FIXTITLE Robert Webb.docx

ALL-AMERICAN TRUCK DRIVER

I first met this Legend back in August at the Great American Trucking Show down in Dallas, Texas. We spoke for a while, and during our conversation he came across very attentive and sincere. He was cordial, carrying on as if we were old friends catching up on what’s new.

At these large trucking events, all of the various vendors attract any and everybody. Many booths are family friendly and appeal to women just as much as men. Some truck drivers attend the show with other drivers; some come in support of their employer; and many come alone. The ones that fly solo are the individuals that truly engage and interact. They’re interested in what you have to say and often stop in their tracks to give their time and connect.

When I work the trucking venues like GATS, I quickly pick up on the professionals like this Legend from among the crowd. He has a strong background in trucking, combined with some good ole’ down-home country roots. He is a naturally talented man, filled with a passion for God and a need to help others.

The day I contacted Robert Webb to set up an interview, he was in his home state of North Carolina. Originally from Charlotte, he immediately asked for prayers for all involved in the mass riots that have been threatening his neighboring cities. Having lost a close friend among the lawless protests, his personal ties to the rising street violence runs deeper than the pride of a man, but he stands firm in this faith praying for a land of peace for all of God’s people.

Born and raised around the same lands taken over by chaos, Robert remembers traveling to and from town when the roads were 2-way lanes made of dirt. The surrounding areas were nothing but farm acreage and open country. He lived a quiet, peaceful life there. In describing his upbringing, his humble foundation stems from the people closest to him. Unfortunately, Robert lost his father when he was young boy. He speaks proudly of him and the legacy he left behind. His father was in the U.S. Army, and proudly served our country during World War II and the Korean War. As a soldier, he paid the ultimate price. Robert’s grandmother later stepped in to help raise him and his step-siblings while his mother worked full-time in the medical field.

Growing up, Robert participated in all sports excelling in each. He enjoyed riding horses and dirt bikes. In his early teens, he began spending more of his free time around his uncles. They were his father’s brothers, all coal miners from Kentucky. Once the men moved to North Carolina and started their company, Anderson Webb Transportation, the desire to be included in the family business was not the only thing Robert inherited.

His love of music blossomed from singing in church as a kid. He comes from a musically inclined family. Two of his cousins went on to have successful careers in the music industry. Performing with family at a young age came natural for Robert, along with his gift of songwriting. Still today, while on the road traveling he likes to clear his mind and relax behind the wheel. That is when his best lyrics come alive.

Robert’s childhood consisted of the typical farm life: daily chores, church on Sundays, school and studies during the day, and then helping where needed. In his case, that was on a tobacco farm and at his uncles’ trucking company. He was driving tractors at 10, tractor trailer rigs by 12, and had his chauffeurs license at 18. Robert said, “I was driving a John Deere tractor as a boy and before I knew it, I was in the big rigs. My uncles would have their drivers pull the tractor trailer rigs to the middle of our large farm yard and just park them there. Then, I would back them up to the dock. That is pretty much how and where I learned the most about trucks. When I turned 15, a gentleman that owned a business moving mobile homes and doublewides offered me a part-time job. Back then there wasn’t a problem with my age at all, as long as I could do the job safely. I drove for him two summers and stayed with my uncles working on my driving out on the farm until I turned 18. That’s when they basically said it was time for me to start driving over the road full-time.”

The truck Robert drove to earn his chauffeurs license was the same truck his uncles sent him out on the road in. It was a 21-speed B-Model Mack. With three gear shifts and no power steering and no power brakes, Robert grew to appreciate the difficulty that he thought would make his days a living struggle. Instead, he learned to adapt to the given obstacles and knew that it all made him work harder, strengthening his overall abilities.

The following years, Robert focused on his trucking career. The advantages of working with family was that when he wasn’t away on the road, he was able to continue learning. He gained experience from working directly with his mentors and their staff. They allowed him free reign to grow within the business. He sat in with dispatching and learned the ropes from that side of transportation, and was eager to know more about the dynamics of logistics. He didn’t want his knowledge of the business to be limited to what pertained inside of his truck. He was curious about the entire operation and how the trucking industry thrived.

