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Legend’s Nominee: Wayne Dollar

This Legend’s nominee comes from Lamessa, Texas in which their city motto states ‘Together, Progress with a Purpose.’ Growing up, Wayne Dollar embraced his country surroundings and all that it entailed; from the western shows played on the family television, to the herds of cattle roaming the open ranches. As far back as he can remember, his dream was to one day be a true cowboy.

Throughout his life from childhood on, he added to that role. As a young boy, he idolized the famous actor, the “King of the cowboys” -Roy Rogers. Roy was the sharpest cowboy he had ever seen, cool tempered wearing his signature cowboy hat, with his horse and shiny guns.

By his teen years, Wayne was riding bulls for local rodeos. Later, he found work at various ranches, tending to cattle and training horses. For an extra means of income, he built handmade spurs and sold them to gentlemen that also leaned toward the cowboy way. As he designed more, he was able to hone in on his technique. Wayne’s spurs today are a combination of the beauty that lay within his imagination, permanently etched in his memory, compliments of the many good ol’ fashioned cowboys he admired for so long, along with the intricate details perfected over the years.

Wayne’s same approach he applies toward his craft, is also that exact standpoint delivered to anything else he sets his mind to. He is an extreme go-getter, to every extent of the term. His ambition is fearless without limit. With that sure confidence, he could run a business, not knowing the result or even possess a clue as to how to perform. But his certainty allowed him the courage and intellect to learn on the fly. He is self-taught in all avenues he has pursued and proven to be successful, as well. His one resource that not a person can take away is his goal-oriented frame of mind. His desire for success may paint a bigger picture for just an ordinary cowboy, but the same ground rules are practiced: dedication to hard work, faithfulness in his commitment, and genuine kindness. These are all marks of a great leader. Even during his toughest times, he held onto his poise and with that dignity, all he had to do was tap into his self-assurance one more time and he could accomplish anything.

Wayne is gifted with the talent to master many trades, in which his skills proved beneficial in providing for his family. When it comes to a person’s loved ones, there are no restrictions as to how much an individual can take on. And with Wayne’s venturous mentality of an honest cowboy, his potential is infinite.

Cowboy at Heart

During our interview, I asked Wayne what he considered to be his greatest achievement to date. Considering the assorted responsibilities he sought after, any road could have easily led him in a different direction.

“I’d have to say that my biggest accomplishment is my marriage. Kris and I have been married for 36 years. I’ve only been able to do what I do for a living because of her help. Without her it would have never worked. And if you’re single out here trucking, you better have some good support, because it’s that strong support system that will help get you through the bad days,” Wayne said. “I missed a lot being away on the road, but I had to make money for us. I was the one they counted on to do what needed to be done no matter what. You give up a lot to be a trucker.”

When the couple first met, they were both in their early 20’s just starting to figure life out. Kris was attending college in Denton, Texas and happened to catch Wayne’s eye one night at a dance hall. The two dated for four years before tying the knot in 1980. They moved to Kris’s hometown in Adrian, Texas. Her family helped them get on their feet and they soon purchased a service station. For the following three years, Wayne learned to manage the gas station, his ranch work, and continued to make and sell spurs. Kris ran the store in the mornings while Wayne worked on the ranches until the afternoon.

“Usually before 2, I’d work the ranches… most of them were within the panhandle of Texas. And when things were slow at the gas station… keep in mind at the time Adrian was a small town of about 250 people, so during our down time I would build my spurs in the shop at the station. The better I got, the nicer the spurs.”

Call it grit or iron will, but Wayne refused to settle for a life other than what he could provide. He describes himself in three ways: hard headed, but with the same token he says, determined. And over all, grateful. I believe they all three go hand in hand. If anything made him a cowboy at heart, it was those simple morals for which he based his life around. After three years, they sold the service station.

A local co-op was looking to hire a driver to haul grain from one elevator to the other. With zero experience, Wayne was up for the challenge. “I was in a 10-speed, hauling grain for 14 miles. That road was straight as a string, not a curve in it. 14 miles down and 14 miles back, flat as a table top. Just a two-lane road. I did that for about ten months and that was my very first truck driving job. All the experience I got.”

Kris was offered a teaching position in a city called, Hereford about 50 miles away. When they relocated, Wayne’s opportunity to get into trucking full-time welcomed him with open arms. He had built a pair of spurs for the owner of a company that hauled cattle across the country. The gentleman brought Wayne on as a relief driver. Wayne says, “I didn’t know anything about anything back then. I bet I ended up driving every truck in his fleet. I needed that job, so I jumped at any chance I could get. When he first hired me, he asked if I had ever drove a truck with two sticks. And I had drove a little when I was 16, but that was in a pick-up truck with a trailer moving cows. I was honest with him when I said that I hadn’t and he told me that I could learn. What I didn’t tell him was that I hadn’t drove any other truck besides that 10-speed back and forth for a short amount of time, and that was it! He had trucks that were 13-speed and 15-speed… I’ll never forget my first load…

It was in a Cabover Peterbilt to Arizona. I left with about four or five other drivers and I kept up well. The whole way there, say 700 miles, I was learning how to shift the truck. So, we get there, get the cattle loaded up and head back. On the way back, we start going over this great big mountain. I had never been over a mountain before… let’s just say that first job was one of my most memorable trips. I learned many valuable lessons that way; on my own, nervous, anxious, excited and scared to death. I learned through a lot of trial and error, mostly errors and by the grace of God.”

