Even though this chapter begins the story of my early years at Overnite Transportation Company, there’s a short but eventful period I need to cover first. I was laid off from McCormick in May of 1982, but I didn’t get hired at Overnite until September 21 of that same year. So, I had four months to fill—and fill them, I did.
When McCormick gave us several months’ notice that they’d be closing the transportation department, I reached out to Mr. Eldridge for a reference letter and any leads he might have for my next career step. One of those leads turned out to be a short-term opportunity with an independent contractor named Horace Wagoner, who hauled freight for the McCormick’s South Bend facility.
Mr. Eldridge made a call on my behalf, and I began running loads for Wagoner out of the Indianapolis plant. It went smoothly at first. About three weeks in, I hauled a load to Hunt Valley, Maryland. From there, I was sent to Vinewood, New Jersey, and then back to Hunt Valley to reload. That’s when things took a turn.
My next delivery was to a customer in Brooklyn, New York—and I’ll be honest, it was the worst delivery experience of my entire driving career. It took me four hours just to get across the George Washington Bridge, and I was late for my appointment. The facility was nearly impossible to back into, and the receiving clerk was incredibly rude about my delay.
I finally told him, “I don’t want to be here any more than you want me here. The sooner you unload me, the sooner I’ll be out of your face.” Apparently, that did the trick—I was gone 30 minutes later.
After that mess, I went back to Baltimore and picked up a load for Worcester, Massachusetts. That run went fine, and afterward, I loaded out of Hunt Valley again for a delivery in Streator, Illinois. Before I hit the road, I called dispatch to ask which route they preferred—either pay tolls across I-80 or take I-70 through Indianapolis. They chose I-70.
When I arrived in Indianapolis, I called dispatch again and told them I was resigning after delivering that load. I asked if they wanted the truck returned to South Bend or to the Indianapolis plant. Thankfully, they chose Indy.
I called Mr. Eldridge to explain and apologize in case my short stint with Wagoner reflected poorly on him. He just laughed and told me not to worry about it. That was a huge relief—Mr. Eldridge had been a big influence on my career, and I didn’t want to disappoint him.
Next, he connected me with Feld Truck Leasing—the company McCormick had used for its leased tractors and trailers. Feld needed a fill-in driver for their client, Contract Transportation Services (CTS), which handled freight for Sherwin-Williams in Chicago.
I spent eight weeks doing runs for CTS, covering for regular drivers on vacation. The night shift hauled empty trailers to the Chicago plant and returned with loads for Indiana and Ohio. I covered both shifts and was grateful for the steady work.
When that job wrapped up, I started looking for something permanent. I bounced around a few local LTL carriers like Carolina Freight, H&W Express, and Superior Cartage, working part-time. I even did a couple of flatbed loads—one was a load of concrete walls for a downtown Indianapolis building site, and the other was a mix of steel plates and square bars.
Then came the job that changed everything.
On September 10 1982, I walked into a small, 20-door terminal on Belmont Street in Indianapolis. It belonged to Overnite Transportation Company. The place looked rough, and I was told right away that they weren’t hiring. But something told me not to give up.
I went back the following week—around the 16th. Still no openings. I went back again on September 21, and once more the receptionist told me nothing had changed.
As I was walking down the steps, I heard a voice call out: “Hey, stop!”
It was Alan McBride, the assistant terminal manager. He asked me, “Do you want a job?”
“Yes sir,” I said. “I’ve been here three times, and I’m seriously looking for work.”
He said, “Be here at 10 p.m. to fill out paperwork, and you can start on the dock. Your supervisor’s name is Tom Williams. He’ll show you what to do.”
I admitted I’d never worked a freight dock before, but I promised to give it everything I had.
Alan said, “I believe in you. Be here.”
It was the best move I ever made.
The stories from my years with Overnite will be some of the most interesting chapters of this blog, so stick with me—it’s going to be an entertaining ride.
OverniteTransportation #TruckDriverLife #TruckingJourney #FreightShipping #Logistics #TransportationIndustry #LongHaulDriver #LocalDriver #OTR #NightShift #CareerChange #WorkHistory #TruckingStories #MovingForward #EmploymentJourney #TruckDriving #CareerTransition #FreightLife #DrivingExperience #IndyTruckers #TruckingCommunity #WorkStories #Motivation #PersonalGrowth #TruckersOfInstagram #SupplyChain #RoadLife #TruckDriverStories #WorkHard #SuccessJourney
My Trucker Life 