From The Corporate Environment To Trucking

Brett - after possibly setting the record for long-time lurking (at least 5 years!), this post made me finally register. I was in a corporate environment for over 23 years, 22 of them being in a management role. Without boring everyone with the details, I'll try to give some input that might be helpful.

First of all, I always find it interesting how many people will start talking about the things that are unique to "their industry". I've learned that while there are industry-specific issues, rules, and regulations, its the people who are unique. The challenges are in how people react and adapt to the issues, not the issues themselves. In my specific example, a person who can understand and adapt to the many federal rules and regulations surrounding working as a bill collector would have no problem dealing with HOS. A person who decides to bend or ignore the rules and operate in the "grey" will do so no matter what their chosen profession.

To someone who is considering a transition from a corporate environment to trucking, the only thing they need to worry about is their own mindset. I always found humor in that many of my colleagues were, in my opinion, somewhat elitist. They would avoid places like the employee break room, as they felt uncomfortable dealing with the gripes and complaints of employees. Every industry has their version of "terminal rats". I always felt at home there, and thought it was one of the most valuable ways to spend my time - listening to employees and responding to their issues. So if you are a hands-on manager, you will have no problem. If you enjoy sitting in meetings, writing on whiteboards and sending out directives via email, you may have more difficulty.

Seabee-J mentioned humility. I agree. In my journey, I went from travelling on airlines, driving full-sized rentals, and staying in nice hotels, to riding the Greyhound to share a motel room with a stranger half my age at my first orientation. I won't say that I enjoyed every minute, but I will say that overall, I absolutely loved the adventure. At my low points trucking, like the one New Years Eve I spent parked overnight at a Dollar General distribution center, I sometimes wondered to myself "why did I want to be a trucker?" But that feeling was quickly replaced by me laughing to myself as I drove through some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world - thinking about my friends sitting in a windowless conference room arguing over the format of some mundane spreadsheet.

I wish I had found your website before I actually jumped in, but I was fortunate enough to have taken the right route into this new career. I went to a company sponsored training program (C1 driving school in Springfield, MO) and then spent almost 2 years with USA Truck. The first year was OTR , then I got on to a dedicated account and was home every weekend. I then took a local linehaul position. After almost 6 years of running nights, and after this last winter season in Iowa made me dread getting on the road one too many times, I decided to look at opportunities to have a more "normal" schedule that would fit my family life better. I considered working P&D and staying with my employer, but was by happenstance put in touch with a company that had a need for a site manager for a contract with a large distribution center. I now manage a team of shag drivers, but typically still work at least a few hours a day, several days a week moving trailers with my team.

Finally, a huge "thank you" to Brett, all of the moderators, and members for this website. I hope you all understand and appreciate how special this site is. Its not really just about trucking. Its about how we treat, relate, and react to each other. Its about how we accept new challenges and approach the unexpected problems thrown our way. If someone has the right attitude, they will find success in any industry they choose to pursue a career in. If they don't, it doesn't matter what field they go into.

Hello, Steve! Your comment might qualify as the best first comment ever. Very thoughtful and well written. I sincerely hope it will be the first of many comments we get to read from you. It’s clear from what you’ve written that you have a lot to contribute here.

Thanks for the welcome, Bruce! I'll try to be more brief in the future!

Thanks for the welcome, Bruce! I'll try to be more brief in the future!

You can write all that you want. It’s obvious you have interesting things to say.

However, you may be held responsible for making Brett upgrade his server space. Lol