For four years, I’d driven school buses and 18-wheelers for the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District, one of the Houston area’s largest and fastest-growing districts. I transported more than 100 students safely to and from school each day. Before every route, I walked the vehicle—checking tires, brakes, lights, and mirrors. Parents trusted me with what matters most to them. I didn’t take that lightly.
When I wasn’t driving a bus, I hauled everything our district marching bands needed to perform—instruments, uniforms, audio gear, staging equipment, carts and dollies, tool kits, weather tarps, and repair supplies. The trailer became a rolling warehouse. We loaded each piece onto wheeled racks and road cases, rolled it up the lift-gate, and secured it tightly so nothing shifted on the road.
Whether headed from Houston to San Antonio, Dallas, Lubbock, or Austin, I knew that what was behind me mattered just as much as who was riding with me. It was careful, detailed work, and I loved doing it. I’m proud of the trust that came with it…