Say What?

Question: How did you happen to become a truck driver?

Robert Miller, 56, Mount Pleasant, IA

Professional driving experience: 33 years

“When I was a kid, my neighbor was an owner-operator, and I used to watch him work on his truck all the time. Then when I got out of the Navy, I traveled around quite a bit, seeing the country, and, of course, I kept seeing all the trucks on the road. I thought if I was driving a truck, I could get paid to see the country, so here I am.”

Larry Harris, 49, Houston, TX

Professional driving experience: 2 months

“My dad was in the trucking business, and he always wanted me to learn about it. I went into the military instead. I got out of the service and worked several jobs before I came back to trucking. I went through a lot of training to get my CDL. I intend to learn as much as I can about this industry and explore other opportunities besides driving.”

Roderick Robinson, 45, Orlando, FL

Professional driving experience: 2 years

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to try. It was a Plan B. Plan A was driving a bus, but I didn’t like that, so I took a shot at driving a truck, went through driver training, got my CDL and here I am.”

Matt Lewis, 45, Marion, OH

Professional driving experience: 1 year

“On a whim, I guess. No real reason. I was involved in rental property and I still do that, but I wanted to make some extra money. I went to school and started driving. So far I’ve been bopping around from company to company, looking for a home.”

Ken Harrison, 62, Dunedin, FL

Professional driving experience: 11 years

“I was in the computer industry for 30 years. I started when you fixed computers. Now you don’t fix them; you throw them away and buy a new one. I thought about going back to school, but realized that the kids coming out of school would have the same degree that I had, only they would be 40 years younger than me, and no one wants to hire an old guy. So I looked into driving schools, and before I had my CDL, before I even determined that I wanted to be a truck driver, I had five job offers. I never looked back.”