Be Patient & Go with the Flow

I got stuck in traffic today coming back from lunch…and NO, it wasn’t behind a tractor. There was a one vehicle wreck at exit 213 by our Texarkana Terminal causing the 3 mile backup. I got into the right lane so I was sure to not miss the exit and a big truck pulled alongside me. While I was just idling along at 5mph, I only had to touch my brakes twice and eventually, I got clear of the wreck and made it back to work.
The thing I noticed while stuck behind a tanker & alongside a dry van was the tanker was doing what I was doing…idling & making steady progress. The dry van beside me, however, was not of the virtue of patience. When traffic would roll, he would lay back and then gas it like he was on fire. Then he would slam on his brakes and repeat each time the left lane would roll. All the while, I could hear his music blaring out of the truck and he had his windows up.
Traffic began moving and I eventually made it to the exit, only to see his truck start rocking because he was now a rocket sled on rails, he was jamming them gears like he was at Bristol. It reminded me of the tortoise & the hare nursery rhyme…patience and the steady hand gets the job done.
Remember this next time you get hemmed up in traffic…try to just take is slow & steady. The results will be the same, you don’t get your blood pressure boiling, less wear & tear on the truck and most importantly, you are being safer than the unprofessional driver I was alongside today.
As always, guys & gals, we appreciate what you do every day. It takes a special breed to ride these steeds!