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Rolling with it

Contract driver finds where there’s a wheel, there’s a way

Rusty Wheeler
Rusty Wheeler, a USPS contract driver in Colorado

When Colorado’s Platte River overflowed and forced the closure of several bridges last month, Contract Driver Rusty Wheeler and his customers had to think on their feet.

Wheeler usually crosses the bridges to deliver mail to residents and businesses along a 100-mile route within Pike National Forest. Since the bridges were closed to vehicles but not to foot traffic, Wheeler and several customers came up with a plan.

The customers would push empty wheelbarrows safely across a bridge, where Wheeler would fill them with mail and packages.

“I’ve definitely never gotten mail from a wheelbarrow before,” ranch employee Konnor Dehmlow told the Denver Post.

Wheeler, a 17-year USPS veteran, also has delivered mail during blizzards and forest fires.

“Even with the fires, this is one of the most beautiful parts of the country,” Wheeler said. “The best part of my job is going out no matter what.”

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