FIXTITLE Pat Jackson.docx
DREAM LOUD
Legend Nominee: Pat Jackson
This Legend views the world by its glory set behind the scenes, referring to herself as a dreamer. Not in a way that depicts a person as impractical or envisions a place of illusion, she purely shifts her focus to what the future has in store. With an adventurous soul, convinced that there is always something great around the bend, she uncovered her own courage to overcome barriers, attained personal victories while creating milestones along the way.
Unafraid of failure, there are no restrictions as to what she is capable of. As a dreamer, her belief in hope encourages others to reach for the stars. With optimism, her positive thinking conveys patience, much needed in an industry that requires perseverance. Once a woman with zero knowledge within the trucking realm, she earned a seat at the wheel of expertise now highly respected by her peers. She considers herself no disciplinarian, but rather a friend offering a helping hand or support to anyone in need.
Patricia Jackson, also known as Pat, was born in Springfield, Tennessee in 1951. As a young child, she moved a few times for her mother to find work and be near family. Every new location consisted of the same setting, allowing Pat to relate a familiarity within each new place. By retreating to the known beauty surrounding her; the farmland and animals provided her with the perfect canvas for her vivid imagination.
“Growing up, I was a real tomboy. No matter where we were, I enjoyed being outside. It wasn’t like today with all the toys and gadgets kids have now. I rode bikes everywhere and played cowboys and Indians. Back then you had to have an imagination. That’s what I love about trucking. It provides a window of solitude for my own space, where I can be alone in my thoughts. I can be away from it all and also get to see parts of nature that a person wouldn’t normally get to witness in other places. When I first started I would get up at 3 in the morning, feed my dogs, then get to the yard where we parked our trucks before 4:30. During those early hours, I got to see deer, hawks, and groundhogs. Just nature in general. There’s such a beautiful world out there and you get to explore it all, I miss that the most since I retired.”
Recently hanging up her trucking keys in March, Pat now resides on five acres with her four horses. In many ways, still the simple girl at heart. Over a span of 35 years in the business, from running local work pulling dump trailers to pulling tankers over the road, Pat has accumulated close to 2 million miles. The most recent 14 years she dedicated her trucking career to Environmental Concepts & Services, Inc. (ECS). The company, ECS is based out of Greenbrier, Tennessee established in 1999 offering transportation of hazardous material(s), disposal of waste, and industrial services. Also, owned and operated by Pat’s nephew, Thomas Young. Since joining the team in 2004, Pat earned over half her lifetime miles with Environmental Concepts & Services, Inc. while having delivered over 30 million gallons of hazardous product. Before retiring, she was recognized as the exemplar of hard work, highlighting her outstanding driving record.
Humble, yet respectful Pat mentions that our industry offers thousands of professional truck drivers deserving of a Legend’s feature. This is true, but not to dull her own spotlight, I asked Pat her opinion as to what would qualify a driver worthy of a Legend’s article? Defining the term, legend she explains, “To be considered in this business as an elite driver, I feel one would need to be a professional that has been driving for years, has an extraordinary driving record, displays a positive attitude, and provides excellent service with customers. Someone that basically, dedicates their life during the extended period in which they are working, while representing our industry to the best of their ability.” The way I see it, Pat just described herself…
In her early teenage years, Pat would tag along with her grandfather when he worked as an overseer on a farm. Being among the horses was her most cherished time spent, considering she had her own horse by the age of four. She was enamored by their strength and beauty. By 17, she married and soon after the couple opened Jackson Salvage; an auto salvage business with used car parts. Their stockpile contained a surplus of material for reuse, e.g., engines, starters, all of which jumpstarted their side business of junking. They started off driving a half-ton pickup to move parts from A to B, eventually upgrading to road tractors. An International day cab was their first semi-truck, then a 1956 GMC single axle tractor that they converted to a tandem.
Pat and her (late) husband, Gene continued running car parts from 1972 until well into the 90’s. Unfortunately, in 1976 Gene was involved in an accident resulting in a broken back. Despite his major injury, when cleared to return to work he remained on the road. One job included hauling Christmas trees from up north to the lower states. Pat continues, “I would go with him in the truck so I could talk to him and help keep him awake. We had a Freightliner cabover at the time and I didn’t have a clue how to drive it. At first, it started with me just guiding the truck. Never really slowing down or having to take off. Over time, he taught me everything I needed to know about the truck and what to do, as long as we remained on the interstate running at the same consistent speed. I remember driving while Gene rested, thinking my trucking career is going to end before it even gets started! Other than that brief time of driving, that was it for me.” The length of time needed to haul Christmas trees lasted three weeks out of the year.
When business deviated to shipping auto parts overseas, there was little to no need for their road tractors. “We were shipping to places like New Zealand and Australia. We hired a container company to bring in 20ft containers, we would load them, and then they would come get the containers and place them aboard the ships. So, we went several years without a road tractor. When the prices for scrap items began to increase, little by little, Gene found other means of income.
