Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

CHAUFFEUR'S TAG

Date

1956

Materials

BRASS

No. Pieces

1

Length

3.2

Width

3.1

Description

BRASS TAG WITH ATTACHED PIN, ENGRAVED: "ALBERTA 14888 CHAUFFEUR 1956"

Subjects

DOCUMENTARY ARTIFACT

Historical Association

TRANSPORTATION

History

COMMERCIAL TRUCK DRIVERS REQUIRED SPECIAL OPERATORS LICENSES WHICH WERE RENEWABLE YEARLY. DRIVERS REQUIRED TO DISPLAY TAG AT ALL TIMES WHILE DRIVING. IN OCTOBER 2009, COLLECTIONS TASKED TWO UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE MUSEUM STUDIES STUDENTS TO CONDUCT RESEARCH ON A 1956 ALBERTA CHAUFFEUR LICENSE (P19900015000), DONATED BY CARLTON “CARLY” STEWART IN 1990. THE FOLLOWING NARRATIVE IS BASED OFF OF INFORMATION SOLICITED BY THE TWO STUDENTS (INCL. SARA MCKARNEY) IN AN INTERVIEW WITH STEWART. THEIR INFORMATION AND THIS NARRATIVE WERE, THEREAFTER, REVIEWED AND CORRECTED FOR ACCURACY BY STEWART. THIS PUBLIC SERVICE VEHICLE LICENSE/BADGE WAS GENERALLY HELD BY PERSONS ALLOWED TO OPERATE 1 TON OR LARGER TRUCKS AND/OR OTHER PSEUDO-PUBLIC SERVICE VEHICLES, INCLUDING TAXIS, MILK TRUCKS, ETC.. AT THE TIME OF ISSUE, NO LICENSE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM EXISTED AND OPERATORS WERE NOT REQUIRED TO SUBMIT TO A FORMAL DRIVERS’ TEST. PRIOR TO OBTAINING THE CHAUFFER LICENSE, THE OPERATOR HAD TO HAVE A NORMAL DRIVER’S LICENSE FOR A PERIOD OF “ABOUT ONE YEAR”. OBTAINING A LICENSE FOR THAT TIME PERIOD WAS “VERY EASY – NO TEST JUST A STATEMENT THAT YOU COULD DRIVE”. ACCORDING TO STEWART, “[THE] RULES WERE VERY LAX”. STEWART RECALLED THAT THIS PARTICULAR LICENSE BADGE WAS DISCONTINUED ON OR ABOUT 1956. IN ADDITION TO THE BADGE, HE CARRIED A “PAIRED, LIGHTWEIGHT CARDBOARD” LICENSE WHICH HE MAINTAINED IN HIS WALLET. THE BADGE, HE CLAIMED, WAS WORN VISIBLY ON COVERALLS OR ON CAPS IN ORDER TO INFORM TRAFFIC CONTROL OF HIS QUALIFICATION. SOME DRIVERS, HE THOUGHT, FAILED TO WEAR THE BADGE IN SUCH A MANNER; HOWEVER, HE REMEMBERED NO INSTANCES OF FINES OR PUNISHMENT IN SUCH CASES. AND OTHER DRIVERS, HE REMEMBERED, “WORE THE PINS IN A BRAGGING MANNER” ON ACCOUNT THAT THE DISPLAY OF MULTIPLE PINS DENOTED SENIORITY AND THE ABILITY TO OPERATE A GREATER DIVERSITY OF VEHICLES. NEW BADGES WERE ISSUED ANNUALLY AND FEATURED A NEW YEAR AND A NEW SHAPE. STAMPED MARKINGS ON THE BADGES WERE, IN STEWART’S OPINION, DONE BY “CALGARY STAMP AND STENCIL”. FINALLY, THE BADGES UTILIZED ROUNDED CORNERS “SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT CATCH ON ANYTHING”. AT THE TIME THAT STEWART RECEIVED THE 1956 LICENSE/BADGE HE WAS