FIXTITLE Mondo Cardona.docx
MORNING, NOON & NIGHT
The Story
Of
Mondo Cardona
For many drivers, looking forward to traveling the distance on a journey derives from pure enjoyment of the ride. Being constantly on the move, running freight, meeting deadlines; all of the strict criteria required of a truck driver simply comes with the total package of a qualified professional. It is the love of their craft performed by each truck driver that is inadvertently kept hidden. Their demanding, yet rewarding line of work is so challenging, that the idea of one ‘loving’ the position seems unrealistic. But the fact is, many drivers in the transportation industry always find themselves drawn back to the seat of a semi.
Glance over the employment history of any trucker’s previous companies and more than likely, you will find more than one or two. Sometimes three, four, or five different businesses. Now compare other genres of the working class people and the résumés range with a variety of professions. This being because truck drivers devote their entire life to the trucking industry. A trucker’s heart and soul is fueled by their love of trucking. From the massive pieces of equipment, to the many beautiful designs and fun shows and events held all over the world, truck drivers have their own special universe created specifically for them that has been carried on for years and years.
This unique body of individuals who remain under the radar and are not nearly recognized enough for their hard work are the ones that keep our daily lives on track. Any and every necessity needed to survive from food to clothes, liquids, automobiles, all common goods and even people… are moved by some means of transportation. However you chose to put it, truck drivers either carried, hauled, pushed, pulled, transferred, lifted, lugged or transported everything within an arm’s reach AND did it with pride. Not for the praise or attention, but for the sole purpose of their duty. Professional truck drivers know that each assignment is important, so during their time spent behind the wheel many are able to relax in peace. Some describe their alone time as a place of serenity and silence.
A person can dedicate an entire lifetime to one’s career and still label their position none other than a job. While others can comfortably describe their work as a whole-hearted commitment that gives back to them as much as they put into it. That is what trucking does for this special Legends nominee. For Mondo Cardona, being an owner operator provides the life style that only a trucker at heart can understand. For him, riding in his truck he has complete control. He is in his own space and able to do what he loves for a living.
When he is not on the road, he is constantly thinking about trucks in some form or fashion. His attraction for them runs morning, noon and night with no available off switch.
“When I am going down the road and I see a nice truck coming up, I’m that guy that is quick to get my camera out! I am slightly obsessed with trucks. It all goes back to when I was a kid and saw those big trucks with the loud pipes. I would hang out of the window motioning for the driver to honk his horn. I love it now when it’s done to me! I was that kid that always stared at trucks passing by. I would smile and think to myself, one day I’ll drive one.”
The excitement he illustrates can only be appreciated by those that share the same passion. It is similar to retail therapy for the shopaholics, or a kid on Christmas morning. Mondo is a second generation trucker, with added context throughout his background broadening his area of expertise. His biological father was a truck driver in the oil fields of western Texas. His mother later remarried when he was seven, introducing him to the construction business. Becoming familiar with heavy equipment was effortless for Mondo. Seeing both of these important men in his life operate larger-than-life trucks opened his eyes at a very early age. Mondo knew that he was born to be a truck driver, just like the men before him. Now he has established his trucking career full circle.
Out of five boys, Mondo is the only son that continued in the trucking business. When his family relocated from Texas to North Carolina they were able to focus on growing his father’s company, Cardona Dry Wall. Mondo was driving by the age of 12. He explains, “I remember my dad purchased a single axle dump truck with a trailer for work. After he bought it he would always give me plenty of opportunities to be the one to drive it. I think he knew back then too, how much I loved trucks and even more, getting to drive them.” Business was going well and they eventually had to move again. This time in search of more land with a barn to accommodate all of the needed equipment and trucks.
Throughout high school Mondo played football, but began spending more time working. He quickly learned the advantages to having money and went with the more beneficial of the two. He landed his first job at 15 working for a local grocery store running the register, bagging items, and stocking shelves. During the summers he joined the family business working for his dad as a part of the construction cleanup crew. Aside from picking up debris, he was able to drive a pickup truck in order to haul everything off to the landfill. That alone made his early morning wakeup calls worth it.
Mondo put in his time, slowly working his way up through the chain of command. Listening, learning and then applying every piece of knowledge he gained over the years helped develop his own personal techniques. By 2006, in his early twenties he was driving full-time. After some careful consideration, he decided it was time to venture out and expand his training. He got on with a company hauling grading materials. In 2014, he bought his first truck and founded his trucking company, Cardona Transport, LLC. Mondo’s oldest daughter was given the option to name his 1996 Peterbilt 379. He said, “She was looking at it and I told her that whatever name she picked, we would go with it. And she said, ‘She looks like an Abby.’ So Abby it is!”
