NAME OF THE GAME - Larry Tredway
NAME OF THE GAME
Legend Nominee: Larry Tredway
As a young man, this Legend driver had his heart set on a future in the world of sports. A natural athlete in high school, excelling in football and baseball, his senior year he received two athletic college scholarships to play baseball. Shortly after graduating high school, fate intervened and he was drafted into the U.S. Army.
Some truck drivers enter the business with full intention of living out their childhood dream of finally driving a big rig. The way this story unfolds, the trucking industry unexpectedly paved a new avenue that had never truly been considered, but once the option presented itself he became restless in his pursuit for discovery.
Larry Tredway was born in 1950, the youngest of 3 in the little town of Leonard, Texas. His mother was a full-time housewife, raising the children as they moved around the state of Texas, also into Oklahoma and Georgia due to his father’s line of work within the construction field. Once in elementary school, his family planted roots on the east side of Fort Worth, Texas, in the Meadowbrook area.
As a standout competitor, Larry easily gained attention as an uprising star athlete early on. When the military threw him a curve ball, he proudly accepted the call to defend his country with the same willpower he displayed on the ball field. He gives credit for his strong tenacity to his parents. Stating,
“That’s how we were raised, to give more of yourself than normal. When my dad was in the construction business he was known as one of the best bulldozer operators in Texas. It was always made clear; it doesn’t matter what you’re doing, your performance represents who you are as a person. All of our lives we were encouraged to strive to be a notch above the rest. And that is how I went into sports as a ball player, so instinctively that is how I went into the military as a soldier. My brother, who was in the Navy and my sister are both the same way. We would say, go the extra mile, it won’t hurt you.”
The strict discipline and fierce competition of boot camp ultimately motivated Larry to push himself harder during training. Young, bold, full of energy and self-confident, he was unwilling to remain out of combat while serving. His goal was to become an Airborne Ranger. He spent 8 weeks of boot camp at Fort Lewis located in Seattle, Washington. That was the furthest from home he had ever ventured out. From there, he moved to Fort Benning, Georgia for a volunteer course at the U.S. Army Airborne School, also known as jump school for specialized training involving jumping out of aircrafts while in flight. Once a graduate of the Ranger School Academy, Larry was immediately deployed to Vietnam. He served one year overseas, returned home for 2 weeks, and left again for Vietnam to serve another tour.
From 1972 to 1976, he was in the Inactive Reserves and found local work driving a dump truck for the city. A year later, it was clear. He needed more… he needed to see more, do more, and travel more. Life in a different country was in many ways unsheltered; his time was spent in the open, free of stuffy buildings and confining walls. Seeing the open lands in the distance became a necessary detail to his every day profession. Larry landed a job for a trucking company based out of Dallas, Texas running over the road pulling reefer and he never looked back. He had found his calling, yet again. Also like the military, trucking allowed him the opportunity to experience life in a way people don’t typically receive.
Driving a truck came with no boundaries, his potential to excel was at his own discretion, and he could be at a different location in a matter of miles. A bachelor on the road, Larry stayed out 2-3 weeks at a time running out west to California then straight to the east coast of New York, and back to Texas. The first truck he was provided was a Cabover Freightliner with no power steering, back when an automatic transmission wasn’t even heard of yet. For the following five years, Larry studied the mechanics of his truck, learned how to interpret a map and focused on developing his skills as a professional truck driver.
In 1984, Larry landed with a trucking outfit pulling refrigerated freight for eight years. Unfortunately the company closed their doors and he was forced to find a new home. Larry had heard through a close driver-friend of a family-owned and operated trucking company based out of his hometown, Lubbock, located in the northwestern region of Texas. He was also aware of the reputable driver presence that the refrigerated company had maintained since opening their doors back in 1939. Originally founded by Bob Heath and his wife, Lila with only one truck and trailer, Robert Heath Trucking, Inc. has grown into one of our nation’s leading refrigerated carriers with 165 trucks and 2015 or newer model trailers. The highly-regarded operation is where Larry landed in 1992 and still has no plans of slowing down.
