March 27, 2024 • 45 mins
This week on the Bryan Truck Line Show, we’ll get to our first of many driver profiles when we welcome Bryan Driver Mark Stephan. Mark is an O/O that has worked for Bryan among others, and he’ll tell his story and get to know us a little better as well. We’ve also got some Breaking News from the industry, including a man that plans to add 45,000 truck parking spaces across the country by 2032.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Welcome to the Brian Truck line show.
Episode four of your brand shiny new podcast.
Thank you all for being here today.
My name is Marcus and I am your host.
Uh We got a good episode for you here.
We had a little bit of trouble trying to get some people on this particular episode.
Uh Just some uh uh scheduling difficulties,
(00:21):
but we did everything that we could here.
And uh I really like the way that this one turned out so far.
We've got a really good breaking news segment for you.
It's gonna cover some in uh industry news topics that are kind of floating around big stuff,
some of it,
good news,
some of it,
bad news.
We'll get to that here in just a moment.
But one thing you're gonna get on today's podcast that you haven't heard on any of the rest of them is our very first driver profile.
(00:47):
We're gonna talk to Brian Truck line driver,
Mark Steffen.
I spent a long time hanging out in the break room with Mark.
When I was there for the podcast launch,
learned a lot about the guy,
such an interesting dude.
And so fun to talk to.
Uh,
I actually spent a couple of different 45 minute ish,
uh,
time blocks hanging out and just talking to Mark listening to stories.
(01:11):
I really enjoy that.
It's one of the things about my job that I feel very fortunate about is I,
I'm a storyteller myself.
As you'll find out as we go on with this podcast.
Sometimes I get down a little rabbit hole.
Um,
and I really like to sit and listen to other people tell their stories as well.
It's one of the few things in this life that is unique about everyone and that will never be the same in any group of people are the stories from personal experience that come out.
(01:39):
And that is a goal of this podcast.
One of the things that we're going to do,
sure we're gonna bridge the gap between the office and drivers,
make sure that we uh fortify communication,
you know,
stop games of telephone,
make sure everybody gets the right information in one spot so that everybody can operate based upon it.
But I also,
so I'm very excited to talk to a lot of drivers on this show.
(02:02):
I wanna hear your stories.
I wanna hear about things that you like about Brian Truck line and truck driving.
I want to hear things that you don't like.
Uh,
we,
we have the ability to affect positive change on this podcast as long as we communicate and do it through the proper channels and uh this is your channel.
So if you're a driver out there listening to this right now,
(02:24):
or maybe you hear Mark Stefan come on in a little bit here on this episode.
And you think,
man,
that's something that I'd really like to do.
I'd like to go on the podcast and tell some stories or talk about some things that I,
I really like,
talk about some things I wish were different.
We wanna hear from you.
So make sure to talk to your driver manager,
talk to your dispatcher.
You can get in touch with Judy at the front office.
(02:47):
Uh and,
and let them know that you want to be on this podcast because they will get your information to me and I will be giving you a call from the rainy state of Oregon as soon as I get your number.
So with all that said,
I think it's time for us to jump in with both feet to episode four of the Brian Truck line show.
Let's get to some news driven by dedication created by community delivered by Brian from Northwest Ohio to wherever you are.
(03:14):
This is the Brian Truck line show with your host,
Marcus Bridges.
Time for a little breaking news here on the Brian Truck Line show and I've got stuff from all over today.
First,
we're going to go to News Channel three,
Wreg out of Memphis,
(03:36):
Tennessee,
where the city's chief Legal officer says the state of Tennessee and the US Postal Service are looking into the activities of a one's towing and hauling in November.
The Memphis Transportation Commission suspended a one's towing and hauling booting and towing permits for 30 days after receiving several complaints from truck drivers who claimed they were illegally booted and towed by a ones and charged thousands of dollars to get their semi trucks back.
(04:09):
Deputy city attorney Michael Fletcher said a ones has since been cited for more violations.
And we have another hearing before the permits office Fletcher said the state and Postal Service have also been investigating the towing company in a quote.
He says one of the trucks they took was a postal service truck.
They've subpoenaed information from us and the state is also looking at it because there are some enforcement arms.
(04:35):
The state has that as a city we do not,
this is not looking good for a one's towing and hopefully it won't be looking good for anyone else that is engaged in these predatory towing tactics.
I heard a story just recently from a driver who was parked late night at a Walmart and had a gentleman put a barnacle or we've also heard them called clamshell on the windshield,
(04:59):
one of these suction cups that they put on the windshield and if you try to remove it forcefully,
it will break your windshield.
And,
uh,
essentially the guy in the parking lot,
he had a sign up over his face.
When the driver finally realized what was going on,
the sign just had a phone number on it and said,
don't try to remove it,
call this number,
(05:19):
they wanted $1000 or more to take this thing off the window.
The police in this local municipality did not help in this,
in this situation particularly uh until the man that put the clamshell on the truck,
took out a gun and trying to enforce his scam.
This is something that's going on all over the country and it's kind of scary,
(05:42):
especially when a lot of the times these guys that are trying to scam you will be armed and they will try to strong arm you into paying more than you need to for getting your truck back.
So uh interesting things to keep an eye on here.
We will definitely keep you updated on the story about a one's towing out of Memphis,
Tennessee as it unfolds moving over to landline dot media for this story.
(06:07):
Uh American truckers need many thousands of additional parking spaces.
We will talk about that a lot on this program because it is a hot button issue within the industry.
A long time industry,
marketing and management executive named Frank Son Zala plans to build 100 fenced in parking facilities each with 450 big rig sized spaces and driver oriented amenities.
(06:34):
According to landline dot media,
uh each facility will follow the same plan,
parking spaces will be angled for easy maneuvering and there will be restrooms,
showers,
television lounges,
wi fi vending machines,
eating areas and an adjacent convenience store and hotel.
Uh Those last two put in by partners like 7-Eleven and Hilton.
(06:56):
Instead of expensive asphalt or concrete paving,
the parking areas will use a Geo web soil stabilization system.
It was developed for the Army Corps of Engineers in the 19 seventies.
according to Brian Weeden,
who's chief engineer for Presto GEO Systems,
which is the originator of the technology.
The method requires comparatively shallow subsoil preparation and stabilizes dirt and other materials with a honeycomb like structure made of high density polyethylene,
(07:26):
interlinked vertical walls in the structure form cells that secure rock gravel and soil forming a firm base that can be driven and walked on prepared areas,
allow rain and melting snow to pass through and drain into the ground.
Drippings of oil and grease will be captured by additional sheeting under the honeycomb.
While water continues draining if draining slows earthen materials and honeycombing can be taken up the filter like sheeting,
(07:52):
cleaned or replaced and the surface reformed.
Uh Geo webbing also provides a lot of cost saving measures.
Uh Estimates are saying that they can install this geo webbing in these parking lots for around half the cost of what it would take to pave a similar area.
Of course,
with paving,
you have to do curbs and all sorts of other things,
(08:15):
reinforcements.
Uh It sounds like this is a cost effective way to do it.
And Frank Son Zala plans to add 45,000 new truck parking spaces,
100 spaces for each of these 450 planned projects.
Now,
he does say that it's going to take him until 2032 to complete this project.
(08:37):
But he's also putting this story out there in good old capitalist fashion where he says if we had some competitors,
we might be able to get this done by 2030.
Uh So if you're a competitor and you're listening,
now's the time to jump into the space.
We need more parking spots and we need a lot more than 45,000 new parking spots.
(08:58):
Uh Recent studies have said that there are 365,000 parking spot spots in the United States as it sits right now and I think you and I both know that ain't enough.
It's not even close.
So we'll keep you updated on this story as well.
Check out landline dot media online if you want to read up more on that project.
(09:20):
Uh Next,
we're gonna head over to transport topics because we're still talking about parking spaces.
Uh Minnesota will add 16 truck parking spots at two eastbound rest areas along interstate 94 in an $81.5 million package of projects to improve the state's freight network and address truck parking issues.
(09:42):
Truck parking enhancements will be made in four of 15 projects announced March 14th by the Minnesota Department of Transportation in an effort to strengthen freight,
mobility safety,
intermodal connections and first and last mile freight capabilities throughout the state.
This money is to be spent between 2026 and 2028 fiscal years and the funding is being provided by the Minnesota highway freight program which invests in road port,
(10:09):
airport and railroad projects.
This is great news,
but again,
a literal drop in the bucket 16 spots is gonna be great for those using interstate 94 frequently.
Uh 16 spots won't even scratch the surface of other drivers.
Uh Cruising around other parts of the state of Minnesota.
So I would like to see more of the same here.
(10:32):
It seems like $81.5 million in a package uh might should maybe equate to more than 16 truck parking spots.
But hey,
I am just a podcast host.
I am not a legislator or a city planner or anything like that.
I'm sure that they're doing some other good things for the transportation industry with some of that money.
(10:53):
Uh But we'd like to see a little bit more than 16 spots go in uh as a result of such a giant funding bill moving over to freight waves.com for this next story.
Uh Freight waves says cargo thefts have surged 68% in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Cargo thefts surged 68% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2023.
(11:16):
Compared with 2022.
According to cargo net.
During the third quarter of 2023 cargo thefts were up 57% year over year compared to 2022.
We've got a quote here from Scott Cornell who's a transportation lead and crime and theft specialist at travelers.
He says,
quote,
the trends tell us that cargo theft is currently at a 10 year high.
(11:40):
So far,
the numbers for the beginning of 2024 are projecting that 2024 will have higher theft numbers than 2023 which had higher numbers than 2022.
Cornell said they are seeing higher incidents of strategic cargo theft which involves fraudsters using stolen motor carrier,
operating authorities or logistics broker identities to obtain freight and misdirect it from the intended receiver.
