Cover Story

Larry Singer - Priority Transportation, Inc.

Larry Singer first began driving professionally back in 1981 in a move “developing a great career backup” to his work at a recycling company. The young man had previously served in the Navy as a bosun’s mate aboard the U.S.S. Guadalcanal, an amphibious assault ship in the U.S. Atlantic Fleet.
     Larry broke his ankle in 1988, and after recuperating he began to drive over-the-road on a full-time basis. “There were a lot of things about trucking that appealed to me,” says Larry. “I drove for a furniture company in those days, and I enjoyed the scenery and seeing things I hadn’t ever seen before. There was camaraderie out on the road that I hadn’t experienced in other jobs. You could make a friend in Connecticut one week and see him again in Kentucky three weeks later. I liked that then, and I still do.”
     In addition to furniture, Larry pulled a wide variety of freight through the years including dry van, flatbed and tanker loads of all descriptions. This gave Larry insight into what worked and didn’t work in the trucking industry, and it forged his thinking about the type of carrier he would ultimately want to call home.
     In 2003, Larry began to do in-depth research into his employment options, which involved lots of reading and discussions with friends and colleagues. One motor carrier that quickly rose to the top was Farmington, NY-based Priority Transportation, Inc., one of the 100 largest truckload carriers in the U.S.
     “I was patient and talked with recruiters at Priority several times before I made my move,” remembers Larry. Fortunately for Larry and Priority, the relationship has been a terrific one.
     “I can tell you that I’ve never been happier in my driving career,” says Larry. “Priority recognizes drivers for their accomplishments in many ways, and you don’t find that everywhere. When I was named Driver of the Month last April, the company gave me a free Sirius® satellite radio and a one-year subscription, to boot. I got a week of vacation after one year and that was raised to two weeks after the second year.”
     Larry also emphasized the importance that Priority places on driver safety and noted that the company recently gave away three brand-new Ford F-150s in a special drawing for their safe driving award winners.
     As a trucking veteran with more than 25 years of success to his credit, Larry advises young drivers to stick with one company and “don’t change companies like you change your shorts. This is the best way to establish a strong relationship with dispatch and build seniority.”
     Larry makes his home in Caledonia, NY with his wife, Laurie. He is a dedicated sports fan who puts that Sirius satellite radio to good use as he keeps up with the latest football, basketball, baseball and NASCAR action. “I’m a big Packer fan,” he says with pride.
     The staff of Over the Road and Pro Trucker magazines would like to wish Larry continued success with Priority Transportation, Inc. If you’d like to learn more about company driver and owner-operator opportunities at Priority, give one of their recruiters a call at (800) 828-9640, ext. 227, visit their Web site at Priority-trans.com or see their ad on page 31 of this issue.