident he has a good eye for identifying a nice ride.

exhausted379 · Feb 9, 2024

pete781693 said: ↑

Thank your grandson for sharing. It is evident he has a good eye for identifying a nice ride.
Click to expand...

I brainwashed him at an early age.

Coffey · Feb 9, 2024

exhausted379 said: ↑

View attachment 504046 Grandson sent me this one. I don’t know where he saw it, but he took the picture. So get out the bibs and drool if you must.
Click to expand...

That the truck stop on 87 in San Angelo I seen him sitting there last week for a couple day my go to place after unloading near there to catch a nap

JolliRoger · Feb 9, 2024

Dale thompson said: ↑

The refrigerated rail car came about because of the AB brewing company.
Click to expand...

Dale, do you remember seeing box cars with 4' square "trapdoors" on top at each side and each end? I alway wondered how the re iced them, like a water tank stop I guess...
Drawing of one in the link below. Similar to our old bunker/blower reefer trailers, except we did not add salt. Top vent doors to toss it in, like a pallet framework on the trailer floor to hold the ice and let it circulate, blower fan to stir it, and the Briggs engine doing the belt drive thru the nose wall. Real trick to jack the left vent door over to the ice house dock to put the ice in. I remember seeing my first actual reefer cars, had the unit under the car and belt drive off the axles.
Later straight Thermokings....

The history of refrigerated railcars - Miles Fiberglass

JolliRoger · Feb 9, 2024

Coffey said: ↑

That the truck stop on 87 in San Angelo I seen him sitting there last week for a couple day my go to place after unloading near there to catch a nap
Click to expand...

You hauling sheep/goats from KY to SA? Supposed to be the or one of the biggest sheep sales in the US. Them woolies...

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