(12:06):
In order to steal it.
Here's a quote from Cornell again.
Strategic theft is when they use various means to trick you into giving them the freight.
And that's through methods like identity theft,
fictitious pickups,
double brokering scams those methods.
We were seeing the biggest increase in cargo thefts over the last 18 months.
(12:27):
Uh So it looks like those,
those uh tactics are the ones that they're seeing the most of commodities such as food and beverage goods,
electronics and household goods are at the top of the thieves priority list.
And California,
Texas,
Florida.
Georgia and Kentucky continue to be hot spots for cargo thefts.
(12:48):
According to Danny Ramon,
an intelligence and response manager over at overhaul.
So,
lock up,
watch your freight.
I know that,
uh,
a lot of the drivers listening here from Brian truck line,
you know,
you're back at the terminal,
the truck's there,
it's safe,
it's locked up.
Uh,
but we do have some OTR guys and some,
uh,
some truckload guys out there,
flatbed guys.
(13:08):
I feel like would be uh somebody that could be preyed upon by these thieves as well.
So make sure you're locking up,
make sure you're aware of your surroundings out there.
And as always,
please be safe.
And finally for our final news story of the day,
Peterbilt Motors Company unveiled a 72 inch low roof sleeper configuration for its model 589 tractor back on March 8th.
(13:34):
Uh transport topics has this story.
Peterbilt said the sleeper configuration includes a full height wardrobe and passenger side microwave tray along with the driver side workstation and storage cabinet.
Optional features include a right hand cubby,
a refrigerator and an above the bunk shelf added to that are four standard 12 volt outlets factory installed inverters aftermarket inverter installation provisions and 22 inch flat screen mounting and electrical provisions according to the original equipment manufacturer.
(14:10):
So looking at a 72 inch low roof sleeper for the model 589 Peter built,
uh it's a good looking truck but 72 inches.
I mean,
I'm,
I'm a short American.
I'm only 59 and 72 inches.
Sounds like I might be squeezing in there.
But hey,
if you like a little bit more compact feel you maybe like the uh,
(14:31):
wind resistance,
uh change that you get out of a truck with a lower roof.
Maybe this is the one for you.
It's the new Peterbilt 5,
8972 inch low roof sleeper configuration.
Uh You can head on over to transport topics to check out more on that story.
That's gonna wrap up our breaking news for episode four of the Brian truck line show.
(14:57):
And we'll be right back with an interview from BT L driver,
Mark Steffen.
Stay tuned.
Joining me now here on the Brian Truck line show,
I've got my first driver on the line and I am so excited to talk to him,
(15:19):
had a great conversation with him at the podcast launch at the uh terminal out there and uh just a,
just a fantastic guy to sit down and talk with.
I've got Mark Stefan on the line.
Mark.
Thank you so much for being here today.
Well,
thanks for inviting me on Marcus.
I appreciate it.
I mean,
you seemed like a perfect first driver to have on you and I had some great conversation when I was there for the launch,
(15:42):
as I mentioned.
And uh I understand that uh Brian kind of uses you as a guinea pig from time to time anyway.
Is that true?
It kind of seems that way.
I don't even remember how many years ago but they asked for volunteers,
uh,
to switch over from paper logs to computer logs.
And I know a lot of guys were,
(16:03):
you know,
kind of blustery about it,
you know,
change and all that and everything.
And I volunteered because I'm like,
I don't like paperwork,
so I volunteered to do that.
And then I was one of the first drivers to have a camera in the truck.
So,
yeah,
a lot of first with the company.
Well,
that's good.
They know that they can get honest feedback out of you.
(16:24):
So that's,
uh,
you know,
you're a good guy for that.
I feel like,
and uh thanks for being the guinea pig on the podcast here.
I have a feeling after some other drivers hear our conversation today that I'll get some emails and some text messages from guys that want to come on the show because,
uh,
you know,
I was,
I was handing out business cards out there like crazy.
So Mark,
tell me a little bit about how you got involved in truck driving and also how you got involved with Brian.
(16:49):
Just give me your story kind of from square one where this career started for you.
That's uh we have to go back 19 years.
I was working in a machine shop in a factory and I'd worked some other factory jobs,
didn't necessarily like,
it wasn't making a whole lot of money.
And in our area we were able to get like the Fort Wayne Journal gazette and the Toledo Blade two major city papers.
(17:17):
So I just grabbed the Sunday paper off of both of both major cities.
And I sit there and I counted up over 100 and 50 jobs and truck driving between the two papers.
Wow.
So,
yeah,
and I'm,
I mean,
I'm sure there was probably,
you know,
repeats for the same companies.
(17:37):
But I just went through and I counted,
you know,
the advertisements for drivers,
wanted,
drivers,
wanted drivers wanted.
So I'm like going,
you know what,
I think I wanna do this.
So I made some steps and made some phone calls and I got recruited with Schneider National and I went through,
they're training in Green Bay,
Wisconsin.
(17:59):
We started off with probably about 75 people in the class.
And,
uh,
we ended up,
I think only 20 of us,
22 of us actually completed the course for the end of the two weeks.
And then we went with our driver trainers out for another three or four weeks.
(18:19):
So that's how I got it started in it and didn't actually plan on being in it more than about five years.
And,
and I believe you said 19 years now that you've been in it.
So you must like it a little bit Well,
I like the money.
This is the start of my 19th year.
So,
yeah.
So is aside from the money,
obviously,
(18:39):
what are some things that,
uh,
that are attractive about working at Brian for you?
Because I know you,
this isn't your first stop with Brian.
Correct.
Yeah,
you would call me the,
would be a reread because I've left the company several times and come back.
And the reason why I come back is because they treat me fair and they're honest with me and,
(19:01):
you know,
I have jumped ship a couple of times and for,
you know,
hopes of bettering yourself,
making more money.
You know,
there's,
there's a lot of companies out there that will really blow,
smoke up your wazoo and promise you stuff and they just will not fall through with it.
It's just to get you in the door and they think that once they get you in the door and they got you behind the wheel,
(19:26):
they got you,
you know,
and it's one of the things that I've always liked about Bryan Truck line is that they've always just been upfront and honest with me and that's all I've ever asked.
I'm not gonna lie to you.
You don't lie to me.
It seems like a pretty easy,
uh,
that seems like a pretty easy agreement.
You know,
(19:46):
everybody,
uh,
upfront and honest,
everybody can go home happy at the end of the day.
Exactly.
You know,
I like the freedom as far as driving truck.
If I want to stop and grab a bite to eat.
As long as I'm on schedule,
nobody cares.
I don't get phone calls from dispatch.
They're not babysitting me.
You know,
they're like going,
hey,
you gotta be here by seven o'clock or you gotta be here by six o'clock in the morning.
(20:09):
As long as I'm there on time,
nobody's gonna call me on the phone to check with me every two or three hours trying to figure out where I'm at and what I'm doing.
And I,
I,
I'm a big boy.
I don't need somebody babysit me.
Sure.
No.
And it's,
that's a common sentiment that I hear in talking to drivers.
I talked to a lot of drivers,
Mark and that is one thing that I think almost across the board they would all say is I,
(20:33):
I don't want to be micromanaged out here in this truck.
I've got enough to worry about,
uh,
driving down the road with all these crazy four wheelers and inclement weather and,
uh,
eta s and everything like that.
I don't need a dispatcher calling me to bug me about uh,
little incremental things over the course of my day.
And,
uh,
that's to me has always been the sign of a good dispatcher is one that can build a trust with their driver,
(20:57):
know that their driver's gonna do what they say they're gonna do.
And as a dispatcher,
uh follow through on what they say they're gonna do and it makes it a pretty easy working relationship.
It seems.
Well,
that's the thing,
you know,
as a driver,
you have to establish a personal relationship with your dispatcher and you have to realize,
you know,
you have to build a trust with them.
(21:18):
You know,
if they ask you to do something,
you know,
and you say no problem,
you know,
keep your word.
follow through on it,
be be on the time and you know,
if there is an accident that holds you up where there's inclement weather or,
you know,
or a breakdown on your truck,
the first thing you need to do is,
you know,
(21:39):
get on the phone and start making phone calls.
You know,
don't matter if it's,
you know,
three o'clock in the morning or 10 o'clock at night,
call,
your dispatch say,
hey,
this is the problem I have,
you know,
I'm gonna be late.
I'm sorry.
But,
you know,
this is out of my control.
But if it's something within your control,
you know,
don't be hanging out the truck stop for two hours and then show up an hour late because you're in there playing video games or getting the shower or doing laundry or whatever.
(22:06):
You know what I'm saying?
Absolutely.
And I,
I know even worse.
I know what you're saying because I've missed certain engagements because I didn't get in the shower on time because I was playing video games.
So 100% mark,
I understand.
So if you,
if you develop that relationship with your dispatcher,
they're not gonna micromanage you,
(22:26):
they're just gonna call you up and say,
hey,
you know,
I need you to do this,
you know,
tomorrow.
Uh can you be here at seven o'clock in the morning?
You know,
if your hours don't allow you to do,
say,
you know,
I could be there by 730 because of my hours that might work with them.
But if you just say no,
(22:47):
you try to be flexible,
you know,
but,
you know,
if you,
if your hours don't allow you to be there till 10 o'clock,
say,
I just can't be there until 10 o'clock because of my hours at service.
Yeah,
I understand that.
Right.
That's something that's,
that's part of that whole,
being honest thing.
If you just say no and don't give him any context,
it's not really giving him the whole story and it might just sound like you don't want to do it rather than you actually are able to.
(23:12):
Exactly.
Right.
Gotcha.
Well,
that's,
that's great advice and,
and I think that that just shows the amount of experience that you've got out there.