By 21, Robert had purchased two more trucks and leased them to their family business. A couple of years had passed when he hit a point in his life and decided he was ready for a change. Knowing his father served in the military, Robert states that he felt compelled to do the same. In a way, like he had something to prove. In 1979, at the age of 23 he joined the U.S. Army. He completed his basic training at Fort Jackson, located in South Carolina. Immediately after, he was deployed to Germany serving as a Chaplain. During his time overseas, given his experience with commercial vehicles he was able to continue driving trucks. At the end of 1982, he spent his last 3 ½ months of active duty in the Reserves back home in North Carolina.

A year after returning, Robert had everything all mapped out. At only 26 years old and 14 years’ worth of knowledge within the trucking realm, he was at a good place in his working career and was enjoying life. Occasionally, he grabbed his guitar and performed at different places, and continued writing music when he could. Work was going so well; he had accumulated quite a collection of motorcycles that he enjoyed taking out for a spin. On one particular day, Robert and a friend took two of his bikes out. He continues, “At the time I had up to nine motorcycles. I loved riding them as much as I did driving trucks. After all, I had been exposed to both of them since I was a kid. I was extremely comfortable on them. I didn’t have the one I was on that day no more than six weeks. It was an 1100 Yamaha; I remember that day like it was yesterday. It was on March the 3rd, in 1983. A drunk woman crossed over four lanes of traffic and I ended up hitting her car head-on. I went completely through the windshields and flew another 175 feet. I was in the hospital over a year.”

Robert suffered major injuries from the accident including a broken arm in nine places, six in his wrist, and the bones in his left leg were replaced with titanium rods and pins. “When I arrived at the hospital and brought in through the ER, my mother wasn’t on duty. She was actually there being prepped to have a minor surgery performed on herself. I was told that when she learned her son was there and what had happened, she jumped out of her bed and ran directly to my side. I spent the next year laid up with a cast on my entire leg and one on my arm. Once I began to heal, I knew it was only a matter of time before I planned to shed those casts.”

One year was plenty long enough for Robert. Against his doctor’s orders, Robert retreated to his truck and left for the road. “My leg hurt and I had to learn how to change gears because of my arm, but I didn’t let any of that stop me!” He devoted every ounce he had to trucking again. He landed a driving position with a company based out of Georgia hauling air freight and general commodities throughout all 48 states. Also, he worked part-time for a department store franchise running their 4-5 state area. Just when it seemed his schedule had little to no room left, Robert started his own business.

Being a contract hauler, Robert has put in his time earning endorsement after endorsement. “I have it all, so I can pull it all. That way I never turn work down,” he explains. With nearly a half a century worth of driving under his belt, he has over 5 million safe miles to date. He is an active member of Truckers United for Charities, a non-profit organization and also OOIDA, since 2005. He was recently awarded the 2015 All American Highway Hero Award for his heroic efforts during times of crisis.

Robert stresses the importance of safety. He urges all drivers to always stay vigilant while driving, to never let your guard down. By constantly staying alert, ultimately saves lives. He also finds ways to give back to the trucking community and likes to help train other drivers. As a true trucking enthusiast, Robert is extremely proud of the trucking industry. “I am proud of how far we’ve come. We have made leaps and bounds as far as how business is ran and the machinery we operate today. And without trucking the economy would be in a world of mess. I’m glad to do my part!”

The travel and sightseeing have always been a favorite of his, but the comradery between drivers and people is where his heart is. He says, “I love meeting people. In trucking we are all brothers and sisters. The beauty of it all is that outside, even further than that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. I think that’s all you need to remember; you got to have God with you. That is my main objective. Keep him first and everything else will work out. Embrace people that you meet along the way, do what you’re blessed to do to your fullest ability, and simply give Him the glory.” Unless something drastically changes, Robert plans on trucking until he is 100 years old, or is completely unable.

Robert refers to himself as a happy-go-lucky person that loves trucking and singing. By bringing the two together he is able to do what he loves, making every day less like work and more about enjoying life. He doesn’t consider himself special, just a country man with a big heart.