Freight keeps America moving, but the real story is the people behind the wheel. In this episode, we sit down with Jennifer Ann Warner—professional truck driver, entrepreneur, certified coach, and author of The Rough Road Ahead: A Driver's Guide to Resilience—to shine a light on the human side of over-the-road (OTR) life.
Jennifer shares her journey from school bus driver to cross-country team trucking with her husband—revealing the often-overlooked challenges like profound isolation (even with a partner right there in the cab), missed family milestones, and the hidden stresses that mileage pay simply can’t capture. That wide gap between earning a CDL and actually thriving in the lifestyle inspired her to create a practical resilience playbook built for real cab life—not perfect conditions.
We break down easy-to-start strategies drivers can use today:
• Realistic nutrition: smart pantry stocking, heat-and-eat meals, and smarter truck-stop choices that actually fit the schedule.
• ELD-friendly movement: resistance-band workouts at the trailer, quick cab mobility drills, and laps during fuel stops.
• Stress resets for tight schedules: box breathing after close calls, five-minute dock breaks, and fast reflection prompts to process tough days.
Jennifer’s core philosophy? Grace over perfection—one consistent good choice beats the all-or-nothing mindset that leads straight to burnout.
We also tackle industry realities head-on: debunking the “just sit and steer” myth, the constant safety fatigue from alarms and cameras, and why genuine empathy (not just swag and pizza parties) boosts retention. When managers truly honor holidays, home time, and human limits, trust grows and performance follows. Plus, we address anxieties around autonomous trucks and why the human factor remains essential for safety, reliability, and sustainable careers.
Whether you’re a driver, dispatcher, safety professional, or a trucker’s family member, this conversation delivers field-tested ideas for wellness, better communication, and positive culture shifts in trucking.
Explore Jennifer’s book, daily vlogs, monthly wellness blog, and more resources at www.compassconvoy.com. If this episode hits home, subscribe, share it with a fellow driver or manager, and drop a review sharing one habit that keeps you steady on the road—your story could be the encouragement someone else needs.
Key Takeaways 👇
✅ Grace over perfection — Small, repeated good choices beat burnout-causing all-or-nothing thinking.
✅ Wellness fits the road — Micro-workouts, smart nutrition hacks, and quick stress resets that actually work with ELD rules.
✅ Isolation is real — Even team driving brings loneliness; acknowledge the emotional toll beyond the paycheck.
✅ Empathy drives retention — Managers who honor limits, holidays, and home time build stronger teams and better performance.
✅ Human factor wins long-term — In an era of tech and autonomy, honoring drivers’ skills and well-being ensures safer, more reliable freight movement.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Welcome back, everybody, to another episode of
The Ass Delivered.
I'm your host, Truck and Ray,and today on the show, we're
going to talk with people whonot only live in the industry,
but they make it better.
Today's guest is Jennifer AnnWarner, a professional driver,
turned entrepreneur, author, andwellness advocate.
She's the founder of Compass andConvoy Creative, and the author
(00:21):
of The Rough Road Ahead, adriver's guide to resilience.
Her work focuses on something wedon't talk enough about in the
trucking industry, and that'sthe human side of the job the
isolation, the burnout, theemotional way that comes with
being behind all those mouths.
This is going to be a realconversation about retention,
empathy, wellness, and what itactually takes to support
(00:44):
drivers and not just managethem.
Jennifer, welcome to the show.
Jennifer, so nice to have you onthe show.
I'm so glad that you're here.
I see you're out there on theroad making big changes happen.
So we're gonna make sure we getthis show going for you.
How are you doing?
SPEAKER_01 (01:02):
I'm doing great.
Thanks so much for having me.
It really means a lot.
SPEAKER_00 (01:06):
Oh, yeah.
I mean, you're doing greatthings out there.
You're you're helping drivers uhstay uh with their jobs and also
stay healthy out there on theroad.
I mean, it's a lot of work thatgoes into what we do.
Why don't you tell us a littlebit about what the life is like
for you when you got to put thisbook together before the
business?
You were a driver.
What pulled you into thetrucking industry originally?
SPEAKER_01 (01:28):
Well, if I'm being completely honest in a nutshell,
what pulled me into the industrywas my husband, Harry.
It's also his birthday today, soI'm being extra nice.
I was a school bus driver in NewJersey, and I had done that for
about five years, and he hadbeen doing all things trucks for
decades, but it was mostlylocal, local things, regional
(01:50):
things.
And so in early of 2021, earlyJanuary 2021, he got his first
OTR job, and it's something he'dwant to do since he was a boy.
It was it was his lifelongdream.
Broke my heart, but that's whathe wanted to do.
So of course I'm gonna supporthim.
He was driving for a smallercompany up in uh the northwest
(02:12):
corner of New Jersey, and hewould be out for about a week or
so at a time, and then he camehome about six, seven weeks
later, and he looked me straightin the eye.
He's like, I want you to do thiswith me.
What?
Like, I'm a schoolmaster.
Why are you talking?
Can I do this?
Are you sure?
He's like, no, I he's like, Ibelieve in you.
(02:34):
You can do this.
I want, I have seen so manythings.
We were two kids from NewJersey, we've known each other
for decades, and we've basicallylived all our lives in New
Jersey.
And so for him to go out there,he's like, I want to share this
with you.
I've seen sites and things thatI'd never thought I'd see, and I
want to share that with you.
And that's kind of a hardinvitation to turn down.
And so by so by July, so by Julyof 2021, we've been driving
(02:56):
together, we've been drivingtogether ever since.
He's he's out on the road, I'mworking full time, I'm training
when I can.
By the way, we're also I I speakof him as my husband.
We were actually in the midst ofplanning our wedding at the same
time.
So by so I passed my test inJune.
We got married the end of June.
We started driving on July 5th,and we've been driving together
(03:17):
ever since.
SPEAKER_00 (03:18):
Wow.
I mean, man, that's life on theroad, romance, and a lot of
great memories to be rightthere, you know, right there on
the road.
A lot of people probably have uhhad the same experience, and uh
thanks for sharing that, man.
That's awesome.
SPEAKER_01 (03:30):
Of course.
SPEAKER_00 (03:31):
Yeah, you see a lot of team drivers out there, and
you're like, man, how do they doit?
And then to see a couple, that'seven more, you know, that's even
more special.
So thank you.
What kind of driving are youdoing out there?
SPEAKER_01 (03:42):
We are basically OTR.
We are we've been since we moveddown to Alabama, we chase we we
followed work down here a coupleyears ago, and so we've we're
working for a smaller companydoing basically OTR freight
handling pretty much everythingeast of 35.
(04:02):
We do a lot of obviously we'vebeen to Syracuse a lot, and we'd
sometimes do runs to Miami,sometimes we do laterals to the
Carolinas.
Every once in a while, we willwe were just we were up in
Oregon and Washington not toolong ago, and sometimes down is
down to Phoenix in that area.
SPEAKER_00 (04:19):
In the early days, what are the lessons you learn
in those first couple yearsbeing together?
Wow.
SPEAKER_01 (04:26):
You realize that there is a line between your
relationship and your workrelationship, and there has to
be, actually, because you haveto realize that you know, he we
rely, we rely on each other.
I mean, we are we're husband andwife, and we but we rely on each
other to keep ourselves safe onthe road.
It's not just a trust in therelationship, it's a trust that
(04:49):
you know I'm literally puttingmy life in your hands, and
that's brings it to a wholenother different level.
SPEAKER_00 (04:55):
Right.
Yeah, I mean, you see those badaccidents out there.
I mean, how bad would that be tobe asleep when that's happening
or trying to get some sleep whenit's happening?
You know, it's it's dangerousout there, you know.
