10 YEARS

I can't believe that I've actually worked somewhere for 10 years! Before Schnieder trained my wife and me to drive semis, I made a living at a wide variety of jobs, and even a little self-employment. My late teens and early twenties were filled with nonstop experiences and exploration. I attended Haskell Indian Nations Universtity in Lawrence, Kansas for a few years, not quite acquiring my degree in Natural Science. Although Regina and I had traveled a lot during the early years of our marriage, truck driving didn't enter my mind as a desirable long-term occupation; I didn't want to be away from home from any potential children we might have. After we started thinking about having a family, nothing happened. Years passed, and we still didn't have any children. A variety of things happened in our lives that led us to want to travel and work together again. One day, Regina commented that she thought it would be fun to drive a big truck. I took her idea and ran with it. We knew right away that there wasn't a better company to be trained by, and to work for, than Schneider National Carriers. My great uncle Lee had been on their payroll for 27 years, and he was perfectly happy there.
  Regina and I had such wonderful times driving together. We made good money driving as a team. This lasted about 30 months. One day, in Fontana, California, we discovered that Regina was pregnant! She continued to drive until 3 weeks before giving birth to Hunter. August 18, 2004. What a wonderful new chapter in our lives. Becoming a parent is the awesomest ride ever.
  I went back to work a month after Hunter was born. Solo driving wasn't as fun or profitable. A year later, I teamed up with a man who had just completed the CDL and initial training process. I've had 2 co-drivers since him. Teaming is my preference.
  Although I would like to be with my kids more, technology has enabled us to see and talk to each other so easily.  I signed up for a Skype account just last night, now that I have a phone that does such things. For me, parenting is an intentional and desired thing.