In this edition of the podcast, we’ll introduce you to Paul Konzen, an owner-operator in the Dart Network. Prior to the COVID-19 National Emergency, Paul met with members of the Dart Management Team in Eagan. During his time at the headquarters, Paul talked about the importance of communication and the recent enhancements Dart has made in reaching out to the fleet. During our phone interview with Paul, he talks about what he learned in his most recent trip to Eagan. He also discusses the key role that company drivers and owner-operators hold in the communications process with the team supporting them at Dart.

Recorded on March 24, we talk with Dart General Counsel Doug Grawe to learn how the Dart Network is responding to the changes and challenges that the COVID-19 National emergency has created. In addition, Doug shares a number of important reminders related to keeping owner-operators and company drivers healthy and safe while they are out on the road. You’ll also hear Doug express the company’s appreciation for the way that the fleet and the entire Dart team has stepped up to join the rest of the trucking industry in the effort to keep the American supply chain moving.

In this edition of the podcast, we spend some time with Leonard Larson, a company driver in the Dart Network since 2007 who has developed quite a talent for capturing stunning scenic pictures during his time out on the road. Leonard’s work has become a fixture in the annual Dart calendar, and his photos can also be seen from time to time on Dart’s Facebook page. In our phone interview, Leonard shares some of the secrets he has learned over the years for capturing memorable photos.

As part of our series looking at some of the headlines and national issues that have become topics of discussion in the trucking industry, the Dart Network Podcast explores a subject that every company driver and owner-operator has studied mile by mile while traveling across the nation’s roads and bridges. In this podcast, we’ll be talking about the state of the nation’s highway infrastructure and how Dart has been a part of the industry’s efforts to advocate for improvements. Doug Grawe, Dart’s General Counsel, will be our guest. We’ll talk with Doug about what the industry is doing and what Dart is doing address improvements to the nation’s highways. In this episode of the podcast, we’ll also be talking with Doug about what’s happening on the autonomous vehicle front.

Doug Grawe, the General Counsel at Dart, joins us on the podcast to discuss how Dart is reaching out to state and federal officials to create a greater awareness for the need to address the lack of available truck parking across the country. Doug also addresses how Dart is reaching out to the company's customers to discuss truck parking. He also takes the time to explain the highly overlooked role that local lawmakers play in establishing laws and policies covering truck parking. As Doug shares with us, often times the lack of truck parking in a town or municipality can be traced back to the decisions made by local officials.

Doug Grawe, the General Counsel at Dart, joins us on the podcast discusses how Dart is responding to the recent challenges to independent contractor status that have been in the news. Doug will talk to us about California’s AB5 law and a U.S. House of Representatives bill. During the interview, Doug details some of the efforts that Dart has taken to help in preserving independent contractor status within the trucking industry.

In this edition of the Dart Network Podcast, Dart’s Director of Dedicated Operations Jennifer Hurley shares two stories of ways in which two Dedicated account customers went the extra mile to recognize two members of Dart’s Dedicated fleet for the excellent service they provide each week. Jennifer tells us about the recent experiences that Dart drivers Adam and Marvin enjoyed through the special recognition from the customers they serve.

Bernie Gray, who has been an owner-operator in the Dart Network for the past seven years, hit a bit of a crossroads this fall. He decided to take a look at what looked to be greener pastures on the other side of the trucking fence, leaving Dart for a short time. Not long after moving on, Bernie could see that the new opportunity wasn’t as good as it appeared. Plus, he didn’t have the kind of network he had built with Dart. After taking a step back, Bernie reached out to his friends at Dart and he returned to the company in late October. Bernie wanted to share his story and the benefit of his experience with the listeners of the Dart Network Podcast. During this segment, you’ll get some insight on what the experience cost Bernie, and you’ll hear why Bernie considers Dart his home.

In this podcast, , we wanted to share the perspective from one of the voices of experience in the Dart Network. Mark Boucher is an owner-operator who has logged 11 years as part of the Dart Network. A military veteran who is very determined and highly disciplined in his approach to running his business in the trucking industry, Mark is well respected within the Dart Network and within the trucking industry. Mark shares plenty of wisdom during our discussion on how to get going in a direction of success from the beginning of the year.

Scott McCarter, an owner-operator in the Highway Sales Program, talks about his first year with Dart and running in the Google Dedicated fleet. We caught up with Scott in the South Atlanta Operating Center during Driver Appreciation Week. We met Scott while he was having a conversation with John Pinyerd, who is Dart’s Director of Southeast Sales. John was one of people responsible for developing the Google Dedicated account and he was asking Scott about his experience on the account since joining Dart earlier this year. From that conversation, we learned that Scott has logged 28 years of experience in the industry. He had actually been retired from trucking until he started looking back into opportunities and he found a great fit with Dart and Highway Sales. We believe you’ll find the conversation with Scott and John to be very interesting.