Driver AJ Honeycutt Finds the “People First” Mantra is More than Just Talk at EquipmentShare

Family is important to AJ Honeycutt. His role at EquipmentShare allows him more time to be with his wife and three children, who range in age from one to 14. AJ grew up wanting to be like his dad, a mechanic, but he quickly realized he preferred to be around heavy machines and not necessarily working on them. After years of trying out a few other positions driving and working as a mechanic, he realized he wanted to focus on driving and found his perfect role with EquipmentShare.

Having worked with AJ in a prior role with a different rental company, national account manager Mandy Peters knew she wanted to bring him on board with EquipmentShare as a member of the new Birmingham rental team. She recruited AJ because she knew he would make an excellent addition to the company.

“I knew AJ would be a great driver for EquipmentShare because of who he is as a person, one that’s dependable and hard-working,” Mandy said. “AJ is the best kind of driver we can have because he shows up ready to work every day, takes it seriously and he’s safe. When we look for drivers, we aren’t always looking for the fastest — we want dependable, safe and steady drivers to get the equipment to where it needs to be, and that’s AJ in a nutshell.”

AJ has been driving trucks and large vehicles for more than a decade, with a break once to try out being a mechanic, but he believes he’s found his calling at EquipmentShare. AJ previously worked for another rental company, often traveling overnight and spending time away from his home and family. Finding a company that cares about him and his family – and compensates him accordingly – has been a blessing for AJ.

“EquipmentShare is one of the very few companies I’ve worked for that really seems to care about their employees,” AJ said. “It’s the only place I’ve ever worked for where I received a bonus. For Christmas the company sends an actual gift. The Christmas ornament was a big hit with my wife, she felt like there was some thought put into the gifts and that means a lot to us. EquipmentShare celebrates our birthdays and anniversaries — and there are lots of companies that say they care about their employees but EquipmentShare actually does.” 

A typical day for AJ involves anywhere from five to eight deliveries a day, with as many as 15 a day. AJ’s delivery route covers nearly two-thirds of the state of Alabama, but always has him back home at the end of his shift with his family, where he belongs.

“We have great communication at our store, which is another reason it’s a great place to work,” AJ said. “Management and dispatch take the time on slower days to ask for feedback and determine which places are better to run equipment to for our schedule so that everyone has the ability to maximize their time to get work done and get home.”

The people-first atmosphere and family-friendly environment aren’t the only reasons AJ likes driving for EquipmentShare. AJ has also become a fan of the T3 technology that allows him to be more efficient when looking for equipment to pick up and return to the rental yard.

“The best part of this job in terms of the technology is the ability to track the equipment,” AJ said. “I’ve hauled equipment for competitors and 99 percent of the time you have to search for that equipment. T3 technology pinpoints and puts us right on top of the equipment so we don’t have to go searching. In the past, I have walked two miles looking for equipment — but never at EquipmentShare, thanks to T3.”

There are many reasons to love driving for EquipmentShare. AJ can mention several, but his favorites include the stability, flexibility, compensation and the overall family-like environment. And we are thrilled to have such a hard working and dependable member of our team in Birmingham, Alabama.

To find out more about driving for EquipmentShare like AJ, learn about Careers at EquipmentShare.