ɫɫ�о���

Hayden Hamblin loved his six years in the Navy as a damage controlman, a role in which he was basically a firefighter at sea. When he got out of the military, he started his civilian career as yard tech and parts assistant at ɫɫ�о���’s branch in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Hamblin enjoyed the work, but for someone used to cruising the Pacific Ocean, he yearned for a role that offered a bit more adventure and changes of scenery. So he asked his general manager, Todd Holt, if there was a path for him to become a CDL delivery driver. Fortunately, ɫɫ�о��� was piloting a new apprenticeship program that helps current employees become CDL drivers, and Hamblin was accepted into the program.

Now, he spends his time behind the wheel hauling heavy equipment, navigating a mountain road one day and an urban grid the next.

“With truck driving, it’s something different every day, whether it’s something physically challenging or mentally challenging,” Hamblin said. “One of the things I loved about the Navy was there was something new every day. The amount of responsibility that comes with being in charge of one of these trucks, I’m used to high-intensity things, so I feel like I fit right in with it.”

The driver apprenticeship program is an ideal way for yard techs to climb the career ladder and helps ɫɫ�о��� deal with the nationwide shortage of qualified CDL drivers by developing them in-house.

• ɫɫ�о��� pays for employees who are accepted into the program to attend truck driving school while continuing to work full- or part-time.
• After completing driving school, apprentices receive six months of on-the-job driver training with an ɫɫ�о��� mentor at their branch.
• Apprentices agree to stay with the company as CDL drivers for at least two years.

Hamblin completed his two-week driving school course and got his CDL license in the summer of 2024. He then was paired with his mentor, Eric Carrell, who is the branch’s lead driver. At first, Carrell put Hamblin behind the wheel of his rig with a monstrous four-axle lowboy trailer — which Hamblin nicknamed “King Kong” — and worked with him on the basics.

“My thought was, if you can learn to drive my truck, then when you go to your smaller truck, you’ll be comfortable,” Carrell said. “So at first he drove around with me. Then we got him into a regular semi for one or two days. Then we got him into our shorter straight trucks. As he worked his way down, I was letting him run the show. After about three weeks, I was able to let him go out on his own.”

Every two weeks, Carrell rides along with Hamblin to check on his habits and provide feedback. Carrell said he’s seeing consistent improvement, which is all he asks. Hamblin will finish the apprenticeship in January 2025.

“He has a plethora of knowledge, and he passed so much on,” Hamblin said of his mentor. “Every time I see him in the yard, he gives me a little tidbit here and there that will help down the road. There’s not one thing he’s said that hasn’t come in handy on a jobsite.”

Hamblin is happy with his new career path at ɫɫ�о���. He enjoys the fresh daily challenges, building relationships with contractors and knowing that he is playing a role in construction projects around Salt Lake City.

“I want to start climbing the ladder here,” Hamblin said. “Someday, I would like to be in Eric’s position. I want to be a senior driver, a lead driver. I want to be driving the big-boy toys.”