The Trucking Podcast

By Buck Ballard and Don, the Beer Guy

Automotive

What's The Trucking Podcast about?

Truckers, Gearheads, Fans Of The American Garage

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The Trucking Podcast episodes:

01.31.2023
Talking 2023 With Dan The Tax Man
Once again, a great conversation with Dan, the tax man. Dan Organ is a personal friend. He’s also my go-to guy for tax preparation and has been for 24 years. I’m glad to have him in my corner. We spent...
11.18.2022
In And Out Of Madison Square Garden
I’ve done some crazy things in my tucking life. Bull hauling and oversize loads would be among them. But going into Manhattan with well over a dozen other trucks to deliver into Madison Square Garden was absolutely insane… the first...
09.17.2022
Find The Best Truckloads With The Best Data, A Conversation With DAT Experts
In this episode, I have a great conversation with Dean and Robert, to pros from DAT. These guys are pros at what they do. They’re also entertaining to listen to. NOTE: Full disclosure here. I do have an affiliate relationship...
08.12.2022
What’s Up With 87,000 New IRS Agents-Dan The Tax Man
In this episode, we will be talking with Dan Organ, my go-to tax guy for nearly 25 years. Dan and I did a lot of catching up and talked about taxes and our favorite binge-worthy shows on Amazon, Netflix, and...
07.24.2022
Best Trucking Jobs, The Riches Are In The Niches
If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I’ve always been the most satisfied by serving specific trucking niches. that’s what this episode is all about.
11.15.2021
Truck Breakdowns And Brokered Freight
Today’s discussion is about breakdowns while hauling brokered freight. I’m not thinking flat tires, broken airlines, or another issue that could get you an hour behind. Instead, what happens when you blow a turbocharger or some major component failure that...
10.08.2021
I Still Love Those Old Semi Trucks – Can You Still Find Loads With One?
If You’ve followed us for any length of time at The Trucking Podcast, you already know we are big fans of older semi trucks. We’ve written and talked about them many times. The question remains can you book loads with...
08.30.2021
Are Free Load Boards Really Worth It?
Take another look at the question, ARE FREE LOAD BOARDS WORTH IT? A better question would be are they worth your time and effort? Can you find a good truckload at a competitive rate on a free load board? I’m...
08.16.2021
Why Do Big Trucking Companies Broker Out Some Loads?
Years ago, I was dispatched a load that my employer booked through a large carrier. I was 350 miles from home on a Friday morning. That load was my ticket to dinner with the family. BUT NO! That load of...
02.06.2020
It’s Time To Subscribe To Our New Podcast
Seriously, this is the last episode of the show as you know it, The Trucking Podcast. The show will continue under the new name, Trucking After Hours. We hope you’ll join us there.
01.31.2020
Overweight and Blowing Tolls
If you’ve been listening to the show since the first of the year, you’ve heard we are moving EVERYTHING ans starting from scratch. We hope you’ll subscribe to the new podcast feed at TruckingAfterHours.com. The Trucking After Hours podcast is...
01.23.2020
Three Speed Column shifters
I will link to the new site soon. For now, truckingafterhours.com is still in “coming soon” status. It will go live in the second half of February.
01.16.2020
Moving Day For The Trucking Podcast
The Trucking Podcast is just like any other business. It’s incredibly easy to spend way too much time on the tasks that bring in little return. In the process of doing so, you ignore the things that need your attention....
01.10.2020
It’s All Shiney Objects
Shorty-short show notes again, but here are the links for this episode. Here’s the link to the meme story from TechnologyReview.com The story about Google and elections is from Good.is Note; we’re up to something big here at The Trucking...
01.03.2020
The Trucking Podcast – Unplugged
This is it! At least for the next 90 days, the podcast is going out with nearly no snow notes, and even less editing. Soon, show notes will be non-existent. Oh, the productive things I can do with the time...
12.27.2019
2020 Goal Planning For The Trucking Podcast
Joining me in this episode is my good friend, Harold Thornbro. Harold and I have been friends for about seven years. We are both truckers, Internet entrepreneurs, and Christians. Although faith in trucking both come up during this conversation, today...
12.20.2019
Some Really Dumb Trucking News
Show notes are short and sweet this week, but it just makes the show great. I’ll break it down for you. New truck driver training regulations are stalled for at least another 2 years. Oh, and these regulations were mandated...
12.13.2019
2020 Brings Issues For Owner Operators
The last couple of years have brought some historical highs and lows to the trucking industry, most directly related to the spot market. A growing economy collided with enforcement of electronic logging devices. The results were a a big win...
12.06.2019
Overhaulin’ Co-Host Adrienne “AJ” Janic
Adrienne Janic, best known as AJ from the TV show Overhaulin’ joins us by phone on this episode. I can’t begin to tell you how much fun this show was to put together. AJ is as genuine as can be....
11.28.2019
Should I Use High Mileage Motor Oil?
High mileage motor oil is designed for engines with the kind of wear that often comes with high mileage. It’s available in conventional, synthetic or synthetic blend form. Some manufacturers advertise the need to switch to this type of oil...
11.21.2019
Why Backing Up A Semi Is Easier Than A Boat Or RV, And Tips You Can Use
I’m a trucker. My wife and I are also avid RVers. Ask either of us and we will tell you it’s always entertaining to watch the weekend campers as they back into a spot. The most common scenario involves a...
11.13.2019
Freiburger’s Disgustang – From Boneyard To Daily Driver
What does the Disgustang have to do with trucking? Absolutely nothing, but it’s just too cool to not talk about. The humorously nicknamed 69 Mustang Mach 1 is a junkyard rescue, and the subject of a couple of previous episodes...
11.08.2019
15 Features I Absolutely Require On My Next Pickup Truck
Okay, I admit it. The title is a bit misleading. These are my requirements, but many of them are features I absolutely don’t want. I’m a rather simple man and I’d prefer my next truck matches my personality in that...
11.01.2019
How To Find The Perfect truck Driving Job
The short answer is, define exactly what kind of work you are willing to do, where you want to go and how much home time and income you desire. Then search for jobs that fit your requirements. Let’s break it...
10.25.2019
11 Cutting Edge Steps To Dramatically Reduce Driver Turnover