Mark,
you've not only done for Brian but you've done it for other companies as well and you know what it takes to make that good relationship and,
and forge it in a way that,
uh,
somebody's not always,
uh,
buzz in your pocket because I know that that's probably not something like I said,
(23:35):
you've got plenty to deal with.
Uh,
you don't need a dispatcher calling to bug you all hours of the day.
I mean,
one of the things you've got to deal with out there,
which is amazing and I can't wait to talk to you about it is your,
uh,
your copilot who's riding with you right now.
You don't have your dog out there?
I thought you had a dog with you.
(23:56):
I did have a dog at one time,
but I gave it back to the original owners because they were losing another family,
treasured pet.
And so I felt bad for him.
So I let him go back to the original.
They,
they just didn't have enough room or time to deal with two of them,
(24:16):
but they're losing one of their older pets.
And,
yeah,
so I,
I just,
he was a good dog.
I loved him.
I mean,
he's,
I might get another one,
I'm not sure,
but I might get another one.
Well,
it sounds like he's a good companion if you can turn him back to the original family like that and he'll take right to it.
Sounds like one heck of a dog.
And,
(24:36):
and I'm sorry,
I misunderstood you about,
uh,
having somebody there with you.
I,
I thought that the dog was still riding shotgun,
but that's,
uh,
that takes a really big guy.
Mark to be able to,
to give up a friend like that for the greater good.
I,
I'm a huge dog lover and if somebody tried to take my dogs back because they were sad,
my only thought would be,
(24:57):
well,
what about me?
I'm gonna be sad now.
So.
Well,
I mean,
there's Children involved in this too.
So,
you know,
I,
you know,
I just,
I mean,
they love the dog too and it's like,
you know,
I can't,
I'm a grown ass man.
So,
you know,
I should be able to deal with my emotions a little bit better than Children.
(25:17):
I get you.
I get you.
So uh about,
you know,
let's touch on that being a grown ass man but also with a really big heart.
Uh you told me a story when I was uh well,
actually,
I kind of eavesdropped on this story a little bit because you were talking to another driver at the time.
But I feel like it's something that we should touch on since this is the first time you've been on.
(25:38):
Uh I,
I'm hoping the first of many,
but I want to know more about mark the person.
And uh this story that you told that you were talking about was a bike rally.
Uh It was a toy drive that you did down in Texas.
Can you talk me through a little bit about how that went because I was blown away when you were telling me about this toy drive.
You guys did?
(25:59):
Well,
I've got a couple of friends down there where,
you know,
we ride bike,
we get together sometime on a Sunday and go out for a Sunday brunch and everything.
And he just asked me,
he goes,
hey,
you know,
Wise County has a toy drive or,
I don't know if it's underprivileged Children or,
or people who are destitute or have,
(26:21):
you know,
crisis at Christmas time or winter.
I don't know.
But it was a huge bike rally at the Weiss County Fairgrounds in Texas.
And I'm thinking there was close to 4000 bikes and over 100 jeeps and we had police escorts,
(26:43):
they shut off the highway.
They just,
and they had a flat bed trailer that was just overflowing with toys,
you know,
so 4000 bikes,
that's,
that's such a,
such a crazy,
it was great.
It was like one of the biggest bike rides I'd ever been in and I've been in a few,
not a lot but a few and there's been a couple of 100 bikes and that I've ridden in and stuff.
(27:08):
But if it's for a good cause,
I mean,
it was 20 bucks per person to be in the drive or the ride and then,
and then to bring a toy and if it's going for a good cause,
you know,
for Children or veterans,
I'm all in.
Absolutely because you have Children and,
uh,
veterans of your own if I'm not mistaken.
Now you told me,
uh,
you've got some service members in your immediate family there,
(27:31):
right in the Navy.
And I think I share a name with one of your sons.
Is that correct?
Yes.
To make it easy,
you'll never forget mine.
It's gonna be perfect,
man.
Well,
that's awesome.
I,
I love hearing about,
uh,
stories like that,
(27:52):
you know,
uh,
back in my,
my radio days I did some uh radio thons for uh Saint Jude and uh Children's Miracle Network and that type of thing.
And it's an interesting and,
and very fulfilling feeling that you get walking away from something like that after you've just put some work in or,
or done the bike rally or maybe you're stacking toys on the,
(28:14):
on the table or you're taking donations over the phone.
Um It's,
it's a,
it's a feeling you can't really replicate without giving something back to a certain community,
whoever that may be.
That's true.
And it makes you feel good.
I mean,
you know,
as a driver,
you know,
sometimes you have limited amount of time and so it's just,
it,
it landed on the right day.
(28:36):
You know,
we were able to do it.
The weather was great,
of course,
out of Texas at wintertime it gets a bad winter.
It's 35.
But uh you know,
you put your leathers on and you go for a bike ride when it's 50 degrees.
It's a beautiful day.
Sure,
I bet.
Well,
that's awesome.
Mark and anything else that you get involved with like that in the future,
(28:58):
be sure to let me know because I would love to mention it here on the podcast and maybe get other people involved that might want to give back as well.
Um,
you know,
I,
sometimes you might think when you listen to me that I'm a little bit of a cynic and I've got,
uh a kind of a dark heart from time to time,
but this type of stuff just makes me melt into a puddle.
Uh So I,
I had to,
(29:18):
I had to mention it today and thank you for talking us through it,
man.
I,
I really do love it.
So,
uh there,
I've got one more thing about Mark before we actually get into kind of some of the actual topic that we're discussing today.
But uh I,
I was talking to you again,
figured out that you're an Elvis impersonator.
Tell me a little bit about how you got into that and please don't forget to mention where you get your costumes made at.
(29:45):
Oh,
ok.
Well,
the correct terminology is ETA which is Elvis tribute artist.
That's all right.
A lot of people misconstrue it.
You know,
I don't pretend to be like Elvis in my everyday life as an Elvis tribute artist.
I try to portray the best image of Elvis Presley while I'm on stage.
(30:06):
And then once I've done I've done,
you know,
I mean,
after the show,
I usually sign a few autographs which blows my mind and then,
you know,
and the pictures,
everybody wants pictures.
But I started that probably about 20 years ago or so.
Just got into,
it,
had a couple of homemade jumpsuits made and then,
(30:29):
uh,
purchased a couple of suits,
uh,
from BK enterprises down in,
uh,
I think it's Chesterfield or Chesterton Indiana.
And the designer of Elvis Presley's suits was Bill Blue,
who was Albas actual jumpsuit designer and needed suits for Liza Minnelli and outfits for Barbra Streisand and stuff.
(30:56):
So these are authentic reproductions.
That's so cool.
And I've seen the pictures,
you can tell that they are authentic.
This is not,
uh this has not been held together with duct tape and bubble gum.
These things are very nicely put together and they're very nicely expensive too.
Yeah,
you get what you pay for.
Right.
(31:16):
Exactly.
Very cool.
Well,
uh,
I love,
I love hearing about that.
Uh I'm a musician myself as well.
Mark and,
and uh I think it's really cool.
Yeah,
I have to ask you when you sign the autographs,
do you sign your name or do you sign Elvis?
I do both.
I put Elvis and then I just sign my name.
That's cool because you,
(31:38):
you deserve some credit there.
I mean,
you might not have written the songs but you're performing them,
right?
And you know,
and a lot of times it's people that have either,
uh had seen Elvis before and I bring back memories of when they got to see Elvis live or,
you know,
maybe they've seen him on TV and never got to see him live.
(32:00):
And this is an opportunity for them to,
you know,
come as close as they possibly can to see Elvis.
Like I said,
I'm just me.
When I come off the stage,
I have been to Graceland.
I have toured the whole grounds of Graceland.
Love.
It would like to go again.
So I just admired Elvis.
(32:20):
I mean,
he had some personal issues,
you know,
with stuff,
but if you dig deep into his history,
you'll find out that he was a very giving human being and just absolutely gave so much to people,
this community,
the March of Dimes.
It,
it just blows your mind when you go down there and see the awards and everything that he has gotten just for stuff that I didn't even know about.
(32:48):
Sure.
Well,
it sounds like you and him have something in common being a very giving person.
Mark and,
uh and uh that's what a great role for you to fill uh with your personality and the way that you are just,
you're a very personable guy you're easy to talk to.
Uh I bet for those people that you help uh rekindle those memories for,
(33:08):
it's a,
it's a great experience as well and I'm hoping one of these times,
if I'm,
uh,
in your neck of the woods and you perform and I'll be able to stop by and check it out because I'd love to see it,
you know,
it,
you know,
it,
that's fine.
I'll buy two of them,
I'll buy two of them,
buddy.
So,
listen,
before we run out of time here today,
I do have some,
uh,
a little bit more nuts and bolts questions for you.
(33:30):
Today on this episode,
we're discussing a little bit about uh truck maintenance and staying on the road.
And with all your experience as a driver,
I did wanna ask you,
um,
you know,
pre tripp inspections,
obviously post trip inspections.
Those types of things are very important.
But is there any advice that you could give to other drivers out there about different little things that you might do to help the maintenance department keep your truck on the road for as long as possible.
(33:58):
I don't know.
Compared,
I'm kind of even when I,
I'm an owner operator,
but even when I was a company driver,
I was very picky.
So if,
if it's something small,
I wanted it fixed because if you let this small thing break,
then another small thing breaks and you overlook it and you overlook it.
And next thing,
you know,
(34:19):
instead of being in the shop for an hour,
the shop's got it for five or six hours,
you know,
fixing these little things.
So if you bring something up to the shop and say,
hey,
look,
you know,
if you guys can squeeze this in and get this fixed,
I'd appreciate it.
You know,
if you just approach them like that,
they're like,
yeah,
we'll get it.
Never once.
Did I ever have anything that I brought to any one of the guys in the shop that need it fixed that?
