The open road brings freedom, but it also demands sacrifice. In this second installment of my trucking journey, I share the trials, triumphs, breakdowns, and breakthroughs of life as an independent contractor. From mechanical failures to physical battles, from friendships to farewells, these are the chapters that reveal both the grit and the heart behind my 47 years on the road.
Chapter 1 – The Transition After Conway
Picking up the pieces after a painful termination, I search for a new path. Can a setback truly become the beginning of something greater?
Chapter 2 – How CSX Intermodal Operated
A deep dive into rail yard operations — where efficiency meets chaos. This chapter shows how intermodal trucking reshaped my business model.
Chapter 3: My New Best Friend
Sometimes, the right person walks into your life at just the right moment. For me, that person was Ernie Lipperd — a fellow CSX driver whose friendship would shape my trucking journey for decades to come.
Chapter 4: Pitt-Ohio Express — Not At All What I Had Hoped For
After leaving CSX, I thought Pitt-Ohio Express might be the stable LTL job I needed. Instead, I found myself trapped in long routes, strict policies, and missing the freedom I had just walked away from.
Chapter 5:My Transition Between Company Driver and Independent Contractor Again
Leaving Pitt-Ohio behind, I set my sights on becoming an independent contractor again. With Ernie’s help and a little luck, I found the right trailer, the right truck, and a new start at BESL Transfer.
Chapter 6: The First 3 Weeks at BESL Transfer
My first weeks at BESL Transfer were a crash course in flatbed trucking. With Ernie guiding me, I learned fast — but nothing could have prepared us for a snowstorm that nearly buried us alive in Pennsylvania.
Chapter 7: The End of My Time at BESL Transfer
My 5½ years at BESL Transfer brought good friends, steady work, and some of the best-paying loads of my career. But one betrayal — and one accident — brought it all to a sudden end.
Chapter 8: Life Goes On After BESL Transfer
The accident at BESL shook me to my core and left me questioning everything — even whether I should stay in trucking at all. But with Ernie’s support and a new truck, I found a way forward at Precision Strip.
Chapter 9: If It Weren’t For Bad Luck, I Would Have No Luck At All
Just when I thought I was past the worst of it, bad luck seemed to follow me everywhere at Precision Strip — from a seat belt ticket to a scratched coil that cost me my lease.
Chapter 10: Border Connect Freight & Tryon Trucking — My Road to Nowhere
Border Connect and Tryon promised opportunity, but instead gave me lies, wasted time, and empty miles. These two missteps nearly derailed me, but they also pushed me toward something much better.
Chapter 11: Kaplan Trucking – Finally on a Positive Road
After leaving Tryon, I finally landed a stable contract with Kaplan Trucking. The freight was steady, but almost immediately my truck began throwing challenges at me that tested my patience and determination.
Chapter 12: No More Regen Nightmares
Regen after regen, breakdown after breakdown — my Volvo was testing every ounce of patience I had. What came next was a battle with shops, a $2,000 bill I couldn’t spare, and a decision that finally ended the nightmare once and for all.
Chapter 13: The Transition From A Side Kit To A Conestoga Trailer Cover
Sometimes, the biggest change comes not from failure, but from the decision to finally say, “enough is enough.” This chapter begins the last stretch of my trucking career — a road that tested my patience, my endurance, and ultimately brought me to the longest contract I ever held.
Chapter 14: The Final Road to Forced Retirement
Sometimes, the biggest change comes not from failure, but from the decision to finally say, “enough is enough.” This chapter begins the last stretch of my trucking career — a road that tested my patience, my endurance, and ultimately brought me to the longest contract I ever held.
Chapter 15: The Steel Transport Team
In trucking, you’ll cross paths with hundreds of people — but only a handful truly leave a mark. At Steel Transport, I found a team that didn’t just keep me moving down the road — they became family. This chapter isn’t about freight or miles, it’s about the people who made those miles worth driving.”
Chapter 16: A Dedicated Run at Last
After years of chasing steady freight and dealing with unpredictable loads, I finally found myself on the brink of something I had always prayed for — a dedicated run. But as I would soon learn, even a dream route comes with its own share of challenges.
Chapter 17: Grinding to a Halt
Just when I thought I had finally secured peace of mind with this Volvo, a grinding noise in late 2022 reminded me that nothing mechanical lasts forever. What followed was one of the longest and most expensive down-times of my career.
Chapter 18: What Caused My Need To Replace My Trailer
After years of pounding across rough interstates on my dedicated run, the wear and tear finally caught up with me — and my trailer. What started as a small broken coil block turned into a much bigger problem that forced me to make some tough decisions. This chapter reveals how I ended up replacing my trailer, saving my Conestoga, and even helping a friend in the process.
Chapter 18: What Caused My Need To Replace My Trailer
After years of pounding across rough interstates on my dedicated run, the wear and tear finally caught up with me — and my trailer. What started as a small broken coil block turned into a much bigger problem that forced me to make some tough decisions. This chapter reveals how I ended up replacing my trailer, saving my Conestoga, and even helping a friend in the process.
Chapter 19: The Last Mechanical Battles
Just when I thought the worst was behind me, the final three years of my independent contractor journey tested my faith, patience, and pocketbook like never before. What kept me going wasn’t just grit—it was the steady Georgetown loads that saved me mentally and financially when everything else seemed to be breaking apart.
Chapter 20: When The Driver’s Body Breaks Down
Engines wear out. Trailers crack. Parts fail. Those are breakdowns a trucker expects. But what happens when the body behind the wheel starts to give out? This chapter isn’t about mechanical failures — it’s about me and the toll that nearly five decades on the road has taken.
Chapter 20: When The Driver’s Body Breaks Down
Engines wear out. Trailers crack. Parts fail. Those are breakdowns a trucker expects. But what happens when the body behind the wheel starts to give out? This chapter isn’t about mechanical failures — it’s about me and the toll that nearly five decades on the road has taken.
Chapter 21: When The Journey Ends
Every road has a beginning, and every road has an end. After 47 years behind the wheel, my journey has finally reached its final stretch. This chapter isn’t just about stepping away from trucking — it’s about saying goodbye to a part of myself that will never return. In many ways, when the journey ended… part of me died too.
Chapter 22: The Final Mile – A Tribute to Voss Clark and Toyota
In order to get this chapter right, I need to begin by saying that I have been delivering and picking up at Voss Clark since 2007. From 2009 through the very end of my career, I was in there almost daily. Over time, I became very close to everyone in the shipping department. No matter which shift I picked up or delivered on, they knew who I was — and I knew them.
My Trucker Life 