Liner Notes

Unless you filed an extension with the IRS, many people put thoughts about taxes off into the distance once the calendar flips from April to May. In this episode of the Business of Trucking, Certified Public Accountant John Turner continues his efforts to emphasize the importance of developing a tax planning strategy that you can use throughout the year. As John shares with our listeners, waiting until later in the year or putting tax planning off until tax time can prove to be quite costly. As you will hear, John discusses a number of proven tax planning strategies that can allow owner-operators and independent contractors to be positioned to lower what they will owe to the IRS at Tax Time. Those strategies include the pre-tax savings of contributions to retirement plans, equipment purchases and considerations with business entity structures.

If You Are A Professional Driver Or You Own A Trucking Business, It’s Always Tax Season, And John Turner Is Ready To Help You!  John Turner’s Trucker Tax Organizer is designed to help owner-operators, independent contractors and company drivers work with the information you need to stay on top of your business while you are on the road. Stay organized throughout the year. Download the Trucker Tax Organizer today by clicking here.

The post Owner-Ops & ICs: What Is Your Tax Plan For The 2025 Fiscal Year? appeared first on PodWheels.

Over the past year, David Coffel has experienced a great deal of change as he and his wife welcomed their first child, a son named Salem. One thing that has not changed in the past year is the standard of excellence that David has set as a competitor in the Arizona State TDC. In mid-April with his wife and son in the crowd, David claimed his second consecutive Arizona State Grand Championship. For this episode, Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero caught up with David to talk about the past year. They also discussed David’s approach to this year’s State TDC and how fatherhood has broadened his perspective on life as he now looks ahead toward the Road To Minneapolis. 

The post Arizona Grand Champion Repeat: New Dad David Coffel Delivers For His Son appeared first on PodWheels.

As State TDC season begins to heat up and the Road To Minneapolis gets closer, our podcast takes a moment to look back at two of the more surprising championship runs in the past 20 years. Wayne Crowder’s charge to claim the Grand Champion’s title in 2004 was history-making. Wayne still stands as the only person to win his Grand Champion crown as a rookie competitor at the state level and in the nationals. In 2015, Ron Emenheiser finished second in his class at the Pennsylvania TDC. The champion from that class was not able to compete at the nationals creating an opening for Ron, who had an incredible week at the NTDC to win the Grand Championship. Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero takes us back in time through his interviews with Wayne and Ron. 

The post NTDC History Time: Looking Back At Two Surprising Grand Championship Runs appeared first on PodWheels.

While this episode of the podcast notes the close of the April tax filing deadline and looks back on another tax season, Certified Public Accountant John Turner reminds listeners about the value of tax planning. John notes that staying on top of your business throughout the year with a tax plan can help to ease the stress when the tax filing deadline arrives. Also, in this episode, John highlights the discovery of unexpected tax liabilities for taxpayers as well as the need for small business owners to utilize proactive bookkeeping. The discussion also touches on the human element of tax preparation, noting how communication between a tax preparer and their clients can help in avoiding financial surprises. Looking at the 2025 fiscal year, John highlights some strategies for tax savings, including the benefits of S-corporations and reasonable compensation.

If You Are A Professional Driver Or You Own A Trucking Business, It’s Always Tax Season, And John Turner Is Ready To Help You!  John Turner’s Trucker Tax Organizer is designed to help owner-operators, independent contractors and company drivers work with the information you need to stay on top of your business while you are on the road. Stay organized throughout the year. Download the Trucker Tax Organizer today by clicking here.

The post It’s Never Too Early To Start Your Tax Planning For This Fiscal Year appeared first on PodWheels.

For this episode of the Official Podcast of NTDC 2025, we will be rewinding the clock back to Saturday, March 23rd, when PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson made an onsite visit to the 14th Annual Safety Drive For A Cure, which took place in Atlanta. Led by America’s Road Team Captain and TA Citizen Driver of the Year Herschel Evans, the Safety Drive For A Cure is a fundraising event supporting the mission of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. The Safety Drive annually brings together some 200 drivers from across the country who are gathering for a great cause and entering a TDC-style competition that serves as a strong test and skills sharpening opportunity ahead of their respective State TDC events.

During his time onsite at the Safety Drive, Greg had the opportunity to speak with two-time NTDC Grand Champion Scott Woodrome and his wife, Lorraine, as well as Mike Alpine and his wife, Beth. Mike competes annually in the Arizona TDC and he is a previous National Champion. Greg also spent time with 2004 NTDC Grand Champion Wayne Crowder, who retired from driving at the end of 2024. Two-time Tennessee State Champion Tim Blair joined the podcast, discussing the importance of the Safety Drive in his preparations for the State TDC. The podcast is highlighted by an interview with Geoff Still, who is the Interim Executive Director of Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Geoff, whose son is a brain cancer survivor, discusses the powerful impact that can be felt by the contributions made by the trucking community in the work to find a cure and ease the burden on families faced with the reality of pediatric brain cancer.