He admits that in the beginning his intentions were never to buy his own truck. He was satisfied in a position of being able to drive trucks with no further obligations. Until he grew older and started a family. His fear of such a big commitment in launching his own business and purchasing a truck caused him to hesitate, but now he advises other drivers to learn from his uncertainty.
“Before I became an owner operator I was literally working pay check to pay check. When I made the switch I was scared, nervous and even questioned myself. Like, did I make a good decision? Five years ago, I would never have imagined I’d be where I’m at today. Being your own boss gives you a sort of freedom that people forget to tell you about. Plus, I am financially stable and able to provide for my wife and kids, making my job that more satisfying. My two girls have what I didn’t have growing up. Trucking has made that possible. With that being said, if you are even remotely considering making the transition, don’t wait as long as I did! I wish I had pursued this sooner, but I understand the good Lord timed it right for me.”
Dating back from 2006 to the present, running between 150,000 to 200,000 miles a year, Mondo is well over his one-million-mile mark and climbing. Primarily dedicate to the East Coast, he enjoys trucking through the countryside of the Carolinas. He says, “It is just something about being in a truck and cruising out here. I get to take in a lot of farm land and the beautiful scenery. The way I see it, I get paid to explore the country.” He typically stays out a week at a time, returning home for the weekends. He is not completely opposed to growing a fleet of two, no more than three trucks in the future.
At the moment, he is content as a one man show. His main goal is to secure a few more accounts. When he first branched out on his own, he pulled a reefer trailer hauling flowers for a local greenhouse, delivering all over the East Coast. Being a seasonal business, he then moved on to flatbed transporting safety barrier walls for construction jobs. This year during his off season Mondo was ready to try something new and hooked up to a hopper bottom specializing in grain. With his qualifications extended to meet the needs of various companies, his plan to accommodate across-the-board is genius.
Fully invested in his business and to the trucking industry as a whole, Mondo states that he is known as a jokester due to always kidding around, making people laugh. However, when it comes to work he takes his job very serious. He continues, “I feel I speak for most all professional truckers when I say that people have a certain conception of us truck drivers and most of it is way off the mark. We are not out here trying to endanger anybody or run people over. We’re doing our jobs, like everyone else. The difference is, our office or workspace is inside of these trucks. Over the years the trucking industry keeps changing, the respect for our position as truck drivers is still lacking, but in the end I am still proud to be a trucker! We all keep pushing through because we love what we do. I live for it. I eat, sleep, and drink trucking. So does my family. Everything that involves the business affects our lives. I just wish today’s generation was brought up like mine and taught to look at us differently, so credit is given where it is deserved. It’s all about respect.”
While Mondo is out on the road, his go-to guy is Nick Landman. The two hit if off back in 2014. Since meeting, both men have helped each other grow within the business, laugh when the other needs a good pick-me-up, and offered honest advice whenever a situation called for it. “We instantly clicked,” Mondo says. “It didn’t take long to realize that we share the same work ethics, love of trucks and sense of humor. We talk every day and know each other’s schedule so well that we’re basically one another’s alarm clock. He is a great example to lead the way for up and coming drivers to follow and I’m glad to have a friend out here like him that has my back.”
With everything on track, business for Cardona Transport, LLC. is going strong. Then you have the thrill of being in a big truck, making his job more like child’s play than work. Or as he says, “I haven’t worked a day since I started trucking! I get to run around out here showing off my truck and having fun.” Aside from traveling from state to state sightseeing, his gratitude starts with his three ladies at home. Without their firm foundation of love, faith, and trust Mondo understands that his dreams of trucking would mean nothing. His passion for trucking is without a doubt, but his family holds all precedence.
Mondo met his wife, Chelsea twelve years ago and even as they dated she supported his aspirations to work away from home for several days at a time. She knew his relationship to trucking was eminent. Allowing a person that you love to follow their dream, sacrificing time that could be spent together takes a very special and unselfish type of love. Mondo found that compassion with Chelsea. He said, “My wife has been my cornerstone from day one. She has stuck with me through it all and I can’t thank her enough.” The two were married in 2008 and have two daughters, Emma (9) and Lyla (4). Chelsea is a full-time nurse and also balances their daughters’ schedules, as well. Between school, tumbling classes and cheerleading competitions, the family of four enjoy loading up and spending the weekends at the lake. They try to squeeze in as much quality time together as they possible can. Whether out on the road, or home surrounded by the ones he loves the most, Mondo lives the best of both worlds morning, noon and night.