Driver Lifestyles
Truck Show Stories
Expedite NOW struck up conversations with a number of folks at this year's Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville. Here's who they are and what they said:
Moving On Up
Harly and Connie Louge
La Vergne, TN
Landstar Express America, D-unit
Harly and Connie Louge didn't just come to the truck show, they were part of it. Dressed in Landstar shirts, they were showing their new truck and talking up their carrier, Landstar Express America.
Before ordering their new truck, the Louges had driven with Panther II for eight months and Landstar Express America for two years. That was in a Freightliner FL-70 with a 72-inch Bentz sleeper. They spec'ed out their new truck with comfort and durability in mind.
It's a Freightliner Columbia with a 100-inch integrated Bentz sleeper. The integrated, custom-built sleeper is new concept in expediter trucks, made possible by new construction techniques developed by Keith Bentz of Bentz Transport Products, Inc. and Jeff Jones of Stoops Freightliner, both in Fort Wayne Indiana. 
When asked about their truck, the Louges spoke of the sleeved engine, standard 750,000 mile warranty, audio system, satellite TV, larger refrigerator, flat floor (no boot) between the cab and sleeper, and the ability to stand fully erect in the cab. Connie said, "We went from a Chevette to a Cadillac." When asked why they chose a Bentz sleeper, they said they stayed with Bentz for the quality.
Recruited By The Lord
Glen and Bev Jones
Bayminette, AL
FedEx Custom Critical, E-unit
Before becoming a truck driver, Glen Jones had been a construction contractor for 35 years. His wife Bev had been an elementary school teacher in public and private schools for 24 years. When asked how they found their way into FedEx Custom Critical, Glen immediately answered, "The Lord."
Glen's doctor said Glen needed to get free of the stress his construction contracting business produced. Glen was burned out and burdened with employee issues. Glen said that as he pondered the situation, "The Lord impressed it on me to ask Bev about trucking. But I didn't want to."
Glen told of the day they drove five hours to Bev's mother's house and five hours back. "The Lord kept impressing on me to ask her about trucking, and I kept resisting. Then when we got home, she picked up the newspaper off the step and took it inside. She had it open on the table with a mischievous look on her face. I asked her, 'What in the world are you looking at?' She showed me the want ads for truck drivers. She said, 'I wonder if I could drive one of those things.' and that she'd go trucking with me."
They went to the Covenant driving school in Little Rock, AK, bought a Volvo 770 tractor and leased it to Covenant. Glen was quick to mention they bought the truck on their own and not through Covenant's lease-to-own program. They began as Owner/Operators and ran with Covenant for almost three years.
The Joneses next ran a year-and-a-half with Conway NOW. The Joneses had friends at FedEx who seemed happy there, so they decided to try that company. Their friends are D-unit drivers Norma and Sandra Earls. Bev said, "We talked them into trucking and they talked us into FedEx."
Vernon said that before they moved to FedEx, they did something they've never done before. "We got lazy and took 4 months off." It was not idle time. He rebuilt their barn that Hurricane Ivan blew away.
Glen and Bev have fun seeing places they've not been to before like Las Vegas, Reno, and Whisky Pete's in Primm Valley, NV. Bev said, "I love to go across Cabbage Pass in Oregon." While the Joneses generally stay out six to eight weeks at a time, they've been out as long as twelve weeks and as short as five days. Bev said, "After two weeks at home, we're ready to get back out on the road."
In March, 2004 their house burned to the ground. Just before coming to the truck show, the Joneses bought a house in Ft. Meyers Florida. It's across the street from their daughter who will soon give birth to their first grandchild. When the Joneses are on the road, their daughter can keep an eye on their house. When home, they'll be close to their daughter and grandchild.
At the truck show, the Joneses liked looking at the big sleepers. They were espcially impressed by a $196,000 rig they saw.
Found New Work At Age 62
Vernon and Brenda Clontz
Troutman, NC
Panther II, B-unit
Vernon and Brenda Clontz had not planned to attend the truck show. They stopped by simply because they found themselves in the area after making a delivery and they had the time. They remained in service and were ready to walk out of the show and go to work if the call came in. At the show, they were looking mostly at the equipment and "checking out the competition."
Vernon is not new to trucking. He got his chauffeurs license in 1962. He has worked alternatively as a big rig driver and construction worker since then. Brenda said with great pride that she got her CDL at age 62.
Brenda had ridden with Vernon at times so she had a sense of what life on the road was like. With their kids grown and married, Vernon and Brenda bought a cargo van and signed on with Panther II so they could drive together. They run mostly in the East. They like it when they go West, and appreciate that they can go out of service at will.
Brenda said, "It's not like you have to punch a time clock. So when we were out near the Grand Canyon, we went out of service for a couple of days to go see it. "
A Family Affair
Richard and Terry Bergman
Spavinaw, OK
FedEx Custom Critical, ER-unit
Richard and Terry Bergman were a tractor/trailer driving team when they grew curious about FedEx Custom Critical.
Terrie explains, "We heard FedEx paid rather well but had a hard time learning more. The FedEx drivers won't talk to you on the radio. They won't talk to you in a restaurant. So we cornered one in a rest area. That driver showed us on his Qualcomm how much he actually made. It was $2.50 a mile on the load he was on."
The Bergmans understood that was an above-average load. Nevertheless, they called FedEx that afternoon. That was in June, 2000. Terrie said, "We applied as soon as the packet arrived in the mail, and attended orientation three weeks later."
