Gary Black

I was a test driver on an autonomous truck. When the truck was operating on its own I was the backup plan. I had to take over immediately if the system went haywire.

I was responsible for pre and post tripping the truck and trailer. I was responsible for keeping the sensors and cameras clean. I also got involved in the calibration side of the system. I am leaving because the company is closing all of the Texas operations.

I owned my own 2021 389 Peterbilt. I was responsible for everything. I kept my truck very well serviced and stayed on top of any needed maintenance whether it was tires, service intervals, lights, registration, and anything else that came up.

My duties were the safe loading, transportation, and delivery of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in a multiple states. This entailed making sure the proper legal quantity was loaded. I also hauled a solvent that I delivered to a customer in Weatherford Texas. I was DOT inspected two times in that year successfully.

My responsibilities were the same loading, transportation, and delivery of hot asphalt to numerous states. This involved wearing proper PPE to keep the hot liquid off of me or anyone near me. I left due to lack of work and freight rates.

This was a very customer focused chemical delivery system. I became very familiar of my customers needs and requirements to safely deliver corrosive, caustic, and non hazardous chemicals. I was a one man operation for 3 1/2 years until business demanded a second person to help me. I trained him and he's still there. I delivered all over north Texas from Wichita Falls to Texarkana to Corsicana in that triangle area. I did a lot of deliveries in incredibly tight areas. It was a fun challenge and I enjoyed the job until Covid slowed our work down.

Walmart was an interesting place to drive a truck. I delivered across 24 states and this entailed going to Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, Sam's Clubs and a myriad of vendors too. These delivery and pickup points were often crowded due to pedestrians, containers, other trucks, and traffic. I was also on the Walmart Road Team as an ambassador for Walmart and the profession. I was also involved in safety course presentations and truck roadeos in Texas. I qualified to the Texas state finals several times.