Trucking for Millennials

We have a great episode for you this week! We chat with truck driver Wayne Cragg who's a vocal advocate and educator for the trucking industry. We ask him about his experience driving over the road during this unprecedented time before diving deep into some trucking related topics. We discuss the recent White House ceremony honoring truck drivers, the lack of PPE for drivers, how infrastructure funding is needed right now, advice for young people in the industry and much, much, more! Follow him @wayne_cragg on YouTube, connect with him on LinkedIn! Let us know what you think of this episode!

For our second episode with Waymo, we chat with Jon Rainwater, a CDL driver who's training truck drivers how to interact and monitor Waymo's fleet of Automated Trucks. Jon sees the future of automated trucking as a huge opportunity for all generations to take part in as this new way of moving freight across the nation is being developed and tested on highways today. Waymo will also start driving along interstates in Texas including I-10, I-20, and I-45, driving the interesting and promising commercial route between New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas exploring how their tech might be able to create new transportation solutions. Jon is a CDL training instructor for Waymo Via trucking where he trains new Class A drivers in partnership with Transdev (one of our partners who recruits and manages our trained drivers) 2-3 times a week on how to interact with the Waymo self-driving system. He actually helped put together our trucking-specific training and develop the final exam our trained drivers for trucking need to take at the end of the training! He's been with the program since June 2019, and prior to that he was a truck driver for the majority of his career. He also previously worked as a case manager at the Salvation Army and was an intelligence analyst for the U.S. Army.

We're super excited to share this two part episode with Waymo, the automated vehicle company of Alphabet, a sister company of Google. Before we dive into the interview, Michael and Aaron discuss some trucking news. They discuss how Amazon is pausing their shipping and logistics service they originally announced one year ago as they manage the Coronavirus crisis. Then they discuss a WSJ article describing how LTL carriers are being impacted and cutting costs. But the star of this episode is certainly Matt Carroll, a Waymo product manager with a ton of experience with automated vehicles. The conversation details Waymo's approach, their technology, the timeline for driverless trucking, use cases, challenges, concerns, and much, much, more. Be sure to subscribe to Trucking For Millennials if you haven't already because next week we'll be sharing the conversation we had with one of Waymo's truck drivers! Here's Matt's bio: Matt Carroll is a Product Manager for Trucking at Waymo, a self-driving technology company with a mission to make it safe and easy for people and things to get where they're going. In his role, Matt is responsible for truck behavior and redundancy workstreams, as well as building out the operational model for Waymo Via (which is focused on commercial goods delivery and includes both trucking and local delivery). Prior to Waymo, Matt worked at Peloton Technology, a truck-automation startup, where he was the first product manager in the organization and worked on wirelessly-connecting truck convoys. Matt was previously an engineering team lead for a defense contractor that designed vehicle enhancements, such as IED and mine protection. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Stat Clarification: One statistic Matt shared in this episode was related to collissions on the road. It's actually 1.3 million deaths due to traffic crashes every year on a global basis, 4k of those involving large trucks. 94% of traffic crashes in the U.S. are a result of human error or inattention.

In this episode Michael and Aaron discuss a somewhat recent pre-coronavirus article from FreightWaves called "Five Reasons Flatbed Shipping is On the Rise" which makes some interesting points, especially given our nation's economy right now. They also read some reactions from over the road from truck drivers and talk to one of PDQ America's drivers, Gilbert, about his recent haul from East Texas to Wyoming to and talk about his experience and what he saw and the changes this "new normal" has brought about.

On this episode of Trucking For Millennials we continue the conversation we started last week with Talmadge (T.D.) Studor, a freight broker for Modus Trucking. You'll hear about how he got into trucking and logistics, how one of his first jobs delivering packages influences his job now, relating with drivers, speaking with shippers, handling times of high volume, building a book of business from square one, working as a team, his opinion about the Millennial generation and whether or not they're doing enough, and much, much more! Our last episode, "Load it Or Leave it 2" features him speaking about what he's experiencing as he serves grocery store freight for Kroger in the middle of the Coronavirus. This episode is a deep dive into his career that will be valuable for anyone looking to grow and maintain a positive trajectory as a freight broker.

