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.
After the accident that ended my time with BESL Transfer, I had to take some time to regain my confidence. It was the worst accident I had ever experienced in my professional driving career. To be honest, I was horribly shaken up, and for weeks afterward all I could think about was this: What if there had been a car full of kids between me and that dump truck? I couldn’t have lived with myself if that had been the case. In my heart, I know that God was riding with me that day, because the circumstances could have been far worse.
During this transition period, my business partner (my fiancée) never pressured me to hurry up or make a decision. She understood I was honestly considering quitting the trucking industry altogether and finding a different path. But every time I thought about leaving, it came to a dead end—because trucking was all I knew. I wore out my cell phone during those weeks, leaning on my Uncle Ernie Lipperd for support. Ernie was more than just a best friend—he was family—and he became my main source of mental therapy.
After about three weeks, I realized that I could get back into a truck, and that I had to if I wanted to move forward without letting this accident haunt me. I started looking for a replacement and eventually settled on the truck I kept until retirement: a 2008 Volvo VT830 with a Volvo D16 engine and a 13-speed Eaton/Fuller transmission. My trailer hadn’t been damaged at all, so after test-driving the Volvo and going back with Ernie for a final lookover, I bought it.
The next chore was finding the right broker to lease with. I narrowed it down to three: Ace Doran, Steel Transport, and Precision Strip. Ace Doran was eliminated because they insisted I run under their Indiana plate instead of purchasing my own. That felt too overbearing and controlling. Steel Transport was a good company, but in my gut I just knew I wasn’t ready for that kind of work yet. Sometimes you have to listen to your heart—it told me to save the best for last. I chose Precision Strip, mainly because they had no problem with me getting my own plate. In fact, they even gave me my lease contract so I could go get it.
Precision Strip turned out to be a decent enough company to lease on with. During those six months, any issues I had were more or less brought on by myself. The runs were short, and I was home about 98% of the time. The most common customers I delivered to were Batesville Tool in Batesville, Millennium Steel in Princeton, and the GM plant up in Marion. I usually hauled loads out of Anderson, Indiana, but bringing coils back in was rare for me. When I did, they typically came from AK Steel in Rockport, Voss Clark in Jeffersonville, or AK Steel in Middletown, Ohio.
There were only two of us leased to Precision Strip since they had their own fleet, but overall it was a pretty good arrangement. Around this time, however, I began to experience some back issues. At first they were minor—just inconveniences—but they were a sign of things to come. Still, my early days with Precision Strip went smoothly.
It’s funny how bad luck often comes in threes. Stay with me, because I’m living proof of that old saying. What I didn’t realize then was that my next challenges were already lining up, ready to test me in ways I hadn’t yet imagined.
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