Daily Inspiration: Meet Mr. and Mrs. Shato Petway of Petway Trucking Fanning

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Shato Petway.

Hi Mr. and Mrs. Petway, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
Me and my wife started our vision for a trucking company in 2019. We saved to invest in our first truck May 2020. I was born in the trucking industry. My Grandfather was one of the first Black man in Nashville to own his own Dump truck company. Even though I watched him coming up, I choose a different route being young. I made a lot of bad choices before I got my ah-ha moment that caused me to serve time. My first year in the trucking industry I was very green. I studied day in and day out to obtain my CDL, I also had a couple of friends who owned dump truck companies that poured into me. I went and took my test and on my very first try… I passed! I started in a quarry with only my name and my truck! I showed up every day even on days that I sat parked. I started getting a couple of loads on them days but I was determined to wait until it was my turn. Now I’m one of the top runners in my quarry and have made a name for Petway trucking LLC. I’m a hard worker that takes pride in my work and I’m known for also pouring the knowledge giving to me into others. On my days off I’m taking guys on the road to show them the ins and outs of the trucking industry. I have guys that served time with me reaching out to me to explain the process and keep them motivated to choose a better path! I’m open to see everyone win and achieve their goals. The trucking industry will give you what you put in it. Being a billion-dollar industry, you can make well over 6 figures if you choose to be hardworking and dedicated to your craft. Presently I’m a certified DBE holder and working on my first federal/government contract. I leave most of the heavy-duty behind-the-scenes work to my beautiful wife and partner while I hit the pavement rolling! 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My biggest obstacle is recovering from an accident that was caused by a careless driver. I had to overcome the fear of getting back in a truck and watching my driving and driving of others on the road. I lost my first truck completely in the accident and my will was almost demolished. My wife stood by me every step of the way! Within a couple of weeks, I purchased my 2nd truck and climbed back in it with determination in my heart. One thing I do ask is that the little guys (car drivers)out there lookout for the big guys (truck drivers). We are someone’s spouse, siblings, children, and parents out here making an honest living. Let’s share the road and keep it safe for everyone on it. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My work is transportation. I currently own my own dump truck company and inspired to own a fleet of dump trucks to give work opportunities to others. 

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success as being able to provide for my family. I don’t define success by money … it’s more of the freedom to live as I like. When I provide security for my family and teach other people to provide, I view that as success. The reason I don’t look at success as in money is because there was a time where I had a lot of money and thought of money as success but I soon found out that that’s not equated to success at all, I accumulated the success/money the wrong way and I was never at peace! I do pray that my business grows where I have a fleet of dump trucks. But success to me is staying free, providing for my family and teaching this trade to others for them to provide for themselves and their family, and keeping them out of the streets so they will not make the same mistakes that I did. I want to be known as someone who gave back and say look don’t follow me but be better than me. When I was younger didn’t take a successful route but I’m showing you a trade where you can! 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]