Murphy's World

One of life's most embarrasing moments

Dear Murphy,

On my maiden voyage, I was assigned to run a load of mail to Montreal. Like most new drivers, I was worried about having to back up into a dock at the end of my trip.

The hour of reckoning finally arrived. I pulled into the depot, set myself up and backed in perfectly in one swing! I climbed down and walked back to the dock, paperwork in hand. Noticing that my truck was centered between the yellow lines on the floor, I never felt prouder.

A gaggle of men standing on the dock eyed me suspiciously. Not the looks I expected from folks who had just witnessed a perfect one swing back-in. Finally, one of the guys pulled a toothpick out of his mouth, pointed at my trailer and said, “You know, the funny thing

about them damn door van trailers is that they're easier to unload with the doors OPEN.”

Ahhhhh! I was so fixated on getting the truck into the hole that I forgot to swing the doors open. I had to pull out again, open the doors amid laughter and jeers and back in again. Only this time, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the trailer into the dock. After 20 minutes, someone finally took mercy on me. He told me to unhook, and they got their shuttle to do the job. I did eventually become good at backing up, and I have never forgotten to run around and out throw the doors open first.

One Swing Rick

Life is full of embarrassing moments, and trust me, we’ve all had more than our share here in Murphy’s World. The way I figure it, the Big-Murph-in-the-Sky-Who-Runs-Murphy’s-World gave us a sense of humor for a reason: to get us through situations exactly like this.

Backing a 53-foot long trailer (which, by the way, has a mind of its own) into a dock space that’s better suited for a Subaru sedan is not easy under the best of conditions. It’s 10 times tougher when it’s your maiden voyage and you have an audience of dock jockeys checking your every move. It’s tougher still to do it not once but twice.

The good thing about Murphy Days is that they almost always result in a lesson learned. Yours didn’t cost a thing, unless you count the embarrassment, plus you provided the dock boys with a little entertainment. Around here, we consider that a good day.

Regards,

Murphy and Lucky Dog