Off-Time Hobbies: What Bulk Transit Drivers Do for Fun

Truck driver hobbies are not what most people expect, and Episode 14 of Always Pneumatic, Never Static is here to prove it. We are taking a full break from freight markets, safety protocols, and operations to talk to find out what three Bulk and Spur Transit drivers are actually doing when the wheels stop turning. Gary Cress, Bryan Alexander, and Paul Francis bring a lineup of hobbies that covers everything from Ju-Jitsu competition and coaching to firearm customization, hunting, fishing, project vehicle builds, grilling, and golf. This is the culture highlight episode that long-time listeners have been asking for, and it delivers from start to finish. No pressure, no agendas, just three pro drivers talking about the things that light them up outside the cab. If you have ever wondered what the people behind the wheel are really like when they clock out, this is your answer. Laid back, genuinely fun, and a great reminder that the people moving this industry are a lot more interesting than the loads they haul. New episodes every Wednesday at podcast.bulktransit.com.

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
You ever notice how easy it is to put someone in a box? That that came out a little bit weird. I
don't mean physically put somebody into a box. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking
about metaphorically putting someone into a box truck driver, for instance. That's it. That's the
label. That's the whole story, right? You see the truck, you see the long hours, you see the miles,

(00:23):
and you think you've got that person figured out. But here's the truth. A lot of these guys, for them,
the job is just the thing that pays the bills. It's not the whole identity. It's not even close.
Because when they park the truck, when they finally get home, when nobody's watching and
there's no clock to punch, that's when the real version shows up. And that version might surprise

(00:48):
you, which is the reason for today's episode. We're talking off time hobbies today, but not in that
surface level. Yeah, I fish on the weekends kind of way. We're talking about the stuff that keeps
these guys sane. The stuff that gives them purpose outside the cab. The stuff that answers a bigger
question. Is this something you do or someone you are? Because trucking will take a lot

(01:13):
out of you if you let it. Time, energy, sometimes even pieces of who you used to be. So
what do you hold on to? What do you build outside of trucking? And who are you when the truck isn't
part of the conversation? Well, today we're going to find out on all these pneumatic ever static.

(01:33):
You are listening to. Always pneumatic, never static. The Totally Pressurized podcast brought to
you by Bulk Transit, where we keep the lines clear, the tanks empty, and the conversation anything but
dry. Whether you're running powder pellets or anything in between. Pull up a seat, crack the
windows, and let's hit it. How's it going out there? Bulk and Spur, welcome into another episode of

(01:55):
Always. Pneumatic, Never Static. Thank you so much for clicking download today. I am your host Marcus
and we are on to, I believe, episode 14 here of always pneumatic, never static. We are cooking with
gas. Uh, we are we are running the rails. We're doing all of the things we're we're all of the
sayings that you could come up with right now. Uh, we're on a gravy train with biscuit wheels. That's

(02:18):
one I like, uh, weekly content here for you from always pneumatic, never static. All about Bulk and
spur and, uh, some really cool episodes that we've had here over the past few weeks. And this one
today is absolutely no different. This one, actually, uh, one of my favorite ones I've recorded
so far. Just because, uh, super laid back a lot of fun was had today, uh, when we were recording this

(02:41):
segment. So we'll get into that here in just a second. But before I do anything else, obviously
you guys know I'm big on the homework. I gotta say this stuff to you every week so that it gets just
tattooed onto your brain like it is onto mine. And then any question that you have can be answered
by heading over to the one place I send you every week that is podcast.bulktransit.com. That's our

(03:04):
podcast landing website page or web page. Excuse me, website page makes me sound like I grew up in
the 20s. Good lord. Um, it's a one stop shop. Okay, all the episodes are there. First and foremost, you
can go to Spotify, or you can go to Apple Music or Google, and you can find the episodes of this
podcast. But you can also just bookmark podcast.bulktransit.com and go there every single week. Uh,

(03:29):
the episode descriptions there will have info on the guys that, uh, joined the show and, uh, we're
going to have info about what we're talking about. That's also where you can find the quizzes each
week. Uh, we try to have a quiz with every podcast. Now, something that's interesting this week, I
don't actually think there will be a quiz for this week's podcast, because it's more of a laid
back, just finding out about some of the people that are your coworkers type of an episode. Uh, so

(03:53):
actually what I'm going to see is I'm going to see if the three guys that joined us in here
today for this episode can send us some pictures of some of the hobbies that they enjoy, since
that's what we're here talking about today. You heard it in the cold open. We are talking about
off time hobbies. Now, in a little less than four years of making podcasts for truck drivers as a

(04:14):
as a living, um, I have learned one thing, and that is that you cannot label a truck
driver as just a truck driver. Uh, there are way, way too many nuances about the
job alone, but about the way that the job has worked. Some guys are local drivers. They're home
every night, some guys are regional. They're out on the road a little bit. Some guys are OTR, they're

(04:38):
out on the road a lot, and that can kind of affect the hobbies that we have. Right. Can you do these
hobbies on the road? Do you need to be home for these hobbies? Uh, what does it look like? What what
kind of stuff are you getting involved in in your cab? Um, we're not going to get into a lot of the
Over-the-road stuff today, because that's just not the drivers that we have that joined us. However, I

(04:59):
will say we'll do another one of these off time hobby episodes because for you drivers that are
out there on the road a little bit more, doing some more regional stuff, maybe you're not home
every single night. Uh, that might affect the hobbies that you that you, uh, grab Ahold of. And I
am such a big hobby guy. Um, a lot of people will have said to me over the time, like you do so much,

(05:20):
when do you have time for it all? And really, that's the hardest part. I wish I had more time if
I had more free time in an unlimited budget. Um, you can't imagine the amount of money I would
spend on my hobbies. And my hobbies are are sort of interesting. I mean, I think they are. You
guys know I love golf. Okay. Um, many people don't know because I don't talk about it very much on

(05:44):
on the podcast. But I am a drummer. I've been playing the drums since I believe I was 12 years
old. I'm 42 now, so I've got a solid 30 years under my belt. I have a pop punk cover band. We play all
sorts of blink 182 and Green Day and Fall Out Boy and you name it. Uh, our, our band is called Pop
Punk for dummies. And maybe someday we'll be in a city near you. Um, I've. I've loved playing music my

(06:07):
entire life. It's a huge release for me. Just like golf is really challenge myself. Do the hard thing.
Get out there. Play the song that you've never played before. Learned something new. Of course, as
we've discussed in passing on this podcast, I'm going to align with a couple of the drivers today.
I'm a real outdoorsman. I do like to go out with, uh, with my dad and, uh, and the hunting crew, my

(06:31):
uncles and some cousins and elk hunt every single year out here in Oregon, if I can get there. And
even if I don't draw a tag, uh, I'm gonna try to go out there and just help and just be out in the
woods. I really do enjoy that, um, deer hunting as well. Uh, I've done some waterfowl hunting. Um, I was
a very avid wake boarder until a pretty catastrophic knee injury. Sort of took me out of

(06:54):
that game, but I still do ride from time to time. I was a wakeboard instructor at one point in time
at a ski school here in Eugene, Oregon called blue turns out at Fern Ridge Reservoir. Um, I obviously
am huge into broadcasting. I've been broadcasting for about 20 years now. I have thousands and I
mean thousands of podcast episodes under my belt that I have either created myself or that I've

(07:20):
just done, I've guested on, I've been a part of for other people in the industry that I've known. So I
do, while this is my job, sort of consider it on the outside, a hobby, because twice a week I will
join another podcast, uh, that that is done by some of my friends. I'm just a guest on and I don't
they don't pay me anything. Uh, there's there's nothing that happens there other than the fact

(07:42):
that I get to flex my muscle a little bit and I get to broadcasts, which is something that I
really enjoy. Um, beyond that, I love I absolutely love a lazy Sunday with my
wife. You could call me a hobby husband. Uh, maybe we get to watch a movie. Maybe we work in the yard
a little bit together. We take the dogs on a walk. Um, you know, make dinner together. That is

(08:03):
something I. I'm kind of a hobbyist husband. Like. I really do enjoy that time. So I think the reason
that I'm putting all of my hobbies out there to sort of introduce this episode is to say you
really can't put somebody in a box. Like I said, off the top, I might look like a
guy that, uh, you know, does XYZ. I might sound like a guy that does ABC, but until you

(08:28):
actually live with me or you, you are out there experiencing these things with me, or you get to a
tailgate, uh, during Oregon Ducks football season, which is also a huge hobby of mine. Uh, you just
really don't know the person that you're talking to. And one thing I've learned about truck drivers
is a lot of them don't make a lot of noise about the things that they do outside of work. Obviously,

(08:51):
it's kind of a solemn job. You're by yourself a lot, so who are you going to make noise to? And
furthermore, um, truck drivers are a very humble bunch, and you're going to see that in one very
particular, uh, driver today that we're going to talk to here in just a few minutes. Um, humble is a
big part of his game. And you can tell you can hear it in his voice and that they're just not

(09:11):
they're not braggadocio guys. They're not big, um, you know, brash people that are out talking about
themselves all the time. That's my experience with truck drivers. And that's why I want to do this
episode, is because I want to pry those doors open, and I want to see, what are you doing? I mean, it's
stereotypical. If you were to say, oh, yeah, I bet you every truck driver likes to turn wrenches and

(09:31):
work on hobby cars in his off time. Some of them do. And and actually, some of them are a lot better
at it than what you'd give them credit for. But I also know drivers out there that would say you
expect me to spend my entire week in a vehicle, and then get out of the vehicle and go get into
another vehicle and start working on it. I don't want to do that. That's great. What do you do, man?

