In today’s episode of Life By the Mile, we sit down with Nussbaum Transportation’s Clark Reed on the road as he talks about how truckers today can make their voices heard on important industry issues online. He cites the FMCSA’s proposed rule that would require the installation of speed-limiting devices on trucks, buses, and multipurpose passenger vehicles weighing more than 26,000 pounds, and how commenting on FMCSA’s website can help spark discussion before it moves forward. Go to https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov and leave your opinion there.

He also encourages more truck drivers to take advantage of online movements to help make the world better, such as his Three Pieces a Day social media movement, where he encourages everyone to pick up three pieces of trash on the road and dispose of them properly.

Whether it’s impacting serious industry decisions, helping clean up the environment, something funny to help drivers unwind after a long drive, or listening to the Life By The Mile podcast - Clark wants truckers to enjoy being online.

BOB RUTHERFORD

The best stories from the road come from someone who has put in the miles. Bob Rutherford is a 50-year veteran of the trucking industry, and thirty of those years were as a member of the American Trucking Association/Technology & Maintenance Council’s (TMC) where he earned both the Silver Spark Plug and Recognized Associate awards for his contributions to the industry.

And boy does he have some stories - from his thoughts about the future of trucking, autonomous trucks, how artificial intelligence and data can help the industry streamline processes, and how reading trucking industry news reminds him of past industry events and how we should learn from history.

The Truck Stop Philosopher, Bob Rutherford, sits down with Life By The Mile for one of the most colorful episodes of the podcast. Comment your thoughts on the episode below.

If you love trucks, if you’re interested in freight tech, this episode is for you. DAT Freight and Analytics Principal Analyst Dean Croke is back on Life By The Mile to talk about how analytics and data tell stories about drivers, and how explaining what to do with the information can help carriers take huge steps forward in terms of improving business processes, reducing costs, and becoming better in 2022. “The more data you have, the more patterns you find”, he points out.

The best part for people who want to know more about data analytics? Dean says the information is everywhere - especially on podcasts like Life By The Mile. This is how we take steps forward in the trucking industry, staying connected and updated to always be in the know.

Listen to Dean Croke drop knowledge on data analytics, the latest shifts in the market, and more on Life By The Mile, delivered by FreightWorks.

The most important thing that truck drivers give companies is the time away from home or their families - and the sooner companies make things more efficient in terms of supporting drivers, the better the relationship becomes. And hopefully, the easier it becomes to improve retention. There are so many ways to do this, but Magnum’s Christopher Krabbenhoft says the fastest way is to get everyone up to speed - learning and adapting to new technologies because the industry will keep adding new ones. Being progressive means adapting to things to help us save time in the trucking industry. Christopher sits down with Life By The Mile in an episode filled with insights on user-friendly technology and data that helps truckers on the road, the best culture to have for driver retention, and more.

What do you love most about trucking? Is it service to America? A stable career to provide for your family? A career with no boss looking over your shoulder? Seeing all states in all seasons?

In what could be one of the most fun and engaging episodes yet, Life By The Mile sits down with Jessie Peele, who talks about the beautiful things truck driving has helped her experience. Jessie’s had a colorful beginning to her driving career - from city bus driving to Medicaid disability transport, Jessie found her way to FreightWorks upon the recommendation of a friend, and it seems as if Jessie found a valuable partner to help her achieve her goals.

Jessie also talks about how trucking has toughened her up - driving through the worst weather, learning tips and tricks along the way to overcome challenges, and proving her skills. For Jessie, even these challenges are beautiful. It’s not always the destination: it’s the journey.

Listen to Jessie talk about her foray into trucking, her experience backing up her truck for the first time, the best food spots she’s been to, taking photos of truck driver pets, and her advice to motorists to share the road with truck drivers in a can’t-miss episode of Life By The Mile, delivered by FreightWorks.

Driver Boyce Tucker is married to a woman from Ukraine. His wife wanted to bring her mother to the States this year, but that proved difficult as the situation in their home country started to unravel and tensions rose. It didn’t help that her mother’s health issues would make travel more difficult.

As a veteran, Boyce has always stood for peace while he was in the service, and upon coming home all those years ago he has always made family his priority. As he and his wife stood undeterred by the difficult situation, Boyce feels thankful that more people in America share the same values, especially when it comes to protecting family, and are willing to go the extra mile to lend a hand.

Listen to the Tucker family’s rescue efforts as Life By The Mile tells #truckdriverstories with FreightWorks’ own Boyce Tucker.

Have you ever felt like you were at the right time? It’s a universal assist when everything falls perfectly into place, and you’re exactly where you need to be. Mr. Motorkote Ed Gibbs speaks of many instances where he was just at the perfect place at the perfect time - reading two 30-second commercials that launched his radio career, meeting Kenny Rogers, and his role in the massive launch success of Motorkote all those years ago.

Sit back and relax this Friday with Life By The Mile as we talk to Mr. Motorkote about marketing, radio, and lucky breaks that turn into life-changing moments.

Shain Ferriss has been living the #truckdriverlife. Even today as the president of his own company Greenmiles Inc., Shain continues to reminisce about some of the best places to drive through, his hole-in-the-wall food spot discoveries, and tips to both truck drivers and motorists so that we can all have a safe time on the road.

In any capacity, being in the trucking industry prepares you for so much in life - it toughens you up as a professional, you become better at handling people, and your drive for excellence grows. The knowledge you gain and the experience you get give you courage, that whatever life throws at you, you just keep on trucking. Just like Shain did.

Listen to Shain share his experiences on Life By The Mile, delivered by FreightWorks.

We live in an age where online services and apps are created daily to help make life easier. For businesses, especially in the trucking industry, some of the best apps and services are those that help streamline operations. If it can simplify a process, then the faster freight gets shipped out. Drivers get more time, businesses save more resources.

That desire to streamline and simplify is at the heart of truckstop.com’s efforts. If you’re a driver and you’ve delivered, they want you to get paid immediately. If you’re a broker, you should be able to post loads and carriers should be able to search for available loads in real-time.

Director of Product Marketing Jen McQuiston presents truckstop.com’s services as the best way to remove any friction, and to make the processes for drivers and carriers as smooth as possible - offering a wide range of problem-solving products outside of their load board to help companies ship more freight faster, profitably. Her vast experience in product marketing and passion for helping the trucking industry move forward makes for a great conversation as she sat down with Life By The Mile to talk about all things freight, and how new technology can help the industry deliver excellence everyday.

Many trucks stood out at the 50th Mid-America Trucking Show - massive rigs with bright colors, customized trucks, and eye-catching designs. But those who know their history caught a true showstopper at the heart of the expo - a 1937 Linn Halftrack with a Hercules engine, owned by Mr. Gary Tetz. He also was able to secure a photo of the very same tractor in action back in 1962, working on a town road and snow plowing.

While Gary has a decorated story as a business owner, he takes special pride in being a savior of history - he doesn’t just collect trucks for the sake of collecting. He takes their history and passes them on to everyone willing to listen.

Do you dream of having your own collection of vintage trucks? Listen to Gary’s story as he sits down with Life By The Mile, delivered by FreightWorks.