FIXTITLE Amos Bridges.docx
MILES OF SUCCESS
Legend Nominee: Amos Bridges
This Legend nominee is a U.S. Navy veteran, and a seasoned truck driver with a career consisting of 6 million lifetime miles to-date. He is considered a trailblazer among his colleagues at UPS Freight, as well as a man of influence, given his years of experience within the business. The beginning of a popular quote I came across started off reading as, ‘The price of success is hard work…’ This driver serves as an example of the excerpt in its entirety.
Amos Bridges of Memphis, Tennessee was originally born in Mississippi, later moving to the Volunteer State at the age of ten. He is the youngest of five boys, in which his father supported while serving in the U.S. Navy and driving log trucks afterwards. His mother worked at home as a full-time house wife, raising the kids.
At the time Amos crossed paths with UPS Freight he already had fourteen years of trucking under his belt. He was running a dedicated route out of Memphis to Nashville and back. Then, out to Jackson, Tennessee for Maytag Appliances. When UPS Freight won that business, he signed on with them enabling him to keep the same hours. His home-time was the priority. The schedule of that specific load fit perfect around his wife, Pamela and son, Kevin. Once he was hired on with UPS Freight the dedicated runs were no longer available, but Amos admits it turned out to be for the best. He has since devoted over 11 years of accident-free and on-time service to the company, earning him several safety awards.
Wheels in Motion
As his father before him, Amos joined the military continuing the family’s legacy in serving our country, but also out of slight curiosity as to which direction his skills were to be found useful. Although his final score on the ACT (test) was well above average, he remained unconcerned with college. In 1979, right out of high school Amos headed straight for the Navy at 18, landing a position in the Aircraft Division of the Maintenance Department working on engines, accessories, and equipment pertaining to helicopters and/or jets.
After serving eight years, Amos returned to civilian life in 1987 with intentions to obtain his aircraft license. Meanwhile, he found work at a trucking company located in Memphis loading and unloading trucks. Working on the docks gave him access to the trucks after drivers delivered their loads. He started hopping in the driver’s seat, moving them around on his own. Slowly he became more familiar on how to maneuver them, backing up and parking. Confident in his own teachings, he began driving around the yard until the company’s owner caught him. Impressed with his ability to drive a truck without any formal instructions from others, Amos then swapped seats with the businessman as he proceeded to further expand his perceptivity. Amos absorbed every bit of knowledge possible from the experience, applying it to what he had learned the hard way. Amos says, “The next day he let me use his truck to get my license and I’ve been driving a truck every since. I also had my aircraft license by then, but I had this going for me so I just kept it in my back pocket.”
The following four years he spent learning the business and developing his craft. In 1991, Amos leased onto a company and purchased his first truck; a Kenworth W900. Next, he bought a trailer and went totally independent, establishing Bridges Trucking hauling mostly air freight. He ran over two million miles in his first truck alone, over a course of 13 years. His advice for drivers considering switching over from a company driver is to understand the process first.
“As a company driver right out of school or training, don’t settle until you have searched for a company that you will enjoy working with. Then, drive for them and learn their way of doing things, the routines, and so on. That way you have a stable foundation to start on for when you decide you’re ready to go independent. Plus, that gives you time to put money to the side and learn the pros and cons of the business. Remember, you can always continue running as a company driver so there is less pressure stacked against you. The key is learning the business before jumping in. Be knowledgeable. Ask questions. Gain as much as you can about the business… do your diligence to make sure that’s what you want to do, because when things go right, you can make good money, but one bad day can start to sink you. You have to stay frugal and financially conscience.”
When joining the driving force of UPS Freight, Amos factored in all the elements necessary to achieve his goal. By financially providing a good life for his family, while still being present were his two principles that could not waiver. Amos explains, “I realized early on that with UPS Freight, I didn’t have to worry about wasting time at docks. I could move from one load to the next, which meant I was able to keep making money. In turn, giving me more time to spend with my family.”
The biggest part of his career to take notice of is the slow period. The duration building up to running a small fleet of trucks. He says, “From my experience, I’ve learned that patience pays off. You can’t come out here and think you’re immediately going to get rich. To succeed, you must manage your money and take things slowly. Every year, try to profit more than the year before. You will begin to see the difference. You have to put in the time!”
When he felt he was fighting an uphill battle, Amos buckled down to gain the advantage. Becoming the first business owner in his family speaks volumes in respect to his character. “I’m winding down now and am looking forward to retirement. Knowing that I have completed a whole task that I set out to do, from the beginning to end on my own terms is a feeling of achievement unlike any other,” he said.
The Final Stretch
Growing up in a considerably large household, Amos understands the sacrifices that need to be made to reach the end game. When I inquired as to his secret in managing life on the road, he said it’s all been made possible by his wife. The importance of having a strong support system in your corner is crucial to achieving greatness. He continues, “It’s all about communication. My wife is strong herself, as far as her career and being goal oriented and financially stable. She is an Executive Administrative Assistant for a television station. Both of us have been working steady, but we went in with the same understanding of what our goals were and agreed that this situation wasn’t going to be forever. It’s just what we both needed to get through to get to the next level. We’re doing what we need to do. When I initially started trucking, I was gone a lot. That was the first stage. Now I get home more, reaching the second stage. Our son is about to graduate college as a sports analyst. After that, I think she and I will start doing some traveling of our own. Maybe do some trips overseas and enjoy life for a while and figure out what we will do next.”
In the beginning, Amos stayed out three weeks at a time, sometimes going a month or so. These days he typically leaves for a week, or no more than ten days, then home for a week. He spends his home-time doing whatever Pamela has planned. He laughs when explaining how he used to shy away from shopping trips to the mall. “If shopping is what she wants to do, then I go with her. For that week or however long I get with her, I do whatever she wants. I just want to spend that time with her and that’s all that matters to me.”
Amos shares that same kindness with all that surround him. Keeping in mind his earlier days of when he was a young driver himself, he mentors others when the opportunity presents itself. Whether by sharing advice or helping financially, he encourages drivers to pursue their goals, just as he has. He also mentions that he is fond of the people he works with and the atmosphere is always positive. When he is not away on the road or with Pamela, he enjoys anything that keeps him busy outdoors. From fishing, to cruising on his motorcycle, Amos said that is partially what kept him from taking an office job. “Trucking just works for me. I could have left the business already and went back to the aircraft portion of it, but I love being outside and not in a building all day,” he said.
As far as his biggest influence on his trucking career and life in general, he reflects on a conversation he exchanged with his mother many years ago. There’s nothing like the words spoken from a strong role model to humble you to your core. Amos explains, “When I was growing up, I was a handful. A bit on the wild side and always cutting up. One day my mother sat me down and told me, ‘If you don’t change and get focused, everyone is going to leave you behind. You’re just going to be the funny, loud kid that made everyone laugh. They may laugh with you now, but they will keep moving along and you’re going to find yourself left behind… then it’s not going to be funny to you anymore.’ So, that sunk in… and I took her advice. I had to man up and do things that I needed to do. Then everything that I learned from the military sort of redefined what she had been telling me the whole time. When they put that pen on me, it hurt. You never want them to get you with the ink. After a few times of hitting me with that ink pen, I realized quick that I didn’t like it because every time it takes money away from you. Just do what you need to do and it will all work out.” As instructed, his hard work has paid off. The details in ink addressing Amos these days only speak of his praise. His mother and the military officers before him all played a significant measure as to the development of his individuality and the success story we read today. He can soon breathe easy and plan some time off with his wife. Nicely done Amos, you have earned it.