That's the main reason Beckford - a 20-year Army veteran with nerves of steel and a seriously nice-looking ride - joined Uber.
The smartphone-based transportation service has been looking for a few good folks, people with ties to the military, to become drivers. As of mid-May, Uber officials said more than 10,000 active or retired veterans and family members had joined the organization, earning more than $35 million nationwide. Uber said its military-related drivers are earning more than $1 million per day.
While urban areas such as San Francisco and San Diego have more military drivers, none match Fayetteville's percentage. Arathi Mehrotra, an Uber spokesman for North Carolina, says roughly half the company drivers in the Fayetteville area have a military connection. Company spokesman Taylor Bennett says the company has "hundreds of driver partners in the Fayetteville area."
"It's a win-win across the board," Mehrotra said. "Veterans have consistently better ratings for service from our customers. They drive more, so they make more money. And their high rating ensures repeat business, so everyone benefits."
"Everyone" doesn't include competing cab and limo companies, although businesses contacted said ride-share operations such as Uber have yet to seriously diminish their business.
Uber and similar digitally driven ride-share operations have been active in major cities for several years. The group's first North Carolina operation, in Charlotte, opened in September 2013.
Since coming to North Carolina, Uber has provided more than 2 million rides, earning drivers more than $20 million, Bennett said. Most recently the company has expanded operations into the Outer Banks and beaches near Wilmington, giving Uber a presence of about 8,000 partners in a dozen metro areas.
The campaign to target military drivers was two-fold, according to Bennett.
"They are an under-appreciated resource by many in this country," he said. "They are well-trained, motivated to work, reliable and are open to new technology. Uber embraces them."
That describes Beckford, who retired from Special Forces as a first sergeant. Trim and well-dressed, with a soft voice and salt-and-pepper hair, he looks more like a guy who'd be driven around town rather than the one doing the driving.
"But I really enjoy it," he said. "I enjoy meeting people, helping them get through their days."
Or nights.
Since Uber is a 24-7 operation, drivers can be on-call at any time they choose to be.
"You have the option of being available," Beckford said. "It's as simple as turning off your phone. Of course, the more you respond, the more you make. But if I'm in Harris Teeter shopping, I don't want to have to rush out with groceries melting in the back of the car."
Usually, though, he's waiting in his spotless Dodge Magnum, a thermos of coffee at his side. He tries to be near spots where people need a ride.
"A person who enjoys interacting with others, who can put up with some frustration and shake it off can do very well," Beckford said. "It's a business that allows you to be as busy as you wish to be."
And business is good, he says. Beckford says as a full-time driver, he makes more than he would expect from a regular day-to-day job.
Some former drivers said business wasn't as good as expected. Bruce Sacks, who was a driver for the company last year before moving from Fayetteville, said business could be heavy in stretches, then "I would go two to three hours without a passenger.
"There are not enough people aware of Uber at the time."
Customers in Fayetteville generally used Uber elsewhere or knew someone who did. They cite the convenience of the app and ease of use as selling points.
"Leaving the Dogwood Festival, I set my pickup point and waited for a notification," said Uber customer Carr Vause. "I felt my phone vibrate, walked through the crowd to an open car door and a driver that didn't have to ask how to get to my house.
"I kinda felt like (Marvel Comic billionaire) Tony Stark, and it only cost me a couple of bucks."
The business has traditional licensed carriers across the country, such as cabs and limousines, chafing. Many in major urban areas have seen Uber and other ride-share businesses eat into their customer base.
They claim the programs have an unfair advantage because they aren't required to have business permits.
City spokesman Nathan Walls said Fayetteville licenses 56 cab companies with 115 taxis and 182 licensed drivers.
In Fayetteville, owners and drivers of cab and limousine companies must provide fingerprints, passport photos, have a N.C. driver's license, be able to pass a criminal background and a driver history check.
Companies must carry commercial insurance and pay an annual fee of $295, which includes application, license and four inspection fees. Driver fees are $40 per year.
Despite protests from cab companies in Raleigh and Charlotte, state law prevents cities in North Carolina from imposing similar conditions on ride-sharing companies that aren't based locally. The General Assembly is currently weighing regulations that would set insurance requirements for Uber and other smartphone-based transportation services, while shielding them from most local regulation.
"We're seeing all over the country that cities and states are taking interest in companies like Uber because consumers are flocking to these new technologies," Rachel Holt, Uber's regional general manager for the East Coast, told The Associated Press. "We're supportive of reasonable, commonsense regulations."
Local cab companies did not respond to calls for comment.
Like their licensed counterparts, Uber does require drivers to pass a background check. They must have adequate vehicles and insurance. In addition, in North Carolina, Uber provides $1.5 million in commercial liability coverage for passengers.
Uber says the company is simply an electronic extension of a service that is needed, especially in under-served cities. If cabs and limos were serving the public in a similar fashion, there'd be no need for Uber.
"In a case where you really need a ride, it can be a life-saver," Bennett said.
Or, in one case Beckford recalled, a dog-saver. He picked up a passenger at the train station in Fayetteville who needed a ride to Raleigh.
Why? "She needed to get her dog," Beckford said. "So, we went to Raleigh.
"That's what makes it an adventure. You never know where a ride may take you."
©2015 The Fayetteville Observer (Fayetteville, N.C.), Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.