ALONG INTERSTATE 95 — A truck driver, stranded along a snow-covered, 50-mile stretch of Interstate 95 on Monday and Tuesday, became a lifeline for some hungry motorists by offering them breakfast Tuesday morning.
And he wasn’t the only driver lending a helping hand.
Thousands of semis and passenger cars were left stranded after a quick-moving snowstorm and several jackknifed rigs created an impassable roadblock Monday. Many were stranded for nearly 24 hours before everyone was finally able to move to safety Tuesday afternoon.
By late Tuesday evening, I-95 slowly began moving again.
Professional driver Jean-Carlo Gachet was interviewed by ABC News’s David Muir on Tuesday night’s World News broadcast after a video showing him offering an SUV driver a hot Jimmy Dean breakfast bowl went viral.
Gachet said he keeps the ready-made bowls in his rig and warms them with his on-board microwave.
“Us as truckers, we have resources; we have water we have food,” Gachet said. “Just knowing I could step out and lend someone a hand like that meant a lot to me.”
News of Gachet’s kindness quickly spread all the way to Jimmy Dean corporate offices, and the company said in a Wednesday tweet that it is giving him a lifetime supply of the breakfast bowls.
Additionally, the company said that they will, in the “spirit of Jean-Carlo’s good deed,” pay it forward by donating 100,000 Jimmy Dean breakfasts to Feeding America.
Other truckers up and down the line of stuck vehicles joined Gachet to help however they could.
Casey Holihan Noe posted photos on Facebook of a Schmidt Baking Company semi driver delivering bread to her vehicle and others.
“We reached out to Schmidt Baking Company and begged them to open their truck that was stuck out here with us,” Noe wrote on Facebook. “We didn’t think it would actually work, but less then 20 minutes later we got an incredible surprise.”
Noe continued: “We received a personal call from the owner of the company Chuck who contacted the driver. This driver Ron Hill opened the back of the truck and with the help of some people close by passed out bread to more than 50 cars who were all incredibly thankful. This was one of the kindest moments I have ever witnessed. Thank you Schmidt.”
Below is video of Gachet delivering one of the meals to a hungry motorist.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
That’s why we need better care more rest area more places with showers more respect from authority and everyone. Truck drivers are very important in this world we need to be more appreciate please please.
Agreed. 🚛❤
We absolutely need more restroom and dining facilities for all our truckers!! They are the heartbeat of our country. God bless ’em!