From Tanker Driver to Sales Account Executive

With a natural curiosity and sense of adventure, Lucas Karcher is known for taking the road less traveled. Lucas started his journey by earning a college degree, but it didn’t take long for his career to take an unusual turn.

After graduation, Lucas packed his backpack to start exploring while teaching English in South America.
“I learn by meeting new people, hearing their unique stories and seeing new things. These experiences do not always come from a classroom or an office.”

Although Lucas caught the travel bug, the time came when he had to buckle down and look into career options.

“My practical side told me to get a good job with stability, but I did not want to compromise my sense of adventure. A friend, who knows me well, was actually the one to spark the idea of getting my CDL, a perfect combination of the two.”

After meeting with several recruiters, Lucas hit the road at Schneider as a Tanker truck driver in October of 2012.
“Schneider impressed me right out of the gate, from how the employees carry themselves to how they operate overall as a company,” he recalled.

Why he chose to become a Tanker driver

Of all the driving options, driving for the company’s Bulk chemical division appealed to Lucas most.

“A big factor of why I wanted to become a Tanker driver is because of my fascination with how things are made. I think it is pretty neat to see where the things we use every day come from,” he enthusiastically admitted.

Lucas also thrived on the challenges that came with being a Tanker driver:

Driving for the Bulk division was also a perfect fit for Lucas’ lifestyle.

“As a Schneider Tanker driver, I work really, really hard, but I also get paid to travel the country. Then, I get six consecutive days off a month to come home and relax with friends and family.”

Continued career growth in new roles

Lucas has collected more experiences than he could’ve ever imagined since joining the Schneider family in 2012. During his time with Schneider, he has visited 48 states, six Canadian provinces, moved across the country and held five different positions within Schneider. Lucas’ impressive career path demonstrates his desire for new challenges and the endless amount of growth opportunities available at Schneider.

Bulk Training Engineer

After driving solo for a little over a year, Lucas became a Bulk Training Engineer. As a Training Engineer, he took students over the road after they completed the first part of their training and taught them more about the trucking industry and how to adapt to life as a truck driver.

“This was one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever had. I was able to mentor students on how to make the driving lifestyle work for them so they could stay healthy and maintain their sanity.”

In-Truck Trainer

Then in March of 2015, Lucas set out on a new adventure and moved from Asheville, N.C., to Houston, Texas, to work as an In-Truck Trainer at the Houston Bulk Schneider Training Academy. Within this role, he worked with new students throughout the first part of their training and helped students learn and develop the skills needed to ensure good, safe and successful driving careers, such as coupling and uncoupling, backing, loading and unloading, and trip planning.

Driver Safety Leader

Lucas transitioned into a new role in June 2015 as the Driver Safety Leader for Schneider Bulk. In this role, he utilized his experience as being both a driver and trainer to help and support all new Bulk drivers through the training program.

“One of the most rewarding things about being a Driver Safety Leader was being able to see new drivers’ skills and confidence grow. It was my goal to assist all the new drivers I work with in the way that my leaders and mentors helped me.”

STM Sales Account Executive

In 2018, Lucas was yet again ready for another challenge. He worked with his leader to search for opportunities that would keep him on his toes and allow him to be in control of his own destiny – similar to what attracted him to becoming a truck driver. When he learned about the opportunities within Schneider Transportation Management (STM), he jumped right in.

“What I love most about this role is the energetic atmosphere, the day-to-day challenges and the fact that I get what I put into it.”

Supportive leadership leads to unlimited opportunity

Lucas’ career path highlights the unlimited opportunities at Schneider. He considers the opportunity to work with great leaders and mentors as one of Schneider’s biggest benefits. These leaders have helped and support him throughout his career journey.