The trucker that was born in a truck, huh? Give me the details.
Well, my parents pulled up in front of the diesel pumps at the Shenandoah, Ohio truck stop in a 1973 Freightliner. My dad was getting ready to pump fuel when he heard my mom in stress, going into labor. Well, a service truck pulled up along one side of the Freightliner, and an ambulance pulled up on the other. My mom, lying in the bed of the big rig gave birth to me right there and then; the paramedic pulled me right out through the emergency access panel. My dad went there for fuel and got a son.
Being born in a truck and all, it seems like fate had it out for you to be a truck driver. When did you start driving?
I first started driving when I was 16 years old, on the farm. Back then I drove a Volvo White and an International. I started driving Over the Road when I turned 21. I haven’t been driving Over the Road consistently since then, though. I did it for a few years, then took a break to help out on the folk’s farm for a while.
What kind of trucks have you driven?
I’ve driven Kenworths, Western Stars, Volvos… The first truck I ever drove, outside of the farm, was back when I was 18 and told my father I wanted to be a truck driver like him. We had an old Trifold Mack and he had me take the wheel and learn to drive, by driving, by myself. Back then in Colorado, farmers didn’t need an CDL-A to drive a truck; they were exempt, all you needed was a regular driver’s license.
What’s your favorite part of being a driver?
The fact that I love to travel, and at someone else’s expense, and get paid for it haha. Well, I guess it’s not at someone else’s expense anymore; I’m a Lease Purchase driver now. But I still get paid for it and it’s still worth it.
Any tips for other drivers?
I’d recommend driving with a company that works with your specific needs and wants. For me, that’s LTI, but you need to find your company for yourself. Also, like my father said to me, you’re the one who has to stop 80,000 pounds of rolling steal, so you’re the one who has to learn how to drive it and control it.