(Said No One Ever About My Career Path)
Most people who know me today think of me as an ex truck driver, and indeed I have made most of my living and supported my family over the years by driving trucks from coast to coast in the US and Canada for 43 years between 1970 and 2015. From the time when I was three and sat on my fathers lap on a little orange Allis Chalmers tractor and was allowed to take control of the steering wheel I was in love with driving.
I learned to drive a car at 13, owned my first car when I was 14, drove farm trucks from the age of 15 but never even got my driver’s licence till I was almost 18. My best estimate is I’ve driven close to five million miles in my lifetime and still adding to that almost every day.
However, in between all that driving I found time to hold many other jobs and try my hand at numerous other professions.
Here’s the list to the best of my recollection:
Aircraft Refueler
Bus Driver
Canadian Armed Forces
Crane Operator
Driver Instructor
Encyclopaedia Salesman
Freelance editor
Farmhand
Floral Delivery Driver
Furniture Manufacturer
Furniture Refinisher
Gas Station Attendant
Grain Buyer (Grain Elevator)
Heavy Equipment Operator
High-rise Construction
Insurance Salesman
Long haul Truck Driver
Music Store Manager
Party DJ
Piano & Organ Sales
Pulp Cutter
Radio Announcer
Railway Labourer
Security Guard
Seed Cleaning Plant Worker
Taxi Driver
Tire Repair Person
Upholsterer
Waterbed Installer
Website Designer
After retiring from trucking in 2015 I lived the retired life for about six years and I thought I would stay that way. But then the pandemic happened. Before we knew it our pensions were no longer stretching far enough, so I went back to work for the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires and currently working 40 to 48 hours a week, mostly night shifts.
Many people have said to me, “You should write a book.” Oh right. I’m also a published writer, and now co-owner of a newsletter for seniors..
**Bill Gould** spent 43 years as a long-haul truck driver before trading the steering wheel for a keyboard to help fellow Canadians navigate the road of retirement. A freelance writer, published author, and editor of over 50 books, Bill co-founded *Canadian Senior Moment* with his wife, Marilyn, to provide a trusted space for seniors to find clarity, safety, and connection in the digital age. When he isn’t troubleshooting “tech gremlins” or sharing childhood memories of the Prairies, he can be found in his woodshop or working on his latest novel.