Trucking Career Stories

I can sit and type a few years and not tell the whole thing.

Started in the 80's schooling and bought a truck in the 94 time period which was canceled by the seller for a variety of reasons, made it to Arkansas 20 years ago and never left. 9-11 came along and went. 2002 was the end of OTR and beginning of medical repairs that continue to this day. I stopped working with trucks and CDL temps as a crew boss officially in about 2013 time period turned in my CDL for a basic car licensing.

Ive always stayed ahead of the situation most of these years regardless. I may get back into it later this year under a Tier two system without a DOT Medical for purpose of farm to market part time. But my main focus is rebuilding or repairing where possible many of the accumulated medical defects that were not treated during my years OTR. Some of which is essentially terminal but I'm not concerned about that at all. It would be no loss when it's time.

This forum on my part contains hundreds of stories, a bit of noise making and quite a few opinions right and wrong. I occasionally repeat a few to summarize. However most of my years do not exist anymore because companies I ran for themselves do not exist anymore it never happened.

One of my favorite incidents in trucking was we were coming out of Avenel with company freight for LA under FFE as a husband wife team in Jersey to California down US1. The dispatch was not happy that we dropped, hooked in 14 minutes, swapped paperwork and headed out. They thought we would be late by 10 minutes to half a hour once there. We assured them there is a very good chance that we will be around 15 to 7 minutes to the good on arrival.

We were there with 4 minutes to spare. We skipped two fuel stops to make it happen. So the first fuel ranged us 1800 miles we filled it with 5 gallons left in tanks and made it in the rest of the way.

 

In 2007 I was 19 and I started working for Lowes home Improvement as a backup driver and sales floor associate. I told my dad I said I really like this job, but I need more money.

He said to me have you thought about being a truck driver. I said a truck driver??? What???!!
Well when I turned 20 I went and got my CDL permit to drive within the state. I continued driving for Lowes and I would occasionally do flatbed work there.

After I finished my CDL School I was 21 at the time in 2009. I started working for Werner OTR. I actually hated it. I had to team for a while and had to endure very low pay with Werner at the time. I think my largest check was like $700. They really did treat you like a nobody.

To sum up the next year from 2009 to December 2017 I had 3 years OTR dryvan, 1 year local dryvan, 1 year OIL field ND Crude Oil, 2 years flatbed OTR, and 1 year tanker hauling gas

In December 2017 I purchased my first truck. I had approx 9 years Trucking experience.

I've been in business now for over a year and I have to say I have definitely learned a lot, still have a lot to learn. I have done very well for myself.

In summary I started working for Lowes and I needed a job. I was just a kid that didnt care about anything. My dad pushed me into getting my CDL. 11 years later it has payed off very well. I'm glad I followed in my Dad's footsteps. Dont ever let anyone tell you that you can't do it!

 

Well lets see the year was 1981 I was 21 right out of the Marines .
Freshly married with a kid on the way .
I gave 5000.00 @ 19.75 apr for a 1971 Brockway day cab that had air assist steering and a 1673 cat 270 hp 13 speed transmission and 411 rears on a Hendrickson walking beam suspension .
I learned to shift it on my way home .

I went to a local outfit that hauled sand and rock and asked if they were looking for help . The man asked if I had ever pulled a rock bucket before . I told him no I hadn't but I was sure I could figure it out . I hooked up and off to the pit for my first load . I got to the job sight in the rain and the mud and that's when I learned to back ( sort of) LOL . The job boss got so mad at me messing up his job site trying to back up that he told me to just dump right in the middle of the GD road and we will move it from there !! Well that's when I learned how the PTO worked . I raised that bed as high as it would go and nothing happened !! Well he came running and jumped on the fuel tank screaming and cussing like a drill instructor you gotta open the tailgate you blankity blank blank !!! So I hit the clutch and mashed the PTO back down and dropped 22 tons of rock right down on the frame of that trailer !! Hydraulic oil went everywhere the boss went flying I about got tossed out of the truck !!!! LMAO the man just walked off muttering words I hadn't even heard on board a ship !!! I got the tail gate opened and dumped that rock right there in the road . I hauled rock in the summer and pulled dry box and flats in the winter for a couple of years . From there I went to a outfit pulling for Mc Donald's for a few years .

I didn't get a company driver job until I sold the 3 Pete's 1 refer wagon and 2 dry boxes I had 1989. That lasted until 1995 when I went out and bought another truck and went into power only and I have dragging empty wagons ever since .
Well that's enough rambling for one day for this old dog .
I can say I love it as much as I did then . I can't imagine ever doing anything else. All I ever wanted to was to be a Marine and own and drive semi trucks . I have been blessed that I am able to live my life the way I Wanted doing the thing that I love . I still have the woman that I married in 1980 after 3 days of being around her have 2 great kids and 7 awesome grand kids 1 spoiled dog. Its more than I deserve and allot more than even dreamed of . Trucking has been very very good to me . I am some what of an anomaly in that I am a truck driver that love the his job !!

 

Who you dragging empty wagons for I think that's what I want to do..?