Happy Retirement Allen!

A Career Recap

Allen Reeder was assigned truck #1031 – the 31st truck Knight ever added to its fleet. 

It was the early ‘90s – not long after the company hauled its first load from Phoenix to LA and back. 

At his previous job, he’d become acquainted with the Knights through a mutual connection and heard rumblings of plans to start their own trucking company. 

Sixteen months into his career as a trucker in the pre-CDL era, he wondered if joining them was his next move. 

Then one day, he saw their “beautiful red cab-over pulling a 53-foot dry van trailer” – a sight to behold compared to the doubles of the time. Each truck had a raised roof, double bunk, and just enough room for him to put his pants on, so he was sold. 

As the company expanded and proved it wasn’t “just another trucking start-up,” he ran significant miles while maintaining enough home time to be with his young children.  

Except for a brief year-long stint with a local ready-mix company, he spent over 16 total years as an OTR driver for Knight. He proudly notes that within this span, he put his kids through school, remarried, and paid off his mortgage much sooner than anticipated – thanks in part to the job he had grown to love. Sometimes, there “wasn’t much sleep.” In fact, there were many long nights and trailers he had to unload by himself, but the sense of fulfillment was undeniable. 

By 2008, he and his wife were empty nesters, and he became an owner-operator for a different group in Denver. On this path, he learned to face unforgiving winters and the rigid terrain of the continental divide – life-saving knowledge he’d eventually pass on to future students. 

In January of 2012, he returned to Knight as a road mentor before transitioning into his role as a CDL instructor – his title these last 4 years. He enjoyed working within a fast-paced program that requires students to be “on their game.” The course holds them “to a higher standard,” defining who they are behind the wheel – a testament, he emphasizes, to the instructors and systems in place. 

As he retires, Allen looks forward to much more time with his wife and family above all. 

Admittedly, he’ll miss the friends he made along the way, training the next generation, and of course, the “good ol’ days” – back at the beginning of the company we know now. 

He does suspect he’ll “always have a toe in the water” at Knight, and understandably so – a career spanning roughly 30 years with the company makes the two almost seem inseparable. 

He says there’s a “Y” in the ground – “crossroads” – and that’s ok. He leans into his faith with gratitude for what’s behind and excitement for what’s ahead, even in uncertainty. 

As a driver, mentor, and instructor, he leaves his fingerprints throughout the Knight story – and for that, we’re incredibly grateful. 

Thank you, Allen – we wish you all the best!