Henry Albert is the owner of Albert Transport, Inc., based in Statesville, NC. Before participating in the "Slice of Life" program, Albert drove a 2001 Freightliner Century Class S/T™, and will use his Cascadia for general freight and a dry van trailer. Albert, who has been a trucker since 1983, was recognized by Overdrive as its 2007 Trucker of the Year.
An Interview with Henry:
How long have you been a truck driver?
I have been a truck driver since 1983. Everyone wanted you to be 23 and have 3 years experience so I drove a school bus to gain experience. After, I started driving a straight truck for different private carriers until 1996 when I got my own authority. I planned to not use brokers, but this was difficult. During my worst year, I used 10% brokered freight but I have had years at a time where I didn’t use any brokers. Since 2007, I have done dry van under my own authority hauling Freightliner parts.
What do you do when you are stuck in traffic?
Surprisingly, I rarely get stuck in traffic. I run set routes, and the advantages of that is you can plan when you hit certain cities. I know the traffic patterns for those areas so I really don’t hit traffic really often. If I have to I will sometimes take longer breaks to avoid areas when I know there is going to be traffic.
What do you listen to on the radio?
I mostly listen to the news but depending on the mood, I will sometimes listen to music, old time radio shows, or comedy shows. I think satellite radio is great but the only downside is missing some of the “local flavor” of the area that you’re in with the different DJs.
Do you still use the CB radio?
Yes, I still use the CB radio and I wish more people did. Now is the perfect time for it to be the best safety feature in the truck. It allows you to know about issues way ahead of time. There used to be a lot of nonsense on there but now it is a clean enough channel that it would be very useful for safety.
What’s your favorite stretch of highway?
I don’t run it that often but it would have to be Interstate 88 thru New York. Most of the way it follows the valleys with mountains all around and there isn’t much traffic. The world just seems to click together just right.
What’s the best feature on your Freightliner truck?
The best features are all of the things that the truck has now that they didn’t have before. This includes using the AC without the engine running, a refrigerator, the driver's lounge with tables and chairs. This is just to name a few.
What role does social media play in your life?
Facebook has been cool in so many different manners. I love being able to share ideas with colleagues that you might not ever meet in person. I’ve also been able to connect with friends from more than 30 years ago. I’m involved in different groups in order to exchange ideas on how to better business. I also tend to post or comment multiple times a day.