(34:43):
They scoff it off and say,
oh,
well,
you know,
your door locks don't work.
That's no big deal,
you know.
No,
they fixed it,
they fixed it door latch would break,
they fixed it.
It really does seem like Joe runs a tight shop over there,
uh,
at Brian Truck line and I can tell he's a busy guy when I call to talk to him.
I know he's got a lot on his plate and,
(35:04):
uh,
I think that's because he's making a priority of that type of stuff.
You know,
obviously you've got to prioritize if a truck's not running,
uh,
we probably got to get that fixed first,
but,
uh,
also door locks are pretty important this day and age,
especially with some of the areas you guys might have to run through.
That's true.
Yeah.
But like I said,
the shop,
I give kudos to the shop,
(35:25):
I mean,
tires,
you know,
we've always got really good tires on the trucks and the trailers and as far as getting things fixed,
uh,
you know,
I've never ever,
not once had an issue getting anything fixed in the shop.
If the radio didn't work,
they fixed it.
I mean,
the radio.
Well,
hey,
as a guy whose voice comes over the radio,
(35:46):
that's a very,
uh,
critically important thing.
Mark.
Oh,
yeah,
it would be for you.
So,
uh,
I guess the next thing I'll kind of ask is on that note.
Do you,
are there any things that you do out there?
Do you,
are you a wrench turner type of a driver?
Do you kind of dive under the hood and try to uh fix little things if something goes wrong out on the road or are you one of those guys that says,
(36:10):
listen,
the shop are the,
the pros at this?
I'm gonna let them do it.
Well,
its,
I mean,
you know,
a man's got to know his limitations.
So I grew up on a farm so we fix things.
I can fix things.
But,
you know,
if it's above my pay grade,
I'm not ashamed to say,
you know,
this is,
(36:30):
I'm gonna let somebody else deal with this.
You know,
I think,
I think like three months ago I had to put new batteries in the truck,
you know,
so it's just batteries,
it's not doing the cables,
put new batteries in.
Yeah,
they're heavy.
It's awkward.
You got a tight spot to work into.
But,
you know,
I went out and bought my four batteries and I put them in myself.
(36:50):
It took me maybe an hour,
hour and a half to put them in and put them in the right way.
But,
yeah,
I mean,
I,
I look at the hood,
I'm like,
going,
if there's something that needs to be fixed and I can fix it,
I'll do it because this is my livelihood.
This is how I get the butter on my bread.
So,
if this truck's not rolling,
I don't put money in my back pocket.
(37:12):
Yeah,
for sure.
And,
and that's important sage advice that you just gave there knowing your limitations.
You know,
uh,
I,
I used to have a 1972 Chevy,
uh,
when I was in high school with a 350 engine in it and,
uh,
I remember the thermostat housing started leaking and so,
you know,
got out there with my dad popped that off,
(37:32):
got a new gasket,
got a new housing,
put it on.
Everything was nice and easy.
Then I had a friend who also had a 72 Chevy and the next time I saw him he had his engine out on a cherry picker and he was underneath of it and he was popping off everything every which way.
That's when I knew my limitations.
I had no idea what was going on once that engine was out of the engine bay.
(37:55):
And,
uh,
I don't know if he ever got that truck running.
I certainly wasn't any help so.
Well,
yeah.
You know,
I'm not gonna,
I'm not gonna change,
I mean,
I've changed brakes on a car or truck but on the semi or messing with the brake chambers,
they're dangerous.
I'm not gonna do that.
I mean,
I have,
you know,
I have the basic mechanical aptitude to do it but there's special tools that I don't have that.
(38:20):
I'm not even gonna attempt to try and do that.
I'm not even gonna change a tire on this thing.
These things weigh,
you know,
a couple of £100 you throw your back just trying to do it.
Yeah.
So,
you know,
if I could turn a wrench on,
in fact,
actually,
just about a month ago I had my wiper blade motor go out.
Um,
(38:41):
I stopped at the dealership on my way down back home,
stopped,
got a new part.
I got home that weekend.
It took me maybe two hours to change it,
but I took my time and,
you know,
made sure everything was put back together and I just put a new wiper blade motor in.
I mean,
wiper blades are pretty important.
(39:02):
So,
yeah,
especially when you get up here in the Great Pacific Northwest where I live.
Uh,
we're seeing,
we're seeing our first couple of weeks of sun right now and everybody's outside in shorts,
but this is just a,
it's a ruse,
the raids coming back.
I guarantee it.
So,
uh,
well,
I used to live up Washington State so I know,
I know what the weather's like up there.
(39:23):
You got saturated for a little bit too.
With all the rain you could handle.
I assume it's,
uh,
it's something else up here.
We're praying for sunshine.
We normally only get rain,
but we're gonna keep praying.
That's just the way we do it here.
So,
Mark,
I really appreciate you taking the time to come on here and chat with me.
Uh I,
I will ask you this as after you've done this.
(39:44):
Now.
The first time I know you've listened to all the episodes,
how was it?
Did I make it kind of easy on you or was this something that was,
uh,
was over the top?
Too hard?
Anything like that?
You sound like you did?
All right.
Well,
I appreciate it.
No,
I mean,
it was,
you know,
just a regular conversation.
That's what I like,
you know,
it's not like trying to hammer me with hard questions or anything,
(40:06):
you know.
So,
yeah,
I,
I appreciate it.
Well,
thank you.
II I,
that's,
I guess that's exactly what I hope to hear from you is that I don't want drivers to think I'm having them on here to try to catch them out or have them reveal state secrets or anything.
But I really do enjoy talking to you guys and hearing about your stories and everything like that.
So if you're a,
a Brian driver and you're listening to Mark's my conversation,
(40:29):
thinking it would be fun.
Uh,
get in touch with Judy back at the shop.
She'll put you in touch with me and,
uh,
we can get as many drivers on this show as wanna come on it.
Uh,
Mark.
Thank you so much for spending the time,
my friend.
It's been a pleasure talking to you again and,
uh,
I can't wait for the next one.
Well,
I appreciate it.
And I would like to add one more thing that since I have listened to all the,
(40:52):
you know,
the,
the recordings that you've done so far that,
uh,
just wanted to reiterate that,
uh,
what Judy said,
what Sheila said and,
you know,
Heather,
you know,
I know all the girls in the dispatch office,
all the ones that have been there for a while,
you know,
don't hesitate to pick up the phone and call if there's an issue.
I mean,
(41:13):
those girls will jump through hoops to get the problem solved for you.
I mean,
that's all they want to do because if you're happy,
the customer's happy and then when you get back to the yard,
you know,
you're happy,
you're not busting through the door being all ticked off about something.
So don't let things slide.
Pick up the phone call,
your dispatcher.
(41:34):
They will definitely get your problem solved.
More sage advice from Brian driver,
Mark Steff and Mark you be safe out there.
Keep the shiny side up and we'll be back in touch with you very soon.
All right.
Actually,
it's the rubber side down a rusty side up.
But you have a good day.
Ok.
(41:55):
All right.
Have a good day,
Marcus.
All right,
Brian truck line,
great stuff there from Driver Mark Steffen.
Really appreciate his time.
Uh,
such a fun guy to talk to,
uh,
just so happy that he was willing to share some time with us today.
(42:15):
Uh,
I'm gonna kick it over real quick before we wrap things up here to a voice that you might hear on this podcast every now and then.
I got a guy cooking up these traffic reports for me and these are mid to kind of just show uh you any big events that are going on,
uh,
kind of around the country.
Denny just looks for the biggest things that are gonna cause the,
uh the biggest headache in traffic.
(42:36):
And,
uh it's also worth noting that Denny is a retired driver,
uh put in over a decade out there on the road.
So he's got some experience and he knows what you guys will look for.
Let's hear what he's got for us today.
Pressure,
pressure,
pressure,
we're all drivers.
(42:56):
Just a couple of heads up for this coming weekend.
The route 66 Spring fever rally is in Depew,
Oklahoma.
That's the 28 through the 31st and NASCAR is in Richmond for the Toyota owners 400 on the 31st.
Y'all keep it between the ditches and I'll catch you on the flip flop.
(43:23):
Thank you,
Denny Stone.
We will keep coming back to you and getting a traffic report and I love it.
Keep it between the ditches.
That's a great way to sign off from this episode.
Episode four here of the Brian Truck line show.
Uh Big thanks to Mark Steffen for coming on the show and listen.
It was a little light on interviews today and I understand that that's uh probably a little bit of a head scratcher for you being that all the rest of the episodes had a bunch of interviews.
(43:48):
Look,
we just ran into some scheduling hiccups.
That's all uh we will get anybody on this podcast that wants on.
So if you are a driver listening right now,
get in touch with your dispatcher,
get in touch with your driver manager,
get in touch with Judy over there at the office.
I know we've already gone through this once on this episode,
but I want to make sure you know that I am available to you.
I met a lot of you guys when I was there for the podcast launch.
(44:11):
I gave you my card if you want to be on this show and you got my card in your pocket,
just text me or send me email at that email address on my business card.
Would love to talk to you.
Uh get your stories from the road.
Hear about the things that you love about.
Brian truck line and so on.
So once again,
if you've got my card in your pocket,
get in touch with me directly.
(44:31):
If not get in touch with uh with your driver manager,
your dispatcher or Judy there in the office and she will send you my way.
Thanks to everyone who tuned in today.
Uh If you click that subscribe button on whatever podcast platform you're listening on,
it will alert you that we have an episode coming up every single time we drop one.
(44:51):
And just so y'all know we're going to uh release those.
They will release at 6 a.m. Eastern time on Wednesday mornings every other week.
So we'll see you in a couple of weeks.
Brian,
as Denny said,
keep it between the ditches.
This is the Brian Truck Line show signing off.
Thanks for joining us for this episode of the Brian Truck Line show.
