William McVay wanted to be a truck driver since he was a little kid. He remembers riding in the car as a kid, pulling up alongside a tractor trailer and pumping his arm. “I still can picture the guy’s face,” William says. “He kind of grinned at me and gave me a toot, and it got me all excited.” It wasn’t until a few years ago that William finally made the lead and became a driver himself. At the time, he had just gotten married and knew truck driving would be a stable career that he could support his new family with. After talking it over with his wife, Alison, William made the decision to fulfill his childhood dream and get behind the wheel.
He researched trucking companies online and saw that Prime was a big hit with beginning drivers. He officially signed on with the company in October of 2019. William lives in Nebraska, Ohio, with his wife and their three kids, Mylee, Adam and Daniel, but he runs all over the lower 48 states. As a lease over-the-road driver, William can be gone for up to six weeks at a time, which is part of the reason he takes advantage of the Prime’s Family Ride Along Program. “I really appreciate that I’m able to take my family with me,” he says. “What other job can you take your family with you?”
Twice now, his whole family, including their pet husky, has loaded up into the truck and hit the road for a month. The first time felt a bit cramped and crowded, but they ended up getting the swing of things. “The second time went a lot smoother,” he says. “We got a really good system going.” Everyone would take turns sitting up front with William during the day. At night William would tell the kids, “All right, little fishies, time to get in the net,” and then his kids would climb up into the bunk to watch TV or play on the Xbox.
After the success of the family trips, William now makes it a point to take each of the kids out separately. When summer rolls around, his kids take turns hitting the road with their dad. His kids stay out anywhere from three to six weeks on the road, and it’s been an irreplaceable bonding experience for William. William says if you want to get close to your family, take them out on the road. “The one-on-one time has made an incredible impact with the kids,” he says. The only one who hasn’t been out on the road one-on-one is his wife. The kids will need to be a bit older before that can happen, but it’s something William is looking forward to. “They need to hurry up and grow up,” he says. “It’s wifey’s turn.”
Read more in the Prime magazine, Prime Ways – Family Road Trip
Interested in driving for Prime? Apply online at www.primeinc.com/?r=blog or give our recruiters a call at 888-664-9121.
