“I couldn’t find that lost piece of me that was missing from the military. Then I found trucking.”

Jesus Davila, Professional Truck Driver and Military Veteran

Jesus Davila was only 16 when 9/11 happened — an event that shifted the trajectory of his life forever.

From that early age, Jesus knew that he wanted to serve his country. “I wanted to do my part,” Jesus told TMAF. He finished high school early and joined the Marine Corps as an infantryman right out of high school.

Speaking of his 12-year military career, Jesus said, “I had a great experience in the military.” He cited the amazing people he met while overseas, including his “brothers in arms,” who are like blood relatives to him, and his ability to help other people while serving on humanitarian missions.

As a servicemember, Jesus completed seven deployments and tours in numerous countries, including serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Because of his service, bravery and humanitarian efforts, Jesus has been awarded over a dozen military awards and honors, including a Purple Heart, two Navy Commendation Medals with “V” for Valor, seven Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, a Humanitarian Service Medal and two Navy Achievement Medals.

In 2010, Jesus was wounded in battle in Afghanistan and could not return to duty and was medically retired. “Before I was wounded, I had my life all planned out: I was going to be a career Marine. Then I was wounded. I didn’t know what to do with the rest of my life.”

After his military retirement, Jesus struggled to find his new calling in life, but as a husband and father, Jesus knew he needed to find a new career to support his family. Jesus enrolled in college and pursued a degree in engineering before transferring to education in hopes of becoming a teacher and coach, but ultimately he decided that college was not for him.

During this time, Jesus was driving around his hometown of San Antonio with his wife, Michelle, when he saw a billboard advertisement for a CDL training program. Trucking was an industry that Jesus was familiar with — both his father and uncle were truck drivers, but Jesus had not thought to go into trucking before then. After he saw the billboard advertisement, Jesus made the decision to pursue a career in trucking, and the following Monday he enrolled in truck driving school.

“I couldn’t find that lost piece of me that was missing from the military. Then I found trucking.”

Jesus has been a proud professional truck driver for four and a half years now. He drives for Werner Enterprises hauling refrigerated goods and has accumulated over 450,000 accident-free miles.

Jesus describes the overlap that he sees between the military and trucking, such as the structured lifestyle, order and timelines, while also having the benefit of being your own boss. “With truck driving you are your own boss. You are the captain of your own ship. It’s important to be safe. You go from serving your country in the military to serving your country as a truck driver.”

Jesus participates in several recruiting and outreach programs to assist servicemembers during their transition by helping them secure a job post-military life. He works with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Assistant Secretary for Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) and has visited the White House to advocate for these programs.

One of the programs that his company, Werner Enterprises, works in with partner with is The Skill Bridge Program, which is offered by the Department of Defense (DOD). Werner works in partner with the program, offering jobs to service members as soon as they complete the program and exit the military.

When asked what he would tell other military veterans who are struggling to find their next calling in life, Jesus said, “You are never out of the fight and should never end the fight. There is always a purpose for you and your mission is to find that purpose again. One of those options is to serve your country by driving a truck to help deliver all of the goods that our country relies on.”