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BEHIND THE WHEEL

Legend Nominee:

Tom Walsh

This Legend nominee is a man of many talents, to say the least. With 57 years of experience in the transportation business and 6 million career miles to-date, his work history also includes six years of service in the U.S. Navy, in addition to his continued service for our great nation as a police officer.

Our work force as a common people, we search for employment to secure an income in which to survive among a society that revolves around the exchange for goods and services. Whether to provide for an entire household or you alone, as they say, ‘money makes the world go round.’ Others would beg to differ stating, love is the heart that lay within the axis to which all things concede. With that said, this article features an individual from another era. He brings with him to our generation a level of discipline that is rare. Similar to a breath of fresh air; it’s welcomed, yet uncommon.

Tom Walsh of Staunton, Virginia is 78 years old, having dedicated over a half-century to the business of transportation, that ranks at the bottom of his accomplishments. This July he will reach his 60th wedding anniversary to his lovely bride, Nancy Miller Walsh. One would think a gentleman of his time might look at planning a less busy schedule, but surely if you have read this far, you should know as I do that he isn’t giving any inkling of slowing down. He mentions that he is the proudest of his family. He and Nancy have 5 children, 16 grandchildren, and 21 great-grandchildren. Back when their kids were young, Tom found any means of work available to supply the needs his family desired. Nancy supported Tom in all his ventures, while juggling the children’s schedules and her own job, working in sales. Often, she relied on close family members when Tom was stationed elsewhere. His heart always remained with his loved ones, as he used the distance between them as inspiration. Tom continues to work to this very day simply for the love of his family. Though now, Nancy can join him after putting in 35 years in total as a sales associate.

Of all Tom’s achievements, he wishes to be remembered as a good husband and loving father that adores his grandchildren and their children. He says, “I work for all of them. I think that pretty much defines a man… and you work until you can’t anymore.” A couple years shy of turning 80, age holds no precedence over Tom. His mind is as sharp as his heart is full of love. Given the physical ability, I feel there is plenty more in store for him to accomplish.

On the Move

From a very young age, Tom never backed down to a challenge. Born in 1939, with little time to remember much of a childhood; instead, by the age of 11 his father found work overseas with a construction firm that left Tom in charge at home and all the responsibilities pertaining to the role. Before, Tom with his parents and older sister moved around a lot, then settled in the city of Hickory, North Carolina. Being the designated man of the house, his sole purpose was to maintain the family’s chicken farm. They resided on 14 acres with a 3-story chicken house that was home to 3,000 laying hens. Tom continues, “We sold hatching eggs, that’s where I got my muscle. My father was gone for two years. I started out weighing about 90 pounds, but there was a lot of heavy work. I had to feed all the chicken, which took about 4,000 pounds of feed a day. Then after that, I had to fill the chicken feeders too. That was definitely an interesting time! But it was good for me. I learned how to manage doing things on my own. Plus, I packed on the muscle.” After his father returned home, the two worked the farm together for another couple of years until Tom left for the Navy, in 1956.

By his second year, Tom was a Motor Transport Operator in the Navy motor pool for planes. He later put in a transfer to Texas where he joined a squadrons line division for training to become a plane captain. Responsibilities to prep their assigned aircraft are many, such as; various inspections and preparation for flight, essentially operating as the final clearance prior to the pilot taking off. Plane captains are put through extensive training to acquire the knowledge of airplanes, and each plane receives a full analysis before the pilot and mission proceed. Next, Tom was put with a helicopter squadron in Virginia, working as their plane captain. He went on to serve four years active, two inactive. He still has his current pilot license in pocket. You can never count this guy out…

In March of 1960, it was time for Tom to return to civilian life. With Nancy and their growing family. He knew the clock was ticking to find a job. “I immediately started driving, any jobs that I could come up with. I started with hook-ups, pulling two cars at a time for about eight months. I drove a tanker, fueling heavy equipment for a year or so before I got on with the Chicago Transit Authority driving city buses,” Tom stated. His father drove for an interstate motor carrier, as well, started his career at Trailways Virginia Stage Lines. After two years there, he moved on to drive for Burlington Trailways out of Iowa for twelve years.

