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FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact Celadon at 888-464-5784 or visit www.DriveCeladon.com D avid Barnes knew he wanted some sort of second career a er re ring from the military. He was living in Florida at the me and was worried that his job op ons were limited to a struggling space industry. His wife, Linda, was the one who came up with the idea of truck driving. They were both so intrigued by the new career possibili es that Linda le her banking job and the two of them enrolled in truck driving school together. They now drive for Celadon Trucking Services and travel around the country with their dogs along for the ride. "Our kids are grown and we're on our own, so we knew this was a great opportunity for us to spend me together," says Barnes. "We signed up with Celadon right out of school and we've been with them for the last 18 years. Couldn't ask for a be er experience." The Barnes' looked at several companies before choosing Celadon. Barnes says he remembers looking through mul ple magazine ads and listening to a number of recruiters who spoke at their driving school. It was important to both of them that they chose a permanent place to work. "Celadon's ad just read more believable. When I talked to some people in recrui ng, it felt like they were being honest with us," he says. "The other recruiters seemed like they were promising us stuff they couldn't deliver on. At the me, Celadon was also only taking the top 10 percent of the classes gradua ng. The group of best drivers - that's where we wanted to be." The company is widely known for its growing number of successful team drivers like David and Linda Barnes. Advantages for teams include safety bonuses, longevity increases, and deten on and extra stop pay, along with Celadon's standard driver benefits such as its onsite medical center and flexible home me. Running mostly in the Midwest, Southwest and Southeast, team drivers average 4,000-6,000 miles per week while single operators average 2,000 - 3,400 miles per week. Barnes really likes the way the company is structured and that its open-door policy allows him to speak face-to-face with his dispatcher at any me. He feels that the company treats its drivers fairly and it is quick to resolve any issues they have on the road. "My mother-in-law is 92 years old with failing health and there have been a couple mes where we've needed to get home immediately to be with her," Barnes explains. "Celadon turns us right around and sends us home - no wai ng around and no having to finish delivering your load first. They care." Although teamwork comes naturally to the Barnes' since they are a married couple, Barnes says that pa ence, understanding and communica on are necessary elements to being a successful team on the road. When they're not working, Barnes and his wife spend their me relaxing at their home in Texas and visi ng with their nine grandchildren. "When you get into truck driving, it doesn't take you long to realize that if you don't like something at the company you're with, it's easy to jump around and get a job somewhere else," Barnes admits. "Just to have the stability we've had being with Celadon for so long has been so great for us. It's been a real good experience for us and we can't imagine working with anyone else." In business since 1985, Celadon Trucking Services ranks as one of North America's largest truckload carriers. The company has been recognized as one of the safest truckload carriers with mul ple first-place finishes in the Truckload Carriers Associa on's Na onal Fleet Safety Awards among carriers annually hauling over 100 million miles Husband and wife team say driving for Celadon was the best choice they could have made Celadon JFT_Full&Spread_Template.indd 1 2/5/14 8:34 AM