LAUREL — There was no shortage of unfed trucker drivers Tuesday on Interstate-90, as a group of volunteers decided to fire up the grill and pack up hot meals for drivers passing through the Laurel scales.
Susan Nagy with Big Sky Pilots, a business that runs a fleet of pilot vehicles in the Billings area, says the idea to feed drivers started Monday and took off with the help of social media.
“They’re just taken for granted,” said Nagy. “For the most part, you know, we move America. My pilot trucks and the big rigs, move America.”
She says drivers are working hard to keep people fed and keep goods on the shelves during the coronavirus pandemic.
The crew of volunteers were also bagging up snacks and bottles of water for the drivers to take with them.
“And giving out goodie bags to the truckers to say thank you for keeping the food going,” said volunteer Barbara Green. “Keeping all the industry going while we’re out here fighting this virus.”
Green couldn’t believe the response that was circulating from their Monday drive on Facebook to feed the drivers.
“It just started blowing up,” she said.
Nagy said they handed out 500 hot meals on Monday and she expected to do more than that number on Tuesday.
“My husband is in Houston right at the moment with an oversized load and he heard about it, called me this morning and said I guess you were out at the scale yesterday,” said Nagy. “He said it’s already starting to spread down there, what we did up here.”
She says the gesture is small compared to what drivers are coping with on a daily basis.
