FIXTITLE Carl Lefferts.docx
A LIFE WELL LIVED
The Story
Of
Carl Lefferts
Your memory is a beautiful thing. It allows you to flip back through time and see images dating from 20, 30, 40, even 50 years ago. The ability to hold a collection of your life’s events in your mind and being able to tap into them at your own convenience can be a blessing and a curse.
This next Legend has given this world 62 years of his spirit and heart, and can honestly look back over his accomplishments and know that he did well for himself; in his work and with his family. His memory is full of happy thoughts shared with his late wife of 29 years. He has his two sons that carried on the family tradition of trucking, making them fourth generation truckers. He also has a remarkable trucking career of his own that one should be extremely proud of.
Reflections of his loved ones success are evident around him. While his mind plays pictures of a time when his family was all together. He remembers the last conversation with his wife, moments before she drew her last breath as if it were yesterday instead of 13 years ago. Glimpses bounce back and forth between how trucking used to be and then today’s industry. On many days simply noticing a truck from a distance places him back in the seat of a commercial truck, traveling to a different state. Often he wishes that he could truck again, just one more time. But he can’t…
Carl Lefferts moved around the state of New York a lot as a kid due to his father’s profession. Carl’s father, along with his father before him were both truck drivers. His however, drove over the road while his grandfather remained regional. He continues to explain, “My dad went everywhere from New York to California, back before interstates even existed.” His mother stayed home with Carl and his five siblings. At 14, Carl lost his father. He immediately moved to Virginia with his older sister. His brother-in-law took him under his wing and taught him the roofing business.
He later relocated to Pennsylvania. By 21, Carl had settled down and started a family. He supported his wife and boys doing contracting work roofing houses. During the off seasons he did mechanical work. He had done some local work for a few years, driving for various plants in town. It wasn’t until 23 years later in 1997, when Carl made the career move towards trucking full time.
Carl takes me back again to when he was only seven years old living in New York City during the early 60’s. At the time his dad drove an old B61 Model Mack tractor that had an air starter on it. His father would go outside at 3 AM in the freezing cold, hit the air starter and pray it started the truck. Carl says, “…and when it did, it would wake up the dead. Unlike the trucks today that start much easier. Everything was much different then.” Carl watched his father from his bedroom window. It was so cold that his dad would build a small fire and slide it under the oil pan of the truck to help the engine turn. “Most people would see stuff like that and think, if it’s that hard I don’t want to do it. To me, it was the complete opposite. All of it impressed me. Especially watching my dad,” he said.
Over a course of 15 years, Carl earned over 2 ½ million miles and a number of accolades from the trucking company where he retired at in 2012. The very first company he drove for was located in Pennsylvania. For three years he ran dry box before switching over to being an owner operator in 2000. He purchased a blue 1998 Freightliner and leased on with a guy running strictly over the road. Another three years passed and he went to work for a company based out of Virginia, then moved over to pulling flatbed, still as an owner op. While making a quick visit at a truck stop, Carl spoke with a recruiter representing a trucking company from North Carolina. Days later after some thought, the opportunity presented itself and he went to work for them on August 17th, 2006 as a company driver. The following year in 2007 and later again in 2009, 2010 and 2011 he was given the Top Achiever Award. To be recognized as a recipient, a driver must run over 100,000 miles per year, never arrive late for a pick-up or delivery, have no tickets and no DOT write ups.
The first truck they placed Carl in was a 2005 Freightliner that he drove for a year. The next year he got another 2005 Freightliner that he kept until 2009. That year he received a new 2009 International Prostar that had only 22 miles on it. Carl has been in every state and all major cities throughout his trucking career.
With his caring and giving personality, it was no big deal to pick up random strangers that were stranded on the side of the road. Many times he would bring people home for dinner that he seen while trucking. If vehicles needed fixing he would offer them his home and worked on their cars too, helping them get back on their way. He says, “It used to stress my wife out so bad, but I can’t do that anymore. Not the way people are today. Back then we lived in a very trusting world.” He was always looking for chances to help others, encouraging them to pay it forward to another in exchange.
