Both Whitfield and Macias now work for Swift Transportation, the nation’s largest full-truckload carrier. “I just fell in love with it,” said Whitfield, who detailed his circuitous path to truck driving: “I went from architecture to landscaping to culinary arts and then truck driving. So it took a few stabs at it, but I found it.”

Kort Chase, vice president of recruitment for Swift, isn’t surprised to hear that these veterans tried other fields, then connected most with truck driving. “One challenge for veterans getting back into civilian life is having to create and maintain your own organized life and work schedule. In trucking, everything is very well laid out. And if you want job stability, that’s why you come to trucking.”

A natural transfer

Whitfield agrees that driving a truck is an ideal career for many veterans. For example, in the military, you have to be prepared on a day-to-day basis to follow through on what you need to do. The same goes for truck driving. “You’ve got to be dedicated in the service,” Whitfield said, “and that dedication is what you need out here because you’re by yourself.”

Another aspect of the military is mentorship and training. One of the things Whitfield remembers about his early days with Swift is just that. “My Swift Academy training experience was awesome. I remember it to this day,” he said. “They’re the ones who made me fall in love with truck driving,” added Whitfield, who became inspired to begin mentoring students himself at Swift about three years ago. During the process, letting mentees take the reins and develop new skills through that firsthand experience became one of Whitfield’s favorite things about the work. “When they get it, and then they take it in, and you see they learn it, that’s my joy,” he said.

How Two Veterans Transitioned to Trucking at Swift

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