(45:14):
Don't forget to subscribe,
rate and review the Brian Truck Line show on your favorite platform and tune in for new episodes every other Wednesday.
Until next time.
Stay safe and keep it rolling.
Welcome to the Brian Truck line show.
Episode four of your brand shiny new podcast.
Thank you all for being here today.
My name is Marcus and I am your host.
Uh We got a good episode for you here.
We had a little bit of trouble trying to get some people on this particular episode.
Uh Just some uh uh scheduling difficulties,
(00:21):
but we did everything that we could here.
And uh I really like the way that this one turned out so far.
We've got a really good breaking news segment for you.
It's gonna cover some in uh industry news topics that are kind of floating around big stuff,
some of it,
good news,
some of it,
bad news.
We'll get to that here in just a moment.
But one thing you're gonna get on today's podcast that you haven't heard on any of the rest of them is our very first driver profile.
(00:47):
We're gonna talk to Brian Truck line driver,
Mark Steffen.
I spent a long time hanging out in the break room with Mark.
When I was there for the podcast launch,
learned a lot about the guy,
such an interesting dude.
And so fun to talk to.
Uh,
I actually spent a couple of different 45 minute ish,
uh,
time blocks hanging out and just talking to Mark listening to stories.
(01:11):
I really enjoy that.
It's one of the things about my job that I feel very fortunate about is I,
I'm a storyteller myself.
As you'll find out as we go on with this podcast.
Sometimes I get down a little rabbit hole.
Um,
and I really like to sit and listen to other people tell their stories as well.
It's one of the few things in this life that is unique about everyone and that will never be the same in any group of people are the stories from personal experience that come out.
(01:39):
And that is a goal of this podcast.
One of the things that we're going to do,
sure we're gonna bridge the gap between the office and drivers,
make sure that we uh fortify communication,
you know,
stop games of telephone,
make sure everybody gets the right information in one spot so that everybody can operate based upon it.
But I also,
so I'm very excited to talk to a lot of drivers on this show.
(02:02):
I wanna hear your stories.
I wanna hear about things that you like about Brian Truck line and truck driving.
I want to hear things that you don't like.
Uh,
we,
we have the ability to affect positive change on this podcast as long as we communicate and do it through the proper channels and uh this is your channel.
So if you're a driver out there listening to this right now,
(02:24):
or maybe you hear Mark Stefan come on in a little bit here on this episode.
And you think,
man,
that's something that I'd really like to do.
I'd like to go on the podcast and tell some stories or talk about some things that I,
I really like,
talk about some things I wish were different.
We wanna hear from you.
So make sure to talk to your driver manager,
talk to your dispatcher.
You can get in touch with Judy at the front office.
(02:47):
Uh and,
and let them know that you want to be on this podcast because they will get your information to me and I will be giving you a call from the rainy state of Oregon as soon as I get your number.
So with all that said,
I think it's time for us to jump in with both feet to episode four of the Brian Truck line show.
Let's get to some news driven by dedication created by community delivered by Brian from Northwest Ohio to wherever you are.
(03:14):
This is the Brian Truck line show with your host,
Marcus Bridges.
Time for a little breaking news here on the Brian Truck Line show and I've got stuff from all over today.
First,
we're going to go to News Channel three,
Wreg out of Memphis,
(03:36):
Tennessee,
where the city's chief Legal officer says the state of Tennessee and the US Postal Service are looking into the activities of a one's towing and hauling in November.
The Memphis Transportation Commission suspended a one's towing and hauling booting and towing permits for 30 days after receiving several complaints from truck drivers who claimed they were illegally booted and towed by a ones and charged thousands of dollars to get their semi trucks back.
(04:09):
Deputy city attorney Michael Fletcher said a ones has since been cited for more violations.
And we have another hearing before the permits office Fletcher said the state and Postal Service have also been investigating the towing company in a quote.
He says one of the trucks they took was a postal service truck.
They've subpoenaed information from us and the state is also looking at it because there are some enforcement arms.
(04:35):
The state has that as a city we do not,
this is not looking good for a one's towing and hopefully it won't be looking good for anyone else that is engaged in these predatory towing tactics.
I heard a story just recently from a driver who was parked late night at a Walmart and had a gentleman put a barnacle or we've also heard them called clamshell on the windshield,
(04:59):
one of these suction cups that they put on the windshield and if you try to remove it forcefully,
it will break your windshield.
And,
uh,
essentially the guy in the parking lot,
he had a sign up over his face.
When the driver finally realized what was going on,
the sign just had a phone number on it and said,
don't try to remove it,
call this number,
(05:19):
they wanted $1000 or more to take this thing off the window.
The police in this local municipality did not help in this,
in this situation particularly uh until the man that put the clamshell on the truck,
took out a gun and trying to enforce his scam.
This is something that's going on all over the country and it's kind of scary,
(05:42):
especially when a lot of the times these guys that are trying to scam you will be armed and they will try to strong arm you into paying more than you need to for getting your truck back.
So uh interesting things to keep an eye on here.
We will definitely keep you updated on the story about a one's towing out of Memphis,
Tennessee as it unfolds moving over to landline dot media for this story.
(06:07):
Uh American truckers need many thousands of additional parking spaces.
We will talk about that a lot on this program because it is a hot button issue within the industry.
A long time industry,
marketing and management executive named Frank Son Zala plans to build 100 fenced in parking facilities each with 450 big rig sized spaces and driver oriented amenities.
(06:34):
According to landline dot media,
uh each facility will follow the same plan,
parking spaces will be angled for easy maneuvering and there will be restrooms,
showers,
television lounges,
wi fi vending machines,
eating areas and an adjacent convenience store and hotel.
Uh Those last two put in by partners like 7-Eleven and Hilton.
(06:56):
Instead of expensive asphalt or concrete paving,
the parking areas will use a Geo web soil stabilization system.
It was developed for the Army Corps of Engineers in the 19 seventies.
according to Brian Weeden,
who's chief engineer for Presto GEO Systems,
which is the originator of the technology.
The method requires comparatively shallow subsoil preparation and stabilizes dirt and other materials with a honeycomb like structure made of high density polyethylene,
(07:26):
interlinked vertical walls in the structure form cells that secure rock gravel and soil forming a firm base that can be driven and walked on prepared areas,
allow rain and melting snow to pass through and drain into the ground.
Drippings of oil and grease will be captured by additional sheeting under the honeycomb.
While water continues draining if draining slows earthen materials and honeycombing can be taken up the filter like sheeting,
(07:52):
cleaned or replaced and the surface reformed.
Uh Geo webbing also provides a lot of cost saving measures.
Uh Estimates are saying that they can install this geo webbing in these parking lots for around half the cost of what it would take to pave a similar area.
Of course,
with paving,
you have to do curbs and all sorts of other things,
(08:15):
reinforcements.
Uh It sounds like this is a cost effective way to do it.
And Frank Son Zala plans to add 45,000 new truck parking spaces,
100 spaces for each of these 450 planned projects.
Now,
he does say that it's going to take him until 2032 to complete this project.
(08:37):
But he's also putting this story out there in good old capitalist fashion where he says if we had some competitors,
we might be able to get this done by 2030.
Uh So if you're a competitor and you're listening,
now's the time to jump into the space.
We need more parking spots and we need a lot more than 45,000 new parking spots.
(08:58):
Uh Recent studies have said that there are 365,000 parking spot spots in the United States as it sits right now and I think you and I both know that ain't enough.
It's not even close.
So we'll keep you updated on this story as well.
Check out landline dot media online if you want to read up more on that project.
(09:20):
Uh Next,
we're gonna head over to transport topics because we're still talking about parking spaces.
Uh Minnesota will add 16 truck parking spots at two eastbound rest areas along interstate 94 in an $81.5 million package of projects to improve the state's freight network and address truck parking issues.
(09:42):
Truck parking enhancements will be made in four of 15 projects announced March 14th by the Minnesota Department of Transportation in an effort to strengthen freight,
mobility safety,
intermodal connections and first and last mile freight capabilities throughout the state.
This money is to be spent between 2026 and 2028 fiscal years and the funding is being provided by the Minnesota highway freight program which invests in road port,
(10:09):
airport and railroad projects.
This is great news,
but again,
a literal drop in the bucket 16 spots is gonna be great for those using interstate 94 frequently.
Uh 16 spots won't even scratch the surface of other drivers.
Uh Cruising around other parts of the state of Minnesota.
So I would like to see more of the same here.
(10:32):
It seems like $81.5 million in a package uh might should maybe equate to more than 16 truck parking spots.
But hey,
I am just a podcast host.
I am not a legislator or a city planner or anything like that.
I'm sure that they're doing some other good things for the transportation industry with some of that money.
(10:53):
Uh But we'd like to see a little bit more than 16 spots go in uh as a result of such a giant funding bill moving over to freight waves.com for this next story.
Uh Freight waves says cargo thefts have surged 68% in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Cargo thefts surged 68% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2023.
(11:16):
Compared with 2022.
According to cargo net.
During the third quarter of 2023 cargo thefts were up 57% year over year compared to 2022.
We've got a quote here from Scott Cornell who's a transportation lead and crime and theft specialist at travelers.
He says,
quote,
the trends tell us that cargo theft is currently at a 10 year high.
(11:40):
So far,
the numbers for the beginning of 2024 are projecting that 2024 will have higher theft numbers than 2023 which had higher numbers than 2022.
Cornell said they are seeing higher incidents of strategic cargo theft which involves fraudsters using stolen motor carrier,
operating authorities or logistics broker identities to obtain freight and misdirect it from the intended receiver.
(12:06):
In order to steal it.
Here's a quote from Cornell again.
Strategic theft is when they use various means to trick you into giving them the freight.
And that's through methods like identity theft,
fictitious pickups,
double brokering scams those methods.