The post Fun, Fundraising & TDC Practice Runs: Looking Back At Safety Drive For A Cure Event appeared first on PodWheels.

It’s well known among trucking and logistics leaders that balancing multiple interests has long been one of the main challenges within the industry. In this episode of the Grawe Pod, we will be discussing some of the issues faced by trucking companies in relation to motor vehicle accidents, an organization’s safety program and the importance of consistency in operations. Grawe Group Founder and CEO Doug Grawe explores how trucking decision makers can find themselves in a Catch 22 scenario when it comes to safety and productivity. Grawe Group Executive Business Partner Gary Randall joins Doug as they examine the operational struggles encountered by trucking leaders as they work to strike a balance between safety and productivity in an era when plaintiffs attorneys are filing lawsuits with increased regularity.

As you will hear, Doug and Gary offer insights on balancing the needs of the multiple interests that are a part of today’s trucking landscape. They emphasize the importance of effective communication with a focus on coaching while working to manage driver expectations. Doug and Gary also note the critical distinction between coaching and disciplining employees, emphasizing the need for clear expectations and consistent practices to foster a positive organizational culture while improving risk management. This episode is a thought-provoking and valuable conversation examining the importance for trucking and logistics leaders to have a commitment to consistency and communication. To learn more about the Grawe Group, visit the firm’s website, TheGraweGroup.com.

The post Navigating Today’s Trucking Landscape With Safety, Productivity and Communication   appeared first on PodWheels.

Each year, the NTDC Organizing Committee makes a visit to the host site for the National Championships months ahead of the event taking place. This year, the NTDC Organizing Committee circled mid-March as the date to visit the Minneapolis Convention Center to conduct a “pre-trip” inside the facility, hold planning meetings and tour the immediate area that will be the home for the 2025 National Truck Driving and National Step Van Driving Championships. Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero also made the trip to Minneapolis and he was able to interview seven members of the NTDC Organizing Committee for this edition of the podcast.

In addition to taking you inside the Organizing Committee’s Minneapolis “Pre-Trip,” this episode of the podcast also shares the news of a collaboration between PodWheels and the American Trucking Associations. As you will hear in the first section of the show, the NTDC 2025 Podcast Series has been selected by ATA to serve as the Official Podcast of NTDC 2025.

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Ina Daly has been a fixture at the Arizona Truck Driving Championships for more than 30 years as she heads into this year’s event in the Valley of the Sun. Ina has also served as a consistent presence and a continuing inspiration at the NTDC. Becoming the first woman to win a national championship and as the 2023 recipient of the Neill Darmstadter Professional Excellence Award, Ina has continually sought to raise the bar at NTDC and throughout her distinguished career as a professional driver, which includes serving as a member of America’s Road Team. Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero caught up with Ina as she was preparing for the 2025 Arizona TDC, which is taking place on April 12.

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In this edition of the SCF Highway To Hope Podcast, we will be taking a look back at the connections made and the success achieved by the SCF Team during the 2025 edition of the Mid-America Trucking Show, which took place at the end of March. Elisabeth Barna returns to the podcast to share the details about the success of SCF’s Silent Auction event. We’ll also talk about the overall fundraising efforts for SCF that took place over the three days of MATS 2025. Elisabeth is the founder and principal of EAB Strategies, a consulting firm which is focused on helping trucking and logistics companies. Elisabeth also serves as the Secretary on the Board of Directors for the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund.

During this episode of the podcast, we will also meet Diane Hutsell, who recently joined SCF as the organization’s Director of Philanthropy. Donna Kennedy, the Executive Director for the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund, is your host for this edition of the podcast. As you’ll hear, we’ll take some time in the final part of this episode to highlight a special honor that Donna received during MATS 2025.

If you would like to learn more about how you can support the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund, please click here.

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In this expanded episode of the podcast, we place a spotlight on the work of the volunteers who come together each year from across the country to serve in a variety of capacities. As anyone familiar with NTDC knows, each job and every assignment helps to contribute to the success of the National Truck Driving Championships. As you will hear, Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero sits down with two recent recipients of the Sam Gillette Lifetime Volunteer Award.

David Wiechers, a veteran driver driver from ABF who earned the Sam Gillette Award in 2024, is the first honoree to be featured during the podcast, while Michelle Wells, the Membership Manager for the South Dakota Trucking Association, talks to Eugene about her work over the years as an NTDC Den Mother. Michelle was presented with the Sam Gillette Award in 2022.

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