Choosing trucking was never really a second option to roofing. He had always wanted to drive a truck. After all, trucking was in his blood. He has since passed on the bug to his children, who now have successful careers in the trucking industry as well. Carl’s youngest son is 36 and does local work hauling heavy equipment for a towing company. His oldest son at 41 works for a company moving steel. Both sons have rode with Carl, each learning from their father more about the business and how to be the best possible driver at all times. He can recall teaching one how to drive a truck on a trip to Portland, Oregon and the other rode shotgun on a couple of ventures out West to California. His sons enjoy trucking as much as he did, before he had to give it up. They picked local companies to drive for and are able to be home every night. Carl says, “They already know how proud I am of them. I am very proud!” Carl also has two grand kids, both boys 13 and 3. All of his immediate family live in Pennsylvania which makes it easy to visit.
In 2003, Carl’s wife fell sick. She had called him from the hospital, but insisted he deliver his load and not rush home. Carl made it safely by her side, then everything happened fairly quickly. A few days later she suffered a massive heart attack due to complications combined from having diabetes. Completely stunned, Carl was left in a daze. Losing his wife so abruptly did not allow him much time to prepare himself on what to do next. “One of the last things she said to me was, ‘Keep doing what you are doing.’ Because she knew how much I loved trucking,” he said. So he did as she said. He went back to trucking and it proved to be almost therapeutic. He describes a happier time and I hear a light laugh, “She went out on the road with me one time to Chicago. It rained the whole way out there and snowed the entire way back. She hated it.” His soft laugh is bitter-sweet. I’m sure he can still see her face sitting beside him in that truck and hear her voice complaining about the weather, yet he laughs; signaling that the vision of his memory replaying in his mind is as clear as day and how he would give anything to be in that moment again.
Carl remained on the road until 2012. An awful parasite had taken too much of the sight from his left eye, making him ineligible to drive a commercial truck. He was forced to retire from trucking at 59. These days he takes complete advantage of his open schedule. He said, “I do retirement the right way. By doing whatever I want, when I want.” Carl enjoys tinkering with yard sale stuff and spending time with his growing family. After his wife passed away he found solace in a promise he made to himself. He vowed to not waste any more time doing what he did not want to do. For example, he chooses the pace he is living verses breaking his back to make another dollar. Missing out on his family, holidays or even meals with his loved ones is not worth the dime. He is now totally content where this chapter of his life has led him. Mostly because he is able to look back on his life and smile. For he has done a fine job.
He views himself as a common, every day man that has worked all of his life. He believes in doing what is right, he believes in the good Lord and his bible. He would give you the shirt off of his back without hesitation. He also strongly believes that everyone should find something that you love and pour everything that you have into it. If you have a job and do not like it, then it is time to find another profession because it is simply just a job to you. In turn, you are robbing yourself of so much more joy. When you find a position where you can flourish and you love what you do, then it becomes a way of life.
With trucking, it brought life and completion to Carl’s world. “I loved it! I loved to truck,” he says. “I think the trucking industry is an industry to be proud to be a part of.” Everyone should feel that passionate about their career. There was a point in time when truckers were the most respected drivers on the road. Carl witnessed that pride through a kid’s eyes, staring down from a bedroom window seal. When everyone can go back to loving what they do, taking things a bit slower and not rush, then we can get back to the basics. Enjoying life.
Carl’s trucking career may be spoken in past tense and his wife may not be here in physical form, but he will always be able to say that he has had many things in his life that he has loved. Two important factors that made his life worth living that he gave his all to. There remain many more reasons still here that surround him. He encourages you all to find your reasons and make as many memories as possible, because before you know it your memories may be all that you have left to hold on to. He also states to be proud of what you have accomplished. Show love and never be afraid to share it… and to all truckers, keep truckin’.