From cashier to tanker driver: Kim’s 16-year journey with Pilot

Despite a move across the country and several roles over the past 16 years, one thing remains consistent in Kim Surber’s life – Pilot Flying J.

Her pursuit of trucking initially started at one of our smaller stores in California, where Kim, who was 19 at the time, took on her very first job as a cashier. She slowly worked her way up to shift leader, earning a nursing degree along the way, and eventually transferred to one of our stores in Fargo, North Dakota in hopes of finding a career in nursing.

When the 2008 recession hit, however, Kim had a difficult time finding a nursing role. After several years of searching, she realized this wasn’t her path. It was something else entirely – something much more familiar: trucking.

Between the constant interaction with other truck drivers and her experience in the trucking industry, Kim thought, “Hey, maybe I should pursue trucking – they do make a lot of money.”

Her goal was to eventually drive for Pilot Company, which requires one year of experience to haul a tanker. To get experience straight out of school, Kim drove for another company while working part-time at our Fargo store, which led her to unexpectedly fall in love with hauling fuel. After a year on the road, there was an opening for a full-time trucking position in Fargo, which Kim jumped at immediately.

The transition from being in the store to on the road was strange at first.

“When I was a shift leader, it was all about the inside. It was about making sure the floors were clean and coffee pots were full. But now it’s about the outside. It’s about exterior things, like windshield wiper fluid.”

While she sometimes misses the interaction with other people, she found she prefers driving. She likes that there’s not a lot of guess work about what she’s doing or where she’s going.

“Being a driver is so rewarding,” Kim said. “I’d encourage anyone to do it. As the only female tanker in my area, it’s pretty cool to be able to represent for females and drive this 80,000-pound vehicle. It makes you feel good that you’re providing a service for all the cars around you.”

With 16 years and counting, Kim has no plans to leave a company that’s been so good to her.

“I’m appreciative of Pilot’s willingness to stick by me through all my trials and errors in life.”