Episode 70: The Courage It Takes: A Trucker’s Truth

In this episode of Keep Trucking Personal, Tyler Kivi gets personal about something that doesn’t get talked about enough: courage. Not the kind you see in movies, but the everyday courage it takes to be a truck driver. Courage to leave your family behind, to brave uncertain weather, to run 600 miles solo, and to keep going when every part of you wants to stop. Tyler shares the story of his very first solo multi-axle haul, a 100,000-pound machine that had to get from Superior, Wisconsin to Indianapolis. When the scheduled driver ended up in the ER, Tyler was next up... no escort, no room for error, just nerves, grit, and a shot to prove himself. He walks us through every step: the fear, the doubts, the calls for support, and the moment he knew he had it in him. But this episode goes deeper than logistics. It’s a raw look at the emotional toll of trucking: the isolation, the pressure, the discipline it takes to stay in the game when no one’s cheering you on. This episode is a reminder that the pros in this industry aren’t always the loudest or flashiest, but they’re the ones who show up, do the hard things well, and bring courage with them every single day. Because the road doesn’t just carry freight - it carries the men and women becoming who they’re meant to be, mile by mile.