EMPLOYED WITH DAVIDSON ENMAN LUMBER, 1902 -3RD AVENUE S., WHICH ABSORBED BLUE SPRUCE LUMBER – STEWART’S FORMER EMPLOYER. FOR THREE SUMMERS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 16 AND 19, HE WORKED AS A GENERAL LABOURER, PERFORMING THE ODD IN-TOWN LUMBER YARD DELIVERY. HE ADDITIONALLY WORKED THERE SATURDAY MORNINGS DURING THE SCHOOL MONTHS AND HELD A PART TIME JOB AT THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. CEMENT BAG DELIVERIES AT THE YARD STOOD OUT FOR STEWART. HIS WORK PRE-DATES THE PERIOD OF BAGGED, MIXED CONCRETE AND, THUS, HE HAD TO HAUL THE BAGS FROM A RAIL SPUR LINE TO THE CONSTRUCTION SITE – GENERALLY RESIDENTIAL - WHERE THE BAGS’ CONTENTS WERE MIXED. HE RECALLED THAT HE HAD TO UNLOAD BY SOME 1000 - 85 LBS BAGS BY HAND FROM THE SPUR LINE’S BOX CAR AT A TIME. THE BAGS, IN HIS OPINION, WERE ESPECIALLY HEAVY DUE THEIR CONTENTS’ COMPACTION, CAUSED BY THE CAR’S VIBRATION AS IT TRAVELED ON THE RAILS. AN IRRITANT WHILE PERFORMING THE DIFFICULT WORK WAS THE SUMMER’S HEAT - ESPECIALLY ON DAYS WHEN THERE WAS NO BREEZE. LUCKILY, LARGE ORDERS REQUIRED STEWART ONLY LOAD THE BAGS FROM THE BOX CAR INTO THE TRUCK AND, ONCE AT THE CONSTRUCTION SITE, FROM THE TRUCK ONTO THE GROUND. THE LAST BAG OUT OF CAR WAS THE BEST, HE SAID, ON ACCOUNT THAT IT “WAS THE LAST FOR THE JOB”. ANOTHER LUMBER YARD MATERIAL THAT STEWART RECALLED WORKING WITH WAS ROCK WOOL INSULATION. THE INSULATION WAS HANDLED WITH BARE HANDS DUE TO ITS ABILITY TO “WORK THROUGH” GLOVES. THE GLASS, PIN-LIKE INSULATION WAS “VERY, VERY ITCHY” AND, ACCORDING TO STEWART, IT “WORKED ITS WAY INTO YOUR CLOTHING AND SKIN”. THIS EFFECT WAS “EVEN WORSE” WHEN THE WEATHER WAS HOT. TO RELIEVE THE PROBLEM, HE SAID, ONE NEEDED TO TAKE A THOROUGH BATH OR SHOWER AFTER WORK. AND, IT TOOK MORE THEN THREE WASHES BEFORE THE “ITCHY STUFF” WAS LOOSENED AND EXTRICATED FROM YOUR CLOTHES. GRATEFULLY, THE MATERIAL WAS, FOR STEWART, WRAPPED IN PAPER BUNDLES. CONSTRUCTION WORKERS, IN CONTRAST, WERE REQUIRED TO WORK WITH UNWRAPPED MATERIAL – STAPLING BATS OF IT BETWEEN FRAMING STUDS AND CEILING JOISTS. THAT, IN HIS OPINION, WOULD HAVE BEEN “ONE OF THE WORST JOBS IN THE BUILDING TRADES”. STEWART’S HARD LABOUR AT THE YARD CONVINCED HIM THAT AN EDUCATION HAD ADVANTAGES AND, CONSEQUENTLY, HE COMPLETED THE MAJORITY OF HIS GRADE 12 EDUCATION. BY AGE 19, HE SECURED FULL-TIME WORK AT THE HERALD, WORKING, MOSTLY, AS A DRIVER. HE RECALLED THAT BY THIS TIME HE WAS NO LONGER REQUIRED TO WEAR HIS CHAUFFER BADGE.

Catalogue Number

P19900015000

Acquisition Date

1990-04

Collection

Museum

Less detail