If you really want to reduce driver turnover in your company, you’ve come to the right place. We have eleven steps for you. These eleven steps will lead you to the solution that’s been right there for years. Read this...
10.17.2019
What Car Or Truck Will You Drive In 2030?
The heart of this episode is from a listener question. Luis asked “will there be V8s in pickup trucks in 15 years?” It’s 2019 as of this writing. So why are we not going to 2034? Let’s just say 2030...
10.09.2019
Exciting Life Of A Trucker, Or Mind Numbed Cobot?
In the world of automated everything, we’re getting used to robots. They may not look like C3PO or R2D2, but they are robots. These robots can paint cars, assemble engines, load trucks and thousands of other tasks. Most of these...
10.03.2019
Ask Buck and Don Anything
Usually finding topics to bring up on the podcast isn’t hard to do. But I’ve recently returned from a 12-day vacation. For some reason, I just couldn’t get into it. Instead, I took the easy way out and asked all...
09.26.2019
Back From A 4,200 Mile Road Trip
It’s been a crazy 12 day run, 11 of those days on the road. Traveling west is always an adventure, and this trip was no different. Although this trip was mostly pleasure, I did have some work to do, and...
09.19.2019
7 Hotshot Trucking Niches You Could Rock At
This post is about 7 hotshot trucking niches you can enter and rock at. Some of these are categories I’ve worked in. Others, I either have friends working them or talked with drivers on the road. Some of these are...
09.12.2019
7 Proven Questions For Buying A Used Hotshot Pickup
After trucking well over 2 decades, I know a thing or two about buying a hotshot pickup. Nearly 7 of those years were spent on the hotshot side. Through the years, I’ve been involved in selecting several trucks. One of...
09.05.2019
Farm Kid Diesels And More Diesels
Short and sweet, here are the links to this week’s show topics. The tragic loss of the world’s fastest woman, Jessi Combs. Trucking News What’s wrong with these headlines? Diesel prices are going up in 2020. Here’s why. Autonomous truck...
08.30.2019
The Big Reason Hybrid Trucks Make Sense
I admit, I have a sick fascination with hybrid electric vehicles. I doubt I’ll own either in the near future, but I get it. I also get the fact that the electric car may well be forced on us at...
08.22.2019
5 Used Stepvan Conversion Ideas For Any Budget
In this episode we’re talking about a true automotive blank canvas, a used stepvan. Seriously, the ideas are limitless. From shop truck to food truck, work or play, there’s something for everyone. Most have huge engine compartments. And if they...
08.15.2019
Big Trucks, Cool Vans, And Rotary Engines
The A-Team van, an early 80s GMC Ventura has been a gearhead icon for over 35 years. From episode to episode, everything from the licence plates to the actual brand are inconsistent. Look close and you’ll even see Ford vans...
08.08.2019
What Was Your First Car, Keeping Millennials Trucking
I can’t remember when I had this much fun with an episode. Last week I asked the Facebook page followers about their first car. We came up with some good, bad and downright embarrassingly ugly submissions. As it turns out,...
08.01.2019
Catching Up With Dan Organ, Owner Of Drake Tax Service
Update: If you caught the origional release of this episode, you’ll find I had the wrong audio file attached. This is the correction with the right file. Sorry for the confusion. I had enough time and content to toss in...
07.31.2019
Large Cars, and Large Cars
Oh, for the love of large cars. For you green peas out there, the large car is that classic long hood truck. 379 and 389 Peterbilts, W900 Kenworths, Freightliner Classics and others with a front end long and level enough...
07.23.2019
Another Great First Truck, and Ripping The Door Off
I promise, we will be back next week with a new episode. We’ll even record it live on Facebook. Just go to Facebook.com/truckingpodcast at 8:45 pm central time. Another Great First Truck I remember finding this truck on a Peterbilt...
07.17.2019
Best Of – Why We Truck, Chick Cars
Everyone needs a little time off, and we are no different, but you still need a TPC fix. This week we brought back an episode from 2014. We’ve come a long way in 5 years. I did a bit of...
07.11.2019
The Last Mini Truck
The last mini-truck could be the Nissan Frontier. Although they no longer make a regular cab, a king cab with a 4-banger and 5-speed stick can still be nabbed for under $20,000. It’s a long stretch from the $5,995 loss-leaders...
07.05.2019
Driver Training Rule Changes, Good and Bad
In this episode we discuss some new rules regarding CDL schools and driver training. We address 2 questions about the proposed new rules. Should a CDL school instructor be required to have 2 years of experience? Should a CDL company...
06.27.2019
Autocar Is Back On The Road
Autocar will be putting trucks on the road again soon, a little background on Oshkosh trucks and update on Buck’s garage.
06.20.2019
Three On The Tree And A Centipede
We’re taking a Father’s Day break from trucking stuff tonight. Instead, we’re talking about finding a good mechanic, a classic F-15o and some really cool garage stuff. 69 Ford F-150 VS Jeep Gladiator I’ve shared both vehicles on our Facebook...
06.12.2019
E-Logs, Swindle Sheets and Comic Books
You can expect to see some revisions in the Hours Of Service regulations soon. We will tell you what we know in this episode, but one change stands out. It brings back memories, but not all of those memories are...
06.06.2019
Great Stories, Short Show Notes
First off, Don is back. We’ve punted without him for a couple of weeks so it’s great to be recording the show with him once again. The show came out great, but the show notes will be short. Show Notes...
05.29.2019
Todd McCann From Trucker Dump Co-Hosts This One
This episode should be fun. Don and his family are enjoying a 3-day camping weekend, and we were without him last week. I knew we needed a spectacular cohost for this episode, but Adam Carolla wouldn’t return my calls. The...
05.23.2019
Hybrid Electric Truck For Owner Operators
The hybrid truck is a pretty easy concept. Like hybrid cars, you capture some of the energy used to slow and stop a vehicle and store it in a battery. Then you use that stored power to help get the...
05.17.2019
A $16,500 Classic Ford 9000 Money Maker
How’s this for a starter truck? A 1989 Ford LTL 9000 with a Cummins Big Cam 400 and 13 speed. I found this one on DyingBreedDiesels.com. Brayden Tucker and his wife own the site, and Tucker Equipment. They also have...
05.10.2019
5 Reasons To Stop Idling Your Truck – Number 5 Is A Shocker
Gone are the days – or should I say the nights – of pulling into the truckstop, finding a place to park and backing into a well lit spot. Not only was the light show a sight to see, it...

