I am an employee of Transport Bourret since March 2012, so for a little over 6 years now. As you can imagine, I have been curious about experiencing the reality of our truckers for a while! This summer, I enjoyed a day of my vacation to experience a day in the life of a trucker. So, I asked my friend Alain Proulx if I could spend a day with him. I knew he drives through the Lac Megantic region, and that the scenery would be beautiful.
First of all, I let me tell you that, on July 30, 2018, the weather was very nice, and the temperature was ideal. Nothing compared to a stormy winter day! However, I quickly noticed that the slightest unevenness on the road could cause a stir in the cabin. When driving a heavy truck, you must be vigilant at all times. In addition, you see the roads much more differently aboard a semi-trailer truck. I have, unfortunately, noticed that some motorists are not always courteous towards heavy trucks and sometimes do make dangerous overtaking and / or position themselves in a place very close to the truck where the visibility of the trucker is rather limited!
I also quickly understood the rumour that states that “truckers at Bourret know how to move back! “. It is not always easy to maneuver in all the delivery areas that we visit with our 53 feet long trailers! Truckers must be agile at all times. For example, Alain sometimes had to block two lanes of traffic and maneuver in a small space in order to make his delivery. Let me tell you that, as a passenger, it is very impressive … But he is so talented that it almost looked easy!
Finally, in this period of summer holidays where work is slow, it is in optimal conditions that we have completed a beautiful day of 12 hours on the road.
Thank you, Alain, for the beautiful ballad!
by Marilyn Demers