FIXTITLE Shawn Bonnell.docx

For the Long Haul

Author: Shawn Bonnell

An observation for the new driver.

So you've chosen to become a professional truck driver. Undoubtedly, you have completed your training period and are now on your own. Adapting to a new lifestyle and the thrills and income that comes with it!

A little story looking back, I can still remember receiving the keys to my first truck, putting the key into the ignition and starting it. Little did I know that starting that truck would set in motion a chain of events that would lead to losing my first home and almost costing me my family!

More on that later… you might ask, what this has to do with me? Well, I'll tell you. For a quick second, stop reading this article, sit back and take a look across the proverbial landscape of the transportation industry. It is filled with innumerable amounts of companies and they all have one thing in common; they are hiring!!

There are a lot of good trucking companies out there that offer the best in the industry; pay, equipment, home-time, etc. Those who are caught unaware will all too often jump ship and begin to bounce around from offer to offer. Once in the system, a driver is likely to find that he is no better than where he was!

I spent three months driving for the first trucking company that hired me. I was overpowered by the excitement of job jumping that before I knew it, 5 years had passed and I quit my 18th job! Seeing how easy it was to get hired I walked off the job without a fallback. My record was clean, CSA was nonexistent at the time, and I had never been marked as a driver by DOT. Unfortunately, not one company would give me a shot. Quoting my history was too sketchy to take the chance. My loyalty to my employer was in question and my demons came full circle. Broke and just married, I began a desperate attempt to seek employment. McDonald's wouldn't even hire me! My wife took a job to help, but the damage had already been done. When the dust had settled, we lost our home. Creditors where knocking at my door and the companies that were once willing to give me top dollar, were now turning their backs on me!

I was finally able to gain employment with an owner operator for extremely low wages and outdated equipment. I spent four years on this job, working in unsafe conditions for long hours. Within that time, the arguing with the love of my life was constant because I couldn't come home. So again, you might ask yourself another question. What could jumping jobs cost you? The answer is almost everything!

So, here you are working for the trucking company that paid for you to go to school and train to become a professional driver. Counting down the days until you have paid your debt back to that company. You might have already planned your next move, but before you take that leap, sit back and look closely at what they are offering. Is it worth losing everything? With the possibility of losing it all and everyone you’re doing it for in the first place? Stay the course. Build a stable work history and establish a positive reputation. These are a couple of the credentials that will allow you to market yourself to the many trucking companies available in our industry. The grass isn't always greener! I’m sharing this with you to help you learn and take notes from my own personal errors. A successful career as a professional truck driver is possible and indeed rewarding, if pursued correctly.

About me…

My name is Shawn "BEAR" Bonnell. I live in Hopkins, Michigan with my wife and daughter. I have been a professional driver since June 2000. I work as a local driver and also am an active member of Chi-Town Large Cars. I’ve been involved in driver mentoring since August 2010.