SPEAKER_01 (05:07):
And what and that's that's what's and yes,
absolutely, and that's one ofthe things that he that inspired
him to ask me to do it becausewhen he had first started
working, he had he was he hadgone through a couple different
partners, a couple differentdrivers they were driving in
teams, and he said, He's like, II I trust you, I trust you
implicitly, I trust you with mylife, and that's was enough that
(05:30):
was another motivating factor toput me on the road with them.
SPEAKER_00 (05:34):
Excellent.
I mean, that's nice.
Great teamwork there, guys.
So you described your work, orwhat would you say for you know
that it's written for drivers bysomeone who who lived it, you
know, your book, your work.
What were your experiencing outthere that made you feel like
drivers weren't being fullyunderstood?
SPEAKER_01 (05:52):
I think it was that I again, this was a it was a
completely different experiencefor me.
I had spent all of my life inNew Jersey.
I I would be home every night,or I'd be home every day,
whatever the case may be.
And I think that I had struggleswith missing my family, missing
(06:13):
relationships.
I still have family up in theNortheast.
And there were times where it'slike they don't want to where
the where you could come acrossholidays and celebrations, and
you want to be a part of that,and it's not always possible.
And that was that washeartbreaking to me.
That was something that I took,I guess I could almost say I
(06:35):
took for granted because thatwas something that I enjoyed
tremendously, being part offamily and celebrations and
being a part of their lives, andthen being a part of ours as
well.
And the one thing that's reallystruck me was even as driving as
a team, I struggled withloneliness and isolation.
(06:56):
Because even though we drivetogether, he's literally three
feet behind me, he's got tosleep.
And so you you would think thatwe would spend, you know, you're
like, oh, well, you guys mustsee each other all the time
talking, and how can you sayyou're lonely?
But that's not how it that's nothow it works.
That's not how it works.
And the one thing that struck meis like, I can't believe that
(07:17):
I'm the only one.
I can't believe that I am theonly one who feels lonely and
isolated.
I can't drive for so many allthe drivers, and I I believe
that the numbers actually haveturnover rates still in the 90s
and 100% in the industry.
(07:38):
People are leaving it becauseit's a difficult job, not only
physically, but also emotionallyas well.
SPEAKER_00 (07:45):
Man, that's amazing.
When did you realize that umyour side of the story needs to
have a voice, needs to you needto say it out loud?
I mean, they're always talkingabout pay, freight, regulations,
turnover numbers, but rarelyabout the emotional health,
isolation, and the identity partof being a truck driver and what
it does to your life.
So just like you said, aloneliness, you know, many
(08:07):
people can relate to that.
When did you feel like it wasthe time to to make that change
and say it out loud?
SPEAKER_01 (08:39):
Because as I walk looking around and you see that
people are struggling.
I mean, and the companiesoverall, they weren't addressing
it.
When I'm looking and I'm talkingto like I've there were points
where I would struggle in thecompany, and where there were we
would be out in like I'll give abetter example.
(09:00):
I was out in California, and wewere at a shipper notorious for
very, very long delays ingetting us back out.
And I remember voicing myopinion to dispatcher at the
time, and I think it was likeright before Christmas, and I
said, I had, you know, I havethese things, and I I I think I
(09:20):
was just venting more thananything else.
And the response I got was,well, you know, this industry
isn't for everybody.
unknown (09:29):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (09:30):
And that was like, so you're not hearing, you're
not, I I really that was onetime I just felt like I was not
heard.
I was not heard.
And so I figured if I'm goingto, you know, if all right, if
you're not gonna listen to me,then I guess if maybe I'm the
one who's got to speak up andsay it.
And that's where the book camefrom, is that it's not about
(09:52):
just doing what you need to doon the road, it's about living
the lifestyle.
This is a lifestyle, and becausethere's a lifestyle, there has
to be a mindset there with it,and there has to be things to
help you cope and make the mostand not just survive but thrive
out here on the road.
SPEAKER_00 (10:08):
That's amazing.
And you're doing it.
I mean, what a statement to saythat to someone.
It's kind of a passiveaggressive statement, a little
bit there to maybe this theiropinion, but that's not the
truth.
I mean, you're you're doing it,so uh never mind what that
person had to say that, right?
SPEAKER_01 (10:23):
No, I'm you know what it it's I've when I was
when I was working at the schoolbus company, I used to tell
because there were so much somany layers to that industry in
and of itself, not just the CDLpart of it, but I would tell I
would tell my trainees thatgetting the license is the easy
part.
Now you have everything elsethat goes with it, and the same
(10:45):
applies right here.
It's the same thing.
You're not just, you know,you're not just getting a
license and learning how to parkand you know, doing a pre-trip.
You're living life out on a roadand you're hundreds, maybe
thousands of miles away frompeople, and it's real easy that,
like I say in the book, a lot ofthe stuff that I have is common
sense, but when you're out thereand you're isolated, sometimes
(11:07):
your mind will just kind ofthrow back into like a survival
mode and you don't want to reachout, you don't want to feel like
you're people are depending onyou, and they don't want you
don't want them to think thatyou're suffering.
You they don't you don't wantthem to think that you're weak,
you don't want them to thinkthat you're having a hard time
because they're depending onyou.
And so it's tough to share that.
(11:29):
And I think I want the book tosay, yeah, you know what it's
okay.
So the book's not only just forthe drivers themselves, I'd love
to see the families use it as aresource too, because they can
say, Hey, this is what he'sfeeling, this is what she's
feeling, this is how you knowwhat they're going through.
Let's, you know, let's work as aunit, let's work as a unit.
SPEAKER_00 (11:50):
That's nice.
I mean, yeah.
I mean, we need dispatch, weneed truckers, we need shippers,
we need the couriers to all worktogether as one to get the job
done.
I mean, I mean, think about thefamily unit.
I mean, it is small comparisonto the world, but uh the
trucking industry being smallthat it is, it is it can be like
a family.
We can make it a good one or wecan make it a bad one.
So, yeah, I mean, statementslike that, that's fine.
(12:12):
Let's not jump all over him, butyou know, or her, but you know,
it's a fact that you know peoplego through rough times and uh
they need a little bit ofencouragement.
Maybe they were looking at a wayto see if you wanted to get out
of it, you know.
Hey guy, let me let us know.
Um, so yeah, I mean it can goeither way.
SPEAKER_01 (12:29):
No, no, no.
It could go.
No, it's absolutely it could, itcould go, it could go either
way.
I I'm not I I realize that youknow there are you know, there's
there's plus there's there'sgood and bad, and there's good
and bad everywhere, like yousaid, in families and companies,
everywhere.
But I think that was just adefining moment where I could
say that, you know, if that's ifthat's a voice that's willing to
(12:52):
put that out, to put thatmessage out, then maybe I need
the voice to say, hey, you knowwhat, maybe drivers need a
little more support in thatarea.
SPEAKER_00 (13:03):
Yeah, I mean, the book that you put out, The Rough
Road Ahead, I mean, that it saysit all right there.
I mean, life can be a challengefrom the as soon as you come out
of the womb.
I mean, you take your firstbreath you're fighting to the
day you take your last breath.
I mean, it's a lot of that goesinto it.
And getting your CDL, I mean,you do a lot of things that uh
can get your heart rate goingand make you wonder, hey, can I
get through this?
(13:23):
I gotta fight to get to get backhome, you know.
And uh that CDL is about whatyou make it, so what you put
into it.
From let's talk about the book alittle bit.
From what I understand, it isn'tjust about motivational writing,
it's a a structure actually tohelp drivers build resilience in
a practical way.
So it comes to nutrition, youknow, that's gonna be hard.
(13:44):
Realistic nutrition strategiesthat work from the sleeper cab,
simple movement exercises andhabits that you can do anywhere,
stress management techniquesthat are built around the actual
road life and reflection toolsto help drivers process what
they've been um dealing withmentally.
I mean, I think that's great.
Just wanted to ask you, what gapwere you trying to fill with
(14:06):
this book?
