Joseph Charlot (Char-lo) had worked in the Information Technology (IT) industry for nearly 30 years when, in his mid-fifties, he found himself out of a job and at a crossroads: Should he stay in his industry or make a career change to something completely new?
Thanks to the assistance he received from CareerSource NEFL, he received funding to take classes and earn a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) – and recently created his own job and business in the trucking industry.
Charlot worked with Claudette Washington, a workforce service representative at the Clay County Career Center in Fleming Island.
“When I connected with Joseph in early 2021, he had already decided to switch careers and become a truck driver with a long-term goal to become an owner/operator,” Washington said. “Since he had lived in New York for several years, and I had lived there as well, we built a good rapport early on.”
“To become an owner/operator, Joseph knew he needed to really learn the business, how to drive a truck, and all the ins and outs of running that business,” Washington said. Thanks to training funds we provided through the Individual Training Account (ITA) program, he was able to obtain his CDL and now owns his own truck. He really followed through on his goals.”
Charlot had moved to the Jacksonville area in 2018, still working in IT, when he and his coworkers began discussing passive (gig) income.
“One of the guys said he was going to buy a truck, and since I knew nothing about logistics, I monitored what they were doing,” he said. “One of them bought trucks and would get drivers for them, while my other friend saw what he was doing and bought a truck as well. They were both doing good financially and, when I saw what they were being paid, I realized it was more than my regular salary doing IT work.”
Following the lead of his friends, Charlot purchased a semi-truck of his own in 2022 and incorporated the business under the name True Riches Trucking, LLC. He initially planned to hire a driver to do the work, but after going through two drivers in six months, his wife Nyieta encouraged him that he needed to become a driver himself.
Around the same time, Charlot lost his job, and that’s when he decided to commit to a career in truck driving.
Charlot did some online research to determine his best options for obtaining a CDL, including some private schools. As part of receiving unemployment compensation, he was connected with CareerSource NEFL Employment Security Representative Cheryl Keys, who conducted his Reemployment Services Eligibility Assessment (RESEA), and was referred to Washington to obtain funding through the ITA program at CareerSource NEFL for CDL training.
“Compared to all the training options I looked at, ITA really delivered the best bang for the buck,” Charlot said.
Charlot attended FSCJ from October 2021 to February 2022, when he received his CDL. He received awards for attaining a perfect score on his pre-trip inspection and preparing a ‘perfect’ logbook for over two months, which culminated in 10,000 miles of driving.
As he finished CDL training, his son Elijah was finishing his senior year in high school and wanted his dad to come to every game he played through the end the school year.
“I needed to go to work, but it was a special moment in his life and my life that couldn’t be done again, so I committed to that,” Charlot said. “I discussed with my family what my game plan was and used my savings to pay all the bills during the school period – including our mortgage, car note and everything. I wasn’t making any money for about six months, so it was a huge sacrifice, but my family (along with his daughter, Anjolie) shared my vision and supported me.”
Last May, with his son out of high school, Charlot got his first trucking job with Paper Transport International (PTI), receiving 50 cents a mile as a driver – during which time he got used to driving full-time and sleeping overnight in the truck. He worked for the company for about six months before fully branching out independently.
As an owner-operator, Charlot controls what types of trucking jobs he takes, allowing him to maintain a work/life balance at home.
Today, having already received his Hazmat endorsement, he’s primarily hauling liquid bulk chemicals in his 13,000-pound semi-truck, which will be fully paid for in November.
Regarding his future plans, Charlot says he doesn’t want to scale the business too quickly.
For job seekers considering the trucking industry for a career, Charlot says anyone who can make a commitment and can set a goal for themselves can find or create a lucrative job for themselves.
“I want them to understand that this is an opportunity for you to grow, and you could be your own boss, no matter what circumstance you come from,” he said. “And, as an owner/operator, you also have the opportunity to pay yourself and create a more balanced schedule. Some people think CDL drivers have to run over the road for four or five months at a time, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Charlot suggests that interested job seekers should try to “learn the business side first” and then find their niche.