This profile appears in the Fall 2025 edition of Medlines, an in-house newsletter for Medline employees.

Name: Mary Herbert
Title: MedTrans driver
Current location: Uxbridge, Mass.
Started with Medline: June 2005

HOW IT BEGAN: “I started driving out of Mansfield, Mass. Medline had just moved into a facility there the year before. It was my first truck job. I’d had desk jobs before in consumer relations and customer service and had worked as an engraver and some other jobs. My last one was in customer service, which led into sales. I didn’t care for the sales part, so I said, ‘What can I do that I would enjoy?’ I always was fascinated with the bigger trucks, and I’ve always loved driving, so I got my trucking license and came here.”

OLD SCHOOL: “When I started, each driver had a route they did the same way every day. Later, Medline began using computerized routers to plan our stops. But there was no GPS or tablets in our trucks. We had to write everything down and use books of street maps or print directions from MapQuest, because you can’t take large trucks on certain streets.”

LOOKING THE PART: “There were no uniforms back then. We were just told what color to wear. It was usually Dockers for pants, a shirt and sneakers. Now it’s uniforms and steel-toed shoes. We protect ourselves a lot more now.”

THE USUAL TERRITORY: “I used to mostly deliver to the North Shore region in Massachusetts – Peabody, Danvers, Gloucester, Salem. Now I’m often up into Maine and New Hampshire. The farthest I deliver is Vermont. I’ve done Connecticut, as far west as Springfield and also Rhode Island, where I live.”

TIGHT SQUEEZE: “Early on, my supervisor would say, ‘When you’re a truck driver, you have to drive everywhere.’ I would get a little nervous in the inner part of Boston because there’s so many one-way streets and a lot of streets that trucks can’t go on. If you miss your turn, you can’t always just turn around easily. It was challenging at the beginning. Now I joke that I’ve done my time inside Boston. I don’t mind the outskirts, but it’s time for the newer drivers to go all the way in [laughs].”

BREAKING THE MOLD: ”I’ve delivered to places where the employees are just shocked to see a woman driver. When I first started, some of the women on my stops would say, ‘You’re my hero.’”

LAST STOP OF THE DAY: “I have one dog, Nicky. Her head’s like a Chihuahua, but her body is like a Jack Russell. She’s always in the window on top of the couch waiting for me when I get home.”

OUTSIDE WORK: “Nowadays, if I have any spare time, I’ll read or go out with my sister, who’s two years older than I am and retired. When I was younger, I used to love to draw.”

RETIREMENT CALLING: “I’ve always loved the driving. I’ve always loved interacting with our customers. But I just turned 65 in June, so the physical part – breaking down pallets – can take a little toll. That’s why I’m retiring a little earlier than planned, at the end of the year. I’m going to concentrate on my house, and I might look for a small part-time job for maybe a few hours a couple of days a week. You have to stay active. Plus, I told my husband that he’d drive me crazy if I stayed home seven days a week.”

Interested in becoming part of the Medline team? Visit the careers section of Medline.com to learn more about the roles and opportunities available.