Load it or Leave it is BACK! On this episode Michael and Aaron discuss a few pieces of news as of the time of recording (3/20/20) like the way truck drivers are experiencing life over the road as the Coronavirus spreads, state-wide lock downs in New York, California, and Texas, viral misinformation memes and more. Then they get into 4 separate clips recorded at Great American Trucking Show 2019 and discuss whether or not to "load" or "leave" the advice from those they speak to. Finally you'll hear from next week's guest, T.D. Studor, a freight broker brokering loads to Kroger about his team is experiencing as a member on the front lines of one of the most challenging times in the supply chain in recent memory. Enjoy!

We continue our conversation with Jamin Alvidrez, a millennial freight sales professional with 14 years of experience helping carriers and customers ship more freight. We also talk to Jamin about optimizing load board utilization, capitalizing on the current opportunities in the market, and much more!

A lot has happened in the last 7 days so Michael and Aaron break down the latest ways Coronavirus is impacting the United States in general and in the trucking industry specifically. You'll hear why Michael had to self-quarantine, what PDQ America is doing to help curb the spread of Coronavirus, a discussion of a recent article from Business Insider Senior Transportation Reporter Rachel Premack about how the virus could impact truck drivers in a very real way before discussing the cancellation of the Mid America Trucking Show and the TIA dragging their feet on making a decision to cancel their annual conference. You'll also hear a bit from Jamin Alvidrez, a millennial freight sales professional with a lot of insight about finding success in a career in logistics. Be sure to come back tomorrow (Tuesday 3/14/20) to hear our full interview with Jamin about optimizing load board utilization and the current fear in the market.

In this episode Aaron and Michael discuss the the impact (or lack thereof) of Coronavirus on freight domestically and abroad and then give an update on the proposed HOS rules heading to the White House. They also shout out a 5 star fan of the podcast and the @PDQAmerica truck of the month winner!

This week Aaron and Michael sat down with the creator of the popular trucking and freight news blog www.freightbrokerlive.com to discuss all things trucking! They dive into how Stephen got started, why he hates the term "millennials", how our generation (and younger) can have a successful career in our industry, trucking media, and much, much, more! Stephen has a passion for logistics that is supremely evident in this episode! Be sure to follow him on social media, his podcast and website so you don't miss his unique take on what's happening in logistics today!

In this episode you'll hear timeless wisdom from trucking industry veterans we had the opportunity to speak with at the 2019 Great American Trucking Show. This episode is a direct result of listener feedback! Be sure to leave a review with your thoughts or suggestions about the content you'd like to hear so we can continue to improve the show each week! You can also give us a shout out on social media @pdqamerica

In this episode we talk about two trucking articles: C.H. Robinson Hit with $1.1 Billion dollar lawsuit https://www.businessinsider.com/truck-brokerage-hit-with-1-billion-lawsuit-from-farmers-2020-2 Tennessee Based Trucking Company Ceases Operations After 69 Years https://www.freightwaves.com/news/tennessee-based-trucking-company-ceases-operations-after-69-years?utm_content=116527494&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&hss_channel=fbp-179175252108775 Then we break down a new segment called Load it Or Leave it! We break down three separate clips of audio we recorded when we launched our podcast at Great American Trucking Show. We ask the public's opinion on the Millennial generation and the responses are thought provoking to say the least! Do you want to be a 5 star listener of our show? Leave a 5 star review! :)

This is a good episode! Michael and Aaron start the show discussing two trucking industry articles. The first is courtesy of Freight Broker Live which talks about a large insurance carrier discontinuing commercial auto insurance: https://freightbrokerlive.com/breaking-news-44th-largest-commercial-insurance-carrier-5th-in-tx-says-were-done-with-commercial-auto-insurance/ The second is about VP of OOIDA Lewie Pugh's trip to capital hill addressing what's important to truck drivers: https://landline.media/ooida-drops-truckers-truth-bombs-at-senate-hearing/ Then they shift gears and have a great conversation with The Crafty Trucker, Jason and Heather. They're a team of expediters who have a successful trucking business and YouTube channel that documents the lifestyle they've built. We dive into their trucking careers and how they make their relationship work over the road. Subscribe to their channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCair4hwUA4B0j_Lwn3hSjSw Enjoy!

