In 2016, Leroi Catlin, Jr said he’d never forget the day he received news of his layoff from a corporate job he’d held since college.
“It was definitely a shock to hear,” he shared. “I really didn’t know what I was going to do honestly.”
He said he landed a few contractor roles to keep himself afloat, but soon grew tired of the bureaucratic corporate structure. “Everytime I started a new contracted role after a few months, I’d get sick of starting over, assimilating, making adjustments to fit their workplace culture–and I was also a bit overqualified and everyone knew that,” Catlin acknowledged.
Luckily, a chance encounter with someone he’d met while on a guys trip gave him a new perspective on the next phase of his career. “I was in Las Vegas and I randomly met a guy who told me about his freight trucking business,” he said. “It was really interesting because he was forthcoming with how much he was making, which was alot, and the security that came with entry into the industry.”
He’s right. The Washington Post recently reported that the trucking industry moves more than 70% of the country’s freight. And more than ever, truck drivers are in high demand due to the pandemic.
Forbes also reported the industry has lost 6% of its workers since the pandemic began and struggles to recruit. The industry needs at least 80,000 new truckers, U.S. Xpress, one of the nation’s largest truckload carriers, says. The American Trucking Associations reported that this sector is headed for a shortage of 160,000 drivers by 2030, and the need for one million new drivers over the next 10 years.
Catlin said he’d studied this information, pooled his resources and struck out on his own with Vision Moves, in the middle of the pandemic.
In a May 2020 announcement on his Instagram profile, he wrote:
“In the middle of this Covid-19 Pandemic and trying times for so many globally, I am BEYOND PROUD to announce that I am able to provide jobs for Essential Workers through the Freight Division of my transportation company “Vision Moves LLC”. The first load under our own Authority is dispatched and ready to roll with our new driver next week…Definitely been a long journey but we made it…Special S/O to @alix_goodenergy @askdemarco @trucknhustle @hoodestates @earnyourleisure and @lux_high for giving me the blueprint and game to be successful in this business…This is only the beginning….Aw how did I forget also S/O to getting FIRED from my last 9-5 corporate job around this time a year ago💪🏾💪🏾!!!
Since then, he’s earned more than six-figures and is planning to expand his fleet. The success hasn’t come without its challenges though. “I make a lot of sacrifices personally to make sure I’m focused professionally,” he said. “Although earning potential is high, you can just as quickly lose your revenue due to overhead.”
Fortunately, the part time real estate agent knows how to manage his time and money wisely. “I account for every dollar that goes out–even if I’m on a date, I look at how much is spent and how quickly I can make it back,” he joked.
Overall, he says he made the right decision.
“It gets really tough and I often have to roll with really hard punches, but I’m trying to serve my community and affect real impact for years to come.”