We’re excited to introduce to you another episode of our Truck Driver Interview series. If you missed the first one, you can read it here.
For our second instalment, we introduce to you a very experienced truck driver, Claus Witt, who’s had 30 years experience on the road. He’s got a very cool gig as a trucker over at the Department of Defense, for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) agency, otherwise known as The Exchange.
For those of you who don’t know, the AAFES provide goods and services to the armed forces and their families at a deep discount. Merchandise such as uniform, tactical gear, furniture, electronics, etc. Essentially, it’s the military version of Walmart. However, in a national emergency, employees of The Exchange can be deployed.
You can also hear Claus calling into America’s Truckin’ Network on 700WLW.com based out of Cincinnati, heard on I Heart radio. His handle name is Santa Claus – of course.
Without further ado, here is the interview:
1. What made you decide to become a truck driver?
I love driving and I always had been fascinated with big trucks since I was a kid.
2. How long have you been a truck driver?
I’ve been driving for about 30 years.
3. What type of truck do you drive and what do you haul?
I drive a 2014 Freightliner Cascadia with a 53-foot trailer.
4. What schooling, training, or license did you get to become a truck driver?
I went to and was an instructor at a local truck school. Albert, my son, is getting his license now.
I paid for my training, as did my son. If someone goes with a company paid tuition, the company will “own you” until tuition is paid off, normally 6 to 12 months.
5. Where do you work and how did you get your current job? (e.g. were you recruited, applied for it, etc.)
I work for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). I got my job through my network of friends.
Before the DOD, I worked for Fed Ex and before that I was a truck driver at a company called Viking Freight on the west coast at the time.
6. What’s the best part about being a truck driver?
Many companies offer up to $ 10k as a sign on bonus.
7. What’s the worst part about being a truck driver?
Being away from home if you’re over the road – I was on the road when my mom passed away and my grand kids were born.
8. What advice would you give to someone considering a career as a truck driver?
I can honestly say that since I became a trucker I haven’t worked a day, it’s like going on a daily road trip. Experienced drivers with clean records can expect to earn over $100,000 a year.
We hope you found this Q&A with Claus valuable.
Claus can also be found on Facebook here – go check it out and say hello.
If you’d like us to continue doing these interview sessions with truckers and those employed in the trucking industry, leave us a comment below. We want to make sure that we keep providing value on this site.
Geoff is a freelance writer at TruckersTraining.com with 20+ years of experience driving trucks and buses, dispatching, supervising, and training commercial driving teams. His expertise is writing topics on the transportation and trucking industry, and information technology trends.