In this edition of the Overdrive Radio podcast, we drop back two weeks in time to the site of the Mayberry Truck Show in Mt. Airy, North Carolina, where despite rain threatening from remnants of Hurricane Ian, scads of owners and operators showed out in force for the second annual event at the home location of Bottomley Enterprises.

Our own video editor Lawson Rudisill was out at the show, and, given fairly recent news of negative GDP growth in both the first and second quarters -- one favored rule of thumb for some when it comes to declaring a recession -- and a stock market on a wild ride, mostly down, Rudisill surveyed a variety of owners he caught up with on what they were seeing in their operations.

Answers to the question of just whether owners and operators were seeing indicators in their businesses of a bona fide recession at that moment in time ran the gamut from definitive "yes" to more positive outlooks, based on individual experiences.

One common theme: For those staked in trucking for the long-term who can keep close rein on costs, hang on tight and, whatever happens in the wider economy, odds are the tight grip will sustain you.

Operator Austin Kiser, who hauls with a pristine 2018 Peterbilt 389 glider for his father's Rosedale, Virginia-based Greg Kiser Trucking, emphasized a have/have-not dynamic for freight lately, trucking along well in his bulk business, still commanding higher rates given the rise in the cost of operations.

Stay tuned for an update on Kiser's rig – there’s been quite a lot of work put in, particularly on the 6nz Cat, since we last saw in in spring of 2021 at the East Coast Truckers Jamboree at Kenly 95 in North Carolina: https://www.overdriveonline.com/custom-rigs/article/15065658/austin-kisers-2018-peterbilt-389-at-kenly-95-east-coast-jamboree

For others, noted Kiser, rates were just not keeping up with rising costs, and he worried that if the wider economy continues to generally slow or falls off a cliff, equipment/parts costs stood a good chance of overwhelming those who've gotten into the business buying equipment during recent-years price highs. "I wouldn't really call it a recession," he said of the current environment, but considering inflationary pressures, "when it does go down, it's not going to be good."

Said Massey Motor Freight fleet owner Troy Massey, also showing at Mayberry, about those inflationary pressures: "Times are about as tough as what you can get right now in trucking" when it comes to costs for fuel, insurance, equipment, and more. Yet: "I may be wrong because I'm optimistic," but "I don't think it's going to get any worse." Here's hoping he's right.

Also featured in the podcast: Owner-operators Mel Williams, John Highley and Brent Hall, like operators Brandon Burroughs and John Rooney.