His first truck was a 389 Peterbilt with a sloped hood, providing additional visibility. The evolution in design of trucks throughout Larry’s career has earned his appreciation. He says, “Today’s trucks are far more advanced than when I first started driving, over 40 years ago. Now, I’m in a 579 Peterbilt and as much as they are different, they’re that much more improved. More luxurious, in a way. Aside from the automatic transmission, they have air ride suspension, air ride seats, air ride trailers… every beat is more comfortable and accommodating in favor of us drivers.” The up-to-date equipment at Robert Heath Trucking is just as viable for Larry as is the management who help oversee the success of each driver on their fleet.
“The people at Robert Heath are the reason I’ve been with them for so many years. They spoil me! I can retire any time I want, but I’m going to stay right where I’m at and continue driving for as long as I can. Mr. Robert Heath was a man of his word and that same quality in character still exists at the company through his daughter and her husband, who stepped in to fill his shoes. His nephew is also one of the most solid men I know. When he tells you something, you can take it to the bank. Finding good, honest people in any work environment is rare but when you do, and they return the respect, why would a person ever leave? You don’t.”
Hardly ever turning down a load, Larry has accumulated well over 5-million lifetime miles. With the option to run long-haul or remain more regional, he is able to spend most weekends at home with his wife of 34 years, Jane. A Lubbock-native, Jane worked as an investor for 26 years in the stock market before taking a position as an accountant for a custom house-building business. The two enjoy traveling and vacations together. They share three kids and 6 grandchildren; whose ages range from 14 to 27.
With an extended driving career pushing 50 years, when Larry needs a break from the road to recharge, spending quality time with his loved ones always does the trick. Stating, “Going home and being around my family gives me the motivation to get back out there and forget about the not-so-good days. They keep me grounded and in line, but mostly remind me why I do what I do.” Many moons ago, when communication was a bit more challenging and not everyone above the age of 10 had a personal cell phone, Larry and Jane found their middle ground and worked through the long-distance strains that the trucking lifestyle can weigh on a marriage. “We both knew with my line of work, we had to accept that I would be away a lot and that was tough for the both of us, but we got through it. My wife is a tough woman! We used pay phones and paid those outrageous phone bills and made the most of our time together. Now I stay more local, so I can spend as much time with my family as possible,” he adds.
Larry winds down our interview by mentioning that Robert Heath Trucking is good at getting him home if needed, stating their willingness to be flexible and understanding that he is more than a truck driver but a family-man. His advice for other professional drivers is simple: patience and respect. The two go hand in hand. He explains, patience is a virtue needed to sustain a long and successful career in this industry. Without patience, a truck driver’s career will most likely be a short-lived effort. And respect, as Larry states, is an on-going cycle. Give a good attitude and you’ll receive a good attitude. Go in with a bad attitude and you’ll receive a bad attitude. By giving respect, 9 times out of 10 you’ll receive respect. It’s merely a mutual respect among people, it doesn’t always work out that way, but as a professional, give respect and you’ll learn that people respect that. The two sentiments, though elementary in text yet hugely impactful lay at the basis of Larry’s character.
Also a few words from a prior teacher still replays in his mind ever so often, enough to keep him safe when in route on a mountain. You can come down a mountain a million times too slow, but only once too fast. Displaying patience in all aspects can be detrimental to a trucker’s driving record.
As an Army veteran, the most valuable lesson Larry says he learned from his time serving in the military was gaining self-respect. When you tell someone you’re going to do something, make no excuses and follow through. Having spent many years providing a good life for his family financially by doing what he loves, his proudest accomplishment is knowing that he achieved it by never compromising himself as a husband, father, war-hero or professional truck driver.
Unable to narrow some of the most memorable parts of his trucking career to a few, he describes the whole experience as a trucker from day one until today as a lifetime full of extraordinary moments and meaningful memories. Experiencing the depths of our country and the many cultures that call our nation home is a privilege that he fought for as a teenager on the sands of a foreign country. Larry’s future as an athlete playing baseball may not have played out accordingly, but by some beautiful design he has scored big in the game of life.