Liner Notes

For this episode of the series, the Grawe Pod provides an overview of corporate governance and why the structure that is put in place is more than just a set of rules and paperwork. The explanation that Grawe Group Founder and CEO Doug Grawe walks listeners through over the course of the episode is offered with an approach that should be especially helpful for family-owned companies, privately held businesses, and organizations bringing in outside investors

As you will hear, Doug breaks down how clear rules, decision-making authority, and a shared “true north” can reduce friction, protect assets, and make succession planning much smoother. He also discusses why governance should fit the business’s actual goals instead of forcing a one-size-fits-all structure, and why it needs to be revisited as ownership, leadership, and growth change over time.

Doug shares why long-term businesses need governance that supports the actual goals of the company’s leadership, especially when the owners want to keep operating for potentially decades into the future rather than exit quickly.

You will hear Doug highlight possible scenarios within family business structures with poor governance in place that can create friction when parents, children, in-laws and employees all act on different assumptions. He also notes that too many rules can create legal risk if owners do not actually follow them, especially when plaintiffs or other shareholders look for inconsistencies. To learn more about the Grawe Group, visit the firm’s website, TheGraweGroup.com.

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In this episode of our special series, we’ll get to know Brandon Ward, a driver for Werner Enterprises who is a member of the Elite 11 group that is in the running for Transition Trucking’s 2026 Driving for Excellence Award.

Our conversation looks back at Brandon’s amazing career path that saw him excel in leadership roles with the Navy, in military law enforcement and in federal law enforcement with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). We also talk to Brandon about how he found his initial path to trucking with Werner in 1996 before reenlisting in the Navy and continuing to serve his country until his retirement from DHS this past January.

As you will hear, it was his year on the road with Werner that kept the flame burning for Brandon’s desire to return to trucking. After securing his CDL earlier this year, Brandon returned to Werner, where he is once again stepping to demonstrate his extensive leadership skills in mentoring drivers in the company’s placement program.

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In this edition of our special series honoring the Elite 11 from Transition Trucking’s Driving For Excellence Award, you’ll meet Prime Inc. driver Jeff Barber, who entered the industry after 19 years of service in the U.S. Army and subsequent career as a deployed military consultant.

Jeff talks to us about what inspired him to enlist in the Army at age 16, and he looks back on the discipline and structure of the military that served as foundational building blocks for his success in life. Jeff tells us that he was drawn to Prime because the company’s terminal structure reminded him of military operations.

Entering the trucking industry in his early 60s, Jeff always held a curiosity about getting behind the wheel of a big rig, especially after working in logistics as a tank commander in the Army and then as a consultant during his initial post-military career. As he shares with us, one of the goals that Jeff is seeking to accomplish with every mile that he drives is to put back a portion of his earnings into the college funds of his four grandchildren.

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Our Special Series spotlighting each member of the Elite 11 from Transition Trucking’s Driving For Excellence Award continues with an in-depth interview featuring HEB Grocery driver Mohammad “Mo” Arzola, a 27-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps who rose to the rank of Sergeant Major.

Over the course of our conversation, Mo talks to us about his military career, which included multiple combat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. It was on the battlefield in Iraq where he was wounded by an IED, suffering a concussion and perforated eardrums, and was awarded the Purple Heart.

Mo’s transition out of the military was marked by significant personal challenges. He faced a divorce, a serious knee injury and an initial civilian job that was not a fit for what he needed at the time. Struggling with a collection of stressors, Mo reached out to his brother, Mac, who was an established driver with HEB. Mo then got the opportunity to earn his CDL and join the HEB fleet.

As you will hear, Mo credits truck driving as a turning point in his new life as a civilian, describing the open road as a form of therapy that helped him heal and regain a positive outlook on life. Through HEB, Mo notes that he found a workplace culture that reminded him of the brotherhood and high standards of the Marine Corps.

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In this episode of the Highway To Hope, we feature an in-depth conversation with Diane Hutsell, who is celebrating her first National Truck Driver Appreciation Week since her appointment as the Executive Director of the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund. Diane, who joined SCF just before MATS in 2025 as the Director of Philanthropy, was appointed by the SCF Board of Directors to wear a second hat as the organization’s Executive Director on August 24.

Diane shares what she has learned about the trucking industry and SCF’s work on behalf of the people behind the wheel and their families since she joined SCF. She also talks to us about her past experience in leading non-profit organizations and what interested Diane in applying to serve as SCF’s Executive Director. She shares her philosophy of leadership and she notes the respect she has for the legacy within the industry that SCF has established. She is looking forward to celebrating the organization’s 20th anniversary next year and carrying the work of SCF forward into the future.

At the heart of the conversation you’ll hear Diane’s care and concern for professional drivers, and that is one of the reasons that we held this interview just prior to National Truck Driver Appreciation. We ask Diane directly about Driver Appreciation Week at the 15:27 mark of the episode. She also shares a story about a professional driver and his family that remains an inspiration that she carries while working to lead SCF.

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Monica Brooks-Buck is center stage for the next installment of our special series that is celebrating the Elite 11 honorees who are part of Transition Trucking’s Driving For Excellence Award this year. Over the course of our conversation, you’ll learn how Monica’s idea to join her husband, Johnny, aboard his Werner Enterprises truck as an authorized passenger became an opportunity for Monica to obtain her CDL.

Welcoming the challenge of starting a new career after 25 years of service in the U.S. Army Logistics as a Supply Specialist, Monica used her past experience to inform her future. With the ability to incorporate the essential discipline, customer service experience and leadership skills gained while in the Army into her day-to-day routine in trucking, Monica views her role as a professional driver as a continued form of service to her country.

