RENO or BUST
A few months after our New Jersey encounter, we hauled a load from Washington D. C. to Reno, Nevada. Now, this load was a nice clean load. We knew we could unload everything ourselves except for a baby grand piano. And this was disheartening to us because we would have to hire a lumper for a minimum of four hours to do a 10 minute job. We were at the 76 Truck stop also called Sierra Sid's having breakfast and contemplating our dilemma, when we spotted two other North American Drivers sitting across the room from us. How did we know they drove for North American or that they were hauling furniture? Because of their shirts they wore, which by the way were the same ones we wore. Typical clothing for this line of business. Bo went over to them and asked if they could possibly help us out by helping to unload just the piano, because we could do all the rest. To his amazement, they were sitting there contemplating the same thing, except their dilemma was a spinet. Now, we couldn't ask for a better situation, right?
Well, they talked it over and came to the solution that we would follow them to their shipper and help them to unload everything, then they would follow us and help us to unload everything, and it wouldn't cost anyone any money. Now I need to tell you that Bo had to do some fancy talking, as the two men didn't think it was quite fair that Bo would get two strong able bodied men and they would only get one with a women in tow. But, he apparently convinced them that they wouldn't be short changed. Bo called our shippers and explained them the situation, letting them know that we would be there around noon, just as soon as we helped these two drivers with their load.
Well, we unloaded their 7600 lbs. and spinet in just under two hours and the house had stairs outside and three levels inside. Then we drove over to our shippers and unloaded our 9400 lbs. and baby grand just under 2 1/2 half hours. No outside stairs, but they had one set of stairs inside.
Back at the Truckstop, after we had folded our furniture pads and swept out the trailer and having showered we all sat around the table in the restaurant patting ourselves on the back. That is when the two drivers complimented me on my capabilities to keep up with them, then they made the comment that they had never seen a women able to lift the amount of weight I had and carry it. And believe it or not, one made the comment that it looked like they had run into the couple from the New Jersey incident that they had heard about over the road. I have to admit this was a bit embarrassing. I never imagined that what happened in New Jersey would actually become a story to be told over a CB. And in time we would find out just how much truckers like to talk and embellish on stories. They usually got a few of the facts correct, like the place, that it was a married couple and they drove for North American Van Lines, but the rest I leave up to your imagination