RECIPE FOR SUCCESS - Sean Harding

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

Legend Nominee: Sean Harding

Army veteran, Sean Harding started his trucking career at Stevens Transport as a company driver. At the time he was running solo for their Dallas, Texas terminal, fresh off the heels of retirement after 28 years of service. During our interview he discusses how his experience in the military helped prepare him for the adjustment period many truck drivers face when going over the road, how he prefers running team (who his new team driver is), and the message in which his trucking company represents, along with the invaluable niche of drivers needed right now in the trucking industry.

Plans of expanding Hell on Wheels Express; his company founded with business partner and close friend, Gregg Softy were initially focused on recruiting military veteran drivers, but explains how the new avenue they’re currently exploring broadens their outreach. We will get back to that in a second…

The friendship between Sean and Gregg extends thirty-plus years, as they named their LLC after the 2nd Armored Division (the unit they both served in together). Between the pair, they have 58 years of military experience. After the two retired, returning to the civilian world Sean had considered his options moving forward with building a new career. Simply following a strong interest that stemmed before his time in the service he decided to pursue the trucking industry, though he had no experience in the profession or ties to the business.

While residing in central Texas, he took notice to several semi-trucks in the area. They passed in and out of Steven’s Transport, when one-day Sean decided to walk over and speak to a driver. As trained, over time he gathered his due diligence, formed an opinion, and followed through with his initiative. Once he found his footing at the established trucking company, he phoned his long-time friend and their adventures of running team began.

In August of last year’s Great American Trucking Show hosted in Dallas, Texas Gregg was announced as a Top 3 Finalist for Transitional Trucking Rookie of the Year, presented by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring our Heroes. Both, Gregg and Sean were recognized as Top 10 Finalists, as well as, Rookie of the Year Truck Driver. Sean states that it was during GATS that he and Gregg were able to make several contacts that ultimately gave their business the breakthrough they needed. The acceptance they received among their peers was confirmation that they were on the right path. On December 15th, in Washington DC, in partnership with Kenworth Trucking and FASTPORT, The Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence campaign announced Gregg as the winner of the award presenting him with a 2018 Kenworth T680. Sean continues,

“We met a lot of people throughout the show that were in complete support of what Gregg and I are wanting to do. Our plans are to establish a veteran owned and veteran operated trucking company. In speaking with these people, we realized that we are not alone in the desire to bring more military veterans in to the trucking industry. The similarities of both professions are ideal for veterans to excel: the travel, the work hours, the respect for rules and authority; as a soldier, all of that comes naturally. In this industry as a professional truck driver, the limits can go as far as you push. Gregg and I want to encourage military veterans and reservists who are considering their next move to cross over to this lane. We have been very fortunate with the connections we have made and the excellent training we have received. We honestly couldn’t have fallen into a better situation. From day one to today, we have been surrounded by great people and have been presented with amazing opportunities. So, we look forward to where we go from here.”

Sean shares his three life goals, all dating back to his childhood:

Be a soldier

Be Spiderman

Drive trucks

As the order goes, Sean states that he can proudly check the first one off his list as, completed. He then laughs as we both understand the reasoning behind the second goal remaining unattainable. As for the last of the three, everything he had imagined about driving trucks has proven to unveil more than expected.

In the beginning, Sean and Gregg wanted to use the first year as truck drivers to learn the business aspect. “Running as a team, we had a blast! We used that experience as a learning tool. Neither Gregg or I think small, it’s either go big or go home. I say that, but also know that you have to crawl to walk and then you run,” Sean said. At Steven’s Transport, their model for success and how each curriculum is put in place to offer the best possible outcome for every driver is what originally attracted the two businessmen to the freight logistics company.

Sean and Gregg knew in order to grow their business, the first step was to identify their whole “circle of service” that encompassed the job. Meaning, the team behind the scenes that make their trucks move. Transitioning into the trucking industry from the military has its number of challenges, as does any line of work. Sean focused on the similarities and used them to his advantage. In the military, soldiers are accustomed to being a part of a team. In trucking, there still has to be a “team” whether running solo or as a team. Sean says, “The hardest thing for me was finding who exactly my team was, and then building that team. You see, I can’t just be a voice on the phone. I have to go do a face to face with my team that way I’m Sean; not just truck #123. Maybe that will help me 2% and that’s okay. I will take that 2% to keep my team on a personal level. Because just about everything you do is a people business. You have to know how to deal with people, and you have to start with those closest to you.”