Were there drivers that weredealing with this that you you
heard, or were you getting thisinformation elsewhere?
SPEAKER_01 (14:14):
I would look around at my fellow drivers, and you
know, I mean, I'm I I'm gonnatell you right now, I'm not the
I'm not the picture of athletichealth.
I'm gonna tell you that rightnow.
But I remember that when I washome, I was more active.
I could, you know, I could stopand I could exercise, I could go
and you know, stop and at asalad bar and get something more
(14:37):
healthy to eat.
And I'm looking around at myfellow drivers, like, you know,
a lot of us are in the same boathere.
We're all, and you look at atthe statistics that there was a
there was a study that just cameout that the the median age of a
driver, uh median life expensiof a truck driver is 61 years
old.
(14:57):
I'm not that far from that.
And that just comes from youknow years and years of an
unhealthy life cycle, like youknow, life habits that are just
that are not conducive tolongevity.
And so what I'm doing, I wasjust saying, if you're gonna be
a if you're going to be adriver, if it's somebody's just
getting out of school, these aretools that they can use and say,
hey, you know what, that'sright.
(15:19):
You know, I just thought youdon't get something in a truck,
stop, and eat.
It's not as easy as that if youwant to stay in this business as
long as you know, if you want,if you want a long and thriving
career in this business.
SPEAKER_00 (15:29):
Absolutely.
I mean, the pursuit of it isgoing to be always be in front
of you, just like your goal,trying to make it from point A
to point B, even your yournutrition and your physical
exercise.
I think it's huge.
I mean, for me, I have to try topush myself as soon as I get out
of the truck, go right to thegym.
I mean, try my best to eat whileI'm out there.
One of the things I've beenusing is is factor.
(15:51):
I think you know there's no adhere, but hey, just spread the
word, I don't have to do a lotof meal preps, and I just throw
it in my cooler, get ready togo.
That's been helping me change mygame.
SPEAKER_01 (16:02):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (16:02):
You know, the athletic, we're like an uh
occupational athlete, so yougotta be able to move and move
around all that junk food andkeep going out there.
I mean, it's it takes a lot ofwork, you know.
So yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (16:15):
Um and and one of the an additional trust struggle
that we have is because we'reteam drivers.
I mean, if you're a solo driver,you can stop for 10 hours and
you can get your sleep and youcan do some exercise and you can
do, you know, you can you havemore time to prioritize things.
As a team trucking, that truckis really not supposed to stop
(16:35):
for hardly anything except forfuel and for brakes, and that's
it.
So you really have to prioritizewhat's important to you in that
moment.
You've got to prioritize thatyour nutrition, your hydration
activity.
You have to, because you're onlygonna have a very small amount
of time in your day to make ithappen, or you've got to just
make things work in the truckitself.
SPEAKER_00 (16:56):
Nice.
And you also position this booksomething for management and
leadership.
(17:23):
Professionals in the in theindustry can use this to help,
you know, their their team.
I think that was a really goodthing that you added in there on
why this book is important forleaderships to help drivers, to
help companies that may betrying to help them stop burnout
or turnover.
Or what would you say is one ofthe biggest things that people
ignore or some of the causes ofdriver retention?
SPEAKER_01 (17:48):
That they I think they think drivers are
invincible.
They think you're just sittingand driving, how hard could it
be?
I think that's the biggestfallacy that keeps getting
compounded over and over.
It's like you're just sitting,you're just driving.
How hard could it be?
They're not taking to accountthat we've got 80,000 pounds
(18:09):
that we're trying to maneuver.
They don't consider weather,they don't consider driving
conditions, they don't considerany of that, they don't consider
that we might have been awayfrom home for two to three
weeks.
I mean, I think that's the thingthat people that that management
tries to understand, you know,is that they there's a core
understanding that unlessthey're away from their home,
(18:30):
they get to go home every night.
They get PTO, they get theirholidays off, they have that.
And you know, they're comingfrom I think some of their
statements come uh from a placewhere I'm not saying that
they're disingenuine, but Idon't think they actually reach
the level of empathy becausethey don't, they can't, they
(18:52):
they they can't be in our shoesunless they've been if they've
been if they've been in theindustry before and they have
had that experience, then theycan they can channel that and
express that.
But I think management needs tojust I I challenge them to
really put themselves in ourshoes and say, hey, yeah, you
(19:13):
know what, it's Christmas.
Hey, I know, you know, it's it'sa tough time, you know.
Maybe give things more optional.
Maybe there are drivers whodon't mind being out on
Christmas, maybe they're notthere's who who don't mind being
out and being able to get toknow drivers as people, as
opposed to uh a rear end in theseat.
SPEAKER_00 (19:34):
Yeah, I mean that is difficult for them, you know,
when they're in there to imaginewhat it's like to be in a truck.
I know I had one young man, hestep in the truck and he's like,
Man, this is what it's like.
I've never been in the truck,you know.
So even not able to see whatwe're going through, it's hard
for the mind to really expandbecause they're looking at that
monitor, they're looking atthose loads coming in, they're
(19:57):
looking at those pull times thatgotta be done, they get looking
at when things gotta getdelivered and stuff like that.
Hey, man, that's two differentworlds, but we gotta work
together, we gotta keep pushingourselves.
It's a practice that we have tonot give up on and not just say,
hey, this is the way it is, itis what it is.
I need you to get this done, youknow.
So, yeah, great, great emphasisfor management to to push harder
(20:18):
in those meetings when they'reencouraging their their leaders
to do or get tasks completed orto meet meet revenue standards.
Add that in, you know.
But yeah, it's it's tough.
I mean, it's tough.
SPEAKER_01 (20:30):
We all we all have a job to do.
I mean, we're out here.
I mean, no, nobody made us bedrivers, and I get that.
I I respect it completely.
I I just think that there couldbe more fruitful discussions in
getting to know each other.
We understand that you haveloads that you know, you're
you're sitting there on a screenand you've got deadlines you
have to handle.
And I I you know, I'm I'm tryingto understand you.
(20:52):
I was on I was on a the the deskside of of transportation myself
in safety for a for a good for anumber of years.
So I understand their side ofthe desk.
So all we're asking is that youunderstand from our side.
SPEAKER_00 (21:06):
Yeah, I mean, I think about these cameras they
put into the truck and howthey're just constantly the
bells and the whistles and allthose things are saying they're
making it safe.
And it's like, well, would youwant that in your office?
You know?
SPEAKER_01 (21:18):
It's it's it's it is it is challenging, and I
understand because I Iunderstand that in the world we
live in, that there are thingsthat larger companies need to
take into consideration, notonly just for safety, but it
also affects their bottom linewith regards to insurance.
(21:40):
And so I understand, but I thinkI think that and it's funny,
Harry's Harry has said thisstatement so many times, he's
like, they've made things sosafe somebody's gonna get hurt.
And it's you know, be betweenbetween, you know, like you
said, all the the the the alarmsand the alerts and the
(22:02):
notifications, and it's just youknow, you're you're absolutely
wired.
You're you're you're like, oh mygosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh.
And then, you know, if you do,then you have you have follow-up
phone calls.
And again, this is safety doingtheir job.
They have a directive.
You're on a list.
This report pulls out a list andsays, hey, you've done this,
whatever the case may be, andthey have to make a phone call,
(22:23):
and now you've made thistumultuous relationship between
safety and the driver ordispatch and the driver, and
it's all and that leads to thehigh turnover as well.
You know, you have there's thereit's it's it's such it's such a
grueling industry.
And so I think you know,anything, anything that I'm I'm
(22:45):
I'm grateful that.
I was, you know, I I was able tohave the opportunity to put this
all together because it's sothere's so much going on in the
industry that can push driversaway.
And that's you know, thatdoesn't do anybody any good.
unknown (23:02):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (23:02):
I mean, yeah, then it they get even more clever and
they come up with ways to haveautonomous trucks and thinking
that that's the answer.
