Truck Driving Job News

As most truckers know, the road can be a lonely place at times. Many drivers turn to audio books, music and even four-legged friends to help them pass the time. One former company owner is blazing a new path, providing music made specifically for truckers. Houston-based Tony “T-Swin” Swinton, 43, is the former owner of Swin10 Transport, LLC, a van expediting service. “Driving is in my family,” Swinton said. “My dad and my mom were both truck drivers. For me, expediting was one of the quickest ways to get into truck driving. When I started driving, I was still working in the oil industry, and on holidays I would run the van. Once inflation hit and the costs of running the company went up, I had to return to the oil job full-time.” Swinton’s transport company, which moved products ranging from COVID-19 testing kits and oil-producing equipment to car parts, textiles, electronics and a variety of other items, shut down last year because of the economy. He now works as a pipeline operator in the oil industry. “We have a storage facility where we store crude oil,” said Swinton, who is the father of four daughters ranging from 14 to 23 years old. “We transfer it through pipelines to other customers from the shipper to the receiver…you have to work outside in all elements and sometimes you’re hundreds of feet up in the air, but you do what you have to do for your family.” Even though he’s not actively working the logistics business, trucking — and truck drivers — still have a special place in Swinton’s heart. In fact, the talented rapper and musician makes it a point to create and perform music for those in the trucking and freight industry. “I had been doing music for a while, but I initially gave up on it,” Swinton said. “I have a twin brother, Terrell and we used to go by ‘DT’ for ‘Double Trouble.’ We started doing music a while back and signed a couple of record deals. Nothing ever really went anywhere with it, so I kind of gave up on music for a while.” That pause didn’t last long. “When I started expediting, I noticed there wasn’t a lot of music for drivers,” Swinton said. “I noticed there wasn’t really a lot of music — in my opinion — that jammed. There were a couple of songs, but I wanted to create something that, even if you were not in the transportation field, that you would still want to buy it, play it and listen to it.” As fate would have it, Swinton, heard a beat one day that resonated with him and he crafted his first song specifically designed for drivers — “Money in the Van.” “After that one song, I got inspired to create another song called, ‘Make a Run’,” Swinton said. “Then I put out an entire EP called ‘Money in the Van,’ named after that first song.” His catchy tunes soon began to capture the ears of drivers. In 2021, Swinton was invited to perform at the S.H.E Trucking Expo in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he got to introduce his music to drivers from across the country. Because of the extra exposure at the expo and the positive response to his music, Swinton realized that he could fill a gap that was sorely needed in the trucking industry. He set his sights on creating music specifically designed for drivers of all kinds, from big rigs to sprinter vans, vocational trucks and everything in between. “Right now, I have an album that is almost completed called, ‘Transportation Music’,” Swinton said. “It’s a compilation of those early songs and new material that nobody has heard yet.” Swinton says his favorite part of creating music specifically designed for drivers is the word play and being able to tie the lyrics in with jargon used in the industry, while also making it rhyme and making it sound good. “I want it to be music where people who are in the industry and understand the lingo can enjoy it and be like, ‘It’s jamming!’ and feel that I’m telling a whole story,” Swinton said. “It’s a story from beginning to end from where they picked up a load, dropped it off, paid for it, how it is on the road, and the relationships you have with the people worked with along the way. It has to rhyme and sound good too.” While Swinton loves making music for drivers, he says he does miss a few things about driving and owning his own business. “I miss the freedom,” Swinton said. “No question. Freedom changes your life. When you can create your own paycheck and no one has other rules over you, there’s nothing better. You can create your own hours and make sure that you can spend time with your kids. You can be at their recitals and catch all their games. That freedom, there’s nothing like it.” He also misses spending extra time with his father — who’s also named Tony — who frequently joined him on his runs. Between his current job and making music, however, Swinton doesn’t have a lot of free time. In addition to both of those ventures, Swinton hosts a podcast with several friends called, “The Men Can’t Always Be Wrong.” He is also in the process of writing a book about his experiences in the U.S. Navy. Swinton distributes his music in collaboration with several services, including DistroKid and CD Baby, and his music is available on streaming platforms. He says he’s received positive feedback from drivers across the country, and even from some listeners who aren’t in the industry but love hearing what the life of a driver is like. “It’s storytelling, and I am trying to paint a picture of what this life is,” he said. To check out Swinton’s music go to youtube.com/tswin or tswin.hearnow.com. He’s also on Instagram at instagram.com/tswinmusic.