(09:54):
Are you are you out there hunting? Are you fishing? Are you a golfer like I am? Maybe you're a, you
know, any maybe a gamer. Okay. Uh, there's this huge, uh, you know, argument in the online space
about whether or not video games are a hobby. Well, I'll tell you what. I know multiple people that
make lots of money playing or designing video games. I would say it's probably a pretty good

(10:20):
hobby to pick up if you can make money at it. If you can just have fun, turn on a camera and a
bunch of people come to watch you, have fun and pay you to have fun. Man, that's a heck of a hobby.
Sounds like it might even turn into a career, which is pretty cool. That's what I did. That's
what this hobby is. Okay, I started off first time I ever spoken to a microphone on the airwaves. I
volunteered at 17 at the little podunk radio station in my town to play punk rock music on a

(10:45):
country station for three hours each Sunday night, and I absolutely fell in love with it. And fast
forward down the road 20 some odd years and here I am, made a career out of it. That's a heck of a
hobby. I got lucky, man. Not everybody gets that lucky, but everybody has hobbies. And today we've
got three drivers here with a bunch of them that are going to add a little bit of nuance to the

(11:08):
truck driver label. Okay, not all these guys are the same. In fact, every single one of them is
different. And, uh, today's episode is going to pull the curtain back on that a little bit. I'm very
excited about it. So without further ado, without any more chin wagon from your boy here, I'm going
to get out of the way. We're going to get those three drivers in and talk off time hobbies.

(11:36):
All right. Now we're cooking with gas here on always pneumatic, never static. Ready to get our
three drivers in here today and talk a little bit about what they get into when the wheels are not
turning. Uh, believe it or not, even truck drivers have a pretty significant life outside of the job,
even though they spend a lot of time doing the job. And I'm very excited to have these three

(11:56):
gentlemen in here today. First and foremost, let's welcome a guy who's joined us on the show before.
Uh, please welcome to the show, Bryan Alexander. Bryan, it's great to have you back, man. Always a
pleasure. Appreciate it, appreciate it. Look forward to the conversation. Yeah, man. We're going to have
some fun today. Um, couple guys making their first appearance. Uh, and they were excited to join us.
We're very excited to have them. Just like we're excited to have any of you guys out there, uh,

(12:21):
driving for Bulk or working in the shop. Whatever. If you're under this umbrella. We're happy to have
you here on the podcast. And, uh, this next driver actually reached out to me and said, hey, I want to
come on, get me on that episode. And here he is. Please welcome to the show, Gerald Cress. Gerald,
really appreciate you reaching out, man. Glad to have you here. Thanks for having me on. Marcus. Of

(12:41):
course. And our third guest today was recommended by Gerald. That is Paul Francis. Paul, we appreciate
your time as well. Welcome to the show. Thank you. And I'm pleased to be on. Well, listen,
Gerald and Paul, I've already gotten a little bit of Bryan's background before because he's joined
us before, like I said. But I always like to introduce the drivers in a way where if somebody

(13:05):
hasn't met you, maybe they'll know who you are if they see you in passing. So, Paul, since I'm with
you already going to go ahead and start with you. How long have you been working here for Balkan
Spur? Well, let's just say next week will be 12 years. Wow. Next week, 12
years. I'm giving you applause for that man. 12 years anywhere is a great, great stretch. Actually.

(13:27):
Two, two weeks. Two weeks. May 14th. Okay, well. We're not going to take your applause back for a one
week gaffe there, Paul. We're going to keep it. And which, uh, which terminal do you call home? Paul. Oh,
Sydney. Sydney. Terminal. Okay, great. Yeah. And I understand today is, uh, not the best day out
there on the road for you. Have a little bit of mechanical issues. Did you? Yeah, but I'm used to it.

(13:52):
It don't bother me. You know, anything can happen while you're out here on the road, so you just
roll with it. Yeah. After 12 years, water off a duck's back, right? Exactly. I mean, I'm still
heading. I'll be at the customer in about 20, 25 minutes to unload, and then I'll head home. Perfect.
Well, glad that, uh, nothing too bad t happened out there today. And, uh, we're glad to have you here. Uh,

(14:16):
welcome into the show once again, Gerald. Uh, where are you at right now? Today? What's, uh, what's your
day looking like? Any mechanical issues got you parked on the side of the road? No. Today's been
pretty smooth sailing other than some slower traffic holding me up, but, uh, got some
pretty, uh, pretty calm roads ahead of me. So won't be. Won't be too much longer. And I'll be, uh,

(14:41):
swapping some trailers around and getting myself ready for the next day. Okay. All right. And how
long have you been working here, Gerald? So, not counting the year and a half break I had back in
21. I've been here cumulatively five years. Okay. That's good. You know what? That deserves a round
of applause as well. Why not? I'm giving him out today. Five years. Yeah. No joke man. That's a good

(15:04):
that's a good career. Yep. I really enjoyed the break because of
some burnout there in 21. And then came and then I was ready to come back and they brought me back
with open arms. So burnout is a truck driver. That's the first time I've ever heard of that.

(15:25):
It happens. It happens to the best of us. It does, man. It does. It's a tough job. There's no question
about it. We don't make any bones about it on this podcast. And, uh, we're just always glad that you
guys can find time in your day to join us, because we know that it is a a crazy job that you guys
work, and for that reason is sort of why I wanted to have this conversation with you guys today. Um,

(15:46):
I have talked to enough drivers in my almost four years of making podcasts for truck drivers to
know there is no end to the amount of unique hobbies that you guys can get into. And the reason
I like doing an episode like this is because you guys spend a lot of time on the phone with each
other. Gerald and Paul actually told me off the air. Hey, we're normally talking to each other all

(16:07):
day. Um, this episode is one of those things that could even teach you guys something new about one
another that you don't know. Uh, even though you guys are, uh, pretty close. So, Bryan, I'm going to
start with you here because, uh, we brought this up a little bit in the past here on the show, and, uh,
you are not only a very accomplished, uh, jujitsu. Do they call it a jiu jitsu fighter? Is that how

(16:30):
they. Is that how you're you're termed. Oh, no. I mean, you could just call it a grappler. Grappler.
There you go. That's it. So you are. You are an accomplished jiu jitsu grappler, and this is a big
part of your life. Talk to me a little bit about it, man. What is the, uh. Where have you come? How
decorated are you as a grappler, and how long have you been into jiu jitsu? Um,

(16:52):
so it's, uh, it's a pretty significant part of my life these days. Um, it started off as, uh, just a
cool little hobby I fell into. You know, I'm. I grew up watching the UFC and didn't really have, uh, any
real opportunities where I grew up to, uh, get into it and learn it. Um, I actually got started because

(17:13):
I did some amateur boxing in the gym that I was at, um, had some coaches there, and I fell
into it before Covid. Uh, I didn't get real serious until after Covid when the gyms opened back up.
Mhm. Um, I'd say I really started about April of 21. Um, so I've been at it, uh, around
Five years now. We just passed April 1st, so I've been at it five years now. Um, I mean, I like to

(17:38):
stay pretty humble. It's a it's a sport that'll humble you if you get if you get too arrogant. Um,
but I'd, uh, I'd say just in the last two years, I've probably had
50 or 60 matches. And I'm probably in the 40s on my on my win count. Wow. Um,
I've actually, um, when this airs will be on the back end of it, but this coming

