Driver Stories

It was a long time ago, but I started driving smaller vehicles back in Ontario when I was 17. After a break from the industry in the late 90s, I decided to get back into trucking again. I went through unemployment, and then I got my license. That was a bit of a painful process. It was discouraging, but I stuck with it. I got my funding and my Class 1. From that point, I ran into personality conflicts, and it took me almost a year and a half before I got myself into a legitimate, solid job. It’s that same old saying, “You got to get the experience to get a job,” but how do you get experience if nobody hires you? That’s the problem I fell into. It took me a good year and a half before I actually found a company that was willing to say, “Okay, we’re going to take a shot on you. Let’s see what you can do.”

Nowadays, I see a lot of people get their start by having some connection with someone who owns a truck or company. Or, they go someplace that has a solid training program that can take them from being new to being out on their own. While it can be hard to find a job at first, there are good companies out there that can help new drivers get their start.

After time away training with the army reserves, I had some money and decided to get my Class 1. I wanted to do long-haul work, but no one would hire me due to my young age and lack of experience. I ended up doing dock work at a warehouse and shunting trailers. They slowly got me going on smaller trucks around town and, in a few months, I moved over to a company that had me out on the road. I was a good worker and kept safe, so they gave me lots of opportunities. I later moved to a company that did mostly cross-border flatbed work, and I really liked it. I worked for them during the oil recession in 2016 and was grateful to have steady, good-paying work that whole time.

While I was trucking, I took an interest in safety and started working as a driver trainer. The company had room for a fleet safety manager, so I asked to be considered for the role and was promoted into it. They provided me with safety training in the form of the AMTA’s Certified Transportation Safety Professional (CTSP) program, and I still occasionally drove to help when they were in a bind or when a new driver needed some additional training. To me, safety and compliance is a fascinating world, and fleets always need good safety professionals. Eventually, I was hired by the AMTA as their Industry Advisor in Safety and Compliance. I’m grateful each day for my trucking experience, even though this role didn’t formally require it. My on-road experience helps me understand the challenges that drivers, fleets, and governments experience moving freight in a safe and reliable manner.