Bull Haulers

Sometimes I just hunt through the images stored on my computer until I come across one that catches my attention.  This is from when we bought a load of heifers and had them shipped in, but it made me think of shipping time and sending calves to wheat pasture, or the feed yard.

Shipping time;

Bawling calves;

Dust cloud;

Diesel roar;

Headed west;

Time for rest.

"Bull Haulers" get a lot of abuse because they are often short on sleep and look like they've been living in their Peterbilt or, Kenworth for weeks on end -- which they probably have.  They ought to get our respect though, because they are the ones who drive endless miles getting the livestock to the next point in the production chain.  Cattle aren't like a cardboard box full of some unknown consumer good that can sit in a warehouse, or in the back of a truck while the trucker sleeps; they need to get where they are going as quickly as possible to reduce the stress and get them to feed and water.  The driver is the pilot, flight attendant and sometimes gate attendant all rolled into one.  They get the animals to their next home safely and efficiently no matter the weather or, the conditions.  Just like the rest of us, they sometimes need a pat on the back.  Their job is just as critical as anyone else's when it comes to putting high quality beef on the table.

Humming Wheels

The hum of wheels on the highway
Never ceases
As I sit and watch the commerce of
The nation.

Endlessly the strings of eighteen-wheelers
Roll by.
Covered with tarps, I guess at the loads
They carry.

Some are hauling cattle or other types
Of stock
And some are hauling containers filled
With televisions.

One a moment ago was a tanker full
Of milk
And now I see a reefer rig hauling
Ice cream.

They are filled with parts for cars or
Cars themselves
There's loads of gravel and rock for
The roads.

I see parts for the giant windmills rising on
The Plains
And oilfield parts and things that I
Can't explain.

Loads of corn and food and
Even fuel
To keep them rolling ever more across
This land.

The commerce of the nation is carried on
Those wheels
That never cease their rolling down
The highway.

Thank a truck driver the next time you see one.