The second half of our conversation with Dave Coleman of Jack's Chrome Shop and Chrome and Steel Radio covers the role of a chrome shop, custom trucking trends, the truck show circuit, and what Dave thinks the future looks like for custom truck culture.

This episode kicks off with a fun post- Super Game phone call between Aaron and Michael. The winner of their football game prop bet will be awarding the loser with a celebratory Gatorade bath on our Instagram @PDQAmerica Then they get into some trucking news and chat about the USMCA deal, a Texas Flatbed Carrier shutting down, and Kobe Bryant's passing. Then you'll hear an interview with Dave Coleman, owner of Jack's Chrome Shop and part owner of Chrome and Steel Radio. Dave has built a substantial audience on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. You'll hear about how Dave got into trucking, his passion for media and content creation, and more. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss part two where they dive deeper into the world of custom trucks and the truck show circuit!

Michael and Aaron start the show with a pre-game chat about low freight rates, trucking insurance, and friendly Big Game 54 challenge. The show then turns to a conversation Aaron had with Sharae Moore, millennial truck driver, advocate for the industry and creator of support community and apparel brand S.H.E. Trucking. In this episode you'll learn more about Sharae's journey into the industry, how her brand has grown and what's next for S.H.E.! She also talks about some new developments she's never talked about before and shares her perspective about the future of trucking and logistics. Don't forget to follow her @shetrucking!

In part two of this episode featuring DOT Compliance and Trucking Consultant Kenneth Nolley, he and Michael dive deeper into his expertise and work with P1 Compliance. Questions that are answered in this episode: "What are some things you are looking for when you're speaking to a prospective client or motor carrier?" "How can companies build their culture to be more preventative than reactive?" "How can drivers improve their daily safety routines?" "Driver managers are busy. What can they be doing to ensure drivers practice these routines over the road?" "How important is it for executive leadership to be promoting a safe culture in the business?" "Do you think ELDs make trucking safer?" "How can trucking companies keep insurance costs down?" "Where do you see technology going now and how will it effect compliance and safety in the future?"

We're back with another two part episode! Michael and Aaron kick things off with a casual "pre-game" conversation regarding the NFL AFC/NFC playoffs. They discuss their picks to win and who they hope to see in the Super Bowl. Then they chat about a recent article from FreightWaves regarding the steps being taken to replace traditional side mirrors with Camera Monitoring Systems (CMS). The elimination of side mirrors could improve safety and is estimated to reduce fuel costs due to better aerodynamics. Then you'll hear from DOT Compliance and Trucking Consultant Kenneth Nolley. Kenneth is a a former Texas State Trooper that served with the Texas Department of Public Safety and the owner of Priority One Compliance Services, LLC, a transportation consulting firm that advises growing motor carrier clients on a range of operational and compliance-related matters (including, but not limited to: securing various registrations, operating permits and licensing, pre-employment / background screening, insurance-related matters, and continuing education for Motor Carriers, Insurance Agents and CDL/DOT Regulated drivers). His expertise in this space was guided by my prior employment as a Trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety where he was trained on laws and the enforcement of the Federal Motor Carrier Rules & Regulations that Motor Carriers, DOT Regulated Drivers must abide by and Crash Investigation. In addition he have served the private sector in Corporate DOT Management roles for an Oil/Gas Service Company and a HazMat Trucking Company that transported Crude Oil & LPG. The conversation went so well we had to make it into two parts, so be sure to check back later this week for the rest of this episode. Thanks for listening!

