“I Came Into Trucking Looking for a Fresh Start”

From one truck to a thriving fleet, Chris Schwanke built something far greater than success.

On a cool Kentucky morning, sunlight bounces off a line of gleaming Peterbilts, each polished enough to catch the reflection of their owner’s quiet pride. Standing between them, hands in pockets and a knowing smile on his face, is Chris Schwanke, a man who rebuilt his life one mile, one truck, and one relationship at a time.

“I came into trucking looking for a fresh start,” Chris says. “But I found a lot more than that.”

Before the highway became his calling, Chris spent fifteen years running a construction company in northwest Indiana. The work was steady but the reward never seemed to match the effort. So, in 2018, he left it all behind and headed south to Arkansas. He didn’t know it then, but that leap of faith would open the road to something bigger: a new career, a new mission, and a new way to serve others.

Everything he saw in Arkansas job listings read, CDL required. His father had been a driver, and the idea had always lingered in the back of his mind. “I figured I’d give it a year,” he recalls. “One year turned into six trucks.”

Chris started at Prime Inc., where he earned his license, bought his first truck, and, true to form, started helping others do the same. The student quickly became the teacher. Soon he was training new drivers, mentoring friends, and building a reputation for treating everyone like family. “I can’t be successful all by myself,” he says. “I’m only as good as the people who work with me and for me.”

That belief became the foundation of his small fleet, now operating under Mercer Transportation. What began as one truck has grown into a thriving operation run with his wife, Judy, who manages fuel costs, payroll, and dispatch from home. He’s also quick to credit Sarah Newton, his Mercer coordinator, for playing a vital role in keeping everything running smoothly.

“Sarah is an integral part of my business,” Chris says. “She understands what we’re trying to do and helps us make it happen. Without people like her, I couldn’t be as successful as I am.”

Chris is the kind of leader who builds people, not just trucks. Jamar Mincy, one of Chris’s first students, remembers meeting him during what he calls “one of the roughest times” in his life. “I was ready to quit trucking,” Mincy says. “Chris believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. He showed me the ropes, gave me confidence, and pushed me to keep going. He’s more than a trainer, he's a role model.”

Mentorship runs deep in Chris’s family, too. His nephew Zachary Schwanke, now a Mercer fleet owner himself, describes his uncle as “a father figure who helped raise me.”

“The most important lesson he ever gave me,” Zachary says, “was to be a man of your word. If you say you’re going to be there for someone, be there.”

That sense of responsibility isn’t new to Chris. It's been a part of his life long before trucking. Back in Michigan City, Indiana, he served as president of the city council, managing a $42 million budget and leading community initiatives. He’s always believed leadership means showing up, whether that’s at a council meeting, a truck yard, or a neighbor’s door at 1 a.m. to shovel snow for someone in need.

These days, his leadership takes a new form through his membership in the Guardian Riders, a nonprofit motorcycle group that supports veterans and their families. The group raises funds and lends hands to help with everything from replacing roofs to building wheelchair ramps for vets in need.

Earlier this year, Chris hauled a special load of grave markers for veterans from Georgia to Michigan City, Indiana, his hometown.

“When you stand in that warehouse surrounded by hundreds of headstones,” he says, “you realize each one represents a life that served this country. Getting them where they belong? That meant something to me.”

Though Chris isn’t a veteran himself, his respect for service runs deep. His father and nephew both served, and through Guardian Riders, he honors that legacy in action. “How do you not give back?” he asks. “Look at what we’ve been blessed with. It’s just the right thing to do.”

When he talks about Mercer, his gratitude is quiet but clear. “At Mercer, I found a home,” he says. “They care about their people, they care about veterans, and they give you the freedom to build something meaningful. That’s what keeps me here.”

As the morning sun climbs higher, Chris steps up onto the running board of his truck, scanning the lot as his drivers roll in. He waves, checks a mirror, and smiles. The engines rumble to life, a low steady chorus that feels less like work and more like rhythm… The sound of a life rebuilt on purpose.

The open road has been more than miles for Chris Schwanke. It’s been a road to second chances, leadership, and making a difference.