(18:04):
week in May, second and third, I've got a tournament in Columbus that's a
pretty prestigious banner to compete under that I've never competed under before, so I'm looking
forward to that. That'll be a two day tournament in Columbus, and then I'm turning around and at
the end of the month, uh. Thank you. Thank you. Um, at the end of the month, I'm competing again, um, here

(18:24):
in my local area in Dayton, Ohio. Um, so I like to stay pretty active. I, uh, I trained probably 4 or 5
days a week. Um, I coached four classes a week as well, so. Wow. Honestly, if I'm not at the house
with the family, you know, cooking, making dinner, hanging out with the family, I'm, uh, I'm usually in

(18:44):
the weight room prepping for the tournaments, or I'm at the gym training or coaching. Mondays and
Wednesdays, I get there about 5:00. I don't usually get home to about 10:00 that night, so I work all
day, and then I go train and coach and train some more. So I, uh, I'd say it's a pretty significant
part. I mean, I usually take 1 or 2 days off. That way I can spend it with the wife and the kids, you

(19:06):
know, that way. Uh, well, I guess I should just say the wife. We've got a 20 and a 17 year old. There's
not. There's not much time for mom and dad around, but, uh, I, I like to I like to hang
out with her. You know, I don't want her to feel left out or anything. She, uh. She supports me
through all the craziness. She's always pushing me to get better and and commit. And it's been pretty

(19:29):
therapeutic for me. So having her support makes it easier to dedicate to it. And honestly, I think
that's why I've ended up having the success that I had. Um, I think 23 and 24, I went, uh,
without a loss in like four different banners. Wow. Um, so we're just pushing it till the wheels fall

(19:50):
off. I just turned 40, so I know I ain't gonna have forever, but I'm trying to look at the longevity
and keep it pumping as long as possible. Heck yeah. Man. That's amazing. And you know, when you talk to
me about it before on on the episode, obviously we weren't focused on that aspect of your life. We
were talking a lot more about the job that day. Um, but I had no idea that you competed as much as

(20:14):
you did. And that you are. I mean, I knew you were decorated, but, man, going two full years without a
loss, that's pretty amazing. And you're teaching all these classes. Um, this became a very
significant part of your life, like you said. Have you gotten. Have you had any luck getting the kids
or the wife to the gym and getting them rolling with you at all? Um, so the wife, not so

(20:36):
much. It's just not her personality, and I don't I don't force anybody to do anything. Right. Um, the
17 year olds in and out with me, um, you know, he's still trying to figure out what what route he
wants to go on life and sounds like he's going to end up taking the the Air Force route. Um, our
nephew, um, he's 19. He's trained with me a little bit. Um, honestly, as much as I trained and I

(21:00):
compete, I'd say I've been lucky enough to fall into coaching. And that's really where my passion
has been. Being able to share my knowledge and watch other people become more confident. And, you
know, when you show somebody something and then they come back in a couple of weeks and they're
like, hey, I hit that move. You showed me on like three different people and or I did it in this

(21:20):
competition, you know, that's what that's what really makes me feel good. You know, I just try to
lead from the front, as I like to call it. That way they they see the things that I'm showing them or
stuff that I actually I use. I don't want to show them anything that doesn't give me any success,
you know? And, uh, I don't know, man. It just, uh, I kind of fell into it, and it's, uh, it's been a

(21:42):
healthy addiction ever since. Boy, it sounds like it, man. And how cool that you like to coach and
you like to pass on that knowledge. Um, you know, I, I was a high school wrestler, and I was not a good
one. I think my my, after three years, my record was an even 500. Um, but there is one thing I know,
and that is having a good coach can even make somebody that's not super great at that sport, uh,

(22:06):
really feel like they've accomplished something. And I had some really good coaches in my time
that made me want to be on the wrestling mat, even though I wasn't that good at it. Um, so, uh, just
huge props to you, man, and teaching the younger generation and passing on what you've learned in
these five years. Uh, you can really hear the passion for it in your voice, man. I appreciate it,

(22:26):
I appreciate it, yeah. It's the, uh, the difference between us was in high school. I was a
professional knucklehead. So sometimes I think I'm, uh. I'm trying to make up for lost time also. Well,
no. No better way to, uh, to, uh, punish yourself for being a knucklehead than almost getting your arm
broken in some type of arm bar or something like that, right? Absolutely. You know, I just took a, uh,

(22:47):
inadvertent knee to the face last night in training. I'm walking around with a pretty good
shiner right now. So. That's a good thing. This is audio and not video. Yes, sir. Well, I can say that
about myself every single day, man. Uh, Gerald. If you're embarrassed about that
shiner, you can just say, hey, my wife hit me last. Night. Yeah, that's probably what happened. We

(23:10):
always know they run the household, huh? Yeah, yeah. We let them think they did well. And you
might be good at fighting defense, but, uh, you'll never see that sucker punch coming. They're really
good at getting behind you when you don't see them there. And then all of a sudden, POW! Uh, you're
seeing stars. So, uh, great stuff there, Bryan, I appreciate it. Uh, Gerald, I want to come to you

(23:31):
next. You kind of gave me a litany of hobbies that you have. Um, maybe litanies, a bit of a big word,
but you're kind of a man of a different hobbies, Gerald. So let me have you do this. Why don't you
rank your top three off time hobbies for me? What do you like to spend your time doing the most? And,
uh, kind of go from there? Well, I I've always been one to serve. So I got to say,

(23:56):
doing, uh, working at my volunteer fire in the EMS house is probably one of my favorites. Um,
I spent four years in the service right out of high school, and I've always loved serving to. And
I've also been a member of my, uh, volunteer fire department for 20. The. This November will

(24:16):
be 24 years. Wow. I'm running with. Them. I'm giving you a round of applause for that one, man. That's.
I got a special place in my heart for volunteer firefighters. Um, and and I've, you know, I grew up
in a very small town, 2000 people. I think there was maybe 200 kids at my high school. And I have
vivid memories of multiple times during football practice. My four years as a football player,

(24:42):
almost all of my coaches having a just a, a scanner on their hip and all of a sudden that
thing going off and I've never seen guys, I mean, I don't know why they didn't teach us those skills
because the change of direction and the sprint that those guys made to their cars was impressive
at their age. Um, and, and they were out there saving our community. There was more than once

(25:03):
that they went out and put out a fire at somebody's house that we knew personally, or they
put out a structure fire in a business that saved somebody's livelihood. What you do as a volunteer
firefighter is greatly underappreciated. Gerald and I want to take the time not only to thank you
for your service to this great country, but thank you for your service to the community. Man, that is

(25:23):
an underappreciated volunteer role, and we need guys like you out there that that want to do it
and enjoy it. Man does that. It brings a lot to you, right? You you feel you feel definitely like
you've helped out and you've given back to the community after you go out and serve. Yeah. Oh,
absolutely. Just being there to help somebody out and what, what they feel is the worst day of their

(25:46):
life is, is like, and I do it as a volunteer basis. I'd love to do it as a career, but I take more
pride in doing it as a volunteer because I don't receive money to do it. And it's
it's I pride is my pay as I like to as I like to say. Well said man. Well said. Okay.
So that's the that's the first one. That's your love. What's next? What else do you have in the bag

(26:10):
for your off time hobbies. So other off time hobbies. Uh, love renting on cars.
Uh, building my own, uh, firearms. And, um, what was the other one I told you? Uh.
Oh, yeah. I love I love flowers out of the weekend and and and

(26:31):
hit in 18. Yes, sir. Are you talking Marcos's language? Yes you are. Yes you are. Man, don't, don't.
Don't put it past me. I'll bring up golf on this show just to shoehorn it in, because I feel like
it. Okay? I, I love the sport, man. Here's the funny thing. Uh, last time you talked to Brad, Bryan and
Andrea about what they like to do when they're not in the office, and they were. They were talking

(26:55):
about golfing and all that stuff. I, I seen Andre a link about maybe someday having a company golf
outing. Oh, that would be great, man. I love the idea of a golf. Term get you. You could get up there and
play with us, Marcus. You betcha. I'll be there. I'll be the guy that they're going to put a speaker on
the back of my golf cart and give me a microphone. I'll be the entertainment out there. I would love

(27:17):
to do something like that. We have fun. Oh, I bet, I bet. You know, I could see, uh, you know, uh, one thing
I've seen that they're doing it a bunch of, uh, amateur tournaments up in Canada. There's these
two guys that'll sit on one tee box, and they'll just roast everybody that comes up to tee off. It
doesn't matter who you are. Oh, I love those videos. I've seen those. Yeah, yeah. They are great, man.

