Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/856429
August 2017 | Overdrive | 53 Richard Woods • Owner-operator, Eagle Systems • Hauls rail containers • Driving for 23 years Richard Woods, 42, comes from a trucking family, with a father who drove trucks and farmed with his grandfather and great-grandfather. "My granddad had a cotton gin in those years, so between the farm and the gin, my dad hauled a lot of cot- ton, cottonseed and grain," says the native of Marshall County, Mississippi, who now lives in Hickory Flat, Missis- sippi. "I always wanted to go with him, and I did as much as I was allowed. I guess it just got into my system. I got my CDL when I was 19, and that's pretty much all I've ever done." Woods started learning guitar at about 13 years old, and he's been strumming ever since. He was exposed to different pop and country genres by his parents and has written songs off and on since about age 20. He still listens to a wide variety of music, especially artists who reflect his taste for "the simple stuff." "With today's technol- ogy, music has gotten pretty 'busy,' for lack of better words," Woods says. "I find myself enjoying just the sounds of the guitar, or maybe piano and guitar with someone's vocals." So leg- ends such as Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Don Williams are high on his list. Chris Stapleton, Aaron Lewis and Colter Wall are some of his contemporary favorites. Woods also plays in his church's worship band. "I like hymns that I remember singing at church when I was young, and I like the newer praise music as well," he says. "I like Zach Williams, Casting Crowns and Third Day." Though Woods wouldn't mind building his own fleet — "nothing too big because I'll probably still want to drive some myself " — he enjoys driving his 1999 4964EX Western Star around Mem- phis, Tennessee, and out to a 400- or 500-mile radius. "It has a 12.7 De- troit 500-horse engine, 13-speed transmission, with 3:55 rears," he says. "I've put a lot of time and money into it and still have plenty to do yet, but I do enjoy it." Terrance Mathis • Company driver, Kloeckner Metals • Hauls steel and aluminum coils • Driving for 28 years Terrance Mathis' interest in music is rooted in years of singing in choirs and other church groups. Mathis, 47, starting recording songs on his phone about five years ago and posted his first YouTube video three years ago. His specialty is changing the lyrics to popular songs. "I do parodies most of the time and try to relate it to truck- ing," he says. Once Mathis gets familiar with a song's melody, he starts on the lyrics. "In this industry, we hear and see quite a bit — whether it's good or bad, there are no filters in what I hear or what I see." Mathis finds inspiration in musicians who have over- come obstacles — "Sylvia Mathis Manning, Ice Cube, Ray Charles and a newfound influence, Paul Marhoefer," a Trucker Talent Search 2015 finalist. His father played a pivotal role in his decision to be a truck driver. "When I was 10 years old and tall enough to reach the gas pedal, my father put me in an old '67 International dually with no power steering, no AC and a cracked windshield," he says. Once Mathis was able to drive, do some repairs and load and unload, his father paid him an allowance to haul bricks to the new home he was building. Since then, "I have had an indescribable love for trucking and hauling heavy freight," he says. Mathis, of Rockford, Illinois, married his high school sweetheart, Cleashetta Lee, 17 years ago. Their four children range from 8 to 26. Mathis wants to "bring as many of our brothers and sister truckers together as one big family. I know that sounds crazy, but in this day and age, it seems like it has become truckers against the world, and if we don't help each other, who will?" he says. "Sounds far-fetched, but I guess it is the old school in me that keeps this dream alive."