Sean and Gregg formed working relationships with their managers, sat in with brokerage agents, customer service reps, the planners and maintenance; slowly taking in a little bit about everything, one day at a time. Sean explains how the extended support provided by different departments at Steven’s Transport is designed for the level of success ideal for drivers, such as himself, who are eager to branch out and discover their full potential as owner operators. Adding, when you go to Steven’s Transport, you get top-notch equipment and highest quality training.

“As soon as I retired, I did some contracting work in South America, but you can only squeeze the trigger for so long before Father Time kind of taps you on the shoulder and says, let’s go do something else. When you get out of the military, there’s this program to help guide you toward whatever profession you’re interested in. Of course, there is available work for veterans doing this or that. But for me, if being a soldier was no longer on the table, deep down I just wanted to drive a truck. I remember when I was a kid, I would lose my mind when I saw the trash truck coming down the road. I would get so excited when I knew the garbage man was near, because I knew he would be driving a big truck. It was just something about trucks…

Up until I started driving trucks, I could’ve told you what every third-world country on the map looked like, but I couldn’t have told you what Iowa looked like. Or what Colorado looked like... Now I can, and it’s really cool getting to explore my own country!”

After Gregg took ownership of his winning truck, Hell on Wheels Express grew by one and Sean took on the role as a driver trainer. Not long afterwards his wife, Marcey decided to join him on the road to squeeze in some quality time together. Her first trip lasted only a couple of weeks, which she enjoyed. On the following trip, the couple stayed out for forty-five days. Surprisingly, Marcey loved the entire experience and began entertaining the idea of making their situation permanent.

Married 27 years with 4 daughters and 4 grandchildren, the Harding’s embody the total essence of the term, teamwork. Their partnership and mutual effort demonstrated from both sides go beyond one’s work. Sean states that his wife has the upper hand, having been married into the military. Adding, there is nothing she cannot accomplish; given the relation to their background. He continues, “Being a military spouse is the hardest thing in the entire world. When their soldier gets deployed, it’s that military spouse that is stuck at home. For Marcey, sometimes I couldn’t tell her where I was going or when I was going to be back. Find a spouse that is going to put up with that for almost 28 years! A military spouse has to be resourceful and know how to get things done on their own. I’m telling you, they’re hard core. There is not a problem that you can put in front of these folks that they are not going to find an answer to.” For that ambition alone, Sean’s confidence in his wife’s ability to master her craft in maneuvering an 18-wheeler proficiently will never waiver.

Aside from being resourceful, Sean says the key to a healthy marriage is total understanding for the other person’s stressors. As a military couple, the individual left at home is faced with the stress of wondering: What do I do while you’re gone? When are you coming back? Are you coming back? And if you do, how are you coming back? While the soldier has to leave his loved ones and face life and death stresses. Marcey and Sean find their balance by displaying compassion and appreciation and learning to accept one another’s perceptive. “We have always been a team. We went from being a team in the military, to a team on the road. The great thing for us is that we are no longer a team apart,” Sean said.

Marcey recently completed the grad-phase of her training, leaving behind her career as a social worker. She enjoyed traveling with Sean when he was the one behind the wheel, but is now determined to hold her own as his team driver. Running as a husband and wife team, Sean hopes by sharing their narrative that he

has provided a glimpse into their lives and that it serves as an option for others to consider. Driving big rigs as a professional within the trucking industry, Sean believes the skills he developed while in the military can best be utilized in making a difference. Stating the importance of needing to serve the people of the United States, he continues his personal obligation through trucking.

“Driving a truck for a living is a selfless service. Not just for myself or for my family, but for those all around me across the country.”

When the time is right Sean seeks to bring onboard drivers that share the same passion and desire to aim high. He says, “They will need to exhibit a self-starter mentality, display excellent communication skills, pay attention to detail, and not only be a good follower, but a good leader.” Awareness for safety is just as imperative, for Sean. Much of this ingenuity extends from his experience in the military, along with his initiative to set the next guy up for success. The team aspect and overall mindset of putting others before himself was engrained in Sean, many years ago as a young child with aspirations to be a superhero, ready to help make the world a better place to live.

Evading words such as; brave and heroic for his time spent in the service, Sean says that his biggest triumph is not necessarily a moment in his career, or any sort of medal or recognition received. It’s knowledge.

“There is a reason they say knowledge is power. Our biggest achievement has been gaining the knowledge we need to forge a path of what it is we want. If you go after the knowledge, everything else will come.”