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Truckload Carriers Association and EpicVue have named CFI driver Zach Yeakley the 2022 Highway Angel of the Year. Yeakley, of Batesville, Arkansas, was recognized on March 7 at the Gaylord Palms Resort during the Truckload Carriers Association’s annual conference. Yeakley won the title through a public vote. Yeakley was driving to West Memphis, Arkansas, on March 17, 2022, and had just crossed the state border into Charleston, Missouri, at around 8:15 a.m. when he heard on his CB radio that there was an accident up ahead. He then noticed smoke and a man wearing a safety vest flagging down drivers to alert them to the accident. The scene was a fire-filled, chain-reaction crash in dense fog that involved more than 45 vehicles. Yeakley immediately pulled over and jumped into action. “I went up there; they already had a couple people out,” he said. “Some people had some broken arms, one had a collapsed lung, a few broken ribs from the impact.” Yeakley, a 15-year member of the Army National Guard, is trained as a combat lifesaver and quickly assessed the severity of the scene. He surveyed the situation so he could tell the paramedics when they arrived. Fire was spreading in the crashed vehicles and tires were exploding all around them. “There was one guy trapped in his truck,” he said. “So me, a sheriff, a state trooper, and a FedEx driver, we did what we could to get him out.” Yeakley and the group were able to pry the dashboard off of another trapped crash victim and rescue him from his vehicle. The flames, he said, were surrounding them. Once the crash victim was rescued from his truck, Yeakley and a sheriff ran back to the scene to try to rescue the driver of a car trapped between a truck and a trailer, also surrounded by flames. In total that day, Yeakley helped rescue six crash victims from several vehicles. Police reported at least six fatalities from the fiery crash. Yeakley, who has been driving a truck for four years, said he wouldn’t hesitate to jump back into the fire again to rescue drivers, crediting his military training for preparing him for the experience. “Thank you for your selfless act of courage that morning,” EpicVue CEO Lance Platt said after presenting Zach with a personalized crystal truck. EpicVue was the presenting sponsor of the event. Yeakley will receive a complimentary EpicVue satellite TV package that includes a 24-inch flatscreen TV, a DVR and a one-year subscription to over 100 channels of DIRECTV programming, including premium channels such as HBO, Cinemax, Showtime and the NFL Sunday Ticket. Since 1997, TCA’s Highway Angel program has recognized professional truck drivers who have selflessly helped others while on the job. From each year’s recipients, one is selected as Highway Angel of the Year because he or she best embodies the spirit of the program. Watch Yeakley recount the story in this video, produced by CFI. Learn more about the Highway Angel program here: www.highwayangel.org.

Pam Randol knew exactly where she wanted her life to lead at a very early age. “I was 8 years old when I saw a convoy of trucks on Interstate 40 in Oklahoma. I was sitting in the back seat of the car,” she said. “I decided right then I wanted to drive a truck in the Army.” Randol, who is now a professional tank hauler for Knoxville, Tennessee-based Highway Transport, got her wish. As a young adult, she enlisted in the Army and stubbornly held out for an assignment as a truck driver for Uncle Sam. “You remember the old computer-generated paper that had the dots and the little holes in the edge, and it had that pixelated printing?” she said. “When I went to enlist, I had a list probably 10 feet long of jobs that I could have chosen from, from spy, interrogator, linguist, helicopter mechanic. (It was) just a huge range because I scored high in communications, technical and mechanical. “I said, ‘I want to drive a truck,’ and they looked at me like I’d lost my mind. They said, ‘Well, we really need…’” she continued. “I’m like, ‘I don’t care what you need. I want to drive a truck.’ I didn’t get to drive the truck that I wanted to — but I did get to drive a truck. I got to play in the dirt.” Randol says a great by-product of her military service are the mentors she got to learn under and the fellow women she drove alongside. “I was fortunate enough to go through basic training and advanced individual training, and then on to permanent duty station, with several other women,” she said. “It was nice, because we were all new to the same area at the same time and all going through the same experiences. Our chain of command — our squad leaders, our platoon leaders, our patrons, our peers — they all were there to be helpful and guide you as well.” That experience gave Randol the first taste of what she was capable of, and it prepared her for a long and rewarding civilian career behind the wheel. She notes that the job was very different “back in the day.” Like many drivers from the era, Randol shakes her head at the creature comforts of today compared to yesteryear. “When I started, we didn’t have cellphones and GPS and those types of things,” she said. “You had to get a map, and learn how to read a map and manage your fuel. You had a book for fuel, you had a map, you had to stop and call a customer to get an address and directions, all those kinds of things. “Then, you either had a calling card or a 1-800 number, and you would stand in line waiting your turn to get to the phone so you could make your call,” she added. “That might be outside in the wind or the rain, or it might be inside at the truck stop when they had the phones at the tables.” Randol would eventually be introduced to tankers, starting with a stint as a tack truck driver for a road construction company. The experience was brief, but it stuck — and as she racked up experience hauling hazardous materials, the idea of transporting it by the tankload became more and more appealing. “I had to have my tanker endorsement with my job before this company. I drove a dry van, but I hauled the big bulk containers of chemicals,” she said. “Those totes were anywhere from 2,500 to 5,000 pounds, depending on what size tote you had and the weight of the liquid. I could feel those loads whenever I hauled them, and I thought, ‘Driving a tanker probably wouldn’t be that bad. If I can do this, then surely I can drive a tanker.’” At the request of her family, Randol temporarily left the road and went to work in the medical field. But after a decade, she was itching to get back behind the wheel. She made a beeline for the tanker industry. Once more, she’d have to dig in her heels and bide her time to get an opportunity. “I went to one of those Great American Truck Shows, and I remember talking to a tanker company,” she said. “In the early 2000s the companies could be more selective of drivers, because it wasn’t a drivers’ market at the time. They said, ‘Go get two years of experience and call us later.’ “My opportunity finally came a few years ago, when the guy I’m married to now came to work at Highway Transport and I followed him over,” she continued. “I just can’t see myself ever working for another company or ever driving any other type of trailer. I wish I’d have started here when I was young and spry.” Over the past nearly four years of driving a tanker full time, Randol has hauled latex and poly products ranging from paint to cosmetics, vitamins, insecticide and foam seat products — just to name a few. She delivers for a dedicated account that takes her cross-country and back from California and Oregon, passing through the Great Lakes and mid-America down to the Carolinas. In total, she’s covered about 2.5 million miles, touching 47 of the lower 48 states, missing only North Dakota during her 25-year driving career. She says driving a tanker, a job she still holds in common with her husband, Joe McMullin, is the pinnacle of her driving career. “I like the challenge of this (cargo) being volatile, and ‘this is what you have to do’ to make sure you get it to where you’re going safely,” she said. “For me, this is easier to learn than putting my head down in a book. Yeah, obviously you’ve got to read instructions to operate and everything, but I like the challenge. “And then, they’re just so happy to see you when you get there,” she said with a smile. “Even if you’re late, a lot of them are like, ‘We’re just glad you’re here.’” In February, Randol was informed that, because of her consistent dedication, attention to detail and safety, she was a finalist in the National Tank Truck Carriers’ (NTTC) Driver of the Year competition. It’s an award for which she is humbled just to be considered. “I can’t lie and say that I’m not thrilled and flattered, because there’s a lot of times (I’ve thought), ‘Nobody notices me. Nobody knows what I go through. Nobody appreciates what I do,’” she said. “For this award to come up, I’m honored, I’m excited. If I win, I hope I can live up to the expectations and put forth the message that NTTC would want,” she concluded. “I would represent them honestly and professionally. For me, tankers are the way to go.”

