It’s Truck Driver Appreciation Week! In our business, nothing happens without our drivers. To show our gratitude, we’re shining a light on a few incredible drivers. Keep reading to learn more about Eliberto, a 6-axle dump truck driver, who has been with the company for over 9 years.
How did you get started driving?
I’ve been with the company for 9½ years. I was brought up on a farm and spent a lot of time with my dad working out there. We had a 2-speed axle truck and my dad had me learn on it. I couldn’t reach the pedals, but I was driving! I’ve been hooked on it ever since. I graduated in ‘78 and started driving trucks in ’79, and it’s all I’ve been doing up to right now. Would I trade it? No!
What do you enjoy about the job?
The pay, and the benefits we have. I also love that it’s a challenge. Once you get dispatched, you could be going anywhere – that’s when the fun part starts. It could be a 2-hour drive, it could be a 20-minute drive to the jobsite, but nothing is ever the same. It’s never the same job over and over. You don’t sit behind a desk surrounded by walls and paperwork. You see open air, you see traffic, you see everything.
I love the scenery – you’re never in one place all the time. You’re always going to different areas. Sometimes you’re out in the middle of nowhere enjoying the view, other times you’re downtown in the middle of traffic. Nothing is the same from day to day.
Do you have any advice for others looking to get into driving?
My advice to the new drivers or drivers that are coming in to this line of work: there’s a lot of challenges ahead of you. You’ve got to watch the traffic, be aware of your surroundings and be safe and conscious of whatever you do. Always look ahead. Once you get into it, you’ll love it.
If you apply to this company, you won’t go wrong. They treat you right – especially the benefits they have, they’re definitely benefits that I didn’t have before. We have real good supervisors and foremen who will work with you. They help the drivers when we need help; it’s not like you get hired on and they just turn you loose. Here they take the time to get you trained up, they train you on the paperwork, where you’re going, plant locations, everything. Once you do that, it’s smooth sailing. If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t have lasted this long!
Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m originally from Seguin, Texas. I did a lot of high school rodeo, a lot of bull riding. These days, I spend most of my free time farming; I love farm work. I take care of cattle, calves, haul hay when I have to. I also enjoy going fishing and hunting.