Massena, NY, Apr 20, 2009 — If you want to put your finger on the pulse of the economy, talk to a trucker. Tomorrow's products are hauled in today's 18-wheelers. And many are nearly empty. In our Year of Hard Choices series, today a conversation with Keith Peterson. Peterson's the son of Franklin County farmers. He lives in Massena now and drives for Central Transport, based there. Peterson pulled his rig into the lot behind North Country Public Radio earlier this week. He told David Sommerstein he noticed the economic slowdown in January 2008, six months before most of us.