Chris Schatz, an OOIDA life member, has over 50 years of experience

OOIDA life member Chris Schatz has been involved in trucking in some form since the late 1960s.

Schatz, of Worland, Wyo., bought his first truck in 1971 and has owned some 20 trucks during his six-decade-plus career that’s covered millions of miles.

As Schatz put it, “Trucking has been my whole life.”

The Wyoming truck driver said he’s hauled anything and everything you can tie onto a flatbed to destinations throughout the West and beyond.

Clay pipe, petroleum products, batteries, beverages and more.

Schatz and his wife, Lynda, also drove together for many years.

“She is an awesome driver and just a special person,” Schatz said.

In his most recent role, Schatz spends his days passing his knowledge and experience on to the next generation of truck drivers, working as a trainer/driver for GK Construction in Lovell, Wyo.

“I’ve worked with so many wonderful people over the years, and this company asked me to come in and help train the younger drivers,” Schatz said. “I retired in 2019, but I was back by 2020 training drivers. There’s so many awesome young people in the industry.”

Safety heavily factored into Schatz’s decision to help train drivers how to maneuver trucks as heavy as 150,000 pounds through mines in Wyoming.

“This is a company that really cares about safety,” Schatz said. “That’s always been important to me, and I’ve always tried to do the right thing.”

Schatz has won several awards for his safety record as well as numerous driver of the year and driver of the month honors. He has also served as the president of the Wyoming Trucking Association.

In June, Schatz was among eight individuals to be presented a Golden Achievement award by the American Truck Historical Society at its national convention and truck show in Madison, Wis.

“What a great honor,” Schatz said. “When I was a kid, my dad had a farm and I’d see the trucks come by and thought, ‘Man, I’d love to drive one of those one day.’ And now, it’s been my life. I feel like I’ve never worked a day in my life, but I’ve put a lot of hours in.”

Schatz said riding along on routes to Canada as a teen and “getting tired of stacking hay on the farm” also factored heavily into his decision to pursue a trucking career.

He was nominated for the ATHS award by Steve Haberland, a good friend of Schatz who also received a Golden Achievement award at the same event.

“Neither of us had an idea we’d won anything until we were at the awards banquet,” Schatz said.

A humorous twist came from an individual seated near Schatz who told him, “Usually someone sitting next to me wins something.”

As Schatz continues in his semi-retired lifestyle, seeing conditions improve for those behind the wheel is high on his wish list.

“What OOIDA is fighting for is the only hope we have in trucking,” Schatz said. “There’s so many regulations that there’s no reason to even have. The ELDs have people speeding through everything. (The) hours-of-service (regulation) has shut every café and truck stop down. What (regulations) have done to the industry is terrible.” LL