“At the end of the day, it makes you feel good. It’s a job well done. You hook something up in somebody’s house that took a little bit of skill. You got your hands dirty doing something. It gives you a sense of pride that you’re doing something that’s not always easy,” said Final Mile Services® driver John.
For the past three years, John has been delivering and installing appliances, electronics and more into customer homes and businesses for J.B. Hunt’s Final Mile Services® division. He finds it to be rewarding work that helps him provide for his family and gets him home every day.
While looking for a local truck driving job three years ago, it was J.B. Hunt’s last mile opportunities that caught his eye – it was more challenging and different than the over the road driving he was doing. “I didn’t like being over the road because it’s really unpredictable. It really caused me a lot of anxiety to be away from home and be away from them [his three daughters] and not know what’s going on with them. I feel a lot better now,” he explained.
With only a year of over the road driving under his wheels and no installation experience, John braced for a learning curve. “I learned more about how to operate the vehicle in my first month here than in almost a year of being over the road and trucking school,” he said. “This job, when I started, I couldn’t really put a hammer and nail into a wall and now I have developed this kind of mechanical aptitude with some things that I didn’t have before in life when it comes to working with my hands and that sort of thing. That’s kind of cool.”
After a few years of driving into tight locations and installing various products into customer homes, businesses and builder sites, his confidence continues to grow. “I’m not afraid to do some of the things that we do on this job, whether it’s going to a construction site, or bringing a massive piece of furniture into somebody’s house, or going into somebody’s house and installing something that is difficult,” he said. “It’s challenging because you have to change your mindset, to put yourself in the shoes of the customer. You treat that house like it’s your house, and to be honest, that’s hard.”
Although his day’s work can be demanding, John has no plans to change his company driving job. “There’s definitely a negative stigma about drivers. I don’t really let that bother me. I feel like I’m doing my part. I know that I’m doing something that maybe a lot of other people don’t want to do. That’s okay. You can’t handle it, I’ll take the work,” John said.
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Listen in to hear why John and his fellow drivers find pride in the service they offer through their local Final Mile Services® trucking job.
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Don’t have a CDL or driving experience? No problem. J.B. Hunt’s Final Mile Services® delivery installation specialist positions don’t require either. Learn more by calling 1-877-791-9458 to discuss driving in our Final Mile Services® division. Or feel free to fill out a short form online.
Clearly one of the reasons why we’re considered “Best of Class” in the industry. Great article.
Loved the article!! John keep up the good work!
Tough work. Real tough work. Dedicated drivers like John are what make our FMS operations successful. Thank you John and all JB Hunt drivers for your dedication, you all are the wheels that keep this organization moving.
Great article – thanks for sharing!