Don Gasaway was a union carpenter for seventeen years before he decided to enter a new career. He saw that the economy was slowing and taking a downturn, especially for carpentry, so he thought about what else he’d like to do. Don has a younger brother who is a truck driver, and his brother suggested that Don get his CDL.
After earning his CDL, Don started with a trucking company. Ready to work, he was frustrated when the other company hadn’t given him a truck for over four weeks. That’s when he heard about NTB. NTB was looking for drivers and could get Don on the road immediately. He was eager to work and took the offer to get moving.
Don has been with NTB over four years now and likes working here because he says NTB is “a very honest company.” Don even made a few mistakes on his down time when he was first working with NTB, and it was brought to his attention that he was owed pay for the work he had done. Drivers get paid by the mile, but they also earn pay while they are waiting for their trucks to be loaded or unloaded, known as detention time.
Since NTB knows that new drivers can sometimes miss details like this, new drivers are guided for 90 days and they get checked to make sure they’re being paid fairly.
“They brought it to my attention!” Don recalls, and mentions that many companies don’t have that kind of integrity. “Companies can’t keep everybody happy, but NTB goes the extra few steps to try. They’ve treated me wonderfully.”
Don likes the freedom that comes with driving a truck, and the ability to make your own decisions. There are difficulties, though. For Don, it’s other drivers. “Crazy drivers are everywhere. People in cars expect us to be able to maneuver like they do and that’s just not possible.”
Don is a hunter who says he lives “out in the boonies” and enjoys spending time with his family. He likes to walk his dogs on his property. “If I’m home, I’m outside doing something.”