We were seeing the biggest increase in cargo thefts over the last 18 months.
(12:27):
Uh So it looks like those,
those uh tactics are the ones that they're seeing the most of commodities such as food and beverage goods,
electronics and household goods are at the top of the thieves priority list.
And California,
Texas,
Florida.
Georgia and Kentucky continue to be hot spots for cargo thefts.
(12:48):
According to Danny Ramon,
an intelligence and response manager over at overhaul.
So,
lock up,
watch your freight.
I know that,
uh,
a lot of the drivers listening here from Brian truck line,
you know,
you're back at the terminal,
the truck's there,
it's safe,
it's locked up.
Uh,
but we do have some OTR guys and some,
uh,
some truckload guys out there,
flatbed guys.
(13:08):
I feel like would be uh somebody that could be preyed upon by these thieves as well.
So make sure you're locking up,
make sure you're aware of your surroundings out there.
And as always,
please be safe.
And finally for our final news story of the day,
Peterbilt Motors Company unveiled a 72 inch low roof sleeper configuration for its model 589 tractor back on March 8th.
(13:34):
Uh transport topics has this story.
Peterbilt said the sleeper configuration includes a full height wardrobe and passenger side microwave tray along with the driver side workstation and storage cabinet.
Optional features include a right hand cubby,
a refrigerator and an above the bunk shelf added to that are four standard 12 volt outlets factory installed inverters aftermarket inverter installation provisions and 22 inch flat screen mounting and electrical provisions according to the original equipment manufacturer.
(14:10):
So looking at a 72 inch low roof sleeper for the model 589 Peter built,
uh it's a good looking truck but 72 inches.
I mean,
I'm,
I'm a short American.
I'm only 59 and 72 inches.
Sounds like I might be squeezing in there.
But hey,
if you like a little bit more compact feel you maybe like the uh,
(14:31):
wind resistance,
uh change that you get out of a truck with a lower roof.
Maybe this is the one for you.
It's the new Peterbilt 5,
8972 inch low roof sleeper configuration.
Uh You can head on over to transport topics to check out more on that story.
That's gonna wrap up our breaking news for episode four of the Brian truck line show.
(14:57):
And we'll be right back with an interview from BT L driver,
Mark Steffen.
Stay tuned.
Joining me now here on the Brian Truck line show,
I've got my first driver on the line and I am so excited to talk to him,
(15:19):
had a great conversation with him at the podcast launch at the uh terminal out there and uh just a,
just a fantastic guy to sit down and talk with.
I've got Mark Stefan on the line.
Mark.
Thank you so much for being here today.
Well,
thanks for inviting me on Marcus.
I appreciate it.
I mean,
you seemed like a perfect first driver to have on you and I had some great conversation when I was there for the launch,
(15:42):
as I mentioned.
And uh I understand that uh Brian kind of uses you as a guinea pig from time to time anyway.
Is that true?
It kind of seems that way.
I don't even remember how many years ago but they asked for volunteers,
uh,
to switch over from paper logs to computer logs.
And I know a lot of guys were,
(16:03):
you know,
kind of blustery about it,
you know,
change and all that and everything.
And I volunteered because I'm like,
I don't like paperwork,
so I volunteered to do that.
And then I was one of the first drivers to have a camera in the truck.
So,
yeah,
a lot of first with the company.
Well,
that's good.
They know that they can get honest feedback out of you.
(16:24):
So that's,
uh,
you know,
you're a good guy for that.
I feel like,
and uh thanks for being the guinea pig on the podcast here.
I have a feeling after some other drivers hear our conversation today that I'll get some emails and some text messages from guys that want to come on the show because,
uh,
you know,
I was,
I was handing out business cards out there like crazy.
So Mark,
tell me a little bit about how you got involved in truck driving and also how you got involved with Brian.
(16:49):
Just give me your story kind of from square one where this career started for you.
That's uh we have to go back 19 years.
I was working in a machine shop in a factory and I'd worked some other factory jobs,
didn't necessarily like,
it wasn't making a whole lot of money.
And in our area we were able to get like the Fort Wayne Journal gazette and the Toledo Blade two major city papers.
(17:17):
So I just grabbed the Sunday paper off of both of both major cities.
And I sit there and I counted up over 100 and 50 jobs and truck driving between the two papers.
Wow.
So,
yeah,
and I'm,
I mean,
I'm sure there was probably,
you know,
repeats for the same companies.
(17:37):
But I just went through and I counted,
you know,
the advertisements for drivers,
wanted,
drivers,
wanted drivers wanted.
So I'm like going,
you know what,
I think I wanna do this.
So I made some steps and made some phone calls and I got recruited with Schneider National and I went through,
they're training in Green Bay,
Wisconsin.
(17:59):
We started off with probably about 75 people in the class.
And,
uh,
we ended up,
I think only 20 of us,
22 of us actually completed the course for the end of the two weeks.
And then we went with our driver trainers out for another three or four weeks.
(18:19):
So that's how I got it started in it and didn't actually plan on being in it more than about five years.
And,
and I believe you said 19 years now that you've been in it.
So you must like it a little bit Well,
I like the money.
This is the start of my 19th year.
So,
yeah.
So is aside from the money,
obviously,
(18:39):
what are some things that,
uh,
that are attractive about working at Brian for you?
Because I know you,
this isn't your first stop with Brian.
Correct.
Yeah,
you would call me the,
would be a reread because I've left the company several times and come back.
And the reason why I come back is because they treat me fair and they're honest with me and,
(19:01):
you know,
I have jumped ship a couple of times and for,
you know,
hopes of bettering yourself,
making more money.
You know,
there's,
there's a lot of companies out there that will really blow,
smoke up your wazoo and promise you stuff and they just will not fall through with it.
It's just to get you in the door and they think that once they get you in the door and they got you behind the wheel,
(19:26):
they got you,
you know,
and it's one of the things that I've always liked about Bryan Truck line is that they've always just been upfront and honest with me and that's all I've ever asked.
I'm not gonna lie to you.
You don't lie to me.
It seems like a pretty easy,
uh,
that seems like a pretty easy agreement.
You know,
(19:46):
everybody,
uh,
upfront and honest,
everybody can go home happy at the end of the day.
Exactly.
You know,
I like the freedom as far as driving truck.
If I want to stop and grab a bite to eat.
As long as I'm on schedule,
nobody cares.
I don't get phone calls from dispatch.
They're not babysitting me.
You know,
they're like going,
hey,
you gotta be here by seven o'clock or you gotta be here by six o'clock in the morning.
(20:09):
As long as I'm there on time,
nobody's gonna call me on the phone to check with me every two or three hours trying to figure out where I'm at and what I'm doing.
And I,
I,
I'm a big boy.
I don't need somebody babysit me.
Sure.
No.
And it's,
that's a common sentiment that I hear in talking to drivers.
I talked to a lot of drivers,
Mark and that is one thing that I think almost across the board they would all say is I,
(20:33):
I don't want to be micromanaged out here in this truck.
I've got enough to worry about,
uh,
driving down the road with all these crazy four wheelers and inclement weather and,
uh,
eta s and everything like that.
I don't need a dispatcher calling me to bug me about uh,
little incremental things over the course of my day.
And,
uh,
that's to me has always been the sign of a good dispatcher is one that can build a trust with their driver,
(20:57):
know that their driver's gonna do what they say they're gonna do.
And as a dispatcher,
uh follow through on what they say they're gonna do and it makes it a pretty easy working relationship.
It seems.
Well,
that's the thing,
you know,
as a driver,
you have to establish a personal relationship with your dispatcher and you have to realize,
you know,
you have to build a trust with them.
(21:18):
You know,
if they ask you to do something,
you know,
and you say no problem,
you know,
keep your word.
follow through on it,
be be on the time and you know,
if there is an accident that holds you up where there's inclement weather or,
you know,
or a breakdown on your truck,
the first thing you need to do is,
you know,
(21:39):
get on the phone and start making phone calls.
You know,
don't matter if it's,
you know,
three o'clock in the morning or 10 o'clock at night,
call,
your dispatch say,
hey,
this is the problem I have,
you know,
I'm gonna be late.
I'm sorry.
But,
you know,
this is out of my control.
But if it's something within your control,
you know,
don't be hanging out the truck stop for two hours and then show up an hour late because you're in there playing video games or getting the shower or doing laundry or whatever.
(22:06):
You know what I'm saying?
Absolutely.
And I,
I know even worse.
I know what you're saying because I've missed certain engagements because I didn't get in the shower on time because I was playing video games.
So 100% mark,
I understand.
So if you,
if you develop that relationship with your dispatcher,
they're not gonna micromanage you,
(22:26):
they're just gonna call you up and say,
hey,
you know,
I need you to do this,
you know,
tomorrow.
Uh can you be here at seven o'clock in the morning?
You know,
if your hours don't allow you to do,
say,
you know,
I could be there by 730 because of my hours that might work with them.
But if you just say no,
(22:47):
you try to be flexible,
you know,
but,
you know,
if you,
if your hours don't allow you to be there till 10 o'clock,
say,
I just can't be there until 10 o'clock because of my hours at service.
Yeah,
I understand that.
Right.
That's something that's,
that's part of that whole,
being honest thing.
If you just say no and don't give him any context,
it's not really giving him the whole story and it might just sound like you don't want to do it rather than you actually are able to.
(23:12):
Exactly.
Right.
Gotcha.
Well,
that's,
that's great advice and,
and I think that that just shows the amount of experience that you've got out there.
Mark,
you've not only done for Brian but you've done it for other companies as well and you know what it takes to make that good relationship and,
and forge it in a way that,
uh,
somebody's not always,
uh,
buzz in your pocket because I know that that's probably not something like I said,
(23:35):
you've got plenty to deal with.