We start this episode announcing the first ever PDQ America Truck of the Year! If you're interested in participating and think that your truck has what it takes, follow us on social media @PDQAmerica. Each week we feature pictures of loaded trucks from around the country. Each weekly winner is entered into a monthly competition that is voted on by members of our community. Truck of the Month winners are entered into Truck of the Year! After that you'll hear Michael and Aaron's conversation with Craig Bliss. Craig is the creator of the largest Facebook group for Freight Brokers and one of the largest for truck drivers called Freight Brokers and Truck Drivers that boasts almost 17,000 members. He also uploads his weekly Make More Money Mondays live streams to his own podcast, Talk Freight and is now featuring members of his group. If that wasn't it, he also started Freightbrand.com, which helps small freight brokers and trucking companies build a recognizable brand online. In this conversation we chat about: How he got into trucking and logistics Freight Brokers and Truck Drivers Facebook Group Social Media and it's role in our industry What happened in 2019 How to make more money in 2020 and more! We hope you enjoy this episode!

Happy New Year! We ended 2019 with a huge project and the team decided it would be a great opportunity for Aaron to document the loading process. Six truckloads and hundreds of thousands of pounds later, Michael asks Aaron about what he learned from the experience. We also talk about the 2019 PDQ America Truck of the Year Vote that's happening this week! You can vote here: https://www.pdqamerica.com/pdq-truck-of-the-year-2019 If you're a flatbed or heavy haul carrier and you'd like to be a guest for an upcoming episode, please email [email protected] Follow us on Instagram: @pdqamerica

2020 is upon us! The "roaring" 20's have arrived and we're discussing how to start the New Year with your foot on the gas pedal! Michael and Aaron discuss the Flatbed Forecast, a downloadable PDF that will be available for our Carrier Network, a way of thinking about decision making for the new year, and we're featuring a snippet from a conversation we had with Harry Wilde of Lube Zone about leveraging the potential that young people have. Enjoy!

In this episode Michael and Aaron chat about whether or not these topics belong on Santa's nice list or naughty list: Uber Freight FreightWaves Celadon Truck Drivers Tesla Automated Trucks Electric Trucks Transport Stocks Trump Congress Infrastructure Trade Deal FMCSA Millennials Boomers Podcast Listeners/Guests GATS Dallas Cowboys

In this episode we continue the conversation we had with Business Insider Senior Transportation Reporter Rachel Premack and get deep into the latest Trucking news. First we chat about the word "bloodbath" and how it has been the word for the industry in 2019. https://www.businessinsider.com/truckers-warn-bloodbath-companies-bankrupt-lower-expectations-2019-6 Then we chat about a news story she broke the day we recorded, a report about how Amazon is paying their drivers a day rate instead of per mile. https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-truck-drivers-pay-hourly-per-mile-2019-11 If you enjoyed this conversation with Rachel Premack, let us know on social @pdqamerica or via email [email protected] We're always open to covering topics you're interested in!

We had the opportunity to meet Business Insider Senior Transportation Reporter Rachel Premack at FreightWaves LIVE, and she was kind enough to be our guest! Rachel is a senior transportation reporter at Business Insider. She focuses on logistics — particularly trucking and how deliveries are changing with the rise of e-commerce — and speaks regularly on national radio, industry panels, and podcasts. For part 1 of this 2 part conversation, Michael, Aaron, and Rachel start with a few "millennial" topics: The viral "Ok Boomer" retort: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/29/style/ok-boomer.html The newly announced Tesla Cybertruck: https://www.foxnews.com/auto/elon-musk-explains-tesla-cybertruck-window-fail We start shifting into "trucking stuff" when we discuss this article Rachel wrote about Andrew Yang, a Democratic presidential nominee. He's growing in popularity with young people and has found a passionate following with the group "Truckers for Yang". Andrew's lead campaign policy is the "Freedom Dividend", a $1,000 / month payment from the federal government that he says will help offset unemployment as jobs are automated away. https://www.businessinsider.com/truck-drivers-andrew-yang-self-driving-2019-9 We hope you enjoy this conversation!

