Grade Tech would like to introduce our newest truck driver, Joe McCarthy.

“We’re so glad to have a seasoned and reliable driver like Joe join our team,” said Rory Hall, COO and co-founder of Grade Tech. “In this business it’s important to have a good, dependable driver to make sure we get everything where it needs to be on time, and Joe is that reliable driver – he has more than 2 million miles of safe, accident-free driving under his belt.”

Born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Joe moved to Salt Lake City area when he was just 4 years old and was raised in Sandy-West Jordan area. He began working in the trades more than 28 years ago, having started doing concrete when he was just 14 years old. He also worked as a journeyman plumber for 12 years and in 2008, he got behind the wheel and has never looked back.

Joe explained that since he was a young child, he always wanted to drive a truck and that he was excited at the opportunity to travel. “I wanted to be able to go everywhere and see everything,” he said. He also said that over-the-road travel grew tiresome and he was happy when he was put a short, steady route. “The long travel actually got old really fast, so I felt really lucky to be assigned a dedicated run from Layton to Reno three times a week,” he explained. “I did that route for 9 years and I was home every day. That’s rare in trucking!”

After 9 years on the same route, he started doing flatbed trucking to the San Francisco Bay area for a steel company. With his kids grown and out of the house, Joe’s wife was at home alone a lot, so Joe began looking for a job with less travel. After looking for the right opportunity for about two months, Joe found Grade Tech when a friend of his wife introduced him to Grade Tech. Joe got a call from David Barlow, Operations Manager at Grade Tech, and the rest as they say it history.

Joe said that he knew right away that Grade Tech would be a good fit for him. “I was really picky when I was looking for a new ride, but when I met with David it felt right, so I decided to pull the trigger and go to work for Grade Tech.”

Joe has the best of both worlds at Grade Tech – an ideal balance of life on the road and quality time at home. He explained that he’s here to stay. “I have the quality of life I want and David is really great to work for,” he said. “They take care of me and I don’t really see myself going anywhere; I don’t want to bounce around anymore, I am here to stay.”  

When asked what he likes best about driving a truck, Joe says that it is the independence and variety that appeal most to him. “Whether it’s long or short hauls, I am on my own and I don’t need to rely on anyone else to get the job done – it’s all me,” he explained. “I usually get a call around 8 p.m. from David with my dispatch for the next day. So even though I am doing the same thing, it’s always different.”

Joe says that he was content to travel “all over the place” when he was younger, but is happy to have earned the local routes after many years on the road. “When you start, you have to be all over the road and be you’re gone half the time, but you work your way up to the local stuff,” he explained. He went on to say that truck drivers will always be needed and it’s an easy, secure job that pays well.

When he’s not behind the wheel, Joe enjoys a variety of activities. In the spring/summer he can be found on the golf course, out on the open road on his motorcycle, or doing projects around the house. He also competes in pickle ball tournaments and enjoys a good game of corn hole with his family – they even made their own corn hole boards. In the winter, he plays ice hockey and likes to hit the slopes on his snowboard.

Please join us in welcoming Joe to the Grade Tech team!