Stick a fork in it…

A day in the life of a lift driver

Nestled in the heart of the American South, in Summertown, Tennessee, Old South Preserving, LLC is a wholesale distributor of both pressure treated and non-pressure treated Southern yellow pine lumber. The company serves all of Tennessee and the lower 48 states, thanks to the hard work and capabilities of their fleet of trucks. Here’s a look at a typical day for those drivers as they work to move fence products.

6 am
In the early gray fog, tow trucks look like big turtles rumbling round.

At Old South Wood, our fleet of seven forklifts move massive amounts of untreated and treated fence products in all shapes and sizes. With capacities ranging from 15,500 to 10,000 pounds, these beasts put their money where their mouth is. Each lift has two forks that measure about four feet long and are specifically designed for lumber. The two forks are inserted into small spaces between the bundles of posts, pickets, and boards. It may seem simple – and these experienced operators make it look that way – but positioning the forks correctly between each pack takes a great deal of skill.

10:30 am
On the load yard, big trucks roll in and swirl clouds of gray dust all around.

Five trucks in the line and progress stops. A hydrostatic filter clogged up, a hydraulic line broke, and two lifts shut down. After pulling another lift from the planer mill to go help, general manager Mark Jent drives to town to get new parts. Although drivers are not assigned to one specific lift and rotate when required, each man does have his favorite. The replacement lift driver continues to load the truck in the line with poplar fence boards sold to builders in South Carolina.

12 noon
Stomp the dust off the boots – it’s lunch time for the crew!

1 to 2 pm
Time lumbers on as the forks gingerly transfer round tapered posts from on-the-yard slats to the big flatbed backs. The tapered posts are the most difficult because they are not square and are very hard to stack. Next, the lifts line up and layer rough sawn boards, dog-eared pickets, 2x4s, 4x4s, 6x6s, all pieced and placed together like a huge, heavy jigsaw puzzle. Each truck order is unique, and each load requires different diagrams to balance.

3 to 4 pm
Trucks thunder in, straps unfurl, and lifts unload fence wood sent for treatment. Trucks ease forward, treated wood is transferred, and drivers scale out headed to new fence destinations. This powerful parade proceeds carefully, patiently as the day passes by.

5 pm
The dust settles and we park the lifts in the sun.