LAFAYETTE, La. — A major wireless outage affecting customers across the United States left many hoping for their phone service to be restored.
For truck driver Randy Causey of Alabama, the outage disrupted both his work and his ability to stay connected with family while traveling through the state.
Causey said his phone is essential to his day-to-day duties on the road.
“It’s the only contact I have for my family or for my business,” Causey said. “Being able to get my loads and the paperwork I have to have — if the Department of Transportation wants something from me, it’s all in my phone. All my files and everything.”
In a statement, a Verizon spokesperson said crews were actively working to resolve the issue.
“Verizon’s team is on the ground actively working to fix today’s service issue that is impacting some customers. We know this is a huge inconvenience, and our top priority is to get you back online and connected as fast as possible. We appreciate your patience while we work to resolve this issue.”
For Causey, the biggest concern was not business, but family.
“I’m about 500 or 600 miles from the house, and just to let my wife know that I’m safe in this day and time, is important,” he said. “She’s trying to call me and can’t get me, or I’m trying to call to make sure everything is OK at home.”
Causey said staying in touch with his wife is a key reason he continues driving long-haul routes.
“I wouldn’t be out here if it wasn’t for having the ability to call my wife,” he said. “I’ve been doing this since we had to use payphones to call home.”
Despite the outage, Causey said he is trying to remain positive, viewing the disruption as a reminder of an earlier era in trucking.
“When I started back in 1990, there weren’t any cell phones,” he said. “You had to do it the old-fashioned way. You used a CB radio or flagged someone down to get to the next town. It’s a helpful hindrance."
