Leaning into Leadership After Serving in the Military

Thomas “T.J.” Alcoser, Director of Logistics, Chalk Mountain Services of Texas LLC

Thomas “T.J.” Alcoser, Director of Strategic Planning for Chalk Mountain Services of Texas, came from a military background. In 2004, influenced by his upbringing, he enlisted in the Marine Corps under an open contract, serving for four years working in transportation. This experience gave him a strong foundation in the field, leading him to pursue a career in the transportation industry after his military service ended in 2008. A few years later, he became an integral part of the Chalk team, taking on the role of Operations Manager.

When he started, he worked tirelessly to build the team and expand the fleet. Leveraging his organizational skills, he streamlined operations, propelling Chalk from 15 trucks to 150 within a year and a half. He credits his success to the guidance and mentorship he received during his time in the Marines, which instilled leadership qualities he used to help grow the company.

As a leader, he gives credit to the planners that work under him, whom he can teach. However, he also emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and leans on his managers to guide him, stating, “I try to learn something new every day to avoid falling into a routine.”

T.J. shared that enjoys working in his operational role. Reflecting on one of his greatest accomplishments at Chalk, he shared about a time when their San Angelo department had to operate with minimal trucks, and some of their locations were long distances from the sand mines.

“One morning, I came in and looking at things as a planner, I kind of freaked out. There was an astronomical amount of sand that we had never pulled before, and I only had a certain number of trucks, which had to go 200 miles to receive it, so I was not sure how we were going to pull off this specific delivery.”

Describing his approach, he explained, “I dissected everything piece by piece. The biggest thing that got me through that was an open line of communication,” relying on those in the field to keep feeding him information.

He remembers the chaos and quick thinking from that day. “We essentially ran a record-setting day with very minimal trucks,” he said. “It was one of those times where you need to think on your toes to make things happen. This is our job, our duty, and the customer is of the utmost importance.”

The following day, he received accolades from everyone at work, including the “top brass” who commended his efforts. He said it gave him so much pride to be a part of it, but he said he was just doing what he considered his normal role. “It just comes to me naturally, by looking at it like a puzzle and trying to put together the pieces to make it happen.”

Reflecting on this accomplishment and many others during his time in the trucking industry, the advice he was able to share for any veterans thinking about joining the industry is to pursue every avenue to learn about what they like to do. “If trucking is something they are truly interested in, I would highly recommend it. It has been fun for me, and it could be fun for them.”