In this episode Michael sits down with David Abell for a wide ranging conversation. They cover David's professional career, how to build a successful brokerage team, how he read 65 books last year, the role of an online presence for trucking companies and freight brokerages, content on social media, tips for Millennials looking to take their career to the next level in 2020, and more! We hope you enjoy this episode and connect with him on Linkedin here.

This episode features a few females making their way in freight! The first conversation is between Michael and Ellen Voie, founder of Women in Trucking, a non-profit organization focused on the transportation and logistics industry. The second is between Christian Patterson, curator of our Transmitter Newsletter and Kimberly Lucas, owner of Keep It Moving Services, a hot shot trucking company. You'll learn about the work Women in Trucking does to support our industry and a new business owner who's optimistic about the future of her growing family business. Enjoy!

This episode features two conversations: The first is with Butch Bailey, truck driver and creator of the Strong Driver Fitness Seat Strap, which helps truck drivers "get fit while they sit". Be sure to follow him on Instagram at @strong.driver. You can also visit his website, www.strongdriver.com The second is from a voice Trucking For Millennials listeners may be familiar with; Hope Zvara with Mother Trucker Yoga. In this conversation we discuss a recent report from Blue Cross Blue Shield that examined the health conditions impacting millennials most. You can view the report here. We hope this episode encourages and empowers you to take the next step to a healthier lifestyle over the road!

Michael and Aaron recently attended FreightWaves LIVE, the premiere conference by the media juggernaut and technology company behind SONAR. In this episode you will hear two quick conversations that were had back at the hotel wrapping up each day. They talk about their initial impressions and takeaways from each day of the event.

This episode is part two of a two part conversation we had with Lead Technician Ryan Campbell. In this second half, Ryan and Aaron discuss the shortage of trucking technicians, the career paths for younger techs who might be entering the industry and the new technologies inside the truck. Like what you hear or have some feedback? Give us a review! You can also follow us on social: @PDQAmerica

"There are more computers in a truck than there are in an office" - Ryan Campbell, Lead Technician This is part one of a conversation we had with Ryan Campbell, a lead technician for the largest tank transportation company in North America. In this part we discuss how Ryan got into the industry, his experience with entrepreneurship, the difference between a mechanic and a technician and what it takes to become a successful trucking technician. Subscribe to our podcast so you don't miss part two where we chat about the technician shortage! Follow @PDQAmerica Sign up for our weekly newsletter: https://www.pdqamerica.com/trucking-for-millennials

We had some fun with this Halloween-themed episode! For Trucking Stuff Aaron and Michael discuss the ongoing uncertainty in the trucking industry and freight markets before shifting to a few fun trucking-inspired ghost stories. Thank you for your ongoing support of the show! Follow @PDQAmerica on Instagram Subscribe to our weekly Newsletter Leave a review of the show in iTunes

Technology continues to influence the trucking industry and this episode features voices of 3 different CEO's and their perspective on how it's impacting the industry today. The "video gamification" of trucks is a subject that came up quite often during our conversations with industry professionals at GATS, so the episode starts off with a discussion about their possible role in driver recruitment. The second half of the episode features Marcus Cooksey, CEO of LUI Transport and Founder of Duke.ai, a technology that allows Owner Operators to simply and securely stay up to date with their Profit/Loss details and Tax Liability. We hope you enjoy this episode! Also featured in this episode: Ellen Voie, Women in Trucking & Justin Clarke, CEO of F Staff.

