“You gotta be smart and you gotta have a sense of humor.”
Chris Vanpelt, Menomonee Falls, WI
When I was about seven years old (mid-1980s), I was riding with my dad and we were going to load at a 3M plant. They had a policy about no minors allowed on the property so he told me to go in the bunk, close the curtain, and stay there until he said it was okay. Three hours into this, as I’m sitting in the closet of this already cramped A-model bunk, I had to relieve myself awfully bad. I couldn’t take it anymore. Finding an almost-empty bottle of mouthwash on the shelf, I relieved myself into it. When we left and I was allowed to come back up front, it took me a few hours to muster up the courage to tell him what I had done, thinking that I was in some serious trouble. Much to my surprise, he got a huge grin on his face, and said, “That’s my boy! I’m proud of you for using your head… and for not peeing your pants!” Humor and ingenuity – helping to keep the “Spirit of the American Trucker” alive.