Uh,
you don't need a dispatcher calling to bug you all hours of the day.
I mean,
one of the things you've got to deal with out there,
which is amazing and I can't wait to talk to you about it is your,
uh,
your copilot who's riding with you right now.
You don't have your dog out there?
I thought you had a dog with you.
(23:56):
I did have a dog at one time,
but I gave it back to the original owners because they were losing another family,
treasured pet.
And so I felt bad for him.
So I let him go back to the original.
They,
they just didn't have enough room or time to deal with two of them,
(24:16):
but they're losing one of their older pets.
And,
yeah,
so I,
I just,
he was a good dog.
I loved him.
I mean,
he's,
I might get another one,
I'm not sure,
but I might get another one.
Well,
it sounds like he's a good companion if you can turn him back to the original family like that and he'll take right to it.
Sounds like one heck of a dog.
And,
(24:36):
and I'm sorry,
I misunderstood you about,
uh,
having somebody there with you.
I,
I thought that the dog was still riding shotgun,
but that's,
uh,
that takes a really big guy.
Mark to be able to,
to give up a friend like that for the greater good.
I,
I'm a huge dog lover and if somebody tried to take my dogs back because they were sad,
my only thought would be,
(24:57):
well,
what about me?
I'm gonna be sad now.
So.
Well,
I mean,
there's Children involved in this too.
So,
you know,
I,
you know,
I just,
I mean,
they love the dog too and it's like,
you know,
I can't,
I'm a grown ass man.
So,
you know,
I should be able to deal with my emotions a little bit better than Children.
(25:17):
I get you.
I get you.
So uh about,
you know,
let's touch on that being a grown ass man but also with a really big heart.
Uh you told me a story when I was uh well,
actually,
I kind of eavesdropped on this story a little bit because you were talking to another driver at the time.
But I feel like it's something that we should touch on since this is the first time you've been on.
(25:38):
Uh I,
I'm hoping the first of many,
but I want to know more about mark the person.
And uh this story that you told that you were talking about was a bike rally.
Uh It was a toy drive that you did down in Texas.
Can you talk me through a little bit about how that went because I was blown away when you were telling me about this toy drive.
You guys did?
(25:59):
Well,
I've got a couple of friends down there where,
you know,
we ride bike,
we get together sometime on a Sunday and go out for a Sunday brunch and everything.
And he just asked me,
he goes,
hey,
you know,
Wise County has a toy drive or,
I don't know if it's underprivileged Children or,
or people who are destitute or have,
(26:21):
you know,
crisis at Christmas time or winter.
I don't know.
But it was a huge bike rally at the Weiss County Fairgrounds in Texas.
And I'm thinking there was close to 4000 bikes and over 100 jeeps and we had police escorts,
(26:43):
they shut off the highway.
They just,
and they had a flat bed trailer that was just overflowing with toys,
you know,
so 4000 bikes,
that's,
that's such a,
such a crazy,
it was great.
It was like one of the biggest bike rides I'd ever been in and I've been in a few,
not a lot but a few and there's been a couple of 100 bikes and that I've ridden in and stuff.
(27:08):
But if it's for a good cause,
I mean,
it was 20 bucks per person to be in the drive or the ride and then,
and then to bring a toy and if it's going for a good cause,
you know,
for Children or veterans,
I'm all in.
Absolutely because you have Children and,
uh,
veterans of your own if I'm not mistaken.
Now you told me,
uh,
you've got some service members in your immediate family there,
(27:31):
right in the Navy.
And I think I share a name with one of your sons.
Is that correct?
Yes.
To make it easy,
you'll never forget mine.
It's gonna be perfect,
man.
Well,
that's awesome.
I,
I love hearing about,
uh,
stories like that,
(27:52):
you know,
uh,
back in my,
my radio days I did some uh radio thons for uh Saint Jude and uh Children's Miracle Network and that type of thing.
And it's an interesting and,
and very fulfilling feeling that you get walking away from something like that after you've just put some work in or,
or done the bike rally or maybe you're stacking toys on the,
(28:14):
on the table or you're taking donations over the phone.
Um It's,
it's a,
it's a feeling you can't really replicate without giving something back to a certain community,
whoever that may be.
That's true.
And it makes you feel good.
I mean,
you know,
as a driver,
you know,
sometimes you have limited amount of time and so it's just,
it,
it landed on the right day.
(28:36):
You know,
we were able to do it.
The weather was great,
of course,
out of Texas at wintertime it gets a bad winter.
It's 35.
But uh you know,
you put your leathers on and you go for a bike ride when it's 50 degrees.
It's a beautiful day.
Sure,
I bet.
Well,
that's awesome.
Mark and anything else that you get involved with like that in the future,
(28:58):
be sure to let me know because I would love to mention it here on the podcast and maybe get other people involved that might want to give back as well.
Um,
you know,
I,
sometimes you might think when you listen to me that I'm a little bit of a cynic and I've got,
uh a kind of a dark heart from time to time,
but this type of stuff just makes me melt into a puddle.
Uh So I,
I had to,
(29:18):
I had to mention it today and thank you for talking us through it,
man.
I,
I really do love it.
So,
uh there,
I've got one more thing about Mark before we actually get into kind of some of the actual topic that we're discussing today.
But uh I,
I was talking to you again,
figured out that you're an Elvis impersonator.
Tell me a little bit about how you got into that and please don't forget to mention where you get your costumes made at.
(29:45):
Oh,
ok.
Well,
the correct terminology is ETA which is Elvis tribute artist.
That's all right.
A lot of people misconstrue it.
You know,
I don't pretend to be like Elvis in my everyday life as an Elvis tribute artist.
I try to portray the best image of Elvis Presley while I'm on stage.
(30:06):
And then once I've done I've done,
you know,
I mean,
after the show,
I usually sign a few autographs which blows my mind and then,
you know,
and the pictures,
everybody wants pictures.
But I started that probably about 20 years ago or so.
Just got into,
it,
had a couple of homemade jumpsuits made and then,
(30:29):
uh,
purchased a couple of suits,
uh,
from BK enterprises down in,
uh,
I think it's Chesterfield or Chesterton Indiana.
And the designer of Elvis Presley's suits was Bill Blue,
who was Albas actual jumpsuit designer and needed suits for Liza Minnelli and outfits for Barbra Streisand and stuff.
(30:56):
So these are authentic reproductions.
That's so cool.
And I've seen the pictures,
you can tell that they are authentic.
This is not,
uh this has not been held together with duct tape and bubble gum.
These things are very nicely put together and they're very nicely expensive too.
Yeah,
you get what you pay for.
Right.
(31:16):
Exactly.
Very cool.
Well,
uh,
I love,
I love hearing about that.
Uh I'm a musician myself as well.
Mark and,
and uh I think it's really cool.
Yeah,
I have to ask you when you sign the autographs,
do you sign your name or do you sign Elvis?
I do both.
I put Elvis and then I just sign my name.
That's cool because you,
(31:38):
you deserve some credit there.
I mean,
you might not have written the songs but you're performing them,
right?
And you know,
and a lot of times it's people that have either,
uh had seen Elvis before and I bring back memories of when they got to see Elvis live or,
you know,
maybe they've seen him on TV and never got to see him live.
(32:00):
And this is an opportunity for them to,
you know,
come as close as they possibly can to see Elvis.
Like I said,
I'm just me.
When I come off the stage,
I have been to Graceland.
I have toured the whole grounds of Graceland.
Love.
It would like to go again.
So I just admired Elvis.
(32:20):
I mean,
he had some personal issues,
you know,
with stuff,
but if you dig deep into his history,
you'll find out that he was a very giving human being and just absolutely gave so much to people,
this community,
the March of Dimes.
It,
it just blows your mind when you go down there and see the awards and everything that he has gotten just for stuff that I didn't even know about.
(32:48):
Sure.
Well,
it sounds like you and him have something in common being a very giving person.
Mark and,
uh and uh that's what a great role for you to fill uh with your personality and the way that you are just,
you're a very personable guy you're easy to talk to.
Uh I bet for those people that you help uh rekindle those memories for,
(33:08):
it's a,
it's a great experience as well and I'm hoping one of these times,
if I'm,
uh,
in your neck of the woods and you perform and I'll be able to stop by and check it out because I'd love to see it,
you know,
it,
you know,
it,
that's fine.
I'll buy two of them,
I'll buy two of them,
buddy.
So,
listen,
before we run out of time here today,
I do have some,
uh,
a little bit more nuts and bolts questions for you.
(33:30):
Today on this episode,
we're discussing a little bit about uh truck maintenance and staying on the road.
And with all your experience as a driver,
I did wanna ask you,
um,
you know,
pre tripp inspections,
obviously post trip inspections.
Those types of things are very important.
But is there any advice that you could give to other drivers out there about different little things that you might do to help the maintenance department keep your truck on the road for as long as possible.
(33:58):
I don't know.
Compared,
I'm kind of even when I,
I'm an owner operator,
but even when I was a company driver,
I was very picky.
So if,
if it's something small,
I wanted it fixed because if you let this small thing break,
then another small thing breaks and you overlook it and you overlook it.
And next thing,
you know,
(34:19):
instead of being in the shop for an hour,
the shop's got it for five or six hours,
you know,
fixing these little things.
So if you bring something up to the shop and say,
hey,
look,
you know,
if you guys can squeeze this in and get this fixed,
I'd appreciate it.
You know,
if you just approach them like that,
they're like,
yeah,
we'll get it.
Never once.
Did I ever have anything that I brought to any one of the guys in the shop that need it fixed that?
(34:43):
They scoff it off and say,
oh,
well,
you know,
your door locks don't work.
That's no big deal,
you know.
No,
they fixed it,
they fixed it door latch would break,
they fixed it.
