Hiring the wrong truck driver doesn’t just lead to empty seats—it can cost your fleet time, money, and even its reputation. In this episode of The Rig on Wheels Show, Kameel E. Gaines reveals why rushed recruiting decisions hurt small and mid-sized trucking companies the most. Learn how one bad hire can create FMCSA violations, skyrocketing insurance rates, and high driver turnover.

Discover actionable tips to: ✅ Attract qualified drivers ✅ Retain your best talent ✅ And build a safety-first culture that protects your fleet and grows your business.

This is a must-listen for small fleet owners, driver recruiters, and anyone serious about keeping their trucks moving without sacrificing safety or culture.

🎯 Learn more at rigonwheels.com or email [email protected] to work with us.

This week on The Rig on Wheels Show, host Kameel E. Gaines shines a spotlight on the men and women who keep America moving: truck drivers. In honor of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, this episode explores why appreciation must be more than a holiday—it has to be a culture.

Through the show’s three pillars—Recruitment, Retention, and Safety—Kameel unpacks how genuine appreciation transforms every part of the trucking industry. You’ll hear why respect is the strongest recruiting magnet, how small acts of gratitude can dramatically improve driver retention, and why safety is the ultimate form of saying “thank you.”

This episode also highlights practical tools and strategies for fleets and recruiters. From the Driver Magnet Kit™, designed to help carriers attract quality drivers with smarter recruiting tactics, to Competing with Giants, Kameel’s book that shows how smaller fleets can thrive against mega-carriers, listeners will walk away with resources they can apply immediately.

With real driver stories, actionable insights, and motivational takeaways, this episode delivers an unfiltered look at how appreciation shapes the future of trucking.

Whether you’re a fleet owner, dispatcher, recruiter, or driver, this conversation will challenge you to think bigger about culture, loyalty, and the responsibility we all share in keeping drivers safe and valued.

👉 Tune in, take notes, and discover how your company can recruit better, retain longer, and protect lives through the power of daily appreciation.

🎧 Available on Spotify, iHeart, YouTube, Pandora, Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Deezer.

In this episode of The Rig on Wheels Show on Wreaths Across America Radio, Kameel E. Gaines explores how disconnection between recruiting and safety departments can quietly damage trust—and push good drivers away.

When drivers are told one thing during hiring but experience something completely different on the job, it creates confusion, frustration, and early turnover. Kameel shares personal stories, including one about a recruiter brought to tears when her best hire was blocked by safety... again.

Through tools like the Driver Quality Index and cross-department retention huddles, this episode challenges fleets to lead with integrity, build trust from the inside out, and unite around one goal: keeping drivers safe, informed, and respected.

The U.S. DOT has launched an English-only crackdown on truck drivers — threatening funding to states, freezing visas, and raising the stakes for recruiters, carriers, and drivers nationwide. In this episode of The Rig on Wheels Show, host Kameel E. Gaines breaks down the recruitment, retention, and safety impact of the policy, shares personal stories of immigrant drivers, and challenges whether this is truly about safety or just scapegoating.

🔑 Topics we cover:

• How the crackdown is chilling recruitment in immigrant-heavy states
• Why drivers feel targeted and how that fuels turnover
• The real risks to safety when the labor pool shrinks
• Why Inclusive Excellence — not blanket rules — is the key to loyalty and safety
• A personal call to action for the future of trucking

In the wake of the August 12th crash, trucking regulators have moved fast — cracking down on English-language testing and pausing work visas for foreign drivers. In this episode of The Rig on Wheels Show, host Kameel E. Gaines breaks down what these new rules mean for fleets struggling to recruit, retain, and operate safely. From shrinking driver pools to rising retention pressure, discover how your fleet can adapt right now to stay compliant, keep drivers, and protect your bottom line.

AI is changing trucking — but is it helping recruiters and drivers or pushing them out of the industry?

In this episode of The Rig on Wheels Show, host Kameel E. Gaines breaks down the truth about AI in trucking recruitment, driver retention, and safety technology. From AI bots screening driver applications to predictive analytics flagging turnover risks, to dashcams that feel like “Big Brother,” we explore where AI belongs in trucking — and where it doesn’t.

🚛 Recruiting: Can AI speed up driver applications without pushing drivers away?

🤝 Retention: How predictive tools help fleets keep drivers — if they’re backed by real empathy.

🦺 Safety: Dashcams and monitoring tech — lifesaving co-pilot or driver surveillance?

Kameel shares real-world trucking stories, industry insights, and her unfiltered perspective: AI isn’t the enemy — bad leadership is.

Whether you’re a fleet owner, recruiter, safety manager, or truck driver, this episode will give you practical takeaways on how to use AI without losing trust, drivers, or your culture.

“Subscribe to The Rig on Wheels Show for more unfiltered conversations on recruiting, retention, safety, and the future of trucking.”

Fleets across the country are feeling it — fewer qualified truck driver applicants, higher turnover, and a growing number of drivers who just aren’t committed from Day One. In this episode of The Rig on Wheels Show, Kameel E. Gaines breaks down what’s really behind the “uncommitted driver market” and why it’s costing carriers time, money, and safety.

Kameel E. Gaines dives into the industry-wide reaction to Tenstreet’s new verification of employment (VOE) policy. Learn how VOE bottlenecks and rising fees are stalling driver hires, hurting retention, and raising safety concerns—and why a centralized FMCSA solution could change everything.

Kameel E. Gaines dives into the industry-wide reaction to Tenstreet’s new verification of employment (VOE) policy. Learn how VOE bottlenecks and rising fees are stalling driver hires, hurting retention, and raising safety concerns—and why a centralized FMCSA solution could change everything.

In this episode of The Rig on Wheels Show on Wreaths Across America Radio, Kameel E. Gaines explores how disconnection between recruiting and safety departments can quietly damage trust—and push good drivers away.

When drivers are told one thing during hiring but experience something completely different on the job, it creates confusion, frustration, and early turnover. Kameel shares personal stories, including one about a recruiter brought to tears when her best hire was blocked by safety... again.

Through tools like the Driver Quality Index and cross-department retention huddles, this episode challenges fleets to lead with integrity, build trust from the inside out, and unite around one goal: keeping drivers safe, informed, and respected.