Moving Words – Perseverance

Written by Timothy Brady.

“Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.” – Samuel Johnson (1709-1784; English poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer.)

When thinking of perseverance, the unofficial motto of the USPS comes to mind: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

There is no more fitting statement as to the perseverance and dedication of America’s household movers, no matter the weather. Having completed hundreds of moves over a 23- year career as a van operator for a major van line, I can attest to the challenges presented by the weather you have to endure to complete a move.

My Technicolor® memories are vivid of the many moves wherein pulling yourself (and your team) together to endure horrendous weather conditions would’ve sidelined most other professions.

Here’s one example of perseverance from the old memory banks.

It was during an East Coast cold snap – near zero – that my tractor had mechanical issues which had to be taken care of, so I placed it in the shop and set up temporary residence in a motel in Perth Amboy, NJ, while the repairs were completed. I should note I was also sick with a very severe cold and had planned on a few days to sweat the malady from my bones.

Then came the call from dispatch. They had a top executive from one of their major accounts in Fairfield, CT, and the van operator scheduled to move him had had an accident and was in the hospital. I was the only agency driver who was close enough to load the shipment. Dispatch had already arranged for a rental tractor and was sending someone to pick me up and take me to the tractor. It was the perseverance of dispatch that started me on this adventure. It was then my own perseverance that got me through the next 36 hours.

First thing I noticed traveling up the NJ Turnpike was the rental tractor’s heater started blowing cold air. Luckily I’d brought several blankets, winter jackets and a sleeping bag even though the rental was a day cab. Since this was a Friday night, the truck rental company was already closed for the weekend, so I had little choice but to keep heading to Fairfield. When I arrived that night at the moving agency where I’d gather my labor to load, I was able to sleep in the driver’s room on a sofa. By morning I was running a fever and not feeling at all well. However, the shipment still needed to be loaded. So I gathered my loading crew and they led me to the residence.

When we arrived, the first thing I noticed was the very steep driveway, 85 feet long and with a coating of ice. We put down some ice melt to provide a wide enough path for the crew to go up and down the driveway at the same time. I was very fortunate to have an excellent, skilled crew who handled all the loading of the shipment as I was in no condition to do any physical labor. I did the inventory while the crew prepared the shipper’s belongings to be brought out to the truck and loaded. It should be noted the temperature rose from zero to about 23 degrees – and it started snowing towards the end of the day. We finished at around 7pm that evening with just shy of 28,000 pounds loaded. I was fortunate in that there was no rush for delivery as the load was going into storage for three months at destination.

So I took some aspirin, got a thermos of hot coffee and headed back to the motel in Perth Amboy, arriving a little after midnight and just ahead of the major Nor’easter snowstorm that dumped about 18 inches of snow. I laid up in the motel until Wednesday of that week staying warm and sweating out the cold or flu. The truck rental company didn’t charge me for the use of the rental truck with no heat and the shipment was delivered into SIT the following Monday.

And while those unfamiliar with the moving business might think this was far beyond the call of duty for a mover, we in the business know it takes this kind of perseverance to do what we do. Just another ‘ordinary’ move on New Year’s Day.

“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” – Walter Elliot