At 22, Tom went to work at Trailways of New England located in Boston, Massachusetts as one of their youngest drivers. His uncle was part-owner of the bus company. He had called Tom’s father, who was dispatching for the New York terminal at the time, and suggested Tom relocate to Boston and come work for him. Tom felt the move and job offer would help benefit his family. He always considered their future, using that as his compass to guide him through all decisions because every new job required him to uproot his family and start over.

Tom stayed with the company for twelve years, earning him a position with seniority. He and Nancy purchased a house in Maine and with his choice of runs, he picked a hotshot run leaving from Portland, to Boston, and on to New York City working four days on, three days off. His run was a 5-star luxury travel ride, complete with a hostess and meals to dine. However, the pressure of transporting passengers versus freight can become overwhelming. When a person’s life is entrusted upon you, along with many others for over eight hours on a single trip, the uncertainty can prove paralyzing. Tom willingly followed his instincts, which led him into the trucking industry.

All Things Trucking

The first-place Tom found work during his transition to trucking was at a lumber company. His next move was in 1974 to a union based trucking company in Louisville, Kentucky. Five months in, his name appeared on the list to be laid off due to financial matters of contention. The company later sold out to a much larger corporation. Tom covers his next undertaking…

Again, any attempt to pursue something new never swayed his efforts despite having zero experience in the field. His upbringing taught him, the only way you will ever learn what you are fully capable of is to face a test head on. “When I was laid off from work, I needed to find a reliable job as soon as possible. I started thinking outside the box. In some form or fashion, I was always behind a wheel because it came natural for me. This time I considered police work. I had always been interested in it and with the job comes a great respect. And honestly, I thought I would be good at it and believe it or not, I was! I remember one of the most important things my chief officer taught us during training… it was to always approach people with respect. Regardless if they’re drunk or disorderly for whatever reason, you must always treat people the way you wish to be treated. I think back to that often. That time of my life was an interesting period too,” he said.

Over a year later, the last trucking company he drove for called him up, explaining their re-hire process of all truck drivers that want to come back. His obligations as a policeman were rewarding in itself, and incomparable to the duties he performed before, but with six very important people at home his overall income made the final call. He returned to trucking, putting in a total of 14 years with the company just before they went out of business.

Tom joined a smaller carrier, a family-owned company where his father was leased onto, pulling flatbed. Later, he switched to dry van and then made his way back to flatbed and hauling oversized loads. In December 2005, Tom retired from trucking. He says, “My dad was 95 years old when he passed away. He drove until he was 82. One day after he retired he told me that he wanted to share some advice with me. He said, ‘Do not retire because then you’re just waiting to die.’ I found those words profound. Considering I started driving in 1960, I knew I wouldn’t stay retired. So, I bought a truck and went to work with Mercer Transportation.”

Mercer Transportation’s positive reputation attracted Tom and their no-forced dispatch sealed the deal. He says the driver-friendly atmosphere speaks volumes and the staff he communicates with are always easy to work with. Since buying their first truck in 2004, Nancy has been able to go with Tom all over the country together. Today, they’re in a red 2015 T680 Kenworth. Within the last year, the couple has faced a few health scares, which resulted in Nancy having a heart attack.

“Everything just led up to it… I had recently purchased a new truck, but I parked it and took care of my girl. You got to do what you got to do. Nancy has supported me in everything I’ve ever done. When I’m gone, she is the one that had to step up and be mother and father for our family. She is the center of my life. One of the toughest things to deal with as a professional driver is the fact you must turn the wheels to make money. To turn the wheels, you must be gone. And when you’re gone, someone must take over. My wife has done more than a good job at that. That’s one of the main thing all drivers need… a very understanding spouse, because sometimes it seems like your family is getting the short end of the stick. However, that’s just a part of the sacrifice that goes with the transportation business. And my Nancy has handled more than her part. Our kids turned out great! She’s done an excellent job and I’m so proud of her.”

Nancy’s recovery took about six months, but she is back in the truck with Tom. When they are home, Tom and Nancy are active members of the Church of Christ at Charlestown Road in New Albany, Indiana. Through all his life experiences, the encouragement that he says has helped him thus far is to never stop learning. Especially in this business. Also, he says to use every day in your own favor, to better yourself because each day is different. Earlier, I asked Tom to give me three words that best describe him. His reply hit right on the mark…

“Safe, reliable, and courteous. I pretty much try to live by that.” -Tom Walsh