(27:40):
Uh, that would. Be so they call them. Back off challenges or something like that, I. Think. Yep.
There's there's a few different groups of guys doing them, and I'll tell you, they're ruthless.
It's no holds barred. But that's what you gotta do to get a golfer to mess up his swing when he's
been doing it for 20 some years. So, uh. That actually makes me play better. Yes, sir. Uh, you know,

(28:00):
uh, Paul, that reminds me, I used to play with, uh, one of my dad's friends, and my dad would always
say about this guy, uh, that that Ron, he could fart in his own back swing, and he'd probably make him
hit the ball 20 yards further. You kind of one of those guys. Distractions don't. Bug. Me better. Yeah,
I play better when people are talking and even talking to me. Because it. Takes my mind

(28:22):
off what I'm doing. And I don't mess my swing up there. There you go. There you go. Yeah, the that's
the best way to make me better at golf is to get me to stop thinking about my swing. Once I start
thinking about it, that's when it all goes. All goes down the hill. Just like you're at the range.
I can hit every ball straight, get on that tee box, and then it just all goes to crap. Yep.

(28:45):
You know, it just. Yeah. But man. You get back to your show. No. Hey I we can again we can
take a left turn detour for golf all day, every day. In fact, now you guys just submitted it. I was
thinking about going golfing later. I'm definitely going golfing later because we just talked about
it. So, uh, there goes my afternoon. But, uh. Well, I know me. Gary and a couple other guys are talking

(29:07):
about get together one weekend and try to do it, you know, once a month or something like
that just to get out and play. Absolutely, absolutely. It's such a great thing to get out and
do with your friends. Uh, nothing like walking off of the 18th green and having the back of your
neck hurt because you've been laughing all day. Uh, who cares how you hit the ball, you know? Um. Hey,

(29:32):
real quick here, Gerald, before we get away from it too much. You mentioned, uh, you like to wrench on
cars and and just please understand that I'm just trying to be policing myself here and not talk
about golf for the next 40 minutes, okay? So I'm trying to trying to stay focused here. But, Gerald,
do you have a project car that you're working on or is this do you just kind of like to do the

(29:52):
routine maintenance on your daily drivers? Uh, what type of engine are we doing here? Oh, uh, so a lot
of it is routine. Routine maintenance stuff. Just save myself a buck or two here instead of taking
it to the shop to get it done. Uh, like I got to do wheel bearings on the wife's car here before too
long. I do also have a project in the garage. It's slow going. I got to save up

(30:16):
for parks here and there, but I'm taking care of those little budget items right now that I'm
working on at the 2000 Chevy S10, that I'm trying to turn into a bit of a show truck. I love those
little s tents from that vintage man, those things are great except for I will tell you. Or I will
ask you about this since you're a wrench turner. I was a detail boy at a Chevy dealership as a

(30:39):
summer job in high school for a few summers, and I helped one of the mechanics take an engine out of
an S-10 blazer, and there was a crossmember that ran underneath that engine that
I've never seen a mechanic have so much trouble with an engine hoist and with a book, and with all
the knowledge and 20 years of experience, he got that busted engine out of that blazer and put it

(31:03):
over on the ground and took a pry bar and beat the living heck out of it for 20 minutes
afterwards. I mean, it took us hours to get this thing out. Gerald, do you have any experience with
that? Uh, with that crossmember that runs between the engine there, uh, in an S-10 or an S-10 blazer,
because that thing was a nightmare. I haven't had any experience with that. I haven't sold an engine

(31:27):
from that type of truck yet. Um, haven't decided on whether or not I want to pull my engine, but I
have busted my knuckles a few times and, uh, made me want to throw some wrenches, punch a toolbox,
and I feel better. Gotcha. Well, uh, if if I could give you any advice from a guy that's not really
a wrench turner, I would say just leave that engine in there because it's stuck. You'll never

(31:49):
get it out. Uh, and if you do get it out, you might not get it back in. I remember I was working with
this mechanic. Uh, he was running the engine hoist and holding a pry bar. He had me stabilizing the
engine with both hands, and he went to drop the engine in just a little bit. Of course, he dropped
it too far. It took that pry bar and pinched his hand up against the firewall of the engine. It was

(32:11):
a really long process to get this engine out, and I will be honest with you that I love looking at
an S-10. I never want to work on one again. You're a better man than me, Gerald. Yeah, I've done
I've done a few different engine swaps. I've never had that much trouble. But, uh, it can be a little
bit of a pain in the butt. Yeah, no joke there. Uh, real quick, before we we go on to Paul and I, I

(32:36):
don't know, I'm. I'm guessing we might end up talking a little bit more golf there with Paul,
but, uh, you mentioned that you like to assemble firearms. Now, are you a hunter or are you more of
just a sportsman? You like to go out and plink? What is, uh, what is the hobby look like for you,
Gerald? Um. As of right now, it's more just, uh, putting holes through paper, doing some

(32:56):
training and stuff for, like, if if something would actually happen with civilization would break
down. I'm kind of trying to make sure I stay ready for, you know, who? Who knows what? But, uh.
But for most. Most of the time, it's just put some lead downrange. Doing any competition or anything
like that. I'd like to, but it it's doing some competition stuff.

(33:21):
That closest one I've been able to find is over three hours away. It's not really feasible to
drive that far just to go. Just go do one competition in my head where I can find one
at. Sure. Sure, I understand that. Well, that's still a fun hobby and a practical one too. And, uh, based
on where you guys live, there's a lot of deer out there in the Midwest. Just in case you ever decide

(33:43):
you want to put some venison in the fridge, you're ready. Yeah. Unfortunately, my my firearms that
I have are not legal for hunting in the state of Ohio because they're all shoulder cartridges. I
don't have any straight cartridge rifles to be able to go hunting with. Gotcha, gotcha. Oh,
so you just got to go out and buy yourself a bear at 50 cal. They'll let you hunt deer with that out

(34:07):
there, right? Maybe. But I don't think there'll. Be any. Salvageable meat after that.
Yeah, I hear you. That's what I am. I am, I take it all the way out. Yeah. No, it's it's funny, man, I, I
saw a casing from a I think it's, is it called a 375 Nitro Express. Is that the. Is that the

(34:28):
caliber I'm thinking of? Just a it looks like a, like, maybe a little shorter than a 300 wind mag
cartridge, but gosh dang, the thing was as big around as four golf tees in the middle of it. Have
you seen one of those? I have, but that has nothing. That's nothing compared to the 30
Mike Mike that shot out of the two door eight that's in the eight warthog.

(34:52):
Yeah you're right, that doesn't really compare. Okay, cool. Well, uh, Paul, thanks for your patience,
man. Coming to you last here to talk a little bit. Now, we know you're a golfer. Uh, what else do you
get into when, uh, when the wheels aren't turning? Fishing. I'm an avid fisherman,
and I fished a lot of catfish tournaments. Oh, okay. Are you. Are you noodling for these

(35:17):
things, or are you catching them on a limb? No, no. Online. I haven't got the opportunity noodle for
them yet. Uh, I'll tell you, it looks fun, Paul, but I also don't. The thing that it looks fun until they
duck all the way under the water, and then I'm like, maybe that's too far because you're about to
pull a fish the size of a Honda Civic out from that mud hole. Oh, exactly. And it's got your all

(35:40):
the way up to the elbow. And they're mean. They do bite. I mean, even a small one
will make you bleed. Right. I mean, they don't have big teeth. That's just like taking rough sandpaper
and running across your knuckles. Right. And and, I mean, they're just a big, long muscle and a fat
muscle, too. And, man, they can they can flop around. Me and the wife. Probably here in the next couple

(36:04):
of weeks will be going probably every Friday. Saturday night. Wow. And let me tell you, you're
bringing home some nice catfish to fry up, aren't you? What? What do you like to cook out of it? Is
there anything, especially doing catfish sandwiches or anything like that? Nah. Wife don't
like catfish, but I do. I like to make a. I just call it a Cajun catfish, but

(36:28):
I make it over rice with salsa, some cheese on it, some spices. And that.
Sounds good. How I. Like. It. That sounds good, man, that sounds good. You know, I, I don't have very
many catfishing stories. I've got one. I was fishing on a six inch bobber lead for
crappie next to a dam on the snake River. It's oxbow reservoir where we were, and we were

(36:53):
probably 30 or maybe 50 yards from the dam. Just got the boat parked there in the sun passing the
whiskey bottle around, just having a grand old time, not catching a damn thing. And then all of a
sudden my bobber shoots to the bottom of the reservoir like I've never seen. I mean, the the
line was just pouring off of my reel and it finally stopped and we spent, you know, I was on a