Over the course of 14 years and more than a million miles, life on the road has taught Joan Raby a few things — like the importance of building relationships and providing support for others. After years of driving for various carriers, from Iowa to Wyoming to Texas, the Cincinnati native recently signed on with San Antonio-based Guenther and Sons. “Guenther and Sons are milk haulers,” she said. “Prior to that, I’ve done pneumatic, hazardous, reefer, tanker. My first tanker was Jack B. Kelley out of Amarillo (Texas) and that was cryogenics, helium, compressed helium, liquid helium, nitrogen and ethylene — all hazardous.” Raby grew up in a family of construction workers, which eventually led her to a desk job with a Ohio paving company. Then, she says, her husband died unexpectedly, forcing her to take a hard look at her career. “I knew at that point, in my early 40s, that I needed to make more money,” she said. “My check had always been the second check in the house as a construction secretary. When he passed away, the crew started letting me go out on the weekends for asphalt construction and started teaching me the equipment. I even passed the pre-trip for accommodation vehicles.” After relocating to Florida, Raby enrolled with Roadmaster Trucking School in Orlando. She was the only female in the class, but she says her classmates were a friendly lot, and she fit right in. “The school was filled with your bricklayers and electricians and the types of trades I’m used to being around,” she said. “I had an edge from practicing driving a big truck for the paving company. I remember passing a bunch of tests and hearing the instructor saying, ‘Do you all know you just got beat by a girl?’ “It was pretty funny,” she recalled with a laugh. Unfortunately, the next stage of her driving career wasn’t nearly as positive. Raby’s first carrier required 60,000 miles with a trainer, a process that took four months. To add to the frustration, she said, personality conflicts with her trainer caused a low level of teacher-student interaction. “It was the kind of thing you suffered through,” she said. “I really didn’t learn anything.” Never one to shy away from engaging people, however, Raby augmented her on-the-job experience by reaching out to experienced drivers for help. This a strategy she has continued throughout her career. In turn, she went out of her way to help newbies, remembering the frustration she felt at not having her questions answered when starting out. “Your first year is your hardest. I think it has an 80% dropout rate in our industry,” she said. “I noticed that when new drivers would ask for help, it was treated like a joke. They were bullied, and they weren’t learning anything. With what I went through in training, I didn’t want anybody else to feel alone.” Raby quickly discovered there was only so much one person could do. Noticing that many drivers were putting down the CB and turning to social media for communication, she decided to set up online. She founded Ask A Veteran Driver, a Facebook forum and website (askaveterandriver.com) that gives drivers access to experienced truckers who are willing to lend their knowledge. “It’s a private group. We only allow drivers, retired drivers, about-to-be drivers, or you must be a direct family member of a driver,” she said. “The reason is, questions are sensitive, and only another driver is going to get it. “When I built the site, I asked veteran drivers to be on the panel because I only had six years’ experience at that point,” she continued. “The biggest rule is, you’ve got to be polite, like you’re standing there talking to somebody in person that’s asking for your help.” The forum attracted numerous participants, with a wide range of questions. “It was one of those things: If you build it and ask, they show up. It took on a life of its own,” Raby said. Launched in 2014, the group now numbers about 5,000 and is a wellspring of truck-driving knowledge curated from every corner of the industry. “I have a pretty high percentage (of members) who are active,” Raby said. “We cover mountain driving, bridge laws, routing, paperwork, teaming, health and exercise, repairs, tires, safety gear, even our families and relationships. Anything you want to talk about. “We also encourage drivers to step out of their comfort zone after a certain time, because there’s so much our industry has to offer,” she continued. “Look into car hauling, flatbed, pneumatic, oversized. I have mentors for each one of these specialized areas — doubles, triple, tanker — and (participants) can even ask for a personal mentor. I have a livestock hauler who’s got 3 million miles just hauling livestock that will train the right person, and that’s rare because they’re a very closed bunch.” Ask A Veteran Driver has also inspired others to launch their own efforts to address certain aspects of the trade in more detail. “It spun off a bunch of other stuff like Truckers with Tools for people who are not sure how to use tools,” Raby said. “A tow truck operator spun off Ask a Veteran Tow Truck Operator. I spun off CBs for Newbies — usually drivers will have a couple of CBs and we connect them with a way to send off their old one to somebody who can’t afford one right now.” Raby has also engaged the members of the group to support worthwhile causes. She organized a fundraiser that raised $12,000 for the family of a trucker who was murdered on the job. She also spearheaded Truckers Against Bullying, an initiative through which she pairs members with youth to provide mentoring and moral support. “It’s just about knowing that there’s a group of people that care about you,” she said of the effort. “We let these kids know, ‘You’re our family.’” Ask a Veteran Driver has added yet another level of satisfaction that Raby has taken from her career. When speaking about her life behind the wheel, there’s a pronounced note of wonder in her voice for her chosen profession. “Seeing our beautiful country — Mount Shasta, Mount Rainier,” she said. “Arizona down on the I-8; it’s called the Imperial Sand Dunes, and you think you’re in Saudi Arabia. Not to mention the produce farms in the San Joaquin Valley and the San Bernadino Valley with the miles and miles of strawberries and the nut trees that Blue Diamond owns. “And then out East, the mountains of Virginia. I was on this enormous bridge at night climbing over this gorge and the trees were so tall. I was climbing towards these trees and the moon was so bright, it was like daytime at night. I went up through the fog and for a couple seconds there I couldn’t see. It was a spiritual feeling. Just gorgeous.” Wherever her travels take her one thing’s for sure: Raby will always go out of her way to help others.