Local driver Ron Oglesby turns to Roadrunner for career refresh

Post Date - Jun 14, 2021

Success, says Ron Oglesby, doesn’t come overnight. Instead, it comes with patience, hard work and making smart decisions. Ron, who has spent the last 23 years as a truck driver - nine of those with us at Roadrunner Freight - knows that the future holds endless possibilities if you’re just willing to wait for it.

“These newcomer drivers come into trucking, they don’t know the business and get disappointed when they don’t see things happening right away,” explains Ron. “Trucking is a great opportunity to make a lot of money, but it doesn’t come in one day. You need to be patient, be smart, and know who’s giving it to you straight.”

Ron’s journey to becoming a truck driver is different than most, but it’s one he’s honest about.

“I did some federal time and I didn’t know what I would do for work when I got out with a felony on my record,” he says. “Many of my friends became truckers and it seemed like the best career option for me.”

While he was working for another company, Ron had an accident that required him to have back surgery. After his recovery, he knew he could no longer continue driving for them because of the heavy lifting his job required. Ron had the opportunity to ride along with a friend of his, another one of our owner operators, and he knew partnering with us would be a better fit.

“This is still very much a physical job, but I don’t have to do things that put as much of a strain on my back,” Ron adds. “My friend and I worked together at our last job and I basically followed him over here to Roadrunner.”

Ron has spent his entire trucking career as an owner operator. He likes the independence and the freedom that comes with being his own boss. Roadrunner, he says, works hard to support owner operators in building successful businesses.

“Even though I’ve been a contractor all my life, a lot of companies list you as an owner operator but treat you like an employee, limiting your time off and things like that,” he explains. “At Roadrunner, you are truly your own business owner. They treat you like an independent contractor and you’re the one that gets to decide how you want to work.”

As one of our local owner operators, Ron runs north of Atlanta and is home every day. He has two kids, ages 3 and 29, so his schedule allows him to spend a lot of time at home.

“I love running local because I’m not into being away from my kids,” says Ron. “I’ve been in this business for a long time and have developed relationships with people because of how I work. I’ve even brought business to Roadrunner because some people will follow me wherever I go.”

When Ron is not on the road, you can usually find him spending time with his son and doing things around the house. He also has a nephew who plays for the Green Bay Packers, so he spends all football season traveling to of his nephew’s games.

Interested in a future working with Roadrunner? Connect with us to learn more about how we can help you achieve your career goals.