(37:18):
5 pound test line and we spent. A. Half an hour, 40 minutes trying to get this thing up off the
bottom, and by the time we did is the biggest freshwater fish I'd ever caught. Um, I'm not going
to do the whole thing where it was three feet. If it was an inch, I don't remember exactly how long
it was. What I remember is not being able to move my arm after the 30 or 45 minutes I spent

(37:40):
fighting that recall. That's why I like fishing for catfish. They're fun. No matter what, what
size you get. You know, most of our lakes around here have channel blues and
flathead. Okay. So channels, if you get a 30 pounder, you're doing really, really
well. Blues can get up over 100. Blacks can get well over 100 to 150

(38:06):
pounds. Wow. They can. They can get huge. What's the biggest one you've ever landed?
Uh, channel was 27 pounds. And that was at a local lake, Kiser Lake.
Uh, biggest flat was 42. Wow. Blue. I've never weighed. I've caught a few,

(38:27):
but. But we got a lake. It's 20 minutes from my house. It's known for
big flathead. Somebody caught one this year. 67 pounds. My God, that's
huge. Now they're out of Indian Lake. That is wild. So you said you you do some, uh, competitions

(38:47):
from time to time? Yeah, I get a lot of tournaments. Local catfish tournaments? Nothing major, but
he still wins. You know, last year I won four tournaments.
Uh, we fished in six of them. Me and my stepson took first and big fish.

(39:08):
So it's just we do it for fun. A lot of guys we know. But it's the same guys that
fish in tournaments every month. So it's just. We do it. Just have
fun. Yeah. Just to have a high old time. Man, that sounds awesome. Yeah. Do you, uh. Is there any other
fish that you fish for? You know, I, I you said you like to to fight them. I'm wondering if you do

(39:32):
bass ever. Yeah, I fish for bass, but I like to fish at night for bass. Okay. And
he's he's a rubber crawl or something. Just jig off the bottom and it's all by touch
and feel. Because you can't see your line because you're fishing, you know, at night. So

(39:53):
you just cast. and when you feel them. Kaiser lakes A really good lake for it. The small lake. I
know Gary knows it. I'm sure Bryan knows it. Yep, yep. It's, uh. It's just.
A. It's a lake with no motor. You're not allowed to. Any boats with motors. Oh. Very peaceful. To clean.

(40:14):
And clean. But I grew up fishing there, so I fished for walleye.
Actually, next weekend I'll be up at Lake Erie on a walleye charter. Okay. Very cool.
Now, uh, do you guys. I don't think you guys have them out there. Do you get any kokanee in any of
those, uh, deep waters out there in the Great Lakes? Yeah, they could affect Lake Erie. Okay, but

(40:39):
I'm not sure. We have all kinds of different fish up there. I don't even know what's all in
that lake. Okay. You know, I, I only ask because that was some some fun fishing I did as a kid at the
lake that I grew up on. Willow, a lake in northeast Oregon. Big Mountain Lake was formed by a glacier.
And they catch and they catch a new state record kokanee out of that lake every couple of years. In

(41:04):
fact, I had a buddy, one of my best friends in the world, held that record for less than two weeks,
and his best friend went out there and caught the next one. And it wasn't me. But they they're just
constantly yarning these things out. Um, but we had to go deep, deep, deep water for him. Uh, Paul. And
that's why I was wondering if if up there in Lake Erie, that's a pretty deep one. I would assume

(41:26):
they're up there. Yeah, it probably is. I know they got sturgeon up there. Oh, man. See, I've never I've
never fished for sturgeon, but I've watched guys fish for sturgeon. Uh, from the Bonneville Dam, uh,
here on the Columbia River. Have you ever caught a sturgeon or fished for him, Paul? No, no, no. My main
thing is basically carp, catfish, bass. You know, bluegill, crappie, perch,

(41:52):
trout, just what's basically around the lakes and rivers. Sure. You know, just
around our area. Well, Paul, I gotta be honest with you. With golf and fishing, as two of the main
hobbies, you are going to have one hell of a retirement, my friend, whenever you decide to hang
up. The. Boots. I'm an avid hunter. Okay, shooter. I also shoot like Gary

(42:16):
does. Actually, my wife owns one of guns that Gary put together. Oh, really? What he put together for
her? It was an AR five, five, six guy. He can tell you more about it. We haven't even shot it
yet. My stepson bought it from Gary. Then I traded, uh, for 50
Bushmaster to get the AR. So Jake would have a gun to use for deer hunt. Okay.

(42:41):
Gotcha. So is it mostly deer hunting that you're doing, or are you hunting anything else? I do deer,
rabbit. Squirrel, Turkey. Wow. You know, if I get a chance.
I took about a ten year break in the last 2 or 3 years. I got back into it. Yeah, it. Was. Because

(43:01):
of my stepson. Oh, okay. Good. So you got somebody that kind of pulled you back into it? Well, in all
those years without venison in the fridge to. Right. Those will those will pull you back closer.
No, I. Always got deer because Jake would shoot one every year and give it to me. So. Oh, okay. Good. So
he kept you stuck? I always had. Yeah. And I, I mushroom hunt. Uh

(43:23):
oh. You know, I say golf, just basically whatever I can do outdoors. I tried. To. Do. Yeah. Sounds like
you're a real avid outdoorsman, Paul. That's that's great. I, I definitely got a huge amount of respect
for that. You know, that was as much as I like golf now. Um, really, my childhood was kind of spent
doing stuff like that. I was always out hunting with my dad. We did a lot of waterfowl hunting

(43:47):
over where I was from. A lot of duck and goose hunting. You get into any of that? Yeah, I've done
it a few times. I just don't care for the meat. Oh, you got to make pepperoni. Oh. Do you? I
like duck. I just never. Did. Get into the geese, but. Duck. Yeah, I like duck. We I'm an
avid. I like to cook, grill. Okay. So what, you you do any competitions there? I

(44:12):
know sometimes you guys get grilling. Like to get out there and compete a little bit too. Are you, uh,
are you competitive in the grill? My, no, I haven't got into that yet, but I do get into some
chili cook offs and stuff like that. I haven't won yet, but it's still fun.
It is all stuff I do. I do it for fun. I hear you, I hear you. Well, uh,

(44:36):
Paul, I don't mean to brag here. I feel like I. I don't want to steal your thunder, but you are
talking to a one time chili champ right now on the podcast. Oh, wow. Good. Yeah. Good. My, uh. My
thunder from down Under. Tailgate Chile won the 2009 Bicoastal Media Chili Cookoff. I still have
the award and I wear it proudly. Um, it's it's one of my biggest accomplishments, having an elk

(44:58):
burger chili that everybody really likes to eat. So. Um, yeah, I. Can't go wrong. There. I mean, it
sounds like you and I need to hang out. Golf, outdoors, activities and grilling. Man, I could get
in on, I don't know. You know, uh, Bryan and Gerald have been pretty patient over there. Uh, is
anything Paul is talking about here? Uh, Gerald got your got your fancy up you a grill or two by

(45:19):
chance? Oh, dude, I love taking any opportunity I can to go outside, fire up the grill and
throw the meat on there. Yeah. Favorite thing to grill? Uh. As of right now,
I like smoking ribs. But, uh, this year, I'm going to go out and buy some brisket and try to smoke. Ooh.
Brave man. Turns out brave man. I'm doing most of my grilling on the open fire.

(45:45):
Really? Yeah. Rustic. I like. It. Yeah. Yeah. And what's your favorite thing? To cook up over an open fire.
Paul. Uh, I'd say rib eye or ribs. Yeah, yeah. There's nothing like a rib
eye over an open flame, man. I mean, the. Only thing. I swear to. Go. The only thing that stinks is that
I can't get my head between that steak and the open flame to catch the juices running out of it.

