Retired with Kloeckner: Stanley Duplessis

This past December Stanley Duplessis retired after 29 years working for Kloeckner Metals as a truck driver. Within a month he was back, albeit working part-time.

“Me and the plant operator laughed about it at first,” Stanley said. “He said, ‘You know, part-time can turn into full-time.’ I don’t really want full-time. I just want something to stay active.”

Stanley’s semi-retirement started when Transportation Manager Melissa Landry asked him if he would be interested in coming back to help train a new driver. Stanley was indeed interested, having experience training drivers before. When one of the regular truck drivers got hurt, Stanley offered to fill in.

“He has been a blessing to us,” Melissa said. “I let him choose what he wants to do. I try to make it enjoyable for him because we do need him right now. He has definitely been our saving grace this year.”

Stanley started out driving trucks in the 1970s. He was working for Metal Services, loading and driving trucks around the yard. His career took off from there. He has been driving out of Kloeckner’s New Orleans facility since it was American Steel, 29 years.

“It has been a long career, but it has been a good career,” Stanley said. “It is one I don’t have any regrets about, that’s for sure. It took care of me and my family.”

While things have changed over the years, Stanley still enjoys driving. He also enjoys the people he works with. He would highly recommend Kloeckner to any driver able to get onboard.

“It has been a good company,” Stanley said. “Everybody is like family.”

Stanley’s advice for new drivers is to take driving seriously. You need to know the federal regulations as well as the procedures and practices of the company you drive for. Even with the electronic logs, you have to know how to use a paper log in case the computer goes out. Most of all, you have to be safe.

“Operating a big piece of machinery, you have a lot of people’s lives in your hands,” Stanley said. “It is something you have to take seriously. You have to get your proper rest. You can’t just figure you can jump in the truck anytime and go.”

As for the actual retirement part of Stanley’s retirement, he is working on remodeling his house.

“Once I get that squared out of the way, me and my wife plan on taking a cruise somewhere,” Stanley said.