Photos from Jon's travels
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Meet Jon Hodge. Schneider driver since 2001.

Q. What’s your favorite stretch of road? Your “Great Drive?”
A. The southwest. I love the southwest. I think part of the reason is so many colors. Back east and where you are everything is green. Down there you’ve got purple sunsets, purple rocks, all the different earth colors. It’s absolutely fantastic. Once I get past Amarillo, man I’d drive that puppy for half the money I’m making now.

Q. What are your favorite stops on the road?
A. The national parks. I’ve been to all the ones in Utah - Canyon Land, Bryce Canyon, Arches. One of my favorite places to stop is Utah. I’ll find a place to park just to be there overnight and enjoy some of the local ambiance.

The other really great ride I had was I had to deliver to Hurricane, Utah. I had to drop the load off on a Sunday night and then I drove up to a spring just outside of Zion National Park. I parked there for the night, got up the next morning and rode into the park. I had been there many times because I love the parks in the southwest. So I rode into the park and I found out that they changed it about six years ago. They don’t allow cars in the park anymore. So I had the whole park to myself other than a few trams that were running around.

Another great ride that I had was about two years ago in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I had a layover that was a little over 24 hours and the bike was in the top bunk. So, I stopped at a bike store and they handed me a map of the entire city and the city is just like Swiss cheese. There are bike paths all over the place. So I rode from downtown up to the mountains down to the Rio Grande River and then back. It was about 30 miles and very, very pleasant. I’ve been very lucky. Some people have accomplished everything but haven’t been anywhere. You’ve only got one life so something has got to work pretty good for you.

Q. How long have you been driving professionally?
A. Five years.

Q. You’ve been driving for Schneider that whole time, right?
A. Yes.

Q. Did you get your training through Schneider National?
A. I went to their training academy in Carlisle, PA.

Q. What other occupations did you pursue before becoming a driver?
A. I was a computer consultant before that. There are a lot of computer consultants driving trucks. I moved from New Jersey down to Reading, PA and I was switching jobs. I got a really nice job with a training company. My specialty had always been getting in front of people in a classroom and teaching them how to use computers. I was hired and the economy had taken a downturn right around that time. The next thing I know I’m driving a truck.

Q. What attracted you to driving?
A. I’ve always thought about it. I love driving. As a matter of fact, the company I used to work for had offices all around the country and unless it was a really long trip or I had to take something with me, a lot of times I would tell them I’d drive. If there was equipment that needed to be carried I would just throw it in my trunk and I’d just drive out there even if it took a day or two. I enjoyed that.

Q. Would you say that’s what makes driving right for you because you do enjoy driving or are there other things? The lifestyle? The independence?
A. You’re your own boss, which I pretty much have been my own person all along.

Q. Which Schneider division do you drive for?
A. One-way.

Q. So, basically, your geographic range and territory is the entire continental US since you drive van?
A. I’ve been in all 48 states, some more than others.

Q. How many miles do you have with Schneider?
A. I would say somewhere between 600,000-700,000 so far. I’m averaging about 160,000 a year.

Q. What attracted you to Schneider National as opposed to all the other competitors out there?
A. Convenience, because it’s only about 91 miles from my house to the center I drive out of.

Q. What makes you stay with Schneider? I’m sure you talk to other truck drivers out there who drive for other companies.
A. Some other driving jobs are a little more rigid in that you do a lot of waiting around. You may deliver early in the morning and not get your next load until late in the afternoon.

I also have a lot of admiration for the mechanics. I take my truck in with a problem and they fix it and in some cases, they fix it better than I expected and that’s important to me. Especially in the winter I need a good dependable truck.

I was leaving Albuquerque, New Mexico, and if you go east from Albuquerque there’s one place where you go down into the river valley. It’s really steep and if you don’t hang on the brakes — and even if you do hang on the brakes — you’re going to burn your brakes out riding this thing out. Next thing you know you’re doing 85 miles an hour for about a mile across the bottom of it to the other side. One time I was thinking to myself, “It’s a good thing we have these mechanics at this company.”

Q. How long, on average, are you on the road at a given time?
A. I normally go out for maybe a minimum of two weeks. During the early part of the year, January, February and March, I’ve gone out for as many as seven weeks. If I’m down south half of the winter, then I only have half a winter north. About three years ago we had a really big storm in this area, dumped 30" of snow, I was in Laredo. It was 87 degrees if I remember right and everyone back East was freezing.

Q. What would you say to someone considering a career as a driver?
A. The money is good. You can make very good money with it. For people out there that don’t have a degree you can make as much money as a lot of degree people by driving. It’s a secure job. Everything goes by truck these days - absolutely everything. If you look in your office the office was shipped in by truck when it was built. The chair you’re sitting in, the table, your food. There’s always going to be a need for transportation so it’s secure in that way.

Q. Would you recommend Schneider to other drivers?
A. I would. If someone is really willing to work they could make a good buck working for Schneider.

Q. What is Schneider’s best attribute as a company? What does Schneider do well?
A. I would honestly say it would have to be a number of things. You don’t get as big as they are by only doing one thing well.

Q. Do you have any pet peeves while you drive?
A. People cutting me off, people coming off the exit ramps and driving right out in front of me.

Q. What is the craziest thing you’ve ever seen on the road?
A. Two people were on one side of me. One guy was in a dark Lincoln in the fast lane following a truck. The truck is passing me slowly. As soon the guy in the Lincoln gets enough room to squeeze in between us he cuts in front of me and takes the exit ramp. He had to pass me. I think a lot of people think trucks are obstacles to be overcome. I’m actually working on a book, which would be called “Critical Second,” because that’s all it takes to out there to get in a serious accident. It would talk about things like that.

Q. What do you like to do in your time off?
A. The first day is sleeping.

Q. How many miles do you normally do on average when you ride your bike?
A. Anywhere from 10 to 30. When I was a kid the longest rides were literally 100-150 miles in a day. That was back when my butt didn’t turn to spaghetti after sitting on that seat for so long.

Q. What’s a perfect day for you?
A. To me a lot of days are good. I’m more of an optimist. If I was waking up somewhere in the four corners area of Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico, from there any direction would be a fantastic day because of the country I would be in.

Q. Would you say if it weren’t for truck driving you wouldn’t have had all the opportunities to see as much of the country as you have?
A. I’ve been very lucky because before I started driving I had been to 39 of the 48 states. It gave me an opportunity to see the top of the country. I had never been to the northwest from Minnesota straight across. About a year and a half ago I picked up a load of Kleenex Tissues in Danbury, CT and had to take them to Everett, WA. Five days completely across the top of the country. It was the end of May so it was beautiful weather. Those were five very, very good days. I was able to add North Dakota for the first time. It’s just spectacular up there. I know people who are Ph.D.s but haven’t done a lot of other things. They’ve concentrated on that one area. I’ve been very lucky that I’ve seen a lot of things and explored a lot of things in my life. Experiences are what make your life.