What’s on the minds of young people in the trucking industry? That was the topic of a recent “Three Under Thirty” segment on Road Dog Trucking News with Mark Willis. Three members of the Crete Carrier team under the age of thirty joined Crete President Tim Aschoff and Willis to discuss their experiences and insights. We wanted to share a few of their observations on the trucking business.
Sequoya Allen is a 28-year-old driver and trainer from Louisville, Kentucky. She grew up in a trucking family and after college, and a few other jobs, she started driving national over the road for Crete.
“I travel coast-to-coast and I really enjoy it. I get to see different states. I get to see things you see on TV. It’s more enjoyable to see in person than to just see it on TV or hear about it,” said Sequoya. She said there are only 4 states she has not seen; Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Maine.
Asset manager Jeremy Travis is also 28, and recently moved to Lincoln. Friends recommended that the former Marine look into Crete and he’s glad he did.
“Everyone here has been amazing to work with. It’s a great job, I truly enjoy it,” said Jeremy. As an asset manager he works directly with about 80 drivers. “I am the link between the drivers out doing the hard work and everyone back here behind the scenes.”
Each of the Three Under Thirty participants stressed the importance of developing good relationships with their colleagues. 28-year-old driver recruiter Jessica Hobson is often one of the first people a driver encounters when he or she is thinking about joining Crete.
“My favorite part (of the job) is talking to drivers. Everyone’s got a different story so it’s nice to hear where they’ve been and what they’ve done,” said Jessica. “The absolute best part is if I hired a driver that day. It just puts a warm feeling in my heart that I’ve helped somebody. Because everybody knows what it’s like to need a job and these drivers are out there providing for their families, so it’s a personal goal for me to help somebody.”
“It’s quite a personal connection you get interacting with the drivers on your board,” said Jeremy.
And those personal interactions don’t go unnoticed. Tim Aschoff says good communication and teamwork can break down age barriers and help everyone involved be successful. He shared a recent conversation he had with an older, experienced driver who brought up Jeremy.
“He (the driver) said, “You’ve got a great new young asset manager there. I’m really making a connection with him.” Age doesn’t necessarily matter.”
“I think we can definitely learn from each other,” said Sequoya. “I learn from everybody I come across.”
Learning, listening and communicating. Good advice for all of us working to improve every day.
You can catch the entire “Thirty Under Thirty” conversation on our Soundcloud page.