When you go for your interview make sure you dress the part and look professional but be prepared to be relaxed, smile and know that the fun and excitement of travel are alive and well in that office. Although it is an office job that can be tedious and stressful, systems are in place that ensure that the work is completed and a light hearted and fun demeanor exists amongst senior employees, the general manager, drivers and the owners. You will feel like you are part of their family from the first day!

My biggest mistake was that due to being financially overextended I took on another, exhausting job during the first shift hours of 7am-1pm. Following that shift as a tow-operator I would drive home, shower and change and return to my dispatching position at A1A. I was working 17 hour days with only 1 full day off per week. Simply, I became burned out, overly tired and at times struggled to stay awake and alert. This eventually led to my departure from A1A as well as the first shift towing job and into a new industry and career. If I had to do it all over again, I would have asked for a raise from the owners of A1A, supplemented my income by driving for the company on a part time basis before my shift and maintaining my position at that company as I believe my departure has and will lead to me missing out on the future growth of this respected and successful small, family run business.

The best thing about A1A was the people who worked there. It is a small office with no more than 8-10 employees including the owners Peggy and Rick. The office is open so everyone could see one another which facilitated casual and fun conversation, obtaining quick answers to questions when they arose and although this is a serious, professionally operated and profitable business, the camaraderie amongst the office workers made the sometimes stressful positions, much easier to handle because you felt at home and almost like part of a family. The drivers, 45-50 in number all had varied personalities and often displayed a whole variety of emotions from grumpy, to happy, annoyed, elated, excited, ho-hum and everything in between. When a driver would come into the office and start to tell a story of what they encountered while in the field the office would often erupt in laughter or collapse into seriousness, depending on the story being told. Looking back I can honestly say that A1A was probably the most enjoyable office job that I ever had because of the positive attitudes, the diversity of office staff and drivers, the serious but understanding and rational owners and the super-serious general manager who came across as a tough guy but was, in reality, a brutally honest and often hilarious person to work for. I truly miss working at A1A and if you get hired, you are guaranteed to smile and laugh many times during your shift!