Joe Poole
Age: 59
Lives in: Raleigh, N.C.
Owner-operator for USA Truck
Truck’s name: “Honor Roll”
I got into trucking in: 1975. I graduated from college on a Saturday (I graduated with honors with a degree in communications – TV, film and radio) and on Monday went to work truck driving.
My favorite part about trucking is: the traveling portion and staying in different states. States have their own identities and their own cultures. I like watching America grow – it’s really phenomenal. [With trucking] you have the chance to just sit back and look at the beauty of this country.
My proudest moment was: being picked to represent the Chrome Shop Mafia on Trick My Truck. They made my truck look like a school bus so I could go into the schools and mentor the kids. I talk about the trucking industry and tell them you still need your reading, writing and arithmetic to be a trucker.
My favorite part of the country is: down around New Orleans. They have great food. I love that Louisiana gumbo!
When I’m on the road, I like to listen to: R&B, jazz and some country music. I like Barry White because he has a very soulful sound.
My favorite restaurant out on the road is: Applebee’s. I like the atmosphere. It gets you out of a normal truckstop, and they have television sets. You can just sit back and relax, eat your meal and watch a sports game.
My friends would say I am: a goal setter. I will set a goal for myself, and I will work hard to achieve that goal.
My most memorable trip: was when I went up through Montana with what I call the High Rockies. For miles and miles there was nothing but rolling hills and mountains. When I first saw it, I thought I had gone to heaven. It’s just so wide open.
Before I was a truck driver: I worked for a bank in the corporate trust department.
If I weren’t a truck driver: I would be driving a train. I always wanted to be a truck driver or a train engineer. I liked to watch the train pass by with a hundred cars behind it. I guess you could say I’m living my dream.
