'He Definitely Got Scolded:' Man Needed Parts When the Bridge was Closed. Then an O’Reilly Worker Shows Up

It’s not exactly George Washington crossing the Delaware. It’s daytime, it’s not during war, and no one in Washington’s boat was wearing an O’Reilly Auto Parts work shirt. But it is epic in a modestly Midwestern way.

As captured by TikToker Jeff Melton (@jeffmelton9), one delivery driver didn’t let a bridge closure stop him from crossing the mighty Mississippi River. Delivering to Dallas City, Illinois, from Fort Madison, Iowa, he did what any self-respecting captain would do: grabbed a boat and charted a new course, upriver, to deliver the part.

And with views topping 125,000, plenty of people are impressed with the lengths dedicated deliveryman Joey went to.

Over the classic rock anthem “Takin’ Care of Business,” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive, we see a small outboard motorboat moored to a dock. Meanwhile, dressed in a green work shirt with a huge grin on his face, Joey is clearly thrilled that today, business and pleasure have collided.

Why Did O'Reilly Deliver By Boat?

There’s a long-held stereotype of Midwesterner as down to earth, unfussy, pragmatic. The delivery guy who hops into his motorboat and affects his own DIY river crossing (5 miles give or take) to make a delivery fits that description in the best possible way. 

As some Redditors pointed out, people associate the Midwest with Germans and Scandinavians, who are often seen as modest and practical folks with little time for drama. One cited the family farm as the source of this everyday independence, writing, “Kids who grew up on a farm frequently had to deal with problems that arose on their own [and] neighbors had to rely on each other because other forms of help were far away.” 

It seems that mindset is still there, even when no stalk of corn is in sight.

According to KWQC, the bridge was closed for repairs. “The repairs include replacing floor beams and stringers at six locations on both the east and west approach,” the outlet reported.

There’s a detour, but a look at Mapquest suggests that one of the detour routes turns what was about a 12 minute run into a 45 minute detour.

So the motorboat may have actually been the more practical option.

Gallery: Maserati Tridente, the Modenese brand's electric boat

O'Reilly Worker Has a Reason to Boat

Let’s be real: the chance to go out on the boat on a warm, sunny day—and get paid for it? That’s really living the dream. And TikTok ate it up.

“He just needed a reason to take the boat out obviously,” said  @camo.dreams. 

Other folks indulged in a little projection, “He wanted to take his boat out and this delivery probably took him 4 hours before he decided to go back,” wrote another. 

Besides the obvious glory of racing around on the water when you’re at work, users made observations about O’Reilly that ranged from caustic to kind.

@Grimmsubie gloomily speculated, “He’ll probably get fired as his reward.”

Another agreed, saying punishment is exactly what happened to him when he went viral in his company’s shirt. “I got suspended for a year and a half,” grumbled @Andrew_youknow.

But some of the loudest voices cheered deliveryman Joey’s dedication. They’re tagging the autoparts store saying things like “this man needs a raise.”

However, no matter how sunny the day, there’s always a little bilgewater in the bottom of the boat.

“He definitely got scolded for something” predicted one.

Motor1 reached out via TikTok direct message and comment to Melton and via email to O’Reilly Auto Parts. We’ll update this story if they get back to us.