Sometimes you look for opportunities, and sometimes opportunities look for you. Joseph Anderson has experience on both ends of that spectrum. After moving from Mississippi to Tennessee, he was working at a pharmaceutical distribution center in Memphis when he got the itch to look around. “I was looking for a forklift job and saw an opening online with Averitt. It seemed like a perfect fit for me. I applied, and I’ve been here ever since.” But that’s only part of the story. “After a while on the dock, I asked if I could go out on the yard to help move trailers around. I wanted to learn and grow a bit more in the company. So while I was still working the dock, they let me go out and start hostling.” It’s here that you might say fate played a hand. “I’d been working the dock for maybe three years. We had a cookout where an associate came up and asked me, ‘Are you a driver?’ And I said, ‘No ma’am, I’m not.’ And she said, ‘You look like you ought to be a driver.’ For some reason that stuck with me, and after praying about it, I decided to go for it. I studied for my CDL while I was still working the dock and hostling. Averitt actually let me use one of their tractors to get my CDL. The door just swung open for me to drive from that point on. It was awesome.” After five years of driving, he still feels the same energy. “I like the city, it keeps me going,” he says. “I like never knowing what you’re going to do next. Because you’re not always doing the same thing or seeing the same freight. It helps keep the job interesting. You’re like, ‘Oh wow, I just delivered a whole lawnmower, or an ATV, or whatever.’ It just keeps you on your toes. Plus, you get to meet new customers, new people – it’s just a wonderful thing to do. It keeps you moving.” Michael Hubbard has always enjoyed driving. And he had his eyes set on Averitt early on. “I started out driving box trucks delivering water,” he says. “But I always wanted to work for Averitt. I knew they had a good local work, and the bright red trucks really attracted me.” As a dad to two young boys – one with autism – staying close to home was a must. Still, his first attempt didn’t go as smoothly as he might have hoped. “I went to the Averitt in Birmingham to apply, but they said I needed a CDL. I was like, ‘What’s a CDL?’” Luckily that hiccup was quickly fixed, and after securing his commercial driver’s license, he built his experience by working with other carriers. “Then Averitt called and said they had something local. Which is exactly what I was looking for.” Even though he’s still fairly new to the team, he’s already found several qualities that distinguish Averitt from his other tenures. “The communication is a lot better here,” he says. “When you have a question, you’re connecting with people who have the experience and knowledge to help you out. “They also don’t leave you hanging out to dry. I had an issue with my tractor once, and within 10 minutes somebody was helping me fix the situation. At Mercedes we have to move fast – because if parts aren’t in the right place at the right time, everything stops.” When it comes to recruiting, he’s not shy to share his take on the team. “I’ve put the word out to a few people,” he says. “I tell them the equipment’s nice and the benefits are good. I’ve also referred people who’ve approached me because of the uniform. They come up and say, ‘I thought you guys wore red.’”
It’s common to hear associates describe their fellow team members as a family. But for Walinda Brown, that description takes on a new meaning. Before joining Averitt, she was working in a warehouse managing an appliance refurbishment program. But she longed to get back to working freight – a role she’d previously held for close to three years. “After I applied with Averitt, I was really excited,” she says. “I got the call, did the interview, and everything was great. Then I found out my cousin (Dajae Williams) had applied for the exact same job. We started a week apart!” What attracted her to Averitt? It was largely what she heard about other carriers. “I knew people who worked other places, and I didn’t hear a lot of good things. I kept hearing that there wasn’t room to move up, or other positions to move between. So I thought, ‘well, let me try Averitt.’ I looked it up, looked at the reviews, and I’m not going to kid you – the reviews were great.” Since joining, one of the main things she’s noticed is how much everyone looks out for everyone else. “You just see a lot of teamwork. You feel like people actually care. You really don’t find that at too many other places. Like with the uniform – some places, the leaders are the only ones wearing a uniform. But here, it’s everyone. It makes you feel different. It makes you feel upbeat.” And speaking of family, there’s now a generational aspect to the Averitt appreciation. “When my granddad saw that ‘Averitt’ on my shirt, he said ‘I see those trucks rolling all the time.’ So he pulled out his phone, said, ‘hey Google,’ and pulled up all the locations. He told me, ’yeah, that company’s everywhere.’ As if I didn’t know it!” For some people, nothing compares to the draw of the open road. Michael Wambles is one of those people. “I started driving when I was 18,” he says. “Before that I tried working in a couple of factories – one lasted a week, and the other lasted maybe two months. Me and ‘working inside a building’ don’t get along. So I drove trucks for a few companies before joining Averitt in ’99.” Although he was familiar with Averitt and had spoken to several drivers, he still had to wait his turn before signing up. “Back then it was really hard to get on here,” he says. “There was just no turnover. It took me close to three months to get hired.” He started in Truckload and chipped in periodically on Dedicated. “But when they started OTL, I thought, ‘I’m going to give this a shot.’ I was in the original class. We had our first tour in early 2014.” Since then, he’s driven for a lot of different shows – but one thing remains the same regardless of the audience. “Most people don’t realize what it takes to put on a show every night,” he says. “They show up to a concert, and it’s all there ready to go. They don’t realize it all just got there that morning. Everything gets unloaded and set up, and as soon as the show’s over, everything gets torn down. Two hours after the show, we’re loaded up and heading out for the next city.” As for what’s kept him on board for nearly a quarter century? “Averitt’s been good to me for 23 years. I mean, I’ve never had to worry about a paycheck. I’ve never had to worry whether I’m going to work tomorrow. Between the benefits, the pay, and the stability of knowing it’s a debt-free company, I’m not going anywhere.”
WALINDA BROWN DOCK ASSOCIATE
JOSEPH ANDERSON CITY DRIVER
MICHAEL WAMBLES OTL DRIVER
MICHAEL HUBBARD MERCEDES DRIVER
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