Blue Ribbon Podcast

This is the story of how my journey as an Owner Operator came to an end.

I'm back with an all new episode. It's time to address the real issue around our Hours of Service.

I think we've lost our minds. People seem to have lost all their good sense and ability to reason over this electronic log mandate. In this episode, I will tell you that we NEED the electronic log if we're going to be forced to operate under such an inefficient and archaic system. I've been using one for five years and you won't get it away from me.

Fuel taxes are an important element of your profitability. It is very important to understand this issue so you won't end up losing money by buying fuel in the wrong states.

IFTA Website with State Fuel Tax Rates

An overview:

Before IFTA-

 

Fuel taxes were collected by individual states. Trucks had to have fuel tax permits in each state, many having to display plates on their trucks for each state. Fuel had to be purchased in each state to cover the amount owed for traveling through that state.

With co-host Dan Babbit. I get a lot of questions about Landstar. Now that I've been here two years, I feel a lot more confident about answering them. There's also a lot of misinformation out there about Landstar that needs to addressed. Whether or not you lease to Landstar is your own decision. I just want to provide ACCURATE information so that you can make your best decision.

We discuss and describe the freight network at Landstar, how the billing and payment works, and the pro and cons (in our opinion) of being leased to Landstar versus another company or having your own authority.

One thing I always tell people is, "If you succeed at Landstar, it's your fault. If you fail at Landstar, it's your fault."

In this episode I talk about the most important things you need to know about buying a truck and becoming an owner/operator.

It's all about attitude. In order to succeed, you have to first have an attitude of service. You put others' needs ahead of your own. 

The Steve Harvey video I talked about where he says you need to jump in order to be successful.

With Co-host Dan Babbit

In this episode we discuss the last month of my life and why I haven't posted a new episode lately. I suffered a catastrophic engine failure 4 days before Christmas. We discuss the financial and mechanical details involved in dealing with an event like this. I also tell the amazing story of how we were able to obtain the funding to cover the cost of a $24,000 engine.

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Zola Sawdy, founder of the Facebook Group: Big Trucks Cooking. I've been wanting to do an episode on the lifestyle in the trucking industry and found Zola's group to be a perfect example of how drivers and their spouses are finding creative ways to save money and eat healthier inside their trucks. You can find the group here.

Introducing Co-host Dan Babbit. We talk about ridiculous propaganda aimed at the trucking industry and knowing your operating costs. 

 

SHOW NOTES:

http://www.salemnews.com/opinion/column-time-to-re-regulate-trucking/article_411792fe-b57f-53f4-b502-c5cc2154b226.html

Introducing Ezekiel Goodwin, one of our new co-hosts for the program. Zeke has been in the industry for 5 years and is joining the program to give his perspective on issues facing the trucking community. 

In this episode we talk about pig protesters and the so-called "driver shortage."

SHOW NOTES:

Animal Rights Protesters Block Entrance to Pig Slaughter Facility

I received an email this week from a company driver who is considering taking a 1099 contract. In this episode I give my thoughts on 1099 Company drivers and also talk about the horrible attitudes in the industry that come out when rates and volume are down