From Remodeling to the Road: Michael's First Year at Laufer

Michael started driving for Laufer Trucking less than a year ago, but trucking itself has been in his life much longer. "My family was in trucking since I was a kid," he says. "I'd ride along with my stepdad. It was a passion type thing. Something I always enjoyed, or kind of wanted to do."

Before Laufer, Michael was renovating kitchens and bathrooms. Tile work, drywall, remodeling. Skilled work, but a different kind of life. Trucking was a real career change, not a sidestep. And his honest answer about the hardest part of the transition is the one most career-switchers give.

The Adjustment

"Wait times, not being home. I think not being home would be number one," Michael says. "My old job, working kind of my own hours, and being able to just be home, was easier for me."

That is the trade-off every driver coming from a home-based job runs into in their first months on the road. It is also where carriers either keep new drivers or lose them. Laufer's answer was to adjust the work to the driver, not the other way around.

From Regional to Local

Laufer started Michael on a regional route, then moved him to local once it was clear local fit him better. Local still means long days, but home every night, which made the difference.

When asked if it was easier to be local, or just different, Michael says "For me, just different. I enjoy being home every night, so even though it's just for a few hours, that few hours is, you know, precious to me. It means something. So it's better than being away."

Local at Laufer is intrastate Wisconsin and Chicagoland, home daily, 8 to 12 hour days normally, but 14 hour days are possible when things don't go as planned. For a driver in his first year with a family at home, those few hours every night are the whole point.

What People Don't Get About Trucking

Asked what people outside the industry do not understand about the job, Michael's answer is not about traffic or weather. It is about responsibility.

"The amount of maintenance that goes into keeping the trucks running, and to keep them safe for other drivers on the road. Our logs, maybe they're not aware that we have a time to keep, and that we go through checking our trucks every day. We can only drive so many hours, and all that is to benefit other drivers on the road, to keep them safe, and ourselves."

That is a thoughtful answer from a driver still in his first year. It also describes the kind of professional Laufer hires for, and the standard the company expects from every truck that leaves the Hartford yard.

The Support That Makes It Work

The other thing that has made the first year work is the people picking up the phone when Michael calls.

"Dispatch and just how great everybody's been. Andy, Brenda, Jeremy. Good energy," he says. "With maintenance, just being able to just call Scott or Austin when anything is wrong. Having that support really helps me to be able to do my job correctly. Makes it all a little easier."

For a new driver, that is not optional infrastructure. It is the difference between a first year that builds confidence through the tough times, or one that grinds it down. Phone calls get answered. When the truck has an issue, the shop is a call away, not a ticket in a queue.

A Good Day

What does a good day in trucking look like for Michael? "Short days. No traffic. The truck's running good. No breakdowns. Just no issues."

He'll also tell you, candidly, that he plans ahead for interstate construction and how to route around it whenever he can on the way home. That is what an experienced local driver does. After less than a year at Laufer, Michael has already settled into that rhythm.

Laufer hires experienced CDL-A drivers out of Hartford, Wisconsin, and works with each driver to find the right route, the right schedule, and the right home-time pattern. If local driving in Wisconsin and Chicagoland is what you're looking for, call (262) 673-6810 or learn more about driving local for Laufer.