Team truck driving: A series of firsts for a team of two brothers

It’s not often that the universe aligns to give you exactly what you want. That’s why when Sergio and Carlos Villarreal learned that driving for Schneider would provide a steady paycheck and the opportunity to explore the country with someone they already know and work well with, well, it was a no-brainer.

Since childhood, Sergio and Carlos have always been a team. Wherever one brother went, the other would follow, which led both to work alongside one another in industries like frack and fabrication. They sought out a steady paycheck after the oil industry began to stumble and turned to truck driving. Team truck driving was a fit financially, but it also allowed them to do what they do best: work together.

Driving truck also meant they could do more of what they love: listen to music.

Team truck driving is all about tuning into the experience

If the brothers don’t have their Spotify playlist on, with anything from polka to pop rock, it’s likely because Sergio’s playing guitar.

If you haven’t guessed, these guys make the most of their time on the road.

“It might not be a 9-to-5 job,” said Sergio.

“But you get to see the country,” said Carlos. “I had never seen snow, and the next thing you know I’m driving up snow-covered mountains in a truck to the beat of an old country song!”

The mountains only account for a few of the more than 200,000 miles the brothers have put on the road. Although they have many similarities, share a passion for music and are able to know what one another is thinking – both on and off the road – they still have unique personalities.

“I’m very talkative, and Sergio loves to sleep,” Carlos said. “I’ll talk to anybody about anything.”

“Yeah, I’ll get woken up in the truck and Carlos will say ‘Get up. We’re going to a restaurant,’” Sergio said. “I’ll ask, ‘With who?’ and it will be with some drivers he just met at a Schneider operating center.”

Balancing family with family

There’s no doubt team truck driving requires resilience, patience and a lot of flexibility. For Carlos, it also requires you to be self-aware and know your limitations: when to break, when to get out of the truck, when to turn the music off and when to get your time at home.

“Although it’s fun being somewhere different every day, we also have families we love to spend time with,” said Carlos.

“Each of our kids is super active in sports and in music,” said Sergio. “I guess you can say that whether we’re on the road or at home, it’s all about tuning in to family.”

With big hearts and a whole world to continue exploring, we wish Carlos and Sergio a playlist of career firsts and forever-memories.