We don't know yet.
You know, we don't know ifthat's the way to go.
It's uh still an experiment, Iin my opinion.
So yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (23:16):
And that adds and that adds stress to drivers too.
Drivers are, you know, they theythey you have these larger
companies, not necessarily thesmaller companies.
I'm not sure if the smallercompanies are gonna are are
looking to do that, but youknow, especially in the the mega
carriers, they're probablythey're looking into this as
well.
And drivers are just feelingthat stress.
That's just adding to the stressthat, you know, oh my gosh, am
(23:39):
I, you know, am I gonna have ajob in five years?
Oh my gosh.
I mean, that these these are youknow, these are serious, serious
concerns.
And I'm not saying that's thatautonomous trucks are the way to
go.
I'm not saying they're not theway to go, but I think that
again, we're not taking intoconsideration the human being
behind the wheel, the humanbeing who, you know, who is for
(23:59):
their heart and soul, went toschool, did the training, you
know, got the license, and hasbeen, you know, trying to
support their families.
It's you know, it's an addedstress that that they don't
need.
SPEAKER_00 (24:12):
Yeah, the good driver is still out there, he's
trying his best to survive.
Uh, there are some impostersthat come into the industry that
just want to think about themoney, but also the good driver
wants to think about theindustry and how it's gonna last
and what they're gonna leave forthe next driver.
So those drivers are still outthere and they're still trying
to make it work, and I thinkyou're one of them as well.
(24:34):
I mean, you talk aboutisolation, that's real.
Drivers can go days and weekswithout a meaningful
conversation.
It is.
How did uh isolation show up inyour own experience?
And was it subtle or did it hityou pretty hard?
I mean, you did talk about alittle bit before.
I wanted to touch on that again.
SPEAKER_01 (24:51):
Sure.
Well, uh being isolated from myfamily.
I mean, my family and we we hadfamily and tons of friends up
north, and you know, it was whenwe first started driving
together, it was only we wereonly out for a week at a time,
and yeah, it was a shift, but wewere able to handle it.
We were able to make thingshappen.
And then there was uh there wasan element where now we were
(25:15):
forced to be out like at leastthree weeks at a time because of
uh we had it, we had adedicated, we had a dedicated
account and we lost thataccount, and the only thing they
could offer us was OTR.
And that meant they they saidyou're out for three weeks at a
time, at least.
And so that was that was thatwas a huge shift that again very
(25:36):
heartbreaking for me, of close,close with friends and family
that we missed terribly, buteven within the truck, just
being I felt and I felt lonelyin the truck with my husband
three feet behind me becausehe's got to sleep.
He's doing he's doing what hehas to do to do his job well,
he's getting rest, and I can'ttake that from him.
(25:56):
But at the same time, I'msitting here and I'm driving on
roads I've never been on, doingwhat I need to do, but that
missing that human element wasit it surprised me.
I think there was what I thinkit was it was subtle, and I
couldn't figure out what it was.
Why was I, you know, why why amI feeling this?
And then all of a sudden it cameto me like I'm lonely.
(26:17):
And it uh it took me a while toprocess because I'm like, how am
I lonely?
I mean, he's three feet awayfrom me.
And then I realized, well, youknow what, he he's got to sleep,
he needs rest.
We, you know, he'll come out,he'll come up and right before
we leave, and then he goes inthe back and he rests.
And uh, it's that was a shiftthat kind of that took me by
(26:37):
surprise.
And I think that there's youknow, that's that's an element
that again getting the gettingthe license is the easy part.
These are things that you learnas you go on.
And I think I was trying tofigure out, well, you know, what
am I doing?
How do I figure this out?
And that was part of theinspiration to writing the book
because I was looking forinformation.
(26:59):
I was looking for this, I wastrying to figure out like, what
am I doing?
What am I doing?
Like, what am I doing wrong?
And I realized that there reallywasn't a resource there for
drivers to say, this is what thelifestyle can do, this is what
can happen, this is what youneed to know before you get
behind the wheel.
And that's you know, so the bookactually became the resource
(27:20):
that I was looking for.
It's the book that I needed whenI started driving.
That's that was the motivationbecause you know, you I mean,
there's we try and build acommunity out here.
We have, I mean, CB radios.
My husband has it, we have a C Bradio in our truck, and we, you
know, I will hear him talk atnight to drivers.
I'm not one to talk on the CBtoo much, but I will listen and
(27:41):
I will make sure, like, ifthere's an accident on the road,
somebody, you know, there's nota lot of them out there.
There's not a lot of them outthere anymore.
But, you know, if somebody's ona, you know, I try and let
people know, hey, you know, wehave this accident at a mile
marker, such and such here onair.
And I will every once in a bluemoon get somebody to say, thank
you, driver.
Appreciate that.
So some you know, there are someof us out there.
(28:01):
So we do try and get thatconnection and community out
here.
But when you're talking aboutfamily and friends, that's a
whole different, that's a wholedifferent ballpark.
And so it's important that we dotry and make those connections.
And that's one of the things youwant to prioritize on the road,
even if it's just a little bit,even you know, a five-minute
video, you know, like a videochat or something while you're
(28:22):
on your if you're taking your30, hey, you know, reach out to
somebody that you know meanssomething that that's meaningful
and just have, hey, just want totouch base with you.
How are you doing today?
SPEAKER_00 (28:31):
Isn't that nice?
SPEAKER_01 (28:32):
And let them and and and and and and make and make a
connect and make that connectionand keeps you grounded so that
you don't feel like you're outhere by yourself.
SPEAKER_00 (28:40):
Yeah.
How did that feel?
I mean, what does that feellike?
Maybe you can describe it inwords when you are able to let a
driver know there's an accidentup ahead.
SPEAKER_01 (28:49):
I feel I I think that's that we are part of uh
that we are in ourselves our owncommunity, that you feel like
we're all we are all workingtogether, that we have this
mission that we're doing.
We may be able to be driving,you know, we're driving through
different companies, we havedifferent trucks, but on in its
(29:12):
core, we're all on the samemission.
We're helping the country run.
We are we are moving, we keepthe country moving, whether it's
groceries, whether it's whetherit's Christmas presents, whether
whatever the case may be, wewell medical supplies, we make
sure that everybody gets whatthey need when they need it.
SPEAKER_00 (29:34):
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, you know, great jobthere.
I mean, you probably like asuperhero out there on the road,
guardian of the road.
So good job.
Man, so you know, you thinkabout writing that book, you
know, all the time that goesinto writing a book.
I mean, I thought that theisolation part will lead
perfectly into this part becauseyou know, you did this from the
cab, it sounds like.
(29:55):
Uh you recorded voice notes, youdid things like journaling at
rest stops, probably, and youdid a lot of things reaching out
to drivers and companies andgetting their responses.
I mean, what was that all liketo put that all together?
SPEAKER_01 (30:11):
I I think I just wanted to I wanted to look and
see what was uh yeah, what couldbe possible.
As you said, I have I've got, ohmy gosh, I lost track of how
many notebooks I have I have inhere.
Just just writing notes and asyou said, video notes, and then
just trying to to bring it up,bring it all together and say,
(30:32):
okay, well, how am I going to dothis?
Well, you know, I mean, thereare guidelines and they talk
about the tenets of driverwellness, health and health and
nutrition and health andnutrition and sleep and stress
management.
They all mention the FMCSA doesmention all of that.
And you know, but they just say,okay, well, this is, you know,
we you should you should takecare of this.
(30:52):
Well, how?
That's where the that's how theframework came to be, just being
able to take notes and take myreflections and say, what can we
do, you know, what can we do toon the road?
We are our strategies on theroad.
And you know, Fred has his protips and that, yeah, we all need
to people and and and and haveyou know get get resources and
(31:16):
make sure that all myinformation was correct and and
doing research and and and thenhaving the final product put
together was it was veryfulfilling, it was very healing
in a way.
