Driver Spotlight: Cole Lane
Cole Lane always envisioned himself cruising up and down the West Coast from behind the wheel of a patrol car, but never an 80,000 pound 18-wheeler. But after a year of police academy training followed by countless tests, evaluations, and training sessions, he found himself lost and alone. The law enforcement route was not everything he thought it would be.
“It was very stressful. I’d be in the middle of the country going to try to help somebody. Not know how to get there. Not know how to leave. Basically just not know anything,” he said. “That causes a lot of stress in your life and really makes you wonder if that’s really what you want to do.”
He needed a change.
His fiancee’s father, a owner-operator truck driver, suggested Cole go after his CDL and drive a truck for a living. Cole didn’t shut out the idea completely, but he had his doubts.
“It sounded like the craziest idea. I don’t know how to drive a truck. They’re huge! It seems way too difficult.”
As he set out for his first solo drive, Cole wondered if his family would be okay with him on the road for close to a week at time. He wondered if he would be okay being away from them for so long. But as he became more and more comfortable with the requirements of the job, he’s found opportunities to connect with family and friends more and more regularly.
“I know my grandmother is tired of hearing from me,” he said. “I call her every day.”
It took a while to get used to life on the road, but now that he’s become more at ease with the commitments and the lifestyle, he is content with the career path he’s chosen. He enjoys spending time absorbing information from audiobooks and podcasts while he makes his runs. All in all, he is thankful for the compassion shown by his new DTI teammates as well as the stability the company provides its drivers.
“One of the biggest things the sheriff’s department was lacking was stability in life. One of the most difficult things was not knowing if you’d make it home. With DTI you definitely know you’re gonna be safe and you’re going to make it home.”More Articles
Driver Spotlight – Trevor Nuttall
At 23 years old, Trevor Nuttall decided he had had enough of the long hours and never-changing atmosphere of his factory job. He longed for...
Driver Spotlight: Austin Atwater
From the time he was a little boy, Austin Atwater dreamt of following in his uncle’s footsteps and taking the wheel of an 18-wheeler. So at just 19...
Driver Spotlight: Josh Jefferies
Tired of making his living working long hours in a factory, Josh Jefferies of Dyersburg, Tennessee decided to pursue a childhood dream and take the...
Driver Spotlight: Marina Morin
For ten years, Marina Morin spent her workdays inside a medium security prison as a corrections officer. Though she enjoyed the work she did, the...
Driver Spotlight: John Donham
After 30 years of data analysis in the corporate world, capped by two straight pandemic years of working from home, John Donham felt like it was...
Apply Today & Discover Your Forever Career
Need More Information Before You Apply? We’d love to talk to you.