Bobbie Neal is a veteran in more ways than one. After leaving the Air Force in 1978, he started his career in trucking, spending the last 25 of those years with TransAm Trucking. “I’ll probably retire here,” he says. Trucking has allowed Bobbie to live the life he wants. “TransAm gave me a good life. I was able to pay off my house in only 10 years.” How did Bobbie achieve his success? Safety. Accidents and late-loads can eat into a driver’s pocketbook; if a driver’s wheels are not rolling, the driver cannot make money. This is why Bobbie’s advice to new drivers in the industry is, “be careful and be safe.”
Trucking is Changing
Bobbie is a safety advocate. “There’s a ton of traffic out there,” he says. “The roads were a lot emptier when I started.” As a result, Bobbie has had to adapt and change his driving habits. “I used to change lanes all the time. Now I get in a lane and stick with it.” His reasoning is that there are now too many other cars on the roads to safely bounce from lane-to-lane all the time. He also emphasizes awareness, especially when it comes to backing and G.O.A.L – Get Out And Look. “I don’t care if you got to get out and look 100 times. It’s better to do that than hit something or someone.”
Bobbie’s favorite upgrade to TransAm Trucking’s safety program is the Garmin unit. These Garmins are electronic logging devices (ELDs) that also provide GPS navigation and dispatch communication. They are basically a one-stop-shop. “It’s less paperwork I need to deal with.”
Bobbie has seen a great deal of change over his tenure as a driver, but his commitment to safety helped him adapt. It’s what makes him a successful driver.
Thank you, Bobbie, for choosing TransAm Trucking!
