In the trucking industry, drivers are on the front lines and it is no secret that it takes a strong-willed and determined person to be successful within that role. However, long days on the road with many days away from home is what it takes to keep the industry in this country moving along efficiently. It is dedicated and dependable drivers like Mary Collins who gets loads where they need to go, safely and on time. Mary has been a driver with TransAm since 2004 and has an outlook on life that is nothing short of refreshing. She compares her time driving to that of watching a beautiful movie go by. “I just don’t like commercials. That’s the stuff in between when I have to get out of the truck,” she shared with a laugh.
Although she has been on the road well over a decade, truck driving was not originally in the plans. Previously, she enjoyed being a housewife for many years while her husband was a truck driver. Her husband’s career is not what sparked her to get on the road though. After he passed away, her daughter had compellingly presented the idea of Mary driving a school bus. This sounded way better than the alternative of trying to keep up with the bills by holding down multiple jobs. After driving a school bus for a while, this naturally progressed into Mary obtaining her CDL.
After Mary completed her schooling, she was working an initial driving job which she just didn’t feel was the best fit for her. Then oddly enough at the perfect time, she received a call from TransAm, whom she hadn’t even remember applying to. After chatting with them for a while about the company and position, she thought it must be fate and the opportunity sounded like a great fit. That day she made the decision to officially start her driving career with TransAm and has not looked back since.
When asked what she enjoys most about being a truck driver, Mary shared that the team, the equipment, and the views on the road are all hard to beat. She shared that the dispatchers are exceptional and treat her great, and the equipment is wonderful as well, making the job a lot easier to handle. Most of all she enjoys the opportunity to see new sights of this beautiful world and meet people along the way. This is her beautiful movie. She enjoys pairing those sights with some audio from her XM satellite radio. Talk shows, ’50s and ‘60s rock, and country music keeps her going out on the road; and when she has to shut down, she takes time to enjoy a good book.
Mary would like to pass along some wisdom to new drivers such as learning ALL of the laws. Also, to just always have a good attitude. She says that having a good attitude truly goes a long way in this career and without it, the job will prove to be very difficult for you. She also shared that this advice goes well beyond truck driving as you need to have the right attitude about life in general.
Mary is a refreshing soul to sit down and have a conversation with. She is out there on the front lines of the industry every day solidifying the value and dependability of the TransAm name. The traits Mary displays as a driver, and the general uplifting outlook she shares on life are genuinely irreplaceable. I ended my conversation with Mary by thanking her for her time as well as her service on the road and said I would let her get back to her “movie.”
Thank you, Mary, for your years of dedicated service to the company and your uplifting outlook and determination to make an impact on the industry.
