Here’s an interesting way to get experience

I’ve been a dealer for a small, family-owned cabinet manufacturer for 25 years. They have their own small private fleet of about 20 trucks. Through a conversation with one of the VP’s—who brought me a much needed replacement cabinet himself—I found out that they need drivers and would be willing to train me if their insurance company will play along (I have my CDL-A already).

I talked to the guy who runs the trucking side today. He was open to the idea of me hopping in a truck for a week at a time, maybe two weeks a month, but still doing my kitchen remodels so I can make money during my training period. They aren’t a training company, but he said he could pay me “a little.” Heck, I’d do it for free in exchange for the training.

In fact, his line of questioning makes me think that I could be part time driver and part time dealer. They are a very flexible company. I know a customer service rep who is also a dealer and still does a kitchen here and there.

I don’t know, I’m just brainstorming/dreaming. Gotta get a good answer from the insurance company.

Fingers crossed! Maybe I can do this bucket list item after all.

Only bummer would be not being able to take the tractor home on weekends. I’d have to drive 3 hours to the terminal on Sunday evening in my POV, then drive home on Friday, but that sounds about normal for regional home time.

 

I’ve been on the receiving end of that trailer for 25 years, and I know what to expect. Drivers have it a lot easier from a physical perspective.

I have to muscle the cabinets down off the back, load them into my own trailer, haul them to the job site, unload them, stack them two high in the garage, then come back and do a tear-out and install.

Some drivers use shuffle board powder on the floor, so they don’t even have to push the cabinets very hard.

 

Don’t you know my story? It’s worthy of a daytime soap opera. But, no, COVID shut the door to even the bottom dwellers. I had resigned myself to doing cabinets until I die.

I’m selling cabinets out the ying-yang, though, so either way, things are good.