The Next Fleet Generation : Driving can be a launchpad for a fulfilling career in physical operations

This blog is part of The Next Fleet Generation, a five-part series based on Samsara’s latest research into the UK’s driver recruitment challenge. Together, the blogs explore how technology, people and perception are reshaping driving and physical operations, examining everything from Gen Z’s attitudes and life on the road to the ways employers are building the next generation of fleets.

For many people, driving is more than just a job—it’s the start of a career that can take them to the very top of their profession. Some begin straight from school, learning their trade on the road while getting paid rather than taking on university debt. Others switch mid-life, proving that it’s never too late to follow a passion or try something new. 

And then there are those who arrive from unexpected backgrounds, bringing skills from other industries and discovering long-term opportunities in logistics, transport, and physical operations. A role behind the wheel can lead to leadership in compliance, operations, or fleet management. It can open doors to new qualifications and new responsibilities. Most of all, it builds confidence, professionalism and people skills that last a lifetime.

Lee Cook started as an apprentice, became an HGV driver at 18 and is now a compliance manager by 30. Andrew Sharp left a director role in adult social care to pursue a childhood dream. While Amber Kirkby made an even bigger switch, moving from wedding planning to running Samsara’s Connected Operations systems for around 4,000 vehicles at Lanes Group. 

Here, they tell their stories. 

Lee Cook, Compliance Manager, FM Conway

I have wanted to drive since I was a kid. I couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel. So when I turned 18, I didn’t think twice. I got my licence, started driving, and never looked back. I didn’t know it then, but that first job set me on a path that would shape my career. Driving taught me discipline, how to deal with customers, and how to solve problems on my own.

By the time I was 30, I’d gone from being the youngest on the team to compliance manager. That step wasn’t about leaving driving behind and, instead, taking everything I’d learned on the road—the realities of fatigue, safety, and customer expectations—and applying it to improve how we operated as a business.

What I tell young people today is simple: don’t think of driving as a dead end. Think of it as a foundation. The skills you pick up in the cab— reliability, confidence, responsibility—are exactly what you need to move into leadership. My own story proves it. I started as a teenager who wanted to drive, and within a decade I was shaping safety and compliance for the business. That’s real career progression.

Lee Cook, Compliance Manager, FM Conway

Andrew Sharp, Transport Shift Manager, Delifresh

I was six years old the first time I knew I wanted to drive a lorry. For me, it was my dream.  But I didn’t follow that path straight away. I built a career in adult social care, eventually becoming a director. Years later, I decided to go back to my childhood ambition and sit my Class 1 test. Passing it was straightforward. Getting a job was not.

I sent out more than 100 applications, had three interviews, and got just one offer. The message was always the same: “no experience, no job”. When someone finally said “yes”, it was on the toughest terms imaginable—five nights a week, three 15-hour shifts and two 13-hour shifts. I was worn out, but I pushed through for a year because I knew I needed that experience.

That struggle shapes how I lead at Delifresh today. We don’t close the door on new passers. We hire for attitude, pair people with mentors, and give them all the practice they need. Once they’re ready, there’s a clear path forward, from lead driver to team leader, or even a role in the office. My journey shows you can change careers mid-life and still make it work, if someone gives you a chance.

Andrew Sharp, Transport Shift Manager, Delifresh

Amber Kirkby, Fleet Systems Team Leader, Lanes Group

My career started in weddings, not transport. I was planning events, venues and timings. I guess you could say it involved logistics, but not the kind that involved vehicles. When I moved to Lanes, I fell into the transport systems role almost by accident. I taught myself everything I needed to know about Samsara’s Connected Operations Platform and started by supporting 650 vehicles. Today, I support all 4,000 in our fleet and I lead the all-female fleet systems team.

That’s why I tell people, “You don’t have to start in a cab to build a career in this industry.”

Many of our drivers begin as drainage assistants. They learn on the job, gain their licences, and build confidence. From there, opportunities open up as they move through the gears, from Class 2, Class 1, and roles beyond driving. We also rotate people through different departments—such as transport, HR, compliance, and operations—so they see the bigger picture.

I’m also proud that we’re helping to reshape the industry. Transport has always been male-dominated, but our systems team today is all women. That visibility tells others, “You can do this!”. 

My own path—from weddings to transport systems—proves it. I didn’t plan this career, but I built it step by step, with support and progression at every stage. And if I can do it, so can anyone. 

Amber Kirkby, Fleet Systems Team Leader, Lanes Group

Read more:

• The Next Fleet Generation : Technology holds key to solving ongoing driver recruitment crisis as Gen Z signal their interest in physical operations

• The Next Fleet Generation : How employers are improving driver recruitment and retention

• The Next Fleet Generation : Drivers urge younger generations to join as the retirement cliff nears

• The Next Fleet Generation : Gen Z find driving careers appealing yet recruitment hurdles remain