(46:09):
You know, that's exactly. That's the issue for sure. Bryan, how about you? Are you a you a griller at
all? Oh, yeah. I'll, uh. I'll cook any way I can possibly make it happen. I'm, uh, if there's,
uh. My favorite pastime is probably eating. So, you know, somebody's got to cook your food if you're
going to eat on a regular basis. Me, too. Yes, sir. And. And that that jiu jitsu regimen will

(46:34):
keep you eating, too, because you're spending a lot of time in the gym. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. You gotta get
those calories back one way or another. Yeah. Name a truck driver that doesn't like to eat, and I'll
go ahead and tell you you're lying. Yeah, right. I think I can eat my head. Yeah, we just gotta. Gotta
make a little better decisions and all that gas station food. I can't do all that. No, no. I use it. I

(46:58):
won't eat til I get home. I don't I don't think the guys on the mats would like all that gas from
the gas station. Exactly. Amen to that. Amen to that. And. And Paul. No. No roller dogs for you.
Well, you know, I could take one, but I'm going to need to go put it on one of your guys's smokers
and flavor it up a little bit different than gas station flavor. That's the only thing, right? You

(47:20):
gotta you gotta dress those things up a little bit. Well, uh, you know, Paul, I. I was thinking about
it there. Um, you're home every night, right? So you can wait until you're, uh, until you're home to eat.
Yeah. Yeah, I just got back to this route I'm on. Last week. I was running overnight.
So when I'm on dispatch, Guys like Gary don't like it because I take

(47:46):
the loads he wants. Okay. And you're calling. You're calling Gerald. Gary. Is that correct?
I'm not. These aren't two different people. Yeah. That's what we call him. Gary. Okay, gotcha, gotcha. I
wasn't sure there for when you first mentioned Gary. I thought, man, we got to get this Gary guy on.
He sounds cool. We already got him. Uh. He's here. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, well, I like,

(48:09):
take it Paul likes taking my loads. I like to run down, like. Like Tennessee and and
stuff like that. Every time he goes, yep, I took that load. I'm like, you son of a gun. Yeah, man, I,
I've given you a few different ways that you can distract him. All you got to do is say, hey, man, I
saw a real big flathead in the channel on the way to work. You ought to stop and catch that thing.

(48:30):
That's all you gotta do. But that burnout was real, right, Gary? Oh, absolutely. You know, you
need a little change. Yeah. You live and learn. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Well, fellas, I got kind of an
interesting question I want to ask you here because you guys have been talking a lot about
the things that you like to do. And, uh, one thing that I notice about truck drivers is you guys

(48:52):
have to own the job that you do. You guys kind of. Yeah, your personality will embody it. If somebody
asks you, what do you do? You don't say, I drive truck. You say, I am a truck driver. And I
wonder about. And Bryan, I'm going to start here with you because the jiu jitsu thing is, is so
prevalent in your life, you dedicate so much time to it. Um, would you say that, uh, that

(49:17):
trucking is something you do or something that you are? And I want you to do the same thing with
jiu jitsu as jiu jitsu. Something you do or something that you are. Um, you know, I think they
could both fall into a little bit of both categories. I mean, the career is always going to
come first. That's how we pay the bills and get the free time to do the things we want to do. Um,

(49:40):
I'd say I probably am, personality wise, more of a, um, a jiu jitsu
grappler submission grappler. Um, just I mean, if you're if you've got free time and you're
choosing to do something, I think that, uh, falls more in line with your character and your
personality. Um, don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed holding that steering wheel. I'd say I'm

(50:03):
more of a steering wheel holder than a truck driver. Um, uh, but, you know, I, I do
that, so me and the family can do the things we want to do, and then that way I have the free time
to to train. And it just, you know, it it more or less, even if I'm not competing because I've taken
breaks from competing. Um, even though I've got quite a few competitions under my belt, I did take

(50:27):
about a 6 or 7 month hiatus from competing. Um, just so I could get the nerves back when I do
compete. Um, but it's it's more of a therapy. You know, I, uh, I believe as men
and, you know, these guys, their hobbies aren't the easiest of hobbies either. I just feel like we
gotta continue to challenge ourselves and doing the hard thing. Um, even if we're not

(50:51):
the most, uh, communicative about, you know, what we might be going dealing with mentally or even
emotionally, putting ourselves through the hard thing, uh, kind of centers us. Gives us a good
release, gets rid of that toxic energy, and allows us to keep more moving forward with a good, humble
attitude and keeping everybody around us going and happy. Boy, that's that's really well said.

(51:12):
Bryan. I, I appreciate the, the sentiment there because, um, doing hard things that is that is
definitely something that keeps our character high. And, uh, I will tell you right now, um, for
those of you that are golfers that listen, that's why golf, I'm so bad at it. It's so hard to be good
at it. And, uh, yeah, it's a challenge. Um, uh, Gerald, Gary, I'll come to you now. Uh, kind of the same

(51:36):
thing for your hobbies. Are you a wrench turner? Are you a, uh, a gunsmith? Um. Are you a
truck driver? Is this who you are, or is it just something that you do. The the gun sniffing thing
that that's definitely, uh, that's just definitely more something I do. That's not who I am. Because
it's actually been a hot minute since I've put together my last firearm. Just really haven't

(52:02):
had a whole lot of time to time to do it and been dedicated, uh, dedicating some funds to some other
stuff and, and, uh, yeah, it doesn't take me much time. Once I got everything, once I
got everything to do, it takes me no time at all to put something together. But, um, it's just more
along the lines of, I ain't got really a whole lot of, uh, dedicated my funds. Funds to other

(52:26):
things. To where? Uh. They're a little bit higher on the priority list. Um,
But I definitely can say I am a firefighter in EMT and I definitely am a truck driver because
honestly, where else am I going to be able to make the kind of living that I'm used to?

(52:48):
Outside of a truck? Because, I mean, I've looked into factory jobs and there is no factory job
that I can even go apply for today and start tomorrow, where I'll be making the type of money
that I'm currently making right now. Right. Exactly right. And then, you know, furthermore, if that's the
case and you were to take a different job, you start working more hours at that job to make the

(53:08):
extra money. All of a sudden you don't have the time to give back to your community as a
volunteer firefighter anymore. Exactly. All right, Paul, on to you now, man. Same question. Are your
hobbies something you do or somebody that you are? And same question about your job. Are you a truck
driver? Is driving trucks something you do? No, I think I'm a truck driver because I really enjoy

(53:31):
it. I look forward to, you know, coming to work every day because I enjoy it. Plus, you know, it
gets me out of the house. But, uh, my hobbies, you know, the hunting, the fishing, golfing.
I'd tell you, I, too, I am also because I take a lot of pride in it. Even though golfing, I'm not the
greatest, but I enjoy it just like I do my job. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. And I

(53:57):
know. It's hard to say you're anything other than an outdoorsman. When you have as many outdoor
hobbies as you do. You just like to be outside in nature. Yeah. I mean, I can't, uh, you
know, I could probably think of a few more things I dabble in, but, you know, those are the main
things I do. Just like work. You know, I put in a lot of hours every week in five days.

(54:23):
Yeah, it depends on how traffic falls. It usually right around 12. Averages out to about 12 hour a
day. Got it. Well, uh, fellas, this has been an awesome conversation. And there's one thing that I
want to say about my three guests today. Uh, I'll always be fully transparent here. We've had just
nonstop technical difficulties today, and we still were able to get this episode cranked out. So, uh,

(54:47):
Bryan, Gary, Paul, first and foremost, I want to thank you for your saint like patience today. Uh,
with. Oh. You're welcome. I mean, you guys were all so gracious. We're happy to just sit on the phone
and talk amongst yourselves. I promise you, if you could have heard my microphone in those, like, 5 to
10 minutes and I was trying to fix things, you would have heard so many words that are not good

(55:07):
for air. Um, I was really. Having. I was spinning out over here, guys, but you guys did awesome
today. Um, and I just want to say thank you real quick before we get to the final thoughts for
that patience. Uh, there's a lot that goes on on this podcast off the air that sometimes you guys
don't hear. And I just want to let everybody know we're living it here. Okay, I will answer the

(55:28):
question too. I am a broadcaster and good lord sometimes does it put the stress on me. So great
to have. Yeah, great to have you guys here and just be so patient with me today. I can't thank you
enough for that. Our Final Thoughts segment here on the show today, fellas. Uh, I'll explain it to
you, Gary and Paul, since it's your first appearance here, we give you a segment here called

(55:50):
Final Thoughts where you get to talk about anything you want. Now, if we left anything on the
table here and you didn't get to bring it up during the recording, now's the time. If you want
to give a shout out to friends, family, coworkers, now's the time. It's literally wide open for you
guys to say whatever you want as we close out the segment. And since he's a vet now and he's done it,

(56:11):
uh, I'm going to go to Bryan first with his final thoughts. Uh, Bryan Alexander, again, thank you so
much for joining us today. Thank you for the Saint. Like patience. You guys were awesome. Yeah,
absolutely. Man, I appreciate you having me back on. Um, it's always a good conversation. Get to know a
couple other drivers. Uh, I, uh, I like the idea of the the golf outing with the with the

(56:34):
team. That would be fun. As long as you don't judge me. The closer we get to the hole, I look real good
off the tee box. But the closer we get, the, uh, the more of a dumpster fire it becomes. Um. That's just
part of the game. Yes, sir. Oh, yeah. Absolutely, absolutely. Um, yeah. You know, I obviously want
to give a shout out to the wife. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have built a hobby that I got that

