Having a CDL myself I’ve come to make friends with some interesting folks in the trucking industry over the years. Of all of the truckers I’ve ever met though I’d say cattle haulers are the most interesting. Let me just say, they’re a rare breed.
It takes a special kind of truck driver to haul livestock. I’ve went on many runs with my good friend, John Welton from Moorefield, WV, hauling cattle from the sale barns in Zanesville, Ohio to the JBS packing plant in Sauderton, PA and, let me tell you, these trips are not for the faint of heart.
Cattle haulers must get the cattle to their final destination in a timely manner, all the while making sure to keep the cattle’s welfare in mind. Hauling cattle is serious business and the men and women that haul these animals across the country to feedyards and slaughterhouses play a vital role in making sure our nation’s cattle get from the ranch to the dinner plate. I came upon this article from Cattle Today and I think it gives an interesting perspective into what the job of a cattle hauler involves and some of the issues facing this segment of both the beef and trucking industries.
via Cattle Today
by Clifford Mitchell
Livestock transportation has made many strides over the years. From the trail drives of the days of old, to the rail car and finally, modernized hauling rigs that took advantage of this country’s vast highway system to get from point A to point B.
No matter what era, from the Trail Boss to the modern day cattle hauler, these ramrods are a rare breed. Although the business of livestock transportation has changed vastly through the years, the kindred spirits who claim to be masters of the trail could be the same men through the ages. Today, it’s still a business where a man’s word is his bond and firms depend on a third party to get their product to town in a reasonable amount of time.
To read the rest, click here…
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February 26, 2012 at 12:33 AM
They deserve a lot of respect. It’s not the easiest trucking job they can take. Very good article.
March 5, 2012 at 6:08 PM
Its great to see that some people know how hard being a Bull Hauler realy is. As a retired Bull Hauler from the late 1970 to 1990 in the days of what we called the Big Trucks with the old 1693 425 HP 3408 600 HP cats and KTA 450 ,550,600 Cummins and my favorite 12V71 Detorit twin turbo 900 HP W/6&4 two stick 355 rears on tall rubber . These were some trucks and the guys from the old days that ran coast to coast know what Iam talking about. I hauled cows out of FLA for years and years to the west coast and saw a lot of guys try but could not hang so you are right in saying it takes a special person to do this job. and they are getting fewer and fewer. As we said in the old days only the best run west.
Retired Bull Hauler
S MEADE
CODE NAME LEFT LANE
March 5, 2012 at 6:46 PM
Thanks for checking out my blog, Mr. Meade! I appreciate your comments about cattle haulers. They are a rare breed in the trucking industry and some of the hardest working guys I know.
March 9, 2012 at 11:29 AM
Yes this is true the everyday freight hauler has no clew what a bull haulers dutys are. When you had talked about the movie Cowboy with Glen Ford and Jack Lemon It brought back some flash backs from my days hauling cows. People look at you like you are full of it when you tell them about having to get in the trailer and having to get the cattle off each other like when we loaded out of Lake Okeechobee Live Stock Market or down in Labelle Florida were the cattle you load are Wild and there feet are soft from being down in the swamps. you pull away from the loading shoot and drive a 100 miles and stop and check your load and all you see is feet sticking in the air, So you get in the trailer and get them up. I have seen some loads that you would need to do this all the way to Alabama. Buy this time you are tired but you still have 2400 miles to go. Every load we hauled to California , Arizona , New Mexico , Texas and sometimes up to Colorado an Wyoming was on the time clock and we could not keep cattle on the truck for over 36 to 40 hours. Most of us Florida Trucks ran single with no help back in the day so you needed a truck that had big power and could run 100 + MPH. I still have the ticket I got in 1982 when a State Hwy patrol clocked me at 128 MPH down on Interstate 8 just west of Gila Bend Arizona. Keep in mind that all of us had 5 to 6 Drivers Licenses and you just payed the fine and kept getting up back in the day. I must say the guys I ran with out of Florida in the old days were the Very Best Bull Haulers that I have ever seen and we were known for having some of the fastest trucks on the road. I still wonder sometimes how we all drove 5000 to 6000 miles a week hauling Feeders out west and load back with Bulls or Fat Cattle and go back to Florida, All this in 5 to 5 1/2 days 50 weeks a year with very very few dead loss and no acidents. I guess with all the new Laws and DOT Trucking now has realy changed now, Just about all the freight haulers are coming out of schools that dont teach you the Real Deal, And now all of the states are looking for easy money, I guess thats a sign of the times. I just hope that the new day Bull Hauler is still tought the old way because what they do can not be tought in the class room.
REGARDS STEVE MEADE
CODE NAME (LEFT LANE)
September 29, 2012 at 9:02 PM
I enjoyed your story im making the transition from long haul trucking into cattle hauling I live in san antonio tx plenty of work around here I would appreciate any info any one can share with me on the buisness thankyou !
October 17, 2012 at 5:59 PM
I am a girlfriend of a bull hauler. And i must agree with you on them being a good soul. My boyfriend treats his catlle like he would our kids. Talks to them and makes sure he is gentle in everything it takes to get them to their destination safety .. hats off to those who do it..
February 6, 2013 at 3:48 PM
Ive been hauling livestock sents 1992 still hauling
100% cattle now thinga have change over the years
Some for the good some for the bad if a man or woman
Want to get in to this you haft to rember two things
After hauling livestock for a while you dont know
Every thing .
February 14, 2013 at 4:00 PM
Had Cow Trucks for 14 years and finally quit to raise kids.. I can tell you that frieght haulers almost never make the cut..8 hours and done, snow on the road …Done ! cattle in poor shape and can’t sort em.. I am not beating on em they just got no Cowboy in em.. I found I could hire a 24 year old Ranch kid who had driven everything and used every kind of farm equipment and worked around the clock his whole life and was working for ranch wages… I could train him to haul and now he was getting good wages and driving a nice truck and he would work like he always had and take care of business and truck the wheels off things.. While the box freight guy was sleeping and crying… Sorry fellow truckers.. Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust if it weren’t for the Cow Haulers the Left Lane would Rust !!!!
February 19, 2013 at 6:23 AM
I take my cattle to the stockyards at Zanesville, so I’ll keep an eye out for your friend’s truck and maybe see you if you’re back in this end of the country. Small world!