“Delivering freight is a feeling of success.”
Teddy Butler, Professional Truck Driver and Military Veteran
After graduating from high school, Teddy Butler made the decision to join the U.S. Army to serve his country.
At the young age of only 18, while Teddy was in basic training in Oklahoma, he was promoted into a leadership role, which was rare at that time due to his young age. While working in his leadership role, Teddy told TMAF that he started to think about the military as a career.
Teddy would go on to serve in the Army as a Staff Sergeant for 27 years, which included active-duty tours overseas, including in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Reflecting on his experience in the military, Teddy said, “The military helped me grow.” He spoke about the experiences, situations, and even mistakes that he went through while on his military journey and how he learned and grew from his time in the service.
“I was grateful for everything that happened to me while serving,” explaining how his grandmother would always tell him about the importance of growing from life experiences. She would tell him, “You never have a testimony if you don’t have a test to grow from first.”
After completing service his tours in the Middle east, Teddy decided to retire from the military. “Being away from home and my family was hard,” he explained. He spoke proudly of the military honors he earned while serving. “My biggest accomplishment is achieving a Bronze Star.”
Teddy then moved back home to Hampton, Georgia to be with his family. While he was looking for a new career path, Teddy’s friend suggested trucking. He began by working a dock, and then one day his supervisor asked if he was interested in getting a CDL through his company, Arkansas Best Freight (ABF). Teddy thought it was a great opportunity; ABF would provide the training to drive a truck, and he would be assured a job as a truck driver for two years after getting his truck driving license. It was a win-win in his eyes. Teddy obtained his CDL and began driving for ABF kicking off his long trucking career.
Teddy has been a professional truck driver with ABF for 16 years now, where he loves working, and has accumulated more than 1.2 million safe driving miles. He delivers everything from household goods to business and commercial goods on local routes, so he can be home with his family at end of the workday.
“I get to drive and deliver freight to people. I help make somebody’s day by delivering.” Speaking of the importance of trucking and the sense of pride he gets from helping make America’s deliveries, Teddy stated, “People and businesses are dependent on someone to bring their freight — and that person is me! I want to do my part. Delivering freight is a mission that’s complete to me. It’s a feeling of success.”
Teddy also enjoys the social aspect of the job. He likes to talk with people he meets on the road. He often uses his meetings as a network opportunity — letting people know about ABF to find more customers and help the company grow.
Teddy says his leadership experience in the military helped prepare him for a career in trucking and taught him important communication skills that help him succeed in the workplace.
He encouraged servicemembers by talking through any personal and family issues. By doing so, he made lifelong friends.
Referencing other important skills that the military taught him, Teddy said, “The military taught me patience, and to accept things you can’t change. You can only adapt and adjust and learn from it.” In trucking, Teddy applies the same mentality. He is a person who is always willing to lend a helping hand or ear at his company. He goes out of his way to talk to fellow drivers who may be frustrated because they are running late on their freight delivery or are having a bad day.
Speaking of the opportunities for veterans in trucking, he said, “Your ethics and skills can carry over…what you did in the military. We need that in trucking. We know you work and want to get the job done and won’t stop until you do. He concluded, “The trucking industry is a great industry. It’s growing and changing by leaps and bounds. If you’re not the college type, the trucking industry is something you should look into. It can take of you, your family, and give you a career.”
