As a young boy in my native country of Mexico, I dreamed about driving one of those big diesel trucks that roared by my house. I distinctly remember standing on the side of the road and saying to myself, “One day I will drive one of those big trucks.” My uncle was a truck driver. He also inspired me to become a truck driver. He would come to our house and allow me to climb up inside the truck. As I got older he taught me about driving and trucks. I would travel with him during vacations and dream of driving my own truck. Thanks to Deseret Industries, I have reached my dream of becoming a professional truck driver for a major trucking company.

I was unemployed for a couple of years, surviving day by day by working odd jobs. However, I knew that I needed to be self-reliant and have a job that would support my family. I heard about Deseret Industries from my home teacher and he encouraged me to talk to my bishop.

I was enrolled in the Deseret Industries program and began by working on the dock unloading pods and trucks. My job coach motivated me to improve my English, so I took ESL classes and practiced speaking English. I took a customer service class and a forklift course at Deseret Industries and soon I was forklift certified. I later became a driver’s helper. As I went out on daily door-to-door donation pickups, I remembered my childhood dream of driving the big trucks. I would ask the Deseret Industries drivers how to get a class “A” driver license, and learned that if I worked hard DI could help me earn my commercial driver license. Not only did everyone at DI support my decision to be a professional truck driver, but they also invested sacred funds to help pay for my driving classes.      

Today I drive cross-county in my own company truck and love every mile. Hopefully in a year or two, I will become a truck driver trainer for the company so I can help others provide for their families. I will always be grateful to Deseret Industries for helping a young boy’s dream become a reality.