Some things in Halifax you can always count on: the Citadel Hill cannon will fire at noon; a summer tourist will ask you how to walk to Peggy’s Cove; your taxi will be late.
And, of course, every few weeks (or days) an errant truck will wedge itself under the MacKay bridge toll station.
It’s a phenomenon as old as the bridge: something about the 3.6-metre toll stations sends truck drivers into a mental meltdown and they can’t seem to stop themselves careening into it.
Pictures of these poor souls are a staple of Halifax social media. They pop up so often people have started reacting with what has become an unofficial slogan: “Reset The Counter!”
Now, an enterprising individual has taken this uniquely Halifax phenomenon and turned it into a uniquely Halifax calendar.
Sold under the aptly named ‘Stuck Truck’ brand, the 2022 “Reset The Counter” calendar offers a monthly montage of truck-stuck-at-MacKay-Bridge greatest hits.
Fearful of online backlash (from who, we’re not sure. Maybe a coalition of embarrassed truck drivers?), the calendar’s creator guards his identity closely. Not even our most persuasive pleading could convince him to go on the record.
But it’s our mission at Huddle to connect and inspire Atlantic Canadians. And what brings Haligonians together more than mocking trucks beached at bridge tolls?
So we’ve made an exception and agreed to keep the calendar creator anonymous.
Bob, as we’re calling him, told us through email he’s lived in Halifax most of his life. He said he created the calendar after one of the latest stuck truck photos surfaced.
“Quite honestly, I find the whole ’trucks stuck at the MacKay’ thing just very amusing, as does most of Halifax. It’s light-hearted, nobody is ever hurt, although a bit embarrassed, I’m sure,” Bob said.
The photos are a source of constant conversation between him and his friends. So, when one of them tweeted that someone should make a calendar of the photos he decided to “jump on it as a little joke.”
Image: Stuck Truck
Bob told us he spent about a week of “10-hour full days” pulling the calendar together.
Most of that was tracking down photos. He had to sleuth out the original photographers and get the original file (and their permission to use it, of course).
He then designed and laid out the calendar himself before sending it to the printer.
“It was a lot of work making sure I had all of my bases covered to ensure this was done properly,” he said.
Already, Bob says he’s sold out of his initial run of 2022 “Reset The Counter” Calendars. He’s now working on a second run to meet the unexpected demand.
The calendars sell for $25 a pop, but Bob claims the project isn’t really a money-making venture.
“Trust me when I say that margins are extremely slim on this—I’m not making much money,” he said. “This was more of a fun project if anything and the small funds I do make are just going to go towards my raising rent costs and day-to-day bills.”
If things take off any more he hopes to make a small donation to charity with some of the profits.
Is there an Embarrassed Truck Driver Support Group? Might be a good place to start, Bob.
Trevor Nichols is a staff writer with Huddle in Halifax. Send him feedback or story suggestions at: nicholst@huddle.today. To read more stories like this, sign up to receive Huddle’s free daily newsletter.
