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As
we
meander down a long dirt road, Paul tells me that at this hour he parks
his
truck at the end of the driveways so as not to disturb his sleeping
customers.
I
wait
in the truck as Paul jogs up to the first house to collect the order.
Some
Munroe Dairy customers place weekly orders via e-mail, others have a
standing
order, and some, like this first house, leave an order form in the milk
box.
In
a
minute Paul returns with a crate of empty glass bottles, which will be
washed
and refilled at the dairy, and the order form.
He
disappears into the refrigerated back of the truck and emerges with
another crate
– this one filled with milk, juice, half-and-half, and the dairy’s
seasonal
special – apple cider!
From
the front of the truck he will grab a loaf of bread and a package of
English
muffins and then disappear into the darkness again.
He
returns to the truck where he enters the transaction into a small
hand-held computer
that tracks inventory and then we are off to the next house, which in
this case
is several miles from the first.
Paul
tells me that he has been delivering for Munroe Dairy for
two-and-a-half years
and that his first route was in Fall River, Mass.
Although
he loved his customers in Fall River,
he does not miss maneuvering the truck through city streets – or
carrying milk
crates up to third story apartments.
“It’s
so beautiful here in South County,”
he adds.
We
bounce through the darkness, which is now tinged ever so slightly with
light,
as Paul looks for our next stop – a new house on this route.
This
time it’s an e-mail order so Paul is able to fill it before leaving the
truck.
He
returns with a crate of empties and a check, enters all the data into
the
computer, and we are off again!
We
continue this pre-dawn ritual for several houses until at last we begin
to see
signs of life (beyond the many deer we have been admiring along the
roadside).
6 a.m.
We
wind
up a long driveway, past several greenhouses, to a small dark house.
Our
arrival is signaled by the family’s dog and soon lights are on in the
house.
“I’m
their alarm clock,” Paul says. “They always come out to greet me!”
I
wait
in the truck as Paul disappears into the house with an order and spends
a few
minutes talking with his customers. He returns to the truck, takes care
of inventory,
and then we are off to the next stop.
There
are school busses on the road now and waiting students at the tops of
many
driveways we pass. There are also a few joggers out on the road.
At
the
next stop, Paul invites me to help “pull” the order – two bottles of
whole
milk, two bottles of low fat, one package of American cheese, and a
container
of chicken salad.
There
are a few more things on the order – bagels and hamburger patties – but
we will
access those from the freezer on the outside of the truck.
Paul
hands me a dog biscuit and points to a large Labrador Retriever on a
rope near
the house. “Don’t get too close – he jumps!”
All in a day’s work
A
note
pad in Paul’s truck lists special instructions for each house. Little
details
like “extra ice” or “leave milk in fridge” or “lock gate when leaving”
help
Paul, or a substitute driver, provide a level of customer service that
Munroe
customers have come to expect and greatly appreciate.
“Sometimes
people forget to place an order so I have to kind of guess based on
what they ordered
last week, and what empties they leave for me, what they might want
this week.”
Occasionally
he guesses wrong, but the majority of the time his intuitive ordering
services
are greatly appreciated.
As
we
bounce along down another country road, I ask Paul what he likes best
about his
job.
“My
customers,” he says. “You really get to know people and feel part of
their
family.”
I
follow up with the obvious. “What do you like least about your job?”
“Rain.
I get absolutely soaked through on rainy days.”
I
think
about the last couple of hours and all the stops we have made and try
to imagine
it in the pouring rain.
“But
what can you do?” he adds. “It’s part of the job. You just laugh and
make the
best of it!”
Visit
www.cowtruck.com
for more information about
Munroe home delivery, which is available to all of Rhode Island, except Block Island.
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