Cover Story

Tim Person
Covenant Transport, Inc.

Some people in this world are born to pilot big rigs, and Tim Person is one of them.

Tim joined the Army in 1983 with the expressed goal of driving heavy equipment, and he did just that at military bases from Texas to Germany.

After processing out of the service, Tim took a job in a carpet mill near his home in southeastern Tennessee. The work was steady and kept Tim employed for 10 years, but he eventually grew tired of the so-so pay and monotonous routine. “I was bored, and I decided to do what I’d really wanted to do all along—drive a truck over the road,” says Tim. “I heard that there was good money to be made in the trucking industry, and I had already driven in the Army and liked it, so I gave it a try.”

Tim earned his CDL in 1997 and got rolling right away with Chattanooga-based Covenant Transport, Inc. “Covenant was close to home, and their pay package was attractive to me,” he explains. “I also liked the look of their equipment and the way they kept it up.”

Tim’s instincts about the trucking industry were sound, because he enjoyed his new career from day one, and bigger paychecks began to come in right away. The new driver spent the first 18 months honing his skills and learning the Covenant system, but soon he was ready to take on new challenges.

“I have always enjoyed meeting and working with new people, so I approached the company about becoming a

driver trainer,” says Tim. Management encouraged him in his new pursuit, and within months Tim was certified as a Covenant Master Trainer.

“I love this part of my job,” says Tim happily. “I earn more income per mile when I’m training others, I get to stay busy, and it’s a pleasure to instruct new drivers on the proper operation of their vehicle.”

Covenant has become one of the nation’s leading team-oriented carriers, and Tim spends much of his time working with young couples as they familiarize themselves with the equipment and their new life behind the wheel. “I’m not a yeller or a screamer, and recruits quickly discover that I have the patience to work with them as they learn the ropes,” says Tim. “Fortunately, I’ve been blessed with good students, and that makes things easy.”

All trucking companies are not the same, and Tim is grateful to be running with one as professional and experienced as Covenant. The top pay, steady miles and long, driver-friendly runs all add up to one of the nation’s best driver packages. Tim is quick to thank his dispatcher, Ron Smith, for his ongoing encouragement and support.

Tim makes his home in Dalton, GA with his fiancée, Jamie, and her two children. Tim’s training schedule gets him home every week or so, and when he’s not out on the road the driving pro enjoys fishing with his nephews and watching them play basketball and football in school leagues.

The staff of Over the Road and Pro Trucker magazines would like to wish Tim continued success with Covenant Transport. If you are a team or solo driver interested in learning more about Covenant, give one of their recruiters a call today, visit www.covenanttransport.com or see their ads on pages 19 and 30-31 of this issue.