Diving deeper into unknown territory is where Wayne thrived. The challenge kept him humble, yet engaged. Four years in, he was able to purchase his first truck. A 1978 Peterbilt and leased on to the gentleman that gave him his initial break into the trucking industry. Wayne gave it all he had, working day and night exhausting himself to the core. He continued another two years running on fumes, taking full advantage of the leniency given during that time. Ultimately, running so hard forced him off the road and landed him a position in the shop, working maintenance. “People need to know that when you work like that, you’re taking your life and everyone else’s life in your hands. It’s extremely dangerous. I had fallen asleep at the wheel and turned my truck over. Thank goodness, no injuries came of it, but since then the trucking industry has really cleaned things up. Considering the old equipment we operated, the bad roads we were running on, and the long hours, going non-stop. All of that is changing for the better, and believe me it needed to happen. Trucking is much better than before! Our safety is becoming the number one factor, when it used to never be a concern,” he said.

Unsure if his calling was meant to be in a truck, driving across the country in such a fashion, he decided it was best to return to what he felt was natural. He soon found work at a few local feed yards, breaking and training horses. For ten years, he worked from four in the morning until five at night, only to come home and build spurs until nine. Then, get up in the morning and do it all over. Wayne continues, “…that was until a friend of mine that I had met while doing ranch work. I had ridden some horses for him and he rode some for me. Well, he got me tuned in to the car hauling industry. He told me about a local job out of Amarillo, Texas hauling cars within a 300-mile radius.” Never mind the fact that Wayne took a ten-year hiatus from the transportation business, but again venturing down a road many would avoid due to the amount of effort required of this driver’s position. Instead, Wayne insists upon testing his own limits.

At the beginning, the trick was learning the order to load each vehicle on his truck. In the event, which he had multiple deliveries the cars needed to be distributed just right, or every delivery grew to become time consuming. After one year under his belt, he had the process of loading cars per his itinerary down to a science. He went on to buy his own truck and stayed with a company hauling cars to various dealerships for ten years. Then, he moved transit buses from Mexico to New Jersey. In 2009, Wayne switched to pulling flatbed.

Lead by Example

In passing at truck stops and shows or events, Wayne exchanged trucking stories with fellow drivers; many driving for Mercer Transportation. The more conversations exchanged, he noticed there was never any negative talk directed toward Mercer as a company. “I remember thinking, if everybody is that happy working there, then that’s my kind of place. When I came to work for Mercer, I found out why. This company is unbelievable when it comes to the amount of respect they give their drivers! Everyone with the company, the first thing they will tell you is that without truck drivers, they don’t have a job. They all know that their drivers are what supports the whole deal. And most trucking companies don’t look at truck drivers that way. Mercer Transportation goes out of their way every day to make you feel welcome around here. That kind of positivity goes a long way. It impacts everyone! The drivers treat each other like family, always helping each other. I see it like we are a rare community. Mercer encourages and promotes that kind of activity by leading by example. When your boss is doing it, it makes it easier for you to do it, right? That’s what sets us apart from other trucking companies. Here, we all do our jobs and we enjoy it. That willingness to help others is passed down from the top and makes a world of difference… and it shows,” he said.

Wayne joined Mercer Transportation’s Mentor Program in 2015, in hopes that his experience will help guide other aspiring truck drivers toward achieving his or her personal goals. Knowing that each professional driver takes with them on the road their own dreams of the future, list of worries, and ideas of how trucking will be; Wayne offers his advice as support for their long journey ahead.

With over 2 million lifetime miles to his name in under 20 years, he states that if you implement these two important components to your trucking career, you’ll surely succeed. One, balance your money. Simply do so by keeping your personal finances in a separate account away from your business account. And two, help. Help others, just as he does any time he can. Always try to make yourself available to help another when you recognize a situation, because you never know when the shoe may end up on your foot.

All That Is Present

Wayne describes his travels today as more relaxed, with a fresh set of eyes. “Things are paid off now, Kris is retired and gets to go with me when she’s ready, and our sons are grown. I can now slow down a bit and take life in. As I go across the country, I want to experience it all again with Kris. I see so much and it’s always different depending on the hour of the day, plus the season. You see something new every time you pass through the same area.

When we are not moving, we enjoy quilting together, then giving them as gifts. We’ve been doing that for six years. I still mess around in the shop making spurs. And I love sharing my trucking stories that I used to tell on the CB.” You can purchase a copy from his website, truckingaround.com. There you will find five cd’s available, all containing stories of trucking told by Wayne.

Maybe you can spot the happy couple on the road in their bright yellow, custom painted Peterbilt. Their 379 model is known as, The Rose referencing the yellow rose of Texas. Wayne jokes, as he admits that there is no such thing as too much chrome on a truck. The Rose is embellished with shiny extras throughout, just the way he likes it. Anything Wayne goes after, he attains and all efforts will be done 110%. Why would we expect any less of his truck? Every inch of chrome represents Wayne’s character: polished as an honest cowboy, as authentic as they come; shining to stand out, but remains classic and simple.

In the trucking industry, we come across truck drivers that love their job and then we find the few that are the job. Drivers like Wayne remind us that we need reliable people in those seats, moving freight, but knowing that he is someone that we can trust to do the job AND do it well, with a passion for the business for so many years is something you can’t buy, teach, or give to another driver. You must find it within the driver, then nurture it so that it can blossom and show others the way up.