It was something where I wasable to put all everything
together and say, yeah, this isthis is the book that I would
(31:37):
pick up and say, this is what Iwas needing, this is what I
needed, this is something thatanswered a lot of questions,
this is something that gave mesome practical tips, this is
something that from written bysomebody who uh speaking to
drivers, I am a driver, I liveit, I know what it's like, I get
(31:57):
it.
And hopefully, I if one drivercan pull one sentence out of the
book and say, you know what,that makes sense.
I want to try that.
Or one somebody from managementcan say, yeah, okay, I I I get
that.
I can I can relate to that.
Hopefully, then I I feel likethat that's a job well done.
SPEAKER_00 (32:19):
Nice.
That is that is amazing thatyou're able to do that, get that
done, package it all up forsomeone to have a better
experience, and also helpcompanies to be successful.
Like I said, speaking directlyto leadership, you're getting
the word out there, you'rehelping them to see how drivers
can be successful, how they canbuild a program to help them
build a better future for theirfleet.
(32:41):
So great job with that.
That's awesome.
Oh, some parts of reflection.
SPEAKER_01 (32:45):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_00 (32:46):
Yeah, you're welcome.
Some parts of reflection.
I'm going to throw a fewquestions in.
What's one thing the publicmisunderstands about truck
drivers?
SPEAKER_01 (33:00):
That they like being alone.
I think just the whenever youtalk about you hear a truck
driver, you know, they're allthey're alone in the cab, or
they you know this this lonewolf, tough exterior, you know,
weathered, worn, you know, roadweathered husk of a person.
(33:22):
And they but uh but the realreality is that a lot of them
want that connection.
You know, if you're if they'reat a truck stop, hey, can I buy
a cup of coffee?
You know, that would go thatwould go a long way.
And I think the idea is that wehave we're human beings, and
that we have we there's more tous than just what we do.
(33:46):
And unfortunately, that's Ithink the biggest misconception
is that because we live life outon the road, we do tend to
embody this job.
We do become the job, literally,but there's so much more to us
than the job.
So we have to be willing to notonly let people in, but to let
(34:10):
people know that, yeah, that'swhat we that's what we like.
This is who we are.
You know, I play, you know, wewe play music.
I'm a music, you know, I I was amusic teacher for 20 years.
I let people know that.
I, you know, I be able to share,you know, share stories with
people and let them know thatthere's more to us than the job.
SPEAKER_00 (34:29):
Absolutely.
I mean, sometimes I have to askfor forgiveness because I'm
like, oh yeah, that's right.
I'm a I'm a trucker.
Sorry guys, uh, my schedule'sall over the place right now.
Or you know, the anxiety thatcomes with it all.
They're like, man, what's goingon with you?
You're at a you're at a nine.
SPEAKER_01 (34:47):
Oh, of course.
Of course.
SPEAKER_00 (34:49):
Yeah, it's it's nuts out there trying to make it all
work and trying to make peoplefeel comfortable.
What's what's one habit thatbuilds resilience on the road?
SPEAKER_01 (35:00):
One habit that builds resist resilience, I
think, would be giving yourselfgrace and not trying to be
perfect all the time.
I think that when we have thisnever-ending list of things that
(35:21):
we want to do, that well, firstof all, that we need to do.
We've got to drive safely, we'vegot to watch our ELDs, we have
to be, we have to be safe, wehave to keep on schedule.
We have there are all thesethings that we have to do, and
we have to do that to the bestof our abilities.
And then, of course, we have ourpriorities where we want to try
to get our health in, our sleep,our good nutrition, our
(35:42):
hydration.
And I think we have to giveourselves that grace, that
cushion to be not perfect allthe time.
You know, and we may not be ableto get everything as well as we
want to do.
And so, but to build resilience,because if you're gonna go with
that 100%, I'm gonna be perfectevery day, all day, you that's
how you that's how you're gonnaburn out, and you're gonna do
(36:04):
yourself some real harmemotionally and spiritually and
physically as well, because youput so much pressure on yourself
to do the right thing all thetime.
SPEAKER_00 (36:14):
Yeah, yeah, that's that's amazing.
Um, you can even put that withrelationships as well.
I mean, that's a huge thing Ilearned from one book I read,
uh, I think it was the 80-80okay book there that talks about
how you can help not just do50-50 for each other, but if you
do 80-80, you're gonna dropbelow that 80 and then you're
given the 50.
(36:35):
Uh, if you try to do 100-100,that's just not attainable, it's
not manageable, it's notsomething you can actually
maintain.
You're gonna feel like youshortchained somebody.
But if you do 80, that numberworks out pretty good where you
can feel like you're going aboveand beyond to help the other
person to be successful.
You know, that's that's huge.
So, yeah, I mean, that's yeah,it works for even for
(36:58):
relationship, what you what youwere saying there.
So great job.
SPEAKER_01 (37:01):
And and there is, you have to, I mean, I mean,
obviously, there arenon-negotiables.
We want to be as safe as we can,we want to be as dependable as
we can.
But at the same time, we have,again, priorities with the with
health and sleep and nutrition.
And so we want to make sure wegive that, you know, give our
give ourselves some grace.
And once you start incorporatinggrace into your heart, even with
(37:21):
work or relationships, you'regonna find that you're building
that resilience that you can gofurther.
That's what it's all about.
It's taking taking the road andtaking being able to go farther
down the road because of theresilience that you're building.
SPEAKER_00 (37:35):
Yeah, it's one of the biggest things that we could
do is to forgive someone orourselves.
So that's something that hasbeen done for mankind.
So we we why not share that witheach other?
Like you said, buying that a cupof coffee for somebody.
It goes a long way.
SPEAKER_01 (37:50):
So um opening a door, opening a door for the you
know, holding the door open forthe driver behind you.
You know, it's it's just it'sjust little little things, you
know, or some just or even justa smile or a wave just going by,
you know, like how you doing?
Good morning, just a goodmorning, just acknowledging that
another person is there, likewithin, you know, a couple feet
of you.
(38:10):
You know, we're all you know,it's uh but we are we're we're
all we're all part of this ofthis logistics transportation
machine, but we it's up to us tomake those extend that, extend
ourselves and say, hey, yeah,you know what, we're still
human.
I see you, you see me.
SPEAKER_00 (38:30):
Right.
Absolutely.
Great job with that.
What's one sentence you hopedrivers or excuse me, readers
from your book, whoever they maybe, all walks of life, will want
you want them to take away fromafter reading your book or
listening to this podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (38:47):
I would want them to understand, I would want them to
hopefully understand that truckdrivers are people, they always
have been people, and they havefeelings and they have emotions
and they have dreams, and thatwe want to make sure that they
are heard and understood, andthat if we're going to do
(39:12):
anything to make this industrybetter, that we need to look at
them as people, as whole humanbeings, and that emotional
well-being is not a luxury thatthis industry can, you know,
look away from anymore.
They need to take that needs, itneeds to be emotional
well-being, mental well-beingneeds to be part of the
(39:34):
conversation for this industryto continue.
Uh, drivers don't want anotherkeychain or a t-shirt or pizza
party, they want to beunderstood and they want to be
uh able to support theirfamilies and not have to become
(39:56):
casualties at the same time.
SPEAKER_00 (39:59):
Nice, nicely said.
I mean, think about all thethings that we're doing.
If all of these professionalswere to leave an industry, what
would that look like later, youknow?
So we got to try to keep some ofthe talent uh in the industry
and share that with uh the nextgeneration.
So a lot of people trying to dothat.
Great job.
And in closing, what's onelesson you learned on the road
(40:19):
that you think you probablywouldn't have learned if you
weren't in the truck?
SPEAKER_01 (40:26):
Wow.
That's good, that's a good one.
That's a good one.