(56:57):
made you give me the call to hop on to the second podcast. So, um, big shout out to her and obviously
the family for pushing me as well. Um, as always, big shout out to Bulk transit. If it wasn't for
them giving me the opportunity, I also wouldn't be here. So, you know, uh, shout out to both of them and
for you, for your own patience and fighting through the hard time you had today just getting

(57:20):
through the end of the podcast. So. Oh, yeah. I appreciate you for having me on, Paul. Gary. Nice
meeting you guys. Maybe meet. New. Maybe one day we'll actually meet in person, and. I'm sure we
will. Other than that, uh, that's that's it. Appreciate you for having me on again. Hey, of
course, Bryan, we appreciate you coming on. And and let me tell you something about the golf. They say

(57:41):
drive for show, putt for dough. Nobody's been paying me to play golf all 30 years that I've
been playing it. So that's all I do to just get distance off the tee. The rest of it will resolve
itself. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm good till we get to the putt. And so I ain't never making no money. Hey man
man. And as far as the issues I dealt with today compared to what Paul's dealt with, you could call

(58:02):
me soft hands ten times over and it. Still wouldn't do it justice. Uh, but. Again, I appreciate
your patience, Bryan. You're always welcome, just like all you drivers are. Thank you so much for
joining us today. Uh, Gary, we're going to go to you next. Final thoughts from you. First of all, thank
you so much for making your first appearance here. Thank you for reaching out to me. Um, I promise

(58:23):
I'll make it painless. If you guys are wondering how the process goes. Reaching out to Gary here
and asking him how the whole thing came together is a good start for you. It's real simple. Send me
a message you'll get on the podcast. Uh, one and one equals two. Right, Gary? Oh,
absolutely. Finally, I want to thank. Oh, I. Want to thank you again for allowing me to come on the

(58:46):
podcast and, uh, get to say a little bit about what I do away from work, because what I do here at
work, everyone else does, too. I load trailers and I unload trailers, I get them, I get them where they
need to go. So the steering wheel. Yeah. And hold that steering wheel. But, uh,
honestly. Final thought. Hey, Brad, uh, can you get us a manual transmission again? And then

(59:11):
we wouldn't. Be steering wheel. Holders? I'll just. I do miss thing in gears, man. So, uh, but,
uh, no, I, I gotta give a huge shout out to Brad, Bryan and Andrea because like I said, when I left
back in 21 and then came back towards the towards the latter portions of 22, they welcomed me back
with open arms. Man. It was it was a nice feeling. And, uh, I gotta give a shout out to my terminal

(59:34):
manager, Jason Schaffner. I know, I know, he's probably not listening to this because he's not a
big podcast guy, but I gotta I gotta throw a little spotlight on him. He worked his tail off in
the office to make sure that we got plenty of work to do. So we're not just sitting at home, and
that's why a lot of drivers, they'll be like, man, Sydney Terminal's got so much work and. Because of

(59:56):
Jason. Jason works his tail off to make sure that we don't sit. So I gotta give a huge shout out to
him. We benefited that sometimes in Fairborn. Oh, absolutely. You guys have come out and helped us
out when we were, when we were, when Jason bite off a little bit more than he can chew. And he does
that quite often. Well, he knows he's got a good line of truckers waiting there to take his load,

(01:00:20):
so he's going to bite off a big bite, man, I'm sure, and shout out to him. And I'm glad you brought
that up, Gary, because, you know, we've talked to some terminal managers here on the show, but we
haven't gotten through all of them yet. And I love to give them a shout out because I know they're
out there working their tail off. Yep. Yep. He's he's he's a he's a good manager. He when he
stepped into the management role up four years ago Paul. Yeah 45 years ago.

(01:00:47):
Honestly if he if he if he decides he wants to go further in the company besides terminal manager, I
think I think he'd be, uh, I think he'd be one of those, uh, battling Bill spring for his job because
he's just a natural failure. I don't think it'd be much of a battle, but. Well.

(01:01:07):
Jason is. Jason is a salesman. He did it for years, you know?
So he fits good as a terminal man. Copy that. Well, big shout out to him. Uh, and I'll say this to
you. Thanks for, uh, thanks for letting your drivers come on the show. Man, I, I know nobody's going to
stand in the way of that, but I appreciate it greatly. And, uh, and, Paul, uh, we're coming to you

(01:01:30):
last here for your final thoughts, my friend. Uh, great job today. Thank you so much for wanting to
be involved in this episode. Oh, yeah. Uh, final thoughts from you before we let you get back to
it. Well, I just want to say thanks for having me on the show. Uh, give a shout out to my wife for
putting up with these long, hours, long days. And I don't get us there a whole lot. But she

(01:01:53):
knows why I do it. And I want to give a shout out to a few drivers
that I talk with every day, which is Gary. Uh, Josh? Dylan,
Dawson. You know what? For them guys, we get bored. You know, we talk,

(01:02:14):
you know, pretty much all day long. You know, we go. We'll have 4 or 5 of us on a call and we just all
shoot shit, pick at each other. You know, just have fun. Just a nice. Time. Go by. Yep.
Absolutely. Four and a half, 5.5 hour drives seem like it only takes a half hour.

(01:02:35):
Absolutely. Well, you know, I. Have a shout out to Bulk transit also, you know, for, you know,
giving all of us the opportunity to do what we do and, you know, make the money we need to make
to make a living. Well said there, Paul, and I'll tell you what. Call those names out one more time,

(01:02:55):
because I want those guys on the show, too. And, uh, there. They got. Josh Hall,
Dylan Hensley, uh. Awesome pants. Awesome pants.
You already got me and Gary on here, so. Okay, well, that's a start. You've had Ron

(01:03:16):
Thompson on there, too? Yeah. Ron, help him every day. Yes, sir. He calls me 2 or 3 times a
day. Awesome. Well, we'll get him on here. Especially now that you guys are on here calling him out. And
before we put the brakes on this segment, um, Gary, I want to give you a chance here for just a
little bit of reprieve. Bryan and, uh, and Paul both gave a shout out to their wife. I don't want you

(01:03:41):
to be the only guy that doesn't give your wife a shout out here. Out of the three of you. Yeah, I
gotta give my wife a shout out. Geez. She, uh, she just got off work now, and she's on her way to go
pick up the pick up the kid, and and, uh. Yeah, my my daughter is going to be turning two
here in, uh, in about two months, so. Wow. Congratulations, man. That's awesome. Well. I can put

(01:04:07):
you put up with the long hours and taking care of the kid by herself a lot. And if it wasn't for
that, then I. If she wasn't willing to do it, then I definitely would not have stayed here as long as
I have. So. Amen. Well, now she can listen to this episode and you won't be in hot water later. Okay.
That's that was the whole point of that. Giving. You a chance. I wanted to. I wanted to tell you

(01:04:28):
I've known Jason for over 45 years. Wow. Terminal
manager. That's a that's wild. Paul. That's so cool. We played against each other in high school. In
sports. Who's who was better? I was, yes. Yep. You got to. Take the

(01:04:49):
chance. He's not here to defend him. I have a rebuttal. To that one. So we might have to get
Jason on the show. Yes, sir. We could talk high school sports glory days. I love that episode. Idea,
man. That sounds like a good one. If you ever talk to Jason, call him frog. Frog? You got it. I'm
writing it down right now. Is that going. To get. Me in hot water? That might get me, but.

(01:05:13):
His new name in high school. Okay, it may not. It may not get you in as much hot water. If you talk
to Joe Clark and call him Freddy. Okay, well, I, I feel like you guys are setting me up to fail here.
I haven't met these people yet, so you gotta give me a little bit of, uh, advice here before I go
running my mouth, because everybody knows I can do that. Jason, who told you? As soon as you say

(01:05:35):
frog to him. Okay. All right. Good to know. Good to know. Well, sounds like you're getting your route
back. Oh, man. Hey.
We're running this round. I got a brand new trailer, and so I'm stuck on it.
Uh, it sounds like you're. It sounds like you're happy, man. Well, listen, Paul. I. Am Paul. Gary. Bryan,

(01:06:00):
you guys did awesome today, and, uh, you're welcome back anytime. Please look me up. You've all got my
phone number. Now hit me right in the pocket. If you want to come back on this show, we will
definitely make space for you. Uh, please be safe out there doing the job, fellas. And, uh, thank you
again for such an awesome conversation. We'll talk to you all soon, okay? All right. Thank you.
Appreciate y'all. Marcus.

