A Well-Experienced Driver
Rich has been driving since he was only 8yrs old! His Dad started teaching him to drive on their 675 ranch, using a 3-speed standard, in pick-up truck. He also drove various tractors, with special PTO equipped features, front-end loaded, backhoe, and post hole digger attachments.
He obtained his hardship license early, at the age of 14yrs old. He drove various pick-ups with combo fuel sources (propane & gas), while pulling cattle trailers as a youth, and he operated various farm implements. In the U.S. Air Force, he mastered just about every vehicle he could drive, even though his particular job was avionic communications. During mobility and deployments, however, he became high in demand, because he could drive just about anything. His USAF license had to have an addendum sheet added, just to cover all of the vehicles he was licensed to drive.
He even drove the large "Colemans", a vehicle with steering in the front and back, used to park multi-million dollar aircraft. He also drove line trucks, flatbed semi truck & trailer rigs, passenger vans and buses, and various forklifts, including an all-terrain 4WD pivoting forklife used to relocate small portable buildings.
After serving in the Air Force, he obtained his chauffer's license and drove tankers for about 3 years, hauling brine water, fresh water, and crude oil.
For years following, he was involved in the IT industry, working with computers of varied types. In his later years as a contractor, when the city of Austin became over-populated with IT techies, he returned to truck driving, obtaining his CDL Commercial license, and knocking out all of the endorsements, including double and triple trailer, tankers, HAZMAT, flatbeds, sand trailers, box trailers, and passenger and school buses. He additionally obtained the states safety requirment training for school buses and for special needs passengers. His license is currently a Class AM (motorcycle also), with all endorsements (tpsx). He did so well in his training that a local school there in Austin, AUSTIN CDL hired him for his services to "teach" new drivers, and to train them to be safe, to properly drive a semi, and to pass the Texas DPS Drivers testing for commercial drivers. He was well skilled in helping even the most problem drivers, with safety tips and instructions on how to properly and safely operate these enormous vehicles. He also taught safety at one of the Austin area concrete companies, instilling safe practices and procedures in their drivers.
I enjoy meeting new people! 