I would say that the lesson Ilearned is that if you don't
hear or see somebody speakingout on a topic, become that
(40:48):
voice.
Be the person that says, Hey,you know what, this is something
that needs to be said, this issomething that needs to be done.
And I would have never if youhad told me five years ago that
I'd be writing a book on how tomake truck drivers handle this
industry better, I would havesaid, You're crazy, you're nuts.
(41:11):
I have no idea what I'm but herewe are, and it's because these
experiences and believe me,there have been some wonderful
experiences out here too.
I don't want to say it's allhorrible, but there are times
where drivers struggle.
And if you want to keep driversin the industry, you've got to
talk to them as human beings.
(41:32):
And so that's what I'm striving.
That's the lesson that I learnedis that I became the voice for
people who I I what I would liketo become, I shouldn't say I
have become, I would like tobecome a voice for people to
improve and be, you know, ifthey're in management, maybe
take a different approach to howthey handle their drivers, if
(41:55):
they're just starting out in theindustry, that this is a
resource that they can usetoward thriving in their career.
If they're a family member, theycan look at their driver and
work together as a family tomake this something where make
the situation work as best as itcan for their situation.
SPEAKER_00 (42:18):
Absolutely.
Yeah, and thank you.
And you provide that tool sothat it can be done.
Thank you.
Yeah, appreciate that.
So, yeah, I mean, you got tolook at all that's going on out
there.
I mean, we got a lot to dealwith just in the news headlines.
There's a lot of things going onthere.
So let's uh stay focused out onthe road, stay focused on who we
are and what we're becoming andhow we're being able to be used
(42:40):
in the industry to help not justourselves, but all those that
are out there.
So I appreciate you doing that.
There's been a lot of talk abouttrucks and efficiency, but not
enough about the human behindthe wheel, and that's what
you're doing.
So you're making that changepossible and be the change that
you want to be.
Like you said, speaking up, Imean, that goes in right along
with uh Tat truck is againsttrafficking.
(43:02):
So, what a great thing, justeven on that level, too.
So, I I love what they're doing,I love the mission that they're
trying to accomplish.
The more we can get involved,the more we keep talking about
it and keep it on the forefrontof our minds.
I think it's gonna helpeveryone.
So, yeah, yeah.
So, the book, the rough roadahead.
I got one coming in the mail.
I'll put it a picture out thereand I'll post it.
Yeah, so I'll be digging into itas well.
(43:25):
Uh, I just didn't time it gooduh where it would be here for
the show.
Um I apologize for that, but I'mgonna dig into it myself.
And so let everyone else knowwhere where they can find you
and uh where they can connectwith the book.
What's the best way to get thatgoing?
SPEAKER_01 (43:40):
Well, the best way you can get the book is go right
to oh sure, if they if they wantthe book, you go to our website,
which is www.componvoy.com.
And that is actually our homehub for all of our vlog
activity.
Just a typical day of truckingis my daily vlog, and you can
see me all over social media.
I'm on YouTube, Instagram,Facebook, TikTok, so you can
(44:03):
check in there.
But if you really but if youwant a direct connection, the
website www.compassconvoy.com isthe way to go.
And that's it can get you, andyou can get the book in a
physical copy and an ebook.
So if you don't feel likecarrying a physical book with
you, if you want to have both ofthem as a reference, I we want
to make that happen.
(44:24):
There's also that website alsohas a monthly blog article that
I produce, and that hasdifferent elements of driver
wellness.
There's a different topic everymonth from sleep to nutrition to
surviving the holidays.
So look for that every month.
I'd love to see peopleinterested, and I want to make
sure that I could provideresources for people to survive.
(44:47):
The road.
SPEAKER_00 (44:47):
Yeah, I mean that vlog is really good.
I mean, think about all thethings that people deal with
each day, and he's updated.
And that's what you're doing.
You're putting in their work tokeep them updated with those
changes.
And hey, that way we stay fluid,you know, we stay agile.
We're able to uh make make themoves and the necessary changes
just like driving a truck outthere on the road.
So great job.
And everyone out therelistening, if you like what you
(45:08):
see, if you like what you hear,please be sure to reach out to
us on that'sdeliver.com and alsoon uh anywhere you get your
streaming podcast networks.
Um be sure to let us know if youhave any questions or concerns
you want us to reach out andtalk about on the show.
We'd love to hear from you.
Also, share this episode withanyone you can.
This way it helps bringawareness to all the great
(45:29):
things that are going on in theindustry.
People need to hear what's goingon.
A lot of companies also canlearn from a lot of great tools
like your book, The Rough RoadAhead.
So thank you so much.
And until next time, I'm Truckand Ray, and that's delivered.
Welcome back, everybody, to another episode of
The Ass Delivered.
I'm your host, Truck and Ray,and today on the show, we're
going to talk with people whonot only live in the industry,
but they make it better.
Today's guest is Jennifer AnnWarner, a professional driver,
turned entrepreneur, author, andwellness advocate.
She's the founder of Compass andConvoy Creative, and the author
(00:21):
of The Rough Road Ahead, adriver's guide to resilience.
Her work focuses on something wedon't talk enough about in the
trucking industry, and that'sthe human side of the job the
isolation, the burnout, theemotional way that comes with
being behind all those mouths.
This is going to be a realconversation about retention,
empathy, wellness, and what itactually takes to support
(00:44):
drivers and not just managethem.
Jennifer, welcome to the show.
Jennifer, so nice to have you onthe show.
I'm so glad that you're here.
I see you're out there on theroad making big changes happen.
So we're gonna make sure we getthis show going for you.
How are you doing?
SPEAKER_01 (01:02):
I'm doing great.
Thanks so much for having me.
It really means a lot.
SPEAKER_00 (01:06):
Oh, yeah.
I mean, you're doing greatthings out there.
You're you're helping drivers uhstay uh with their jobs and also
stay healthy out there on theroad.
I mean, it's a lot of work thatgoes into what we do.
Why don't you tell us a littlebit about what the life is like
for you when you got to put thisbook together before the
business?
You were a driver.
What pulled you into thetrucking industry originally?
SPEAKER_01 (01:28):
Well, if I'm being completely honest in a nutshell,
what pulled me into the industrywas my husband, Harry.
It's also his birthday today, soI'm being extra nice.
I was a school bus driver in NewJersey, and I had done that for
about five years, and he hadbeen doing all things trucks for
decades, but it was mostlylocal, local things, regional
(01:50):
things.
And so in early of 2021, earlyJanuary 2021, he got his first
OTR job, and it's something he'dwant to do since he was a boy.
It was it was his lifelongdream.
Broke my heart, but that's whathe wanted to do.
So of course I'm gonna supporthim.
He was driving for a smallercompany up in uh the northwest
(02:12):
corner of New Jersey, and hewould be out for about a week or
so at a time, and then he camehome about six, seven weeks
later, and he looked me straightin the eye.
He's like, I want you to do thiswith me.
What?
Like, I'm a schoolmaster.
Why are you talking?
Can I do this?
Are you sure?
He's like, no, I he's like, Ibelieve in you.
(02:34):
You can do this.
I want, I have seen so manythings.
We were two kids from NewJersey, we've known each other
for decades, and we've basicallylived all our lives in New
Jersey.
And so for him to go out there,he's like, I want to share this
with you.
I've seen sites and things thatI'd never thought I'd see, and I
want to share that with you.
And that's kind of a hardinvitation to turn down.
And so by so by July, so by Julyof 2021, we've been driving
(02:56):
together, we've been drivingtogether ever since.
He's he's out on the road, I'mworking full time, I'm training
when I can.
By the way, we're also I I speakof him as my husband.
We were actually in the midst ofplanning our wedding at the same
time.
So by so I passed my test inJune.
We got married the end of June.
We started driving on July 5th,and we've been driving together
(03:17):
ever since.
SPEAKER_00 (03:18):
Wow.
