Picking the Right Spot: Why Andre Drives Part-Time at Laufer

Andre Kaczmarek drives part-time for Laufer Trucking. He is in his early 60s, semi-retired, and chose Laufer for a specific reason. "I wanted a local company. Reliable, good reputation, a leader in the industry," he says.

That is not the answer of a driver who took whatever job he could find. It is the answer of a driver who picked his spot. And the way Andre talks about the work, you understand quickly that picking the right spot is the whole point at this stage of a driving career.

Why Part-Time

"Part-time trucking works well for a semi-retired gentleman like me in my early 60s," Andre says. "When I need time off, I can get it. And when they need somebody to come in a bind or in a pinch, they can rely on me to come in and help them."

That is the part-time arrangement at Laufer in a sentence. It works because both sides hold up their end. The driver gets flexibility, real time off, no forced schedule. The company gets a reliable, experienced driver it can call when an extra hand is needed. Part-time at Laufer is 2 to 5 days a week, set up for drivers who want supplemental income or a semi-retired pace, with 401k and a safety bonus included even at part-time hours. It is a deliberate arrangement, not a downgrade from full-time.

What He's Proud To Say About Laufer

Asked what makes the company work, Andre says "We have very good maintenance, mechanics, very professional drivers," he says. "They're all very pleasant, outgoing. We represent the company. Without these people, you don't have a company. You have to have all of this to be respected in the industry."

The atmosphere question is where the part-time fit shows up again. Drivers come in with different backgrounds and different experiences, Andre says, and they pull together to make it work for the individual and for the company. He says it like a man who has been around long enough to know when a workplace actually does this and when it only claims to.

A Good Day In Trucking

The answer to what makes a good day in trucking is the kind of answer drivers in their 60s give and drivers in their 20s sometimes don't. "Waking up in the morning. Getting to your destination safe. Unload, reload. Not have damaged products for the customer. And to be safe on the road," Andre says. "Getting home, because there's loved ones that want you."

That last line is the one. Getting home, because there are loved ones that want you. That is what driving is, stripped down to what actually matters. At the end of the day, a good day is one where everyone gets home safe.

How A Veteran Driver Stays Safe

Andre is unusually clear about the habits that keep him out of trouble. "I do not like texting and driving. I do not like answering the phone unless I have to, but then make it short and sweet. I do not even listen to the radio," he says. "I basically focus on what I'm doing, driving, the atmosphere around me, the traffic."

"It's no fun and games," he says. "It's life and death out there sometimes. It's your life or somebody else's if you're not paying attention."

That is not corporate safety-talk. That is a driver in his 60s telling another driver what he has learned about how the job actually goes wrong. It is the kind of thing you cannot fake in writing, and it is the kind of thing Laufer hires for in a part-time driver: experience that shows up in the small habits, not just the resume.

Laufer hires part-time CDL drivers out of Hartford, Wisconsin, for 2 to 5 days a week of local work, with flexible scheduling that fits a semi-retired pace or supplemental income. If that sounds like the right fit, call (262) 673-6810 or learn more about driving part-time at Laufer.