Making our way back to the big trucks, he purchased a Michigan loader and later a bull dozer. Of course, then we needed a dump trailer and a truck to move the bull dozer. That was our last one; a long nose conventional International. It was originally a West Coast steel hauling tractor.”
In 1995, Pat and Gene separated though they remained on good terms, Pat left the business in Gene’s hands. A mutual friend needed a driver to pull a dump wagon, but with warning Pat insisted that she was not right for the job. “I told him that there seems to be a misunderstanding, because I have never driven off the interstate in my life. There was no way I could drive his truck! The gentleman asked me if I was willing to learn, and I was… I needed a job, but I also knew the huge responsibility that came with driving a truck and the major risks involved if not properly trained,” Pat explained. She decided to go for it, determined to absorb as much knowledge possible of the business. At 44 years old, Pat landed her first trucking job driving a 1994 Peterbilt extended nose Conventional, running local work pulling a 39ft dump trailer hauling fertilizer, grain, and coal. When the business owner switched to long-haul Pat started making runs to California, stretching her wings even further. Two years later, she teamed back up with Gene again, this time driving on her own pulling scrap iron.
A few years pass, as Pat reaches a crossing point and stepped away from trucking to take a position at a veterinarian clinic as their full-time kennel supervisor. She put in seven years at the animal hospital when the opportunity to go back on the road came knocking on her door. Her nephew, Thomas had purchased a truck and called for Pat to drive it. Uninterested, she turned down the offer. Thomas was adamant about bringing Pat onboard, eventually persuading her to give it a shot. Pat says, “When I first started with him he had two trucks, a Freightliner and the Volvo I was in. I told Thomas Wayne that I had never pulled a tanker before. I didn’t know anything about them, at all! Willing to learn something new, I studied and prepared, then obtained my tanker and hazmat license. At the time, I was still at the clinic, but on Wednesdays I would run a load for him. I remember the first run, Thomas told me to come pick up my truck (in Springfield, Tennessee) it was already hooked up to the tanker. I needed to load it then take it to Athens, Alabama. I had to remind him that I didn’t know how to load it. He agreed to meet me down at the plant and show me what to do. We get there, load the trailer, he shows me the paperwork and everything… then, he fastens the lid down, turns around to me and says, ‘Alright be careful!’ I stood there looking at him like, all right then…” Getting the load to the plant in Alabama was not the issue, reading a map was the easy part. It was the process of unloading once she arrived that remained the point in question. Running on complete assurance in her own ability and Thomas’s word, she continued down the road. “When I arrived, I called Thomas and he walked me through it. I’m standing there with a cell phone glued to my ear asking questions like, ‘You want me to do what? What lever? Where is it at? What does it look like? What does it do?’ …I guess if you learn the hard way it sticks, but that’s pretty much how I learned to load and unload our tankers,” she said.
For most of her driving career with Environmental Concepts & Services, Inc., Pat transported aluminium sulphate to water treatment and paper manufacturing plants throughout the northern region of middle Tennessee, and lower areas of Kentucky and Indiana. A long-haul run became available when a supplier relocated their plant to Texas. Pat was content driving local and did not wish to travel that far from home again. As she treats most ideas presented, she typically remains reserved until ready to fully commit. Caving in to the thought of exploring more of the unseen country, Pat decided to go at least one time and to no surprise, she loved it. Her desire to enjoy the journey forward has allowed her to discover talents within herself that may have laid dormant had she not trusted in the belief that dreams could possibly be a mere perception created, waiting to be brought to life. Pat says, “I made that Texas run once and fell in love with it! The whole state of Texas, especially up and down the east side is beautiful. That ended up being my run. I’d go every 2 to 3 weeks and then home for about three days.”
Now at the age of 66, Pat enjoys her time with family and tending to her horses. As a female truck driver having pulled various tankers, she has noticed it is more common in today’s world to see women in the workforce learning how to maneuver and operate equipment on a physical level. By taking on job after job with little insight for guidance, Pat’s true ability is a direct reflection of those she idolized growing up. “I believe having a good work ethic goes a long way. I learned that from my grandparents. My grandfather was a farmer all his life and put everything he had into his work and for that he lived a good life,” she said. “Trucking for a living can be difficult if you let it. If you don’t let negativity affect you, do your job well, and always stay courteous, you can make the best of it. Our entire country relies on the trucking industry to provide everything we need to survive; it’s our job as drivers to uphold our end of the business as professionals.”
Pat states that patience is the key to success as a truck driver, but an occasional spontaneity isn’t too bad either. After all, look how well throwing caution into the wind has treated Patricia Jackson. If given a situation that you’re unsure of, take a chance with an open mind. It may be the door to your next life-changing experience. Have courage, trust in yourself, and dream out loud.