I mean, man, that's life on theroad, romance, and a lot of
great memories to be rightthere, you know, right there on
the road.
A lot of people probably have uhhad the same experience, and uh
thanks for sharing that, man.
That's awesome.
SPEAKER_01 (03:30):
Of course.
SPEAKER_00 (03:31):
Yeah, you see a lot of team drivers out there, and
you're like, man, how do they doit?
And then to see a couple, that'seven more, you know, that's even
more special.
So thank you.
What kind of driving are youdoing out there?
SPEAKER_01 (03:42):
We are basically OTR.
We are we've been since we moveddown to Alabama, we chase we we
followed work down here a coupleyears ago, and so we've we're
working for a smaller companydoing basically OTR freight
handling pretty much everythingeast of 35.
(04:02):
We do a lot of obviously we'vebeen to Syracuse a lot, and we'd
sometimes do runs to Miami,sometimes we do laterals to the
Carolinas.
Every once in a while, we willwe were just we were up in
Oregon and Washington not toolong ago, and sometimes down is
down to Phoenix in that area.
SPEAKER_00 (04:19):
In the early days, what are the lessons you learn
in those first couple yearsbeing together?
Wow.
SPEAKER_01 (04:26):
You realize that there is a line between your
relationship and your workrelationship, and there has to
be, actually, because you haveto realize that you know, he we
rely, we rely on each other.
I mean, we are we're husband andwife, and we but we rely on each
other to keep ourselves safe onthe road.
It's not just a trust in therelationship, it's a trust that
(04:49):
you know I'm literally puttingmy life in your hands, and
that's brings it to a wholenother different level.
SPEAKER_00 (04:55):
Right.
Yeah, I mean, you see those badaccidents out there.
I mean, how bad would that be tobe asleep when that's happening
or trying to get some sleep whenit's happening?
You know, it's it's dangerousout there, you know.
SPEAKER_01 (05:07):
And what and that's that's what's and yes,
absolutely, and that's one ofthe things that he that inspired
him to ask me to do it becausewhen he had first started
working, he had he was he hadgone through a couple different
partners, a couple differentdrivers they were driving in
teams, and he said, He's like, II I trust you, I trust you
implicitly, I trust you with mylife, and that's was enough that
(05:30):
was another motivating factor toput me on the road with them.
SPEAKER_00 (05:34):
Excellent.
I mean, that's nice.
Great teamwork there, guys.
So you described your work, orwhat would you say for you know
that it's written for drivers bysomeone who who lived it, you
know, your book, your work.
What were your experiencing outthere that made you feel like
drivers weren't being fullyunderstood?
SPEAKER_01 (05:52):
I think it was that I again, this was a it was a
completely different experiencefor me.
I had spent all of my life inNew Jersey.
I I would be home every night,or I'd be home every day,
whatever the case may be.
And I think that I had struggleswith missing my family, missing
(06:13):
relationships.
I still have family up in theNortheast.
And there were times where it'slike they don't want to where
the where you could come acrossholidays and celebrations, and
you want to be a part of that,and it's not always possible.
And that was that washeartbreaking to me.
That was something that I took,I guess I could almost say I
(06:35):
took for granted because thatwas something that I enjoyed
tremendously, being part offamily and celebrations and
being a part of their lives, andthen being a part of ours as
well.
And the one thing that's reallystruck me was even as driving as
a team, I struggled withloneliness and isolation.
(06:56):
Because even though we drivetogether, he's literally three
feet behind me, he's got tosleep.
And so you you would think thatwe would spend, you know, you're
like, oh, well, you guys mustsee each other all the time
talking, and how can you sayyou're lonely?
But that's not how it that's nothow it works.
That's not how it works.
And the one thing that struck meis like, I can't believe that
(07:17):
I'm the only one.
I can't believe that I am theonly one who feels lonely and
isolated.
I can't drive for so many allthe drivers, and I I believe
that the numbers actually haveturnover rates still in the 90s
and 100% in the industry.
(07:38):
People are leaving it becauseit's a difficult job, not only
physically, but also emotionallyas well.
SPEAKER_00 (07:45):
Man, that's amazing.
When did you realize that umyour side of the story needs to
have a voice, needs to you needto say it out loud?
I mean, they're always talkingabout pay, freight, regulations,
turnover numbers, but rarelyabout the emotional health,
isolation, and the identity partof being a truck driver and what
it does to your life.
So just like you said, aloneliness, you know, many
(08:07):
people can relate to that.
When did you feel like it wasthe time to to make that change
and say it out loud?
SPEAKER_01 (08:39):
Because as I walk looking around and you see that
people are struggling.
I mean, and the companiesoverall, they weren't addressing
it.
When I'm looking and I'm talkingto like I've there were points
where I would struggle in thecompany, and where there were we
would be out in like I'll give abetter example.
(09:00):
I was out in California, and wewere at a shipper notorious for
very, very long delays ingetting us back out.
And I remember voicing myopinion to dispatcher at the
time, and I think it was likeright before Christmas, and I
said, I had, you know, I havethese things, and I I I think I
(09:20):
was just venting more thananything else.
And the response I got was,well, you know, this industry
isn't for everybody.
unknown (09:29):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (09:30):
And that was like, so you're not hearing, you're
not, I I really that was onetime I just felt like I was not
heard.
I was not heard.
And so I figured if I'm goingto, you know, if all right, if
you're not gonna listen to me,then I guess if maybe I'm the
one who's got to speak up andsay it.
And that's where the book camefrom, is that it's not about
(09:52):
just doing what you need to doon the road, it's about living
the lifestyle.
This is a lifestyle, and becausethere's a lifestyle, there has
to be a mindset there with it,and there has to be things to
help you cope and make the mostand not just survive but thrive
out here on the road.
SPEAKER_00 (10:08):
That's amazing.
And you're doing it.
I mean, what a statement to saythat to someone.
It's kind of a passiveaggressive statement, a little
bit there to maybe this theiropinion, but that's not the
truth.
I mean, you're you're doing it,so uh never mind what that
person had to say that, right?
SPEAKER_01 (10:23):
No, I'm you know what it it's I've when I was
when I was working at the schoolbus company, I used to tell
because there were so much somany layers to that industry in
and of itself, not just the CDLpart of it, but I would tell I
would tell my trainees thatgetting the license is the easy
part.
Now you have everything elsethat goes with it, and the same
(10:45):
applies right here.
It's the same thing.
You're not just, you know,you're not just getting a
license and learning how to parkand you know, doing a pre-trip.
You're living life out on a roadand you're hundreds, maybe
thousands of miles away frompeople, and it's real easy that,
like I say in the book, a lot ofthe stuff that I have is common
sense, but when you're out thereand you're isolated, sometimes
(11:07):
your mind will just kind ofthrow back into like a survival
mode and you don't want to reachout, you don't want to feel like
you're people are depending onyou, and they don't want you
don't want them to think thatyou're suffering.
You they don't you don't wantthem to think that you're weak,
you don't want them to thinkthat you're having a hard time
because they're depending onyou.
And so it's tough to share that.
(11:29):
And I think I want the book tosay, yeah, you know what it's
okay.
So the book's not only just forthe drivers themselves, I'd love
to see the families use it as aresource too, because they can
say, Hey, this is what he'sfeeling, this is what she's
feeling, this is how you knowwhat they're going through.
Let's, you know, let's work as aunit, let's work as a unit.
SPEAKER_00 (11:50):
That's nice.
I mean, yeah.
I mean, we need dispatch, weneed truckers, we need shippers,
we need the couriers to all worktogether as one to get the job
done.
I mean, I mean, think about thefamily unit.
I mean, it is small comparisonto the world, but uh the
trucking industry being smallthat it is, it is it can be like
a family.
We can make it a good one or wecan make it a bad one.
So, yeah, I mean, statementslike that, that's fine.