In this episode you'll hear what two drivers think about the FMCSA's proposed changes to Hours of Service. Sam, a driver with decades of experience and millions of miles and Nolan, a company driver who's been driving over the road for just under 2 years. Each perspective is unique and goes to show how important it is that drivers submit their comments to the FMCSA. If you have yet to do that, you can do so by clicking here: Submit Formal Comment

We met Hope Zvara of Mother Trucker Yoga at the Great America Trucking Show in August where she led numerous sessions to help truck drivers implement simple and easy stretches and other techniques to improve their health over the road. We chat a little bit about how she got involved in trucking, how important it is for truck drivers to make proactive changes to improve movement and posture, and go over a few practical things anyone can start implementing immediately. Article referenced in episode: BCBS Millennial Health Report Link to Hope's website: https://www.mothertruckeryoga.com/

This week in Millennial Stuff Michael and Aaron start the episode discussing a recent New York Times article about how the Millennial generation is changing office life by expecting flexible work schedules. NY Times Article: "Young People Are Going to Save Us All From Office Life" That brings us straight into our Trucking Stuff segment (24:40) which is a conversation Michael had with Anthony, a millennial trucking company recruiter. They have an excellent conversation about how he entered and found success in the industry, and what he's hearing from the younger workforce as he engages with them every day. Anthony has an inspiring story and very practical advice about how young people can find success in the industry for the long term. If you have feedback for the episode or a topic you would like us to cover, please reach out to us on social media @pdqamerica or via email - [email protected]

In this episode we have a conversation about one of trucking's most critical issues - truck parking! There is a severe shortage of parking for truck drivers and we speak with Scott Grenerth of TSPS.io and RigRest.com to find out what's being done to improve it. We had the opportunity to speak with Scott after he led a panel discussion with TxDOT and truck drivers at the Great American Trucking Show. We also collected input from our driver Sam Willoughby, who provided some valuable first hand insight into the problem. Through new technologies and regulatory study from TxDOT, positive changes are being made. Thanks for listening! Send feedback to us on social media (@PDQAmerica) or [email protected]

From September 8th-14th the trucking industry has been celebrating National Truck Driver Appreciation Week - for good reason - Truck Drivers make the world go 'round! In this episode Michael and Aaron talk about their favorite truck driver celebration from trucking companies around the nation and dive into some practical ways anyone can showcase their appreciation for truck drivers every day - inside and outside of the industry. Thank you for listening to the Trucking For Millennials Podcast! We value your feedback and topic suggestions. If you have any, please send us an email at [email protected] or simply leave a review on iTunes!

In our 3rd episode we break the show into two segments: Millennial Stuff & Trucking Stuff. In "Millennial Stuff" we discuss a recent poll that surveyed millennials and boomers about the values each generation states are most important to them. You can find the poll results in the following articles: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/deep-boiling-anger-nbc-wsj-poll-finds-pessimistic-america-despite-n1045916 https://www.wsj.com/articles/americans-have-shifted-dramatically-on-what-values-matter-most-11566738001?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=6 At the 13:05 minute mark, we pivot to Trucking Stuff and chat about the recent HOS regulation changes. We end the episode with an in-office chat we had this week inspired by the recent trucking company closures and a tweet from an ATA economist about what's happening in the spot market. This starts at 21:44. Let us know what you think of this episode and if there are any specific topics you'd like us to cover by sending an email to [email protected] or connecting with us on social media via @pdqamerica

We're back at the office after three full days of networking at the Great American Trucking show! In this episode Michael and Aaron chat about their experience at GATS19 and share some takeaways from the official launch of the Trucking For Millennials Podcast. We were able to capture over 100 Gigs of audio and video content and had over 15 conversations with leaders from all aspects of the industry. We will be sharing the full conversations in the coming weeks but in the meantime we wanted to provide you with a sampling of the conversations we had. Listen for millennial rants, raves, and reasoned perspectives from experienced industry leaders. Plus, a chance to receive our coveted in-car trashcan!

On this episode, we have a brief conversation about our vision for the Trucking for Millennials podcast as well as a little background for how the show got started. You can expect many more episodes to come that include topical discussion, expert interviews, more voices from the PDQ America office and much more! Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss an episode and keep the conversation going by joining our Trucking for Millennials Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/truckingformillennials/?source_id=222627777937274