What's The Trucking Podcast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Trucking Podcast episodes:

Talking 2023 With Dan The Tax Man

In And Out Of Madison Square Garden

Find The Best Truckloads With The Best Data, A Conversation With DAT Experts

What’s Up With 87,000 New IRS Agents-Dan The Tax Man

Best Trucking Jobs, The Riches Are In The Niches

Truck Breakdowns And Brokered Freight

I Still Love Those Old Semi Trucks – Can You Still Find Loads With One?

Are Free Load Boards Really Worth It?

Why Do Big Trucking Companies Broker Out Some Loads?

It’s Time To Subscribe To Our New Podcast

Overweight and Blowing Tolls

Three Speed Column shifters

Moving Day For The Trucking Podcast

It’s All Shiney Objects

The Trucking Podcast – Unplugged

2020 Goal Planning For The Trucking Podcast

Some Really Dumb Trucking News

2020 Brings Issues For Owner Operators

Overhaulin’ Co-Host Adrienne “AJ” Janic

Should I Use High Mileage Motor Oil?

Why Backing Up A Semi Is Easier Than A Boat Or RV, And Tips You Can Use

Freiburger’s Disgustang – From Boneyard To Daily Driver

15 Features I Absolutely Require On My Next Pickup Truck

How To Find The Perfect truck Driving Job

11 Cutting Edge Steps To Dramatically Reduce Driver Turnover

What Car Or Truck Will You Drive In 2030?

Exciting Life Of A Trucker, Or Mind Numbed Cobot?

Ask Buck and Don Anything

Back From A 4,200 Mile Road Trip

7 Hotshot Trucking Niches You Could Rock At

7 Proven Questions For Buying A Used Hotshot Pickup

Farm Kid Diesels And More Diesels

The Big Reason Hybrid Trucks Make Sense

5 Used Stepvan Conversion Ideas For Any Budget

Big Trucks, Cool Vans, And Rotary Engines

What Was Your First Car, Keeping Millennials Trucking

Catching Up With Dan Organ, Owner Of Drake Tax Service

Large Cars, and Large Cars

Another Great First Truck, and Ripping The Door Off

Best Of – Why We Truck, Chick Cars

The Last Mini Truck

Driver Training Rule Changes, Good and Bad

Autocar Is Back On The Road

Three On The Tree And A Centipede

E-Logs, Swindle Sheets and Comic Books

Great Stories, Short Show Notes

Todd McCann From Trucker Dump Co-Hosts This One

Hybrid Electric Truck For Owner Operators

A $16,500 Classic Ford 9000 Money Maker

5 Reasons To Stop Idling Your Truck – Number 5 Is A Shocker