Duo Goes the Distance to Help Another Terminal
APRIL 2025 – When a Watco team needs help, others step up to make sure no one falls behind. That’s exactly what two team members have been doing at the Baton Rouge Dedicated Terminal in Louisiana for the last six months.
The terminal typically uses a lattice boom crane to transload product from barge to truck. In August 2024, the crane had to be taken out of service. The outlook for its return was uncertain, so the team brought in an articulating material handler to avoid delays for the customer. But the terminal’s crane operators were unfamiliar with the new model. That’s where Columbus, Mississippi, Terminal Crew Leader Jerry Bruce and Alabama’s Decatur River Port Operator David Terry stepped up.
Terry first went to Baton Rouge to help assemble and test the new equipment. Bruce arrived the following week to train the local operators on how to use the material handler.
In October, Baton Rouge received its permanent replacement for the old crane, a new larger version of the material handler they’d been using. Bruce again traveled to Baton Rouge to assist with the removal of the temporary handler and assemble the new machine. He also began training operators on how to use it. A week later, Terry returned to Baton Rouge to continue the training.
“Jerry and David kept transloading operations running smoothly while teaching the operators in Baton Rouge how to run and maintain the machine,” said Jim Strawn, general manager of three terminals in Mississippi and Tennessee. “This helped them gain confidence, not only in their abilities to operate the machines, but to conduct day-to-day maintenance on oil levels, the lube system, and attachments.”
In addition to basic training, Bruce and Terry provided their expertise on how to move from task to task efficiently. They showed the team how to plan their next moves ahead of time to avoid delays, work more safely, and keep product flowing.
“Jerry and David are both the best examples of the Watco way of helping each other,” said Baton Rouge Terminal Manager Jason Beauchamp. “They volunteered to come here and fill a void at our dock. Without their expertise and skills, we would not have been able to fulfill our mission to the customer.”