Rachael Beck
TCA SCHOLARSHIP
$2,725
Maverick Transportation
North Little Rock, Arkansas
My father wanted to be a mechanic but did not have enough money to go to school so he entered into the trucking industry instead. He drove trucks for around six years and then went into office for the last company he drove with – Maverick Transportation – he is still with that company and this year marks his 27th or 28th year working with them. Today he is a Fleet Manager in the reefer division and stays incredibly busy. He answers calls in the middle of the night and gladly helps drivers out, other employees come to him often asking for guidance that he quickly supplies. The skills he learned early on, he teaches my family. He taught me good sense of direction on the road, to always know what is around me – “Always check your mirrors, know what is around you at all times.”, and I even earned a nickname, Van Allen Jr. When driving with my sister, we both point out as many Maverick trucks as we can – current and old, often making it a game to name a truck faster. My family is a lot more educated on truck and traffic movement. After one of us has reached our destination we usually call someone else and tell them what areas are blocked or slowed because of traffic. In rainy weather we always call one another and tell when we have reached our destination. My dad likes to know when I am home and when I leave to go somewhere. Some people may call it overprotective, I trace it back to checking on drivers. I may not be dropping a load off but I am ensuring that I arrived just fine.
My father’s career in the trucking industry has taught me how to drive, how not to get lost, to always be courteous to other drivers, and to observe my surroundings. Without my father’s career I probably would have learned these things but I do know this is how the trucking industry influences me, I cannot speak for the people in my family because I am not them.