My name is Barry Owens, and I am a truck driver. However, I am a little different than your usual truck driver because I do it from a wheelchair. That's right, a wheelchair. The wreck depicted below happened on November 19, 1981. It paralyzed me from the waist down. After I got out of the hospital, in March of 1982, I knew my life had changed. But, I also knew I had to keep going. I was engaged and did not want to let my fiancé down. Kathy, now my wife, stayed right by my side. It was her commitment that gave me the drive I needed to overcome my setback.

I went to Barton Freightliner in Memphis, TN. The salesman was Tommy Earl. The people at Barton were great. They worked out a deal with me: If I could not get my truck set up to get my CDL, they would take it back at no cost to me. My first truck, featured below, was a day cab. The lift came from Handicap Unlimited in Memphis, TN. The lift installed was not the best in the world, but it worked. I put about 275,000 miles on that truck before I fell to the ground one day while getting out of it. The injury to my shoulder put me in the hospital. While in the hospital, I was struck with a brilliant idea: I could put a lift in my truck like the one in my van.

Once again, I went to Handicap Unlimited. This time, I had a new request. I asked them if they could take a lift that went into a school bus and put it in a truck. They said that they had not done anything like that, but they would try. Then, I ordered another truck. My second truck, featured below, was a 1995 FLD 120 with a 70 inch sleeper. Handicap Unlimited actually got the school bus lift to work in this truck.

With the problem of getting in and out of the truck behind me, I set my mind on the next task. Now that I had my own authority, I had to find the load, haul it, send out the bills, and hope to get paid for it. There were loads I hauled that I did not get paid for, but that was the cost of learning the truck business. I sought to lease my truck with a company and let them lease the load, but no one wanted to take a driver in a wheelchair.

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In March of 1995 my neighbor, Jimmy Yeager, asked me to talk to the company for which he was working, Southern State Transportation. I called the operating manager, Fred Manning, and set up an interview. He said that had all of the trucks he needed at that time, but would keep me in mind. Two weeks later, my brother Frank, was at a truck stop in Memphis talking about changing jobs. Fred Manning overheard him and asked if Frank wanted to work for him. Frank asked him what company he was with. When Fred replied "Southern State Transportation", Frank said, "I heard you had all the trucks you needed and you were not putting on anyone." Fred said, "Where did you hear that? I could use twenty more trucks today." Frank asserted, "Barry Owens." Finally Fred said, "Yes, I told him that." Frank's reply was, "Barry is my younger brother, and if you want me to work for you, then you will have to take him too."

Fred called me and asked if I would come back to meet with him. He gave me the job, and ninety days to prove myself. After those 90 days, I had a better performance rating than 90% of his other employees.
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In 1996 Southland Transportation bought Southern State. Ronnie Fondern, was the new owner, and he had his doubts about me. He decided to wait and see how well I operated. In August of 1997, I had a wreck that was not my fault. A car pulled out in front of me, and I hit it. I did not know how Southland would respond. Much to my surprise, they stood behind me. After getting that truck fixed, I sold it to Mike Bassett (Mike is also in a wheelchair) and I ordered a new one. Once again, I called Tommy Earl at Barton Freightliner. My next truck was a 1998 FLD120 Condo with a 70 inch sleeper in it. Handicap Unlimited put the same kind of lift on this truck that I had on the other one.

Southland gave me a dedicated run from Memphis, TN, to New Port, TN. I thought I had hit the jackpot. Indeed, it was a good run. Hunt Wesson, in Memphis, worked out a deal with Southland for me. I kept the run until Southland went out of business, in January of 2000. After that, I went to work for Empire Express. Due to my past performance record, I had no trouble getting a job. My situation left me unable to haul all of their loads. I decided to move on because I could not give 100%. The people at Empire valued my determination.

In April of 2002, I went to work at Vortex trucking, of Oakland, MS. Vortex had no problems hiring me. I worked there until Ronnie Fondern called me in 2004 to say he was getting back into the van business and wanted me to join him. Missing the days at Southland, I said yes. So in April of2004, I went to work at Promise Transportation. This is where I am today.

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I have been doing this for nearly 15 years and I have logged close to 2 million miles from a wheelchair, by myself. Although there are other drivers in wheelchairs, they all have someone with them. I do it all alone. I've come a long way. I still have a long way to go, but I am DETERMINED.

I want to show the world what trucking has to offer. I also want to show, with determination, there are no limits. I am not asking for a handout, just a chance to show the world what trucking is and can be. If this sounds like something your company would like to participate in, please contact us.

Thank you for your time. I hope to hear from you in the future.