The truck stop in Botetourt Virginia shut down yesterday. So What? you maybe saying. Well, if you dont eat there, fuel there, drive a truck, well it probably doesnt impact you much. There are plenty other Truck stops up and down I 81. I will tell you this; It sure impacted me ! Not yesterday when it closed, but 40 years ago. We all have those times in our youth that we try to discover just who we are, where we fit in and just what and who do we wish to be. The teen years are when so many go through phases, Heavy Metal, Country, Sports, Rebel, Partier , etc... till we find one that suits us and feels comfortable. I had one of those impactful defining moments in the fall of 1974. The OPEC Oil embargo reeked havoc to our economy and while all were impacted, American Truck Drivers and Trucking Companys were hit extremely hard. Truckers, under stress and demand, and without much help from anywhere, began striking and protesting across the nation. At that time, my Father was an executive for Russell Transfer, a Trucking Firm in Virginia. A call came in one Saturday to the house from one of his drivers. Seems he had stopped at the Truck stop in Botetourt, and a large group of Truckers had blocked in his rig as well as the entire lot and roadways, and were refusing entry or exit by anyone. My father, and my Grandfather and me, loaded in the car and headed out. Now my Grandfather , who had also been in trucking with Associated Transport, and was a mediator for the Grievance committee of the Union, understood the problems of the drivers , as did my Dad, however both were concerned with the driver who called for help. You must understand, that these strikes often fed violence. Many instances of assault, and damage occurred during this time. Acid being thrown on drivers, trucks and cars was not uncommon. When we got to the blocked off entrance, My fathers driver came to the car. My grandfather and Dad got out and talked with him. Myself, who had just turned 9, was not allowed out. As I watched wide eyed out the front window of the car, scared a bit and at the same time thrilled at the spectacle of hundreds of big burly angry men yelling , waving signs and sticks, as police stood off away, I was in disbelief and wonder as I watched my Dad tell the driver to get in the car, who did after handing his keys to my Granddad. My dad walked straight up to the group of men blocking the entrance and began talking and pointing towards the lot where the Russell truck was confined. The men were gesturing and shaking their heads in a way that even a 9 year old could understand meant they werent to keen on what my father was saying. My granddad must have reached that exact same conclusion, because he walked over to the men himself, spoke briefly , words to this day I do not know what they were or how they were delivered, and to my amazement , the men parted the way, and to me it seemed almost with a slight bow of their heads, watched as I did as my Granddad walked through that angry mob, climbed into the cab , and drove that truck right out of the lot and off to the terminal. I knew what I had witnessed, and my fathers smile and the look of admiration mixed with astonishment on the drivers face, showed me and instilled in me there at 9 years old, that no matter what else I ever did in this world, I wanted to be that kind of man. I am not sure I will ever get to that point, but its a fine goal. The sense of strength, justice, boldness, and courage my Granddad displayed has been burned into my mind since that moment. So once again, the Truck stop closed yesterday, but I will always remember the day 40 years ago I watched it reopen.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 17:16:45 +0000
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