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

If it's not, it will do fine until some okra gets here...

 

Oh yeah, love me some fried okra

 

@Sons Hero In posting the bit on hog hauling, I have thought of something else. I remember our regular trailers of the day were level floor, not pots..
So we ran in a 4th of the load; crawled in and ducked under the deck to tie off the cut gate, then run on another 4th. If at a good barn or National in E. St. Louis; where they had a combination chute, you got up top to run in another 4th, crawled in to gate those off, and finished with the last 4th.
Pull up; move away, close the swinging door's. Cramped, confining and messy after first load. Clean up a little; put the coveralls and boots on the tanks.

You speak of making more with a dump. My feeble mind just sparked a little while typing this. I have always said: Livestock is the loads to haul.
They walk on, they walk off, sale barns always leave a gate open and stockyard have night men. They rock you gently when you do stop to nap.

I have reconsidered. Dumps are better. You leave out, neat and clean, drive out, sit in the A/C dust free while being loaded. Smooth shifting and slowing/stopping. Get there and back it up, punch some switches and jerk the PTO control, goose it and Wa Lah, load made, back to the pit or pile.

 

Heck yeah, and that goes double if it's fresh from the garden.

 

So this ol boy I know in Iowa took a pup back with him last time we went on a beer a bout…..Now they is requirements to secure Docs get you have to promise a forever home take care of them etc. I’m picky bout em. It appears I’m have to add Do not terrorize the the Amish neighbors to that list. Lmao

 

Spent a lot of time at the national city stockyards back in the day, except I was a youngin riding with my dad, and when you go by there now it’s like wow, where did it all go. Nothing but memories!

 

like the big tobacco sale barn in Columbia Tn . Farmers from 4 or 5 counties would be there to sell . Was a big deal all the National players R.J.R. , P.M. , ect ect there to grade and bid . I was maybe 10 but i remember the smell , especially the little bit of dark fire that was done around there .

 

Last time I was over there while daughter met her employer in SL, it was sad. Reminded me of some pics of war zones. Used to park there in the yards, get a room at the Drovers Hotel, then stroll down west from it to the first cross street. Solid row of bars along there. Remember one was named "The Bloody Buggy". Had some buddie get locked up there and the drunk tank had like phone booths on casters. Rammed you in there, puke, pass out, urinate. Like he said, It was all on you. Neither of them got arrested again. Idea was they could roll the booths out and hose down to ready for tomorrow night.

Trying to remember.. Glenn Hunter ran some 650 GMC Diesels out of there hauling hogs south. Had an office in the Drovers. Walk down the hall, see the frosted glass on door Glenn Hunter. Open the door, and two sec/receptionist sit there left and right.. One a redhead and other a blond. Inquire if Glenn had anything going to Bryan Bros in West Point, MS tonite or tomorrow. Lots of time we would pull one of his down as we went home to Starkville. Don't think he had but 3 or 4 trucks and was running cattle out of there to IA or NE.

 

Well I was a little young to remember a lot of that stuff, but I do remember when we went to the restaurant you had to climb a lot of steps to get inside but I do remember they had pin ball machines that my dad would have to drag me away from but the last time I was by there, yes it did look like a war zone and I think it’s all gone now.
I don’t know what a wash out costs these days, but when I started driving I would take trailers down to be washed out for $40
That was 40+ years ago.
I would imagine it’s a little more these days

 

What’s an epiphany? Well I think I mighta had one. My generation cut our mufflers off, todays wants cut their wieners off we ain’t the same no tie in us together.