If you told Lauren Horowitz a few years ago that one day she would be a truck driver and member of the Teamsters Union, she would have thought you were crazy. Yet the 25-year-old Poughkeepsie resident is just that, and couldn’t be happier.
Her father and brother, Mike Sr. and Jr., are both in the union, but she went to college to study social work. “Then COVID hit, the world stopped, and adulthood hit,” she said. She couldn’t finish college and got her own apartment but struggled to make ends meet. So, she got a job as a flagger — “my first glimpse of blue-collar work” — and the workers would let her move the truck. “I was the only woman on the site ever, and it felt pretty cool to be in the truck, shifting gears,” she said.
Her father suggested she get her commercial driver’s license (CDL), so she applied through a Department of Labor program that helped fund CDL school. While learning to drive trucks, she worked with her brother at a paving company, where she did manual labor, and her brother also let her practice driving when she had her permit.
She got her CDL and then found a job with the highway department in Beekman, NY. “They are part of the union, so that was my introduction. When you get the job, you join the union, Teamsters Local 456.” After about 18 months there, she landed a job with MJB Enterprises, in Dover Plains, in April 2025. She drives a variety of trucks and trailers and even handled a concrete mixer.
She likes driving because of “how empowering it is. It was all new to me, so every day I am learning and getting better,” she said. “You see a lot of self-growth in that.”
She also enjoys being part of the union. “You meet some great people that are part of your journey as well, who teach you and help you along the way.”
The journey was not easy, she admits. “Having an open mind is really important, to be able to take constructive criticism,” she said. “You have to be willing to learn, because you never stop learning; [there’s] a lot of trial and error.” Take maintenance, for example. “It’s not my responsibility to fix the truck, but it is my responsibility to identify when something is wrong. I had no prior knowledge about trucks, so learned a lot about radiator hoses and fittings,” she laughed. “You might get dirty and smell like diesel, and it goes back to having an open mind. There are good days and bad days, so it’s about showing up the next day and starting fresh.”
Horowitz wants to keep earning more driving credentials, like towing, “to make myself more valuable.” She advises anyone looking into this field to “get comfortable being uncomfortable. Everything felt so uncomfortable to me at the beginning. There were some hard days, mentally and physically. But keep showing up. It’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish. I think you will be shocked where it could lead you.”
She is thrilled where it has led her. “If you asked me at 18 what I would be doing in six years, I wouldn’t have thought it would be driving a truck. But I am so happy I am.”
A career in transportation/logistics might be right for you if:
- You’re interested in traveling.
- You don’t mind unusual hours.
- You’re looking for credentials that can transfer easily and are in demand in multiple sectors.
Some Key Westchester Employers
- Capital Logistics
- H&D Industries of NY, LLC
- Ron’s Moving, Packing & Trucking Company
- Westchester County Airport
- Wright Brothers Transport
Links and Resources
Heritage Auto School
This CDL driving school serves the Yonkers and White Plains areas. New students are always accepted.
Putnam-Northern Westchester BOCES
Putnam-Northern Westchester BOCES offers a Transportation Career Academy as part of its career and technical education programming, as well as auto mechanics courses.
Southern Westchester BOCES
Southern Westchester BOCES’ adult education department offers classes in key transportation/logistics skills, such as auto body repair and auto mechanics.
Related: Local Aviation Program Leads to Job Opportunities at Westchester Airport
