A WHOLE NEW OPPORTUNITY OTL Drivers Take Different Paths To This Unique Team On Tour Logistics serves the concert tour and events industry, and it’s a team that has seen exceptional growth since it began in 2012. Lexington’s JIM MITCHELL and Waco’s ALEX RODARTE each found their way to OTL through different paths, and they’ve both enjoyed the experience. Jim originally came to Averitt almost 20 years ago, starting in Truckload, serving as a driver-trainer and then moving to shuttle and team shuttle. For a time, he decided to leave Averitt and operate his own truck. But he wanted to come back, and his return interview reminded him why he enjoyed being part of our team. “I was sitting in the office and looked across and said, 'I know that guy!' Jim recalls. “It was JIMMY HOSKINS (who now serves as our Louisville operations manager). We had worked at Lexington, and he used to load my truck when he worked on the dock. Most of the people I had worked with before were still there. It was like nobody left. Everything was familiar.” Jim eventually decided he wanted to try something new, so he joined On Tour Logistics. His first tour was contemporary Christian music artists Brandon Lake and Phil Wickham. Following that stint, he joined the All Elite Wrestling tour, and he’s loved the atmosphere.
worked in several roles for a manufactured home company and wanted to make a career change, so he joined us as a part-time dock associate. From there, Alex took advantage of our Dock-To-Driver Training Program and worked as a CDL-A qualified dock associate for about six months. Alex then researched On Tour Logistics and decided to join the team. He’s been part of the All Elite Wrestling tour for a little more than six months. “I thought it would be a good opportunity to try something new and a little different and make a good living,” Alex explains. “That’s how it all started for me.” As a husband and a father of a young son, Alex does his best to create family time while on the road. “I FaceTime them all the time,” he says. “We were in Texas not too long ago, and they drove to Dallas and spent time with me there. That was really nice.” In the meantime, Alex is enjoying the OTL experience and is thankful for the career opportunity. “I didn’t want to leave Averitt,” he explains. “I realized it was a great company early on, with the opportunities that are available and the family atmosphere. I didn’t want to have to go anywhere else. I was honest with (OTL leader) JENNIFER COBB in that I don’t see myself doing this for the next 10 years. But I did commit to her and said, ‘I can promise you anything from two to three years, and we can reevaluate things in a couple of years.' T m Waco associate ALEX RODARTE took a unique path to our On Tour Logistics team. He came to Averitt as a dock associate, completed our Dock-To-Driver Training Program, and after about six months as a CDL-A qualified dock associate, he moved to OTL.
“It’s a whole new opportunity,” he says. “It’s still driving. You’re still picking up freight and delivering freight. But with AEW, the 14 people on our crew basically became like brothers and sisters to me. We were friends, we worked together, we’d go out to
JIM MITCHELL
dinner and we’d go sightseeing. It was a lot more fun for me.” Following the end of that tour, Jim is working in Truckload as he awaits his next assignment. Wherever that takes him, it’s something he eagerly awaits. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been driving a truck,” Jim says. FROM THE DOCK TO THE DRIVER’S SEAT Alex, meanwhile, took a completely different path to Averitt. He previously
Our From The Driver’s Seat podcast recently focused on On Tour Logistics. Watch the video at InsideAveritt.com/OTL2024
DAVID BROYLES
COMMUNITY CHALLENGE matters
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