Cold is Cold But This Is Ridiculous!

Cold is Cold But This Is Ridiculous!

Suzanne Marsh

The QBC beeped three times, we had a load. The first beep was for the load assignment itself, we were going to Menomonee, Wisconsin. The second beep had the directions, the third was a message stating: this is NOT GOING TO MENOMONIE FALLS, WISCONSIN. Then I accepted the load. In 1995, there were no cell phones nor was there such a thing as a GPS. Rand McNally and the pay phone were the only tools to get from point a to point b. This point b was rapidly turning to the load from a frozen hell. Menomonee, Wisconsin is located in the western part of the state, not really that far from the Minnesota border. These are two of the coldest states we have ever been in.

The load was going to the Wal Mart Distribution Center in Menomonee. We stopped in Madison, Wisconsin for the night. We slipped all the way to the door of the restaurant. It was terribly cold there, the snow crunched under our feet as we walked. The following morning, it began to snow. Then as we headed west toward Menomonee the wind picked up. That was not a good sign. The truck cab began to get colder. Earl, like all truckers; put cardboard in front of the radiator to force the truck to run warmer. The further west we went, the worse the storm became. The winter of 1995-96 was a brutal winter, also Earl's rookie year trucking. We resided in Buffalo, New York at the time, actually we had both lived there all our lives. We should have been prepared for Menomonee, but nothing prepared us for the harshness of a Wisconsin winter.

The only good thing was this was a drop and hook load, that required brute force to deliver. I could hear the tires crunching the snow; as we pulled up to the Distribution Center. This was not boding well. Earl grabbed his jacket when we arrived at the Guard Shack. The first time he opened the door, I felt a true blast of arctic air. Thus far everything was going well; he backed into the designated spot. He then lowered the landing gear. Then Murphy paid a visit. The problem was the grease was frozen to the fifth wheel, so he could not separate the truck from the trailer. The wind howled like a banshee, as I sat in the truck. I heard Earl attempting to release the fifth wheel. He opened up the side box where he kept tools. I saw him in the review mirror, with a hammer in his hand. Whatever was happening it wasn't good. Ten minutes later, he came into the truck, to thaw out.

“What's wrong?”

“The fifth wheel won't separate, the grease is frozen solid.”

“Do you need my help?”

“No, there is no sense in both of us freezing.”

“Point taken.”

Earl tried for almost an hour attempting to get the fifth wheel to release. The next time he came into the truck, his russet color mustache, was pure white. He had two small icicles that formed on his mustache. This was insanity! He was becoming more and more frustrated. He came back into the cab to once again warm up. He sat contemplating what he was going to do. We had to drop the trailer somehow. Then he hit on a solution. He had a small piece of 2X4 in the side box. He placed the 2X4 between the fifth wheel and the trailer; fifteen minutes later he was able to separate the tractor from the trailer.

The snow was swirling, the wind blowing, now we had to locate the trailer we were picking up. The trailer was located in D2, not only had the wind picked up, but once again the visibility was almost zero. Trailer numbers are located on the front and side, we began checking numbers closely; to no avail. I turned to look at Earl, who by this time had thawed out somewhat from his ordeal.

“Maybe it is in a different area.”

“No, it has to be here in this area.”

“We have been up and down D2 at least twenty times. It is not here.”

“We can't leave until we find it.”

Suddenly, I saw the number we were looking for, two isles over. Halleluiah! Now all we had to do to was hook up to the trailer and leave. The truck was getting colder, I was getting colder. Earl, who is like a mini Bessemer Furnace was comfy and cozy. At this point I had my boots on, my coat, hat, gloves and a scarf; inside the truck cab. Earl began backing up to the fifth wheel, it clicked. Hey, so far so good. Right? Wrong! Murphy was still at work. Earl went out, connected the lines, raised the landing gear. He climbed back up into the cab. Attempted to pull the trailer out. NOTHING, NADA, ZIP, ZILTCH. It would not budge. He began by gently rocking back and forth. That did not do much, except make me wonder what I was doing in this truck freezing when I could be home where I would be nice and warm. Earl opened the door to climb out as snow and arctic air swept in. He checked to see if he were making any progress at all rocking the truck. The truck began to move about a half inch, then one of the axles began to tug, as my stomach lurched. I knew what that sound meant as did Earl. The trailer brakes were hot when someone had dropped it there. The brakes and tires were frozen!

Once again Earl and his trusty hammer were outside pounding on the brakes to release them. That took another forty five minutes. Earl could not stay out in the storm for more than five minute intervals. Finally, the truck and trailer began to move. I have never been so glad to feel those tires moving, my entire twenty two years on the truck.

There was a small truck stop across the road from the Distribution Center. Earl wanted something warm to eat and drink. Hot Cocoa was just the ticket. While there I discovered what the temperature was: fifty five below zero, without the wind chill factor! Cold is cold but that was ridiculous even for two old Buffalo, New York kids like us.