My job is a well-balanced mix of routine tasks and complex problem solving. Each day has routine aspects, such as regulatory compliance paperwork and shipment tracking, but every day also has unique problems to solve. I frequently have to resolve unpredictable problems that arise during deliveries and meet ever-changing customer demands on short notice. I have to be able to work with sales representatives, customer service agents and distribution center managers to find solutions to some very, very unique problems. When I am not doing this, I am always looking for ways to reduce our company's logistics expenses. This requires a combination of creativity and statistical data analysis that I find deeply satisfying.

I go to work because I have a great team and they count on me to do my job. I have felt most proud when my employees go out of their way to do a great job for the exact same reason. We all feel great when we get an email from a customer or sales rep complimenting how smooth a major delivery went. It makes it feel worthwhile to provide a high level of service.

My job is to develop and sell supply chain solutions to my company's customers. I analyze my client's existing supply chain and determine value-added services that will be beneficial to them. Additionally, I make presentations to the clients to demonstrate why our services will be advantageous and help implement those services when they sign on to them.

The biggest challenge I face is in clients with unrealistic expectations. Sometimes a client will expect that freight can be delivered overnight, every time, and at minimal cost no matter where it is coming from. They will argue all day long about how that needs to happen but will balk when the cost of air freight is brought up. That can get aggravating enough to make you want to quit.

I truly love my job. Every business is pressed to increase profitability. Increasing internal efficiency means that I directly contribute to increased profitability without the need to increase prices. Not all of the necessary technological changes have been perfected and applied, so there is more and greater savings possible through the use of RFID technology in logistics management. Because technology can enhance profitability, there is less need for my company to reduce headcount to avoid raising prices. Someone’s job remains, but neither do our customers pay more for our products. As all kinds of budgets – corporate, household and personal – are stressed in the current economic environment, I take pride in the fact that I'm able to play a direct part.

With so much of America’s manufacturing base moving out of the country, truck driving is still a secure profession because there is no good substitute for truck transport of goods. As is the case with health care, trucking necessarily must be done at the point where it is needed. It is not a job that can be outsourced to another country.

Even though I did not grow up dreaming of driving a big truck back and forth across the country, I have enjoyed the work for most of these twenty years. There are times that I wonder how life would be if I could be home every night, but those times are infrequent. Truck driving has been good for me. With more than one million accident-free miles, I like to think that I have been good for trucking, too.

There are many misunderstandings both from customers and potential employees. Customers believe we have access to every detail of their information but in logistics, certain information is kept with the client (the actual magazine publisher & their marketing department) and only their subscription information is given to us (the company handling the customer service side). And potential employees, whom never worked in customer service or logistics) believe the job is mindless and they will have a script for everything. That is incorrect. We never know what a customer will request or what attitude they will have when contacting us, so we are provided with the knowledge to execute the transactions requested of us but how we interact with the customer while completing their requests is up to us. As long as we satisfy the customer and meet the minimum standards, we are free to work in the manner that suits us best.

I got started in this career line because of my job in the military. I did many things there, but I also helped with the supply runs. The supplies kept the troops in the field stocked with food and other supplies. When I got out of the military, I was looking for a civilian job where I could use the skills I had learned in the military. This was the job I got. I don't think I'd change even if I could go back and do it differently.