On today's episode I talk with Stephen Schlecht from small town Illinois who went from a rural upbringing to now launching his own ecommerce business. We talk about his time working in similar shipping receiving locations that he's worked at and I picked up from. He picks my brain about a little bit on what makes me tick and my passions for the industry. 

In today's episode I had the pleasure of talking with Josh Rothstein, a computer engineer from southern California. He's had a successful career in the tech industry, but then his brother in law approached him about a snag he has been seeing in his commercial real estate business, which is that all these warehouses and distribution centers in the LA area don't have sufficient truck parking or container storage. Josh comes on the show to talk about what they have in the works and about some of the people they met and information learned at the Manifest conference in Las Vegas. You can find Josh on twitter @LArothstein and go to their website droplot.ai to follow along with their project!

Sarah Stogner is an attorney in the oil and gas industry living in the Permian Basin in Texas. She comes on the show and spares no details regarding the true corruption behind what is going on in the oil and gas industry, which led to her run for Texas Railroad Commissioner. 

Chris and I crossed paths on tiktok which has basically become the CB radio for drivers. I could tell off the rip that him and I share a similar outlook on life especially when it comes to always bettering oneself. Chris and I just shoot the breeze and he tells his story, how he got into trucking, raising a family in the digital age, social media, mental health, and the truck parking issues. Chris is an awesome human being, you can find him and his funny videos on tiktok @badgorilladad

Justin and I crossed paths on on my CB call sign of Twitter. A trucker with 15 years of experience he has seen several corners of the industry which allowed him to see the good and bad side of things, especially in regards to how truckers should be paid. He tells his story of what got him into trucking, his time at USPS, and how he ended up working for FreightWaves, a popular freight media outlet. MY longest episode yet, and we could have gone longer especially on all the topics surrounding the industry! 

Gabriel and I crossed paths on the almighty algorithm that is truckertok. Him and his co-founder Tucker are Air Force veterans who went to basic training together and now decided to get into business together to try and build an All-American coffee brand geared towards the trucking industry. We go into detail about what inspired them, some marketing, and how as a new small company they put profit back into trucker's charities. You can find them on tiktok @bigrigcoffeecompany and on instagram @bigrigcoffeeco AND you can also order Big Rig Coffee at bigrigcoffeecompany.com and use promocode LombardTrucking at checkout for 5% off your order

As you can see by the title, Corey and I share the same last name! We're not related, but actually have similar upbringings. How I came across his instagram is actually a pretty funny story and worth the listen. Originally from upstate NY, Corey has lived on both coasts and in the middle right in Chicago. He currently works in tech sales, but his career in sales actually started with an infamous freight brokerage very well known to Owner/Operators as not being the best. He goes into his time in the TQL machine and shares some of their inside baseball on how they sell freight. You can find Corey on Instagram @clombard2

Reed and I crossed paths on Twitter under a thread where Gord Magill and I were also tagged in. I then noticed an interesting tweet from Reed where he asked whether or not Motor Carriers considered Brokers as "a customer." We got to talking and I learned quickly that Reed is one of those "good guys" on the brokerage side who knows that he can win when those around him win.

In this episode we talk about his experience on the brokerage side and go into some nuts and bolts on how freight is sold to carriers. He also goes into detail regarding a new type of software that is essentially a load board for brokers, which allows brokers to develop better relationships with carriers by making them easier to find.

You can find Reed on twitter @lostisreed

Motor Carriers can sign up for his software at www.lostfr8.com

Candace Rivers has been in the fitness industry for 20 years, and 5 years ago she was called by God to help some of the most vulnerable people out there when it comes to controlling their overall health, and that is America's truck drivers.  We have a great conversation about her company and experience and talk all things health and fitness in regards to why it is important especially for this industry.  Our discussion gets into how a lot of our motivation comes from the tenants of Christianity, and why they are so important.  You can find Candace everywhere on social media @fitspossibletrucking  Please like, comment, share and subscribe! Also available on audio on Spotify, Apple, and Google podcasts