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2019 Homesick?
Recently a friend told me she thought she was homesick for places she had enjoyed in the past, or places she had not yet been.
Being “Homesick” for places you have not yet been is something many drivers experience. If you suffer from this affliction, come drive truck for us. We will pay you while you are being treated.
Dennis Arfsten
This coming week is “NATIONAL TRUCK DRIVER APPRECIATION WEEK”. When I think back to when I was a young lad and dinosaurs roamed the earth, I realize how much trucking has changed, yet the spirit of the driver remains steadfast. Today’s drivers continue to be devoted to their families, public safety, our customers, the trucks they drive and the business’s they work for. The modern driver has newer better tools (trucks and technology) but they continue to work as hard and legally allowed, be as concerned and safe as they know how and anticipate the mistakes of other less experienced drivers on the road.
During normal operations, these unsung heroes deliver medicine for the sick, food and groceries, materials for factories, clothing to our stores, feed to our pets and farms, machinery to farmers and construction workers. The fact is: IF YOU HAVE IT, A TRUCK BROUGHT IT. Perhaps you have never thought of what life would be like without truck drivers to bring the things you need to your neighborhoods. How much different would your lives be if every time you needed gas for your car, medicine, or a loaf of bread you had to go the nearest rail yard to purchase the goods needed for everyday life? Imagine the lines, the expense of travel and the prices if stores couldn’t compete for your business.
I also want you to think about the recent events in the news with hurricanes ravaging Texas and Florida. Is there any other mode of transportation that could possibly aid in this monumental relief effort? The answer is NO. Railroads can’t change routes when bridges and infrastructure is washed out or closed, boats and sea ports are damaged and of no use, only the truck driver can deliver emergency food, water, medicine and supplies. When the recue and relief emergency is over, we stand by to bring in building material to rebuild lives and hope back to those suffering.
I have been to 3rd world countries where they have few trucks, truck drivers or roads and watched people work on their small farms to grow enough to feed their families and little more because if they did, there would still be no way to take the excess to market. They carry excess rice to a local “strawmarket” to trade for a chicken, or chickens for a baby pig, then return to their homes until they have enough to carry out on their backs the next week. With roads, trucks, and truck drivers there could be larger farms, factories and jobs for the people who barely survive now.
This week is “NATIONAL TRUCK DRIVER APPRECIATION WEEK”. Please join me in honoring these heroes. They are not the most polished or best dressed but they are dedicated to their jobs, safety, an American tradition and to you.
Dennis Arfsten
2018 Summer is here!
For those of you who have not had the good fortune to live in Minnesota for these few weeks in the spring and early summer you are surely missing out of some fantastic weather. Perhaps it is because each year we emerge from what seems like eternal winter into sunshine and warmth. Not baking or sauna kind of heat, just very comfortable, no bugs or mosquitos, comfortable warmth.
The constant change in seasons reminds me of the constant change in business environments. We soon have changes in regulations on driver’s hours of service, changes in emissions standards of our trucks and now trailers. The past year or year ½ has seen reduced freight volumes and tonnage. This spring we see some recovery in the freight movement. Trucking is cyclical and I believe the cycle is changing. I recently read a book titled “The Harbinger” which talked about, among other things, the Prophet Isiah and ancient Israel’s observing a 7-year cycle of Shemittah. On the 7th year debts were forgiven and things laid to rest. I look back at my many years of trucking and see a correlation in the 7th year of Shemittah. If the Prophet Isiah and ancient Israel are correct, we should be coming out of a depressed freight business cycle into a more lively environment. I am just sharing thoughts from my desk.
I hope everyone enjoys their summer and stays safe.
Dennis Arfsten
2017 is well on it's way...
2017 has not disappointed in its promise of change and challenges. There has been some change in management staff. Denny and Todd have left our organ-ization for different positions within the trucking industry. We wish
both the very best as they further their careers. We are finding that by doing some outsourcing to outside specialists we are becoming more efficient and nimbler to adapt to change. This is of course, the season of change.
Look
around, everywhere you look spring is emerging. There are tulips poking through the flower beds under our bedroom windows, the trees are beginning to bud, birds are returning to the back yard. There is an eagle nesting
in a tree top on my way to work each day. New life abounds all around us. Please take a few moments each day to appreciate the wonders of God’s creation.
I personally need the inspiration of spring and the Easter
Season with the promise of new life after another winter with its struggles of operating equipment in the cold and bad weather of the Western mountains. We survived the new year licensing challenges, the winter weather, the end
of year accounting and reports, the income taxes and May’s real estate taxes coming up. We have a strong organization with experienced dedicated staff, great drivers and a customer base that continues to find value in our service.
We are truly Blessed in this Easter Season of 2017. Join me in embracing 2017!
Dennis Arfsten, President
Labor Day.. In 1894 President Grover Cleveland signed a law establishing Labor Day as an official Federal Holiday. However, 30 states had established the holiday before the Federal Government did. You see, Americans have a long history of being hard workers. Immigrants came from all over the world to better their lives and work as Americans. Our country was built on sweaty brows and callused hands.
Today’s workers have the same grit as our foremothers and fathers. Whether traveling to make sales calls, sitting in front of a computer screen entering data, creating innovative new software, working in a factory building machinery, preparing our next meals, steel workers in a mill, iron workers erecting buildings, or truck drivers delivering the goods that support all the above occupations, this nation runs on the hard work of it’s citizens. The United States of America has the strongest economy, the strongest military and the strongest currency in the world. We are truly fortunate to live in this great country that was built by and for today’s workers.
Celebrate Labor Day! Be safe and enjoy the long weekend.