(01:06:30):
Paul Francis. Gary Cress and Bryan Alexander. Fantastic stuff from them. That was a lot
of fun, man. One of the best parts about this podcast is that I get to meet new people. I let
me stop and back that up a little bit. One of the best parts about it for me, um, if I can be so
self-indulgent, is to say that I get to meet new people and develop relationships every single day

(01:06:55):
when we have new people. Join the podcast. Uh, new people reaching out to me, asking me what we're
talking about, asking if they can come on suggesting topics. That's what this whole thing is
all about. Listen, Bulk and Spur have a fantastic culture and you can tell. Just listen to the guys
talk. I mean, Gary and Paul are on the phone all day, every day, um, and with a multitude of other

(01:07:17):
drivers as well. Um, it's it's really cool to just get new drivers on, build a bit of a relationship.
Welcome an older driver back that's been with us before on the show. And Bryan and, uh, always have a
great conversation with him. Man, I really enjoy just kind of making friends, like I. You wouldn't
guess if you caught me out at a at a bar or your local pizza place or an arcade or something like

(01:07:41):
that. I'm not. Johnny, walk up and shake your hand. I just, you know, it's I'm. I'm here for me right now.
I'm here for you during this podcasting thing. And that means that I can't wait to meet every single
one of you and welcome you to the show. Here. Uh, I want you if you know Paul, if you know Gary, if you
know Bryan, reach out to him and ask him a little bit about the experience of coming on. Always

(01:08:05):
pneumatic, never static. Uh, because we have a lot of fun in here and today's episode is no
exception. It's really cool to hear about some of the stuff that these guys do. Being such a
hobbyist myself, being a guy that likes to get into all sorts of different things to spend and
or waste my time, and that's on me. Uh, it's what I feel like gives value to

(01:08:28):
life. You know, I am not like a lot of people my age. I am 41, I don't have any kids. My wife and I
will not be having kids. And so we have more free time inherently to devote to our hobbies.
And, uh, I just I gotta tell you, it's what makes life so vibrant for me. It's one of the things

(01:08:48):
that makes me feel alive. If I go out there on the golf course later today, which I already told you
I'm doing, it's already on the calendar. There's nothing you can do about it to take it off. All I
have to do in 18 holes is hit one good shot. That's it. Just one good shot. And I'm not talking
good. I'm talking one pro-level shot and I might only find one. Okay. Even a blind squirrel finds a

(01:09:13):
nut once in a while so it can happen out there. I might not find one. Fact of the matter is, I'm
gonna feel alive when I'm out there, and I'm gonna feel full. I'm gonna have a full heart when I come
back and put the clubs back in the garage. And that's what having a hobby is all about. You heard
it from each one of these guys, Bryan. He's a competitor. He's a coach. He's wanting to pass that

(01:09:34):
knowledge down to the next generation. And you heard him say, the real fulfilling part is having
somebody come up and say, hey, I hit that move. You taught me on somebody the other day, or I hit it
in the competition. Man, I totally get how that would make him feel, because I've been that person
that's walked up to a coach and said that before. Um, and not only that, but jiu jitsu, that's that's

(01:09:54):
no soft sport. Okay? You get your arm broken. You heard him say he took a knee to the eye. He's got
a shiner. Um, it's a tough sports, challenging. And I think it's really cool to see somebody dedicate
themselves so much to it that not only they're out there competing and competing very
effectively, but they're out there teaching the next generation how to do it the right way. And we

(01:10:16):
move on to Gary, volunteer firefighter and EMS. Man, I told you guys got a huge soft spot, a soft spot
in my heart for volunteer firefighters. And to hear somebody that's as dedicated as Gary
is to it, that's one thing that you have to you really have to hone in on to realize that if you
can't be like that in that position, I don't even know if I want you as a volunteer firefighter,

(01:10:41):
because everybody that I know that's a volunteer firefighter, Gary included, will talk about it like
Gary just did. It's a way to give back to the community. It's a way to help protect the
community. It's a way to help people feel safe. And these small communities that don't have big
firehouses, they need the volunteers, and they need guys like Gary to step up, do the job effectively.

(01:11:03):
24 years as a volunteer firefighter is nothing to scoff about. Let me ask everybody out there
listening. Is there anything that you can think of that you have volunteered for for 24 years? How
about this? Is there anything you can think of that you volunteered for for 2 or 4 years? Uh,
because this guy can't. I'm not that good of a person. Not as much as Gary, anyway. Uh, 24 years of

(01:11:27):
volunteer firefighter big ups to him. And, uh, and thank you from the podcast, the entire community
and, and volunteer fire firefighters everywhere. I don't speak for him, but I know that they
appreciate a guy like Gary, uh, in the golf game, too. Man, I know the struggle. Okay, we've we've
talked about it, um, turning wrenches on the S10. I hope you never have to pull the engine out of

(01:11:49):
that thing. Uh, God bless you and godspeed if you ever decide to. Gary and Paul. Paul was great to
have on, man. You can tell Paul loves his time outdoors. You get that guy with a fishing rod in
his hand and he is happy. Now, I've talked to a lot of truck drivers over the time that I've spent
making podcasts for them, and I know multiple OTR guys that keep a fishing pole and a

(01:12:13):
tackle box on the truck, because sometimes they stop at a place and there's a little pond over
there, there's a little stream or a little river, and they can just walk right from the parking
spot, drop a line in the water, and feel all that stress melt away from the day. Um, it's a cool
hobby. And to turn it into a bit of a competition, maybe win a few shekels here and there. Sounds

(01:12:33):
like Paul's got it figured out. If you want to know a good cat fishing spot, don't ask Paul
because I'm sure he's not sharing them with you. If he's done it for as long and been as
successful as he is, you're lucky he even named the lakes that he goes out to. Uh, but maybe you
get lucky and catch him out there and can get some tips from him on exactly how to land the big

(01:12:54):
ones. Um, and just all the other outdoor stuff that he did. I can really resonate with that because,
you know, grew up as as a hunter. Um, I'll be honest with you. Not as as accomplished
of a fisherman as I am a hunter. In fact, not an accomplished fisherman at all. Um, really always
had bad luck with fish. The only steelhead I ever caught and fought for, like, a half an hour on the

(01:13:17):
Grand Ronde River was like a four foot long stick, and it just kept getting snagged on the bottom
and making me feel like I had the anchor on. I'm not that good at it. But again, like I said, in golf,
even a blind squirrel finds a nut. I did catch that big catfish on a six foot crappie lead. So we
all have our stories. This is what hobbies do. They enrich us as people. We have more to talk about.

(01:13:39):
We're happier because we got to spend time doing what we wanted. This will not be the last off time
hobbies episode that we do here on Always pneumatic, never static. I know there's drivers out
there listening to this right now who are thinking, man, if they could only hear what it is
that I get into when the door shuts, I would love to give us a call. Get online

(01:14:00):
podcast.bulktransit.com. Send me an email. I want to make it happen. Okay, I'm more than happy to welcome
anybody that wants to come on this show. All you got to do is get in touch with me or get in touch
with your terminal manager. They can help you, too. Man, it's been a long day. I want to also thank
Bryan, Paul and Gary. One more time. I was not lying to you when I said there were some technical

(01:14:24):
difficulties in this episode. Um, I have a hat on right now, so you can't see that my hairline has
receded. Probably a good three inches since the beginning of the recording of this episode, but we
were able to pull it off, and the main reason we were able to pull it off is because we had three
guys on the air that were super patient with me. They chatted amongst themselves and had a great

(01:14:45):
conversation while I was running around like a Tasmanian devil, pulling out plugs and restarting
computers and kicking things. And eventually everything worked. And thank God we got a full
episode out of it, but hats off to my guys today. Bryan. Paul, Gary. Thank you guys so much for the
patience. Thank you for the awesome content. This was a great episode. We will do more just like

(01:15:06):
this one. All you got to do is reach out to me, tell me you're interested and we will put it
together. Uh, thanks again to everybody that clicked download today. You guys are the reason we
do this. The podcast is for you, Bulk and Spur. So let us know what you want to hear on the next
episode of Always Pneumatic, Never Static. Thanks again to Bryan, Paul and Gary. We'll see you guys

(01:15:29):
all next week for another episode. 5 a.m. local time. Always pneumatic, never static. Signing off.
And that's all she blows for today's episode of Always Pneumatic, never Static. Your number one and
probably only Pneumatic Trucking podcast, brought to you by Bulk Transit. Thanks for rolling with us
today. Till next time, stay safe, keep those lines clear and keep it pumping.