It really does seem like Joe runs a tight shop over there,
uh,
at Brian Truck line and I can tell he's a busy guy when I call to talk to him.
I know he's got a lot on his plate and,
(35:04):
uh,
I think that's because he's making a priority of that type of stuff.
You know,
obviously you've got to prioritize if a truck's not running,
uh,
we probably got to get that fixed first,
but,
uh,
also door locks are pretty important this day and age,
especially with some of the areas you guys might have to run through.
That's true.
Yeah.
But like I said,
the shop,
I give kudos to the shop,
(35:25):
I mean,
tires,
you know,
we've always got really good tires on the trucks and the trailers and as far as getting things fixed,
uh,
you know,
I've never ever,
not once had an issue getting anything fixed in the shop.
If the radio didn't work,
they fixed it.
I mean,
the radio.
Well,
hey,
as a guy whose voice comes over the radio,
(35:46):
that's a very,
uh,
critically important thing.
Mark.
Oh,
yeah,
it would be for you.
So,
uh,
I guess the next thing I'll kind of ask is on that note.
Do you,
are there any things that you do out there?
Do you,
are you a wrench turner type of a driver?
Do you kind of dive under the hood and try to uh fix little things if something goes wrong out on the road or are you one of those guys that says,
(36:10):
listen,
the shop are the,
the pros at this?
I'm gonna let them do it.
Well,
its,
I mean,
you know,
a man's got to know his limitations.
So I grew up on a farm so we fix things.
I can fix things.
But,
you know,
if it's above my pay grade,
I'm not ashamed to say,
you know,
this is,
(36:30):
I'm gonna let somebody else deal with this.
You know,
I think,
I think like three months ago I had to put new batteries in the truck,
you know,
so it's just batteries,
it's not doing the cables,
put new batteries in.
Yeah,
they're heavy.
It's awkward.
You got a tight spot to work into.
But,
you know,
I went out and bought my four batteries and I put them in myself.
(36:50):
It took me maybe an hour,
hour and a half to put them in and put them in the right way.
But,
yeah,
I mean,
I,
I look at the hood,
I'm like,
going,
if there's something that needs to be fixed and I can fix it,
I'll do it because this is my livelihood.
This is how I get the butter on my bread.
So,
if this truck's not rolling,
I don't put money in my back pocket.
(37:12):
Yeah,
for sure.
And,
and that's important sage advice that you just gave there knowing your limitations.
You know,
uh,
I,
I used to have a 1972 Chevy,
uh,
when I was in high school with a 350 engine in it and,
uh,
I remember the thermostat housing started leaking and so,
you know,
got out there with my dad popped that off,
(37:32):
got a new gasket,
got a new housing,
put it on.
Everything was nice and easy.
Then I had a friend who also had a 72 Chevy and the next time I saw him he had his engine out on a cherry picker and he was underneath of it and he was popping off everything every which way.
That's when I knew my limitations.
I had no idea what was going on once that engine was out of the engine bay.
(37:55):
And,
uh,
I don't know if he ever got that truck running.
I certainly wasn't any help so.
Well,
yeah.
You know,
I'm not gonna,
I'm not gonna change,
I mean,
I've changed brakes on a car or truck but on the semi or messing with the brake chambers,
they're dangerous.
I'm not gonna do that.
I mean,
I have,
you know,
I have the basic mechanical aptitude to do it but there's special tools that I don't have that.
(38:20):
I'm not even gonna attempt to try and do that.
I'm not even gonna change a tire on this thing.
These things weigh,
you know,
a couple of £100 you throw your back just trying to do it.
Yeah.
So,
you know,
if I could turn a wrench on,
in fact,
actually,
just about a month ago I had my wiper blade motor go out.
Um,
(38:41):
I stopped at the dealership on my way down back home,
stopped,
got a new part.
I got home that weekend.
It took me maybe two hours to change it,
but I took my time and,
you know,
made sure everything was put back together and I just put a new wiper blade motor in.
I mean,
wiper blades are pretty important.
(39:02):
So,
yeah,
especially when you get up here in the Great Pacific Northwest where I live.
Uh,
we're seeing,
we're seeing our first couple of weeks of sun right now and everybody's outside in shorts,
but this is just a,
it's a ruse,
the raids coming back.
I guarantee it.
So,
uh,
well,
I used to live up Washington State so I know,
I know what the weather's like up there.
(39:23):
You got saturated for a little bit too.
With all the rain you could handle.
I assume it's,
uh,
it's something else up here.
We're praying for sunshine.
We normally only get rain,
but we're gonna keep praying.
That's just the way we do it here.
So,
Mark,
I really appreciate you taking the time to come on here and chat with me.
Uh I,
I will ask you this as after you've done this.
(39:44):
Now.
The first time I know you've listened to all the episodes,
how was it?
Did I make it kind of easy on you or was this something that was,
uh,
was over the top?
Too hard?
Anything like that?
You sound like you did?
All right.
Well,
I appreciate it.
No,
I mean,
it was,
you know,
just a regular conversation.
That's what I like,
you know,
it's not like trying to hammer me with hard questions or anything,
(40:06):
you know.
So,
yeah,
I,
I appreciate it.
Well,
thank you.
II I,
that's,
I guess that's exactly what I hope to hear from you is that I don't want drivers to think I'm having them on here to try to catch them out or have them reveal state secrets or anything.
But I really do enjoy talking to you guys and hearing about your stories and everything like that.
So if you're a,
a Brian driver and you're listening to Mark's my conversation,
(40:29):
thinking it would be fun.
Uh,
get in touch with Judy back at the shop.
She'll put you in touch with me and,
uh,
we can get as many drivers on this show as wanna come on it.
Uh,
Mark.
Thank you so much for spending the time,
my friend.
It's been a pleasure talking to you again and,
uh,
I can't wait for the next one.
Well,
I appreciate it.
And I would like to add one more thing that since I have listened to all the,
(40:52):
you know,
the,
the recordings that you've done so far that,
uh,
just wanted to reiterate that,
uh,
what Judy said,
what Sheila said and,
you know,
Heather,
you know,
I know all the girls in the dispatch office,
all the ones that have been there for a while,
you know,
don't hesitate to pick up the phone and call if there's an issue.
I mean,
(41:13):
those girls will jump through hoops to get the problem solved for you.
I mean,
that's all they want to do because if you're happy,
the customer's happy and then when you get back to the yard,
you know,
you're happy,
you're not busting through the door being all ticked off about something.
So don't let things slide.
Pick up the phone call,
your dispatcher.
(41:34):
They will definitely get your problem solved.
More sage advice from Brian driver,
Mark Steff and Mark you be safe out there.
Keep the shiny side up and we'll be back in touch with you very soon.
All right.
Actually,
it's the rubber side down a rusty side up.
But you have a good day.
Ok.
(41:55):
All right.
Have a good day,
Marcus.
All right,
Brian truck line,
great stuff there from Driver Mark Steffen.
Really appreciate his time.
Uh,
such a fun guy to talk to,
uh,
just so happy that he was willing to share some time with us today.
(42:15):
Uh,
I'm gonna kick it over real quick before we wrap things up here to a voice that you might hear on this podcast every now and then.
I got a guy cooking up these traffic reports for me and these are mid to kind of just show uh you any big events that are going on,
uh,
kind of around the country.
Denny just looks for the biggest things that are gonna cause the,
uh the biggest headache in traffic.
(42:36):
And,
uh it's also worth noting that Denny is a retired driver,
uh put in over a decade out there on the road.
So he's got some experience and he knows what you guys will look for.
Let's hear what he's got for us today.
Pressure,
pressure,
pressure,
we're all drivers.
(42:56):
Just a couple of heads up for this coming weekend.
The route 66 Spring fever rally is in Depew,
Oklahoma.
That's the 28 through the 31st and NASCAR is in Richmond for the Toyota owners 400 on the 31st.
Y'all keep it between the ditches and I'll catch you on the flip flop.
(43:23):
Thank you,
Denny Stone.
We will keep coming back to you and getting a traffic report and I love it.
Keep it between the ditches.
That's a great way to sign off from this episode.
Episode four here of the Brian Truck line show.
Uh Big thanks to Mark Steffen for coming on the show and listen.
It was a little light on interviews today and I understand that that's uh probably a little bit of a head scratcher for you being that all the rest of the episodes had a bunch of interviews.
(43:48):
Look,
we just ran into some scheduling hiccups.
That's all uh we will get anybody on this podcast that wants on.
So if you are a driver listening right now,
get in touch with your dispatcher,
get in touch with your driver manager,
get in touch with Judy over there at the office.
I know we've already gone through this once on this episode,
but I want to make sure you know that I am available to you.
I met a lot of you guys when I was there for the podcast launch.
(44:11):
I gave you my card if you want to be on this show and you got my card in your pocket,
just text me or send me email at that email address on my business card.
Would love to talk to you.
Uh get your stories from the road.
Hear about the things that you love about.
Brian truck line and so on.
So once again,
if you've got my card in your pocket,
get in touch with me directly.
(44:31):
If not get in touch with uh with your driver manager,
your dispatcher or Judy there in the office and she will send you my way.
Thanks to everyone who tuned in today.
Uh If you click that subscribe button on whatever podcast platform you're listening on,
it will alert you that we have an episode coming up every single time we drop one.
(44:51):
And just so y'all know we're going to uh release those.
They will release at 6 a.m. Eastern time on Wednesday mornings every other week.
So we'll see you in a couple of weeks.
Brian,
as Denny said,
keep it between the ditches.
This is the Brian Truck Line show signing off.
Thanks for joining us for this episode of the Brian Truck Line show.
(45:14):
Don't forget to subscribe,
rate and review the Brian Truck Line show on your favorite platform and tune in for new episodes every other Wednesday.
Until next time.
Stay safe and keep it rolling.
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