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As we continue our series featuring the Elite 11 semifinalists who are part of Transition Trucking’s Driving For Excellence Award, PodWheels places the spotlight on Kishawn Forbes, a 26-year Navy veteran who made his transition to a career behind the wheel with Melton Truck Lines.

Through this in-depth conversation, Kishawn shares how a family tradition of service inspired him to leave his home in the Virgin Islands and join the Navy to become a machinist mate following high school. Kishawn also recalls his fascination with big trucks that he saw on the island as a kid – something that helped inspire him to secure his CDL back in 2005 while he was in his sixth year of service with the Navy.

As you hear, Kishawn credits his time in the Navy and the ability to have strong mentors who taught him a wide range of  transferable life and professional skills, including self-discipline, critical thinking and the value of becoming a mentor to others.

Kishawn also dedicates some time to tell us about the support that he has received from his wife, Aja, during his years in the service and in his decision to pursue a career on the road in the trucking industry. He shares how Aja has developed the ability to handle the challenges that can arise on the homefront while he was deployed, and Kishawn noted his gratitude for the approach that Aja has taken to address what is needed at home for their family while he is out on the road.

You will also hear how Kishawn chose Melton Truck Lines as his port of entry for his trucking career after retiring from the Navy as a Senior Chief Petty Officer. Honored to be a part of the Elite 11, Kishawn is looking forward to spending time with his fellow semifinalists when everyone gathers in Columbus at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum on Sept. 22. 

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In this episode of the podcast, we are paying tribute to a group of true trucking pioneers who have some deep roots in the NTDC Community as well as its history. On Wednesday, the first-ever Team USA of professional drivers will be wearing the red, white and blue while being ready to roll as the 33rd edition of the UICR Professional Driver World Championships opens in Germany at a motorsport club near Heidelberg.

Through this edition of our show, you’ll learn how the members of Team USA answered the call and how the door opened for a stellar group of accomplished professionals to drive in an international competition that runs from Sept. 9-12. Looking at the 15 drivers who have made the trip to Germany, there are 12 state champions, four Captains from America’s Road Team, two TA Citizen Drivers and a two-time NTDC Grand Champion. The team also includes another National Champion, and it features a former TDC competitor serving as team captain who is fluent in German.

We’ll be bringing you a conversation with Ramon Guzman, a two-time California State Champion who started the grassroots effort to build Team USA. It was just one year ago that Ramon began this quest to realize the dream of a Team USA following his trip to an international exhibition competition in Ireland. You’ll also hear from NTDC legends Roland Bolduc and Jim Kohr as well as Ron Round, one of the America’s Road Team Captains who is on the ground in Germany.

FRIEND OF THE PODCAST SPONSOR:  The Lutzie 43 Foundation is our Friend of the Podcast for this episode of the NTDC 2026 Series. Founded to honor the legacy of Philip Lutzenkirchen, the Lutzie 43 Foundation is dedicated to make sure that the tragedy that took his life would never have to be repeated. Philip was a standout athlete, a beloved teammate, and a man of tremendous character. Today, the foundation that carries his name is working to change the driving culture across the Southeast and beyond by tackling distracted driving, impaired driving, and unsafe habits behind the wheel. To learn more about the Lutzie 43 Foundation and how you can use 43 Key Seconds to run through an important safety checklist before starting your vehicle, visit Lutzie43.org.

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Jenn Wilken joins our Destinations Special Series on Transition Trucking’s Driving For Excellence Award to discuss the honor of being named one of the program’s Elite 11 semifinalists. Jenn also talks to us about her 10-year Army career, the tradition of military service in her family and how she is using her experience in the Army in navigating her transition to get behind the wheel of a big rig.

Initially working in a government office setting immediately following her retirement from the Army, Jenn tells us how took her first steps toward a new career as a professional driver at the invitation of her boyfriend Ron Nogal. Part of the fleet at Prime Inc., Ron actually served as Jenn’s trainer after she had earned her CDL.

Jenn talks to us about how she and Ron navigated her training in those early days as a team. She also notes the approach she and Ron took in adapting their relationship to include living and working in a small space with your significant other. Jenn looks back at the ways her days in military logistics prepared her for life on the road. She also explains how the mindset she developed in the military – which was rooted in situational awareness, resilience and learning to be comfortable being uncomfortable – has helped with her transition into the trucking industry.

To learn more about the Transition Trucking: Driving For Excellence Award, please click here.

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In our first PodWheels Destinations episode highlighting a member of the Transition Trucking: Driving For Excellence Award’s Elite 11, Gary Williams of Stevens Transport shares how a 31-year Army career shaped his approach to leadership and service, which ultimately led him on the road to discover trucking.

As Gary explains, trucking, especially in his role with Stevens, is a new career that placed him back in a command position – behind the wheel, where he has a sense of autonomy to make decisions and run a day-to-day operation.

Gary also tells PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson about  the family support he has received throughout his transition into the trucking industry. Gary highlights the key role his wife, Sherry, has played in getting started on his career behind the wheel and he notes the support his children and grandchildren have provided as he has stepped into his big rig with Stevens.

The conversation looks back at a military career that saw Gary rise to the rank of Command Sergeant Major while being called to some of the world’s hotspots, including Iraq as a Chief Medical NCO. Gary’s perspectives on leadership and serving as a mentor to others are truly inspiring. It’s also interesting to hear how Gary has taken his experiences in the Army and successfully applied them to his transition to trucking. To learn more about the Transition Trucking: Driving For Excellence Award, please click here.

FEATURE STORY: To read the feature story on Gary Williams in PodWheels’ collaboration with The Trucker Media Group, please click here.

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