Tag Archives: California Motor Express

I wish I knew more about what dad did as an occupation for most of my childhood. He was called a freight checker, and the most I know about it is that he was responsible for unloading/reloading freight trucks and keeping track of the inventory on the trucks. It doesn’t sound like the most exciting job in the world, but it was steady work at the time. For most of his career, he worked for California Motor Express (CME).

Image via http://www.traincellaronline.com

I remember the logo, as it’s forever burned in my brain. As a small child, I would point to the CME trucks that I would see on the road, saying “that’s Daddy’s company.” My dad received plenty of logo-emblazoned swag over the years, and he was always wearing the cap or jacket. My dad was a hard worker, and I think he was proud of his job, even if it was blue-collar and didn’t pay that much. (I think he topped out at around $40,000 annually.)

It’s just one of those jobs that doesn’t necessarily have a textbook definition, so it’s hard to imagine what my dad did every afternoon and evening for all of those years. Much later, when he became a security guard, I could picture exactly what he did. I guess what’s most important is that my dad was always eager to work hard to support his family.