The Bergmans have a son, also named Richard. He and his D-unit co-driver Jason Green were sitting with Jason's parents at the FedEx Custom Critical breakfast when EO interviewed them.
The younger Richard started running a B-unit one month before 9/11. He ran four months with FedEx, then three months with Panther II, then two years with Conway NOW. He says he "did really good" with Conway. When his parents bought a D-unit and put Richard in it driving solo with FedEx, he started using his cargo van as his personal vehicle.
Jason never heard of expediting until he met the Bergmans. He had worked warehouse jobs in Tulsa. When he got laid off in 2000, Jason got a job as an animal control officer; "dog catcher" he said. Not liking that, Jason went to truck driving school and got his Class A CDL. A carrier paid for his training but he quit after five months.
The training would have been free had he stayed with that company for a year. Quitting after five months obligated him to pay the company for the training he received. When asked why he quit so soon, Jason said, "It was the most terrible experience of my entire life! I would have rather gone back through basic training."
Jason's next job was driving cement mixers in Tulsa. Having been an aircraft mechanic in the Air Force, he became a truck mechanic at the concrete company.
Then by chance, Jason's mother met the Bergmans and learned of expediting. She was giving a friend of hers a ride to the Bergman home. Her friend was about to become a driver in one of the Bergman trucks. Jason looked into it and in October 2004 he started co-driving the Bergman's D-unit with Richard.
The Bergman fleet currently consists of that D-unit, the ER-unit (2003 Volvo 780, own reefer trailer) that Mr. and Mrs. Bergman run, and an E-unit (1999 Volvo VN16 midroof) that their daughter Barbara Bergman will soon start to drive. She'll run with a regional carrier to stay close to her child at home. Mr. Bergman is the trucking veteran in the family. He's been driving trucks over thirty years.
The group calls the ER-unit "the money truck" and the D-unit "the baby truck." Jason says he loves driving the baby truck. He likes the ability to park in RV spaces and "…get to good resturants like Red Lobster and Outback." The baby-truck team is working to get White Glove-qualified. "There is more money in White Glove loads." Jason said.
Checking Things Out
PAT FOREMAN
Upper Sandusky, OH
Expedite NOW met Pat Foreman as she walked away from the Panther II booth. She came to the truck show specifically to speak with Panther recruiters. Her brother and son came along. Pat and her husband currently drive team in a tractor/trailer. The small carrier the Foreman's lease to is putting some trucks on with Panther and suggested the Foremans might want to do the same.
Pat was eager to talk to Panther people because she had heard bad things about the company. When asked, "What bad things?" she said some of the "old-school" drivers she knew didn't like Panther because Panther makes you keep a legal log book. Keeping a legal log book sounded just fine with her since she does it now. Pat also liked the idea of no forced dispatch. That enables her to get home, where the Foremans keep a number of horses and cats. Their son cares for them when the Formans are on the road.
Pat thinks she'll drive less miles and make more money with Panther. Panther recruiters told her that expediting is not Monday through Friday work and that it would be better to think about getting home less often. They also pointed out she lives in good freight lanes. If she delivers nearby, she can go home and wait for her next dispatch there. Pat said she was also going to check out Tri-State before making her decision.
Freed Themselves From Age Discrimination
Vernon and Ruth Ann Wilmer
Madison Heights, VA
FedEx Custom Critical, C-unit
Before they became expediters, Vernon and Ruth Ann Wilmer were both retired from the military. Vernon worked at Wal-Mart and Ruth Ann worked at Sam's Club. They got tired of bumping into what Ruth called the "too-old ceiling." She was training younger people that would later be promoted into jobs above her. She was told she couldn't get those jobs because she was too old. The Wilmers also wanted a job where they could work together.
As expediters, the Wilmers are happy in their work. Their C-unit has an 18-foot van body, which leaves room to carry the bicycle they use for exercise and local transportation. Ruth Ann proudly calls herself a "pinned woman" refering to the pins she's earned by seven years of accident free driving. They plan to stay in expediting "as long as it's fun" Vernon said.
When asked what they find fun about expediting, they spoke of meeting new people in different parts of the country. Ruth Ann said, "The most interesting people are those we helped."
The Wilmars told of a driving team they once met. That team drove for another carrier, was broke down, and broke. The Wilmars gave them $100 with instructions to send it back whenever they could. That was years ago. The Wilmars laughed when they said they are still waiting to hear from that team.
Another time, on I-40 in rural North Carolina, two big rigs driving in front of the Wilmers had an accident. One driver suffered two broken ankles, the other two broken wrists. Vernon got on the phone and called 911. Ruth Ann helped both drivers out of their trucks and into the Wilmer's GMC truck where it was warm. To get one of them out of his truck, she had to grab the back of his pants and lift him up. One of those drivers later sent the Wilmars a warm thank you card and invited them to attend his wedding. They've heard nothing from or about the other driver.
The most memorable person the Wilmers met on the road was a man they call "the pump guy". The Wilmars picked up a hand-made pump in New Jersey that was urgently needed by the consignee in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. When they arrived, the consignee became livid and refused delivery. He could not get past the fact that the Wilmars are a mixed-race married couple and driving team.
The Wilmars maintained their cool and professionalism. They advised dispatch of the situation and waited for dispatch to come up with a solution. After about two hours, the consignee decided to stop losing money for lack of the pump and accepted the delivery.
When told that does not sound like fun, Ruth Ann replied with a smile, "I just hope that if that guy needs another pump in a hurry, we'll be the ones to get the load."
When Their Ship Came In, It Was a Truck.