Cover Story

Sam Hamza, Selami Piranej - Towne Air Freight

Towne Air Freight has a 40-year record of success, specializing in the handling of time-sensitive airfreight and LTL shipments for commercial accounts and the airfreight industry. The South Bend, IN-based carrier is the largest full-service provider of airfreight trucking services in the U.S., and they’re still growing strong. Just ask Sam Hamza and Selami Piranej, two professional drivers who run for Towne as a team through small fleet owner Arbi Metaj.
     Sam Hamza is a refugee from war-ravaged Kosovo who fled to the U.S. in 1999 with his wife, Tina, and children Leo and Tina. Sam did not speak English when he arrived in Chicago, where his emigration sponsor lived, and his first job was parking cars in a commercial office complex.
     “I attended English language classes for three months when I first came to America, but then I had to give up school and work to feed my family,” says Sam. “I picked up English along the way.”
     Sam had driven trucks in Kosovo, so it was natural that he soon migrated to the trucking industry in the U.S. He earned his CDL in 2002 and began running over the road right away.
     After getting acquainted with the demands of driving heavy equipment in this country, Sam was confident enough to explore new career opportunities. He had friends who worked at Towne Air Freight, and he heard that it was a busy company that treated drivers fairly. Sam hired on with small fleet owner Arbi, and he’s been receiving steady weekly miles as a team driver ever since.
     Selami Piranej left Albania in 2005 with his wife, Zeke, and daughters Selma and Cindy, in search of new opportunities in America. Like Sam, Selami had a sponsor who helped him find employment in the fast-growing trucking industry. He started out with a well-known competitor, then moved to Towne Air Freight earlier this year.
     “Arbi is Albanian, also, and it has been comfortable for me to work for him,” says Selami. “Sam and I are paid regularly, and Towne is a good company to drive for.”
     Towne Air Freight runs both solos and teams, and drivers stay loaded and rolling on long, profitable routes. Sam and Selami are pleased with their mileage pay and average weekly miles. “We earn a good income, and we get home to our families every four or five days,” says Sam. “This gives us a chance to spend time at home for two to three days before we head out again.” The team often runs routes from Chicago to Los Angeles, Portland or Seattle and back, which keeps busy.
     When he is not out on the road for Arbi and Towne Air Freight, Sam enjoys spending time with his children and playing soccer, when his schedule allows. Selami enjoys relaxing at home with his family. Both men hope to visit their homelands in the years to come.
     The staff of Over the Road and Pro Trucker magazines would like to wish Sam and Selami continued success with Towne Air Freight. If you would like to learn more about driving opportunities available now at Towne Air Freight, give one of their recruiters a call at (866) 234-7464, visit their Web site at towneair.com or see their ad on page 31 of this issue.