(12:12):
Let's not jump all over him, butyou know, or her, but you know,
it's a fact that you know peoplego through rough times and uh
they need a little bit ofencouragement.
Maybe they were looking at a wayto see if you wanted to get out
of it, you know.
Hey guy, let me let us know.
Um, so yeah, I mean it can goeither way.
SPEAKER_01 (12:29):
No, no, no.
It could go.
No, it's absolutely it could, itcould go, it could go either
way.
I I'm not I I realize that youknow there are you know, there's
there's plus there's there'sgood and bad, and there's good
and bad everywhere, like yousaid, in families and companies,
everywhere.
But I think that was just adefining moment where I could
say that, you know, if that's ifthat's a voice that's willing to
(12:52):
put that out, to put thatmessage out, then maybe I need
the voice to say, hey, you knowwhat, maybe drivers need a
little more support in thatarea.
SPEAKER_00 (13:03):
Yeah, I mean, the book that you put out, The Rough
Road Ahead, I mean, that it saysit all right there.
I mean, life can be a challengefrom the as soon as you come out
of the womb.
I mean, you take your firstbreath you're fighting to the
day you take your last breath.
I mean, it's a lot of that goesinto it.
And getting your CDL, I mean,you do a lot of things that uh
can get your heart rate goingand make you wonder, hey, can I
get through this?
(13:23):
I gotta fight to get to get backhome, you know.
And uh that CDL is about whatyou make it, so what you put
into it.
From let's talk about the book alittle bit.
From what I understand, it isn'tjust about motivational writing,
it's a a structure actually tohelp drivers build resilience in
a practical way.
So it comes to nutrition, youknow, that's gonna be hard.
(13:44):
Realistic nutrition strategiesthat work from the sleeper cab,
simple movement exercises andhabits that you can do anywhere,
stress management techniquesthat are built around the actual
road life and reflection toolsto help drivers process what
they've been um dealing withmentally.
I mean, I think that's great.
Just wanted to ask you, what gapwere you trying to fill with
(14:06):
this book?
Were there drivers that weredealing with this that you you
heard, or were you getting thisinformation elsewhere?
SPEAKER_01 (14:14):
I would look around at my fellow drivers, and you
know, I mean, I'm I I'm gonnatell you right now, I'm not the
I'm not the picture of athletichealth.
I'm gonna tell you that rightnow.
But I remember that when I washome, I was more active.
I could, you know, I could stopand I could exercise, I could go
and you know, stop and at asalad bar and get something more
(14:37):
healthy to eat.
And I'm looking around at myfellow drivers, like, you know,
a lot of us are in the same boathere.
We're all, and you look at atthe statistics that there was a
there was a study that just cameout that the the median age of a
driver, uh median life expensiof a truck driver is 61 years
old.
(14:57):
I'm not that far from that.
And that just comes from youknow years and years of an
unhealthy life cycle, like youknow, life habits that are just
that are not conducive tolongevity.
And so what I'm doing, I wasjust saying, if you're gonna be
a if you're going to be adriver, if it's somebody's just
getting out of school, these aretools that they can use and say,
hey, you know what, that'sright.
(15:19):
You know, I just thought youdon't get something in a truck,
stop, and eat.
It's not as easy as that if youwant to stay in this business as
long as you know, if you want,if you want a long and thriving
career in this business.
SPEAKER_00 (15:29):
Absolutely.
I mean, the pursuit of it isgoing to be always be in front
of you, just like your goal,trying to make it from point A
to point B, even your yournutrition and your physical
exercise.
I think it's huge.
I mean, for me, I have to try topush myself as soon as I get out
of the truck, go right to thegym.
I mean, try my best to eat whileI'm out there.
One of the things I've beenusing is is factor.
(15:51):
I think you know there's no adhere, but hey, just spread the
word, I don't have to do a lotof meal preps, and I just throw
it in my cooler, get ready togo.
That's been helping me change mygame.
SPEAKER_01 (16:02):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (16:02):
You know, the athletic, we're like an uh
occupational athlete, so yougotta be able to move and move
around all that junk food andkeep going out there.
I mean, it's it takes a lot ofwork, you know.
So yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (16:15):
Um and and one of the an additional trust struggle
that we have is because we'reteam drivers.
I mean, if you're a solo driver,you can stop for 10 hours and
you can get your sleep and youcan do some exercise and you can
do, you know, you can you havemore time to prioritize things.
As a team trucking, that truckis really not supposed to stop
(16:35):
for hardly anything except forfuel and for brakes, and that's
it.
So you really have to prioritizewhat's important to you in that
moment.
You've got to prioritize thatyour nutrition, your hydration
activity.
You have to, because you're onlygonna have a very small amount
of time in your day to make ithappen, or you've got to just
make things work in the truckitself.
SPEAKER_00 (16:56):
Nice.
And you also position this booksomething for management and
leadership.
(17:23):
Professionals in the in theindustry can use this to help,
you know, their their team.
I think that was a really goodthing that you added in there on
why this book is important forleaderships to help drivers, to
help companies that may betrying to help them stop burnout
or turnover.
Or what would you say is one ofthe biggest things that people
ignore or some of the causes ofdriver retention?
SPEAKER_01 (17:48):
That they I think they think drivers are
invincible.
They think you're just sittingand driving, how hard could it
be?
I think that's the biggestfallacy that keeps getting
compounded over and over.
It's like you're just sitting,you're just driving.
How hard could it be?
They're not taking to accountthat we've got 80,000 pounds
(18:09):
that we're trying to maneuver.
They don't consider weather,they don't consider driving
conditions, they don't considerany of that, they don't consider
that we might have been awayfrom home for two to three
weeks.
I mean, I think that's the thingthat people that that management
tries to understand, you know,is that they there's a core
understanding that unlessthey're away from their home,
(18:30):
they get to go home every night.
They get PTO, they get theirholidays off, they have that.
And you know, they're comingfrom I think some of their
statements come uh from a placewhere I'm not saying that
they're disingenuine, but Idon't think they actually reach
the level of empathy becausethey don't, they can't, they
(18:52):
they they can't be in our shoesunless they've been if they've
been if they've been in theindustry before and they have
had that experience, then theycan they can channel that and
express that.
But I think management needs tojust I I challenge them to
really put themselves in ourshoes and say, hey, yeah, you
(19:13):
know what, it's Christmas.
Hey, I know, you know, it's it'sa tough time, you know.
Maybe give things more optional.
Maybe there are drivers whodon't mind being out on
Christmas, maybe they're notthere's who who don't mind being
out and being able to get toknow drivers as people, as
opposed to uh a rear end in theseat.
SPEAKER_00 (19:34):
Yeah, I mean that is difficult for them, you know,
when they're in there to imaginewhat it's like to be in a truck.
I know I had one young man, hestep in the truck and he's like,
Man, this is what it's like.
I've never been in the truck,you know.
So even not able to see whatwe're going through, it's hard
for the mind to really expandbecause they're looking at that
monitor, they're looking atthose loads coming in, they're
(19:57):
looking at those pull times thatgotta be done, they get looking
at when things gotta getdelivered and stuff like that.
Hey, man, that's two differentworlds, but we gotta work
together, we gotta keep pushingourselves.
It's a practice that we have tonot give up on and not just say,
hey, this is the way it is, itis what it is.
I need you to get this done, youknow.
So, yeah, great, great emphasisfor management to to push harder
(20:18):
in those meetings when they'reencouraging their their leaders
to do or get tasks completed orto meet meet revenue standards.
Add that in, you know.
But yeah, it's it's tough.
I mean, it's tough.
SPEAKER_01 (20:30):
We all we all have a job to do.
I mean, we're out here.
I mean, no, nobody made us bedrivers, and I get that.
I I respect it completely.
I I just think that there couldbe more fruitful discussions in
getting to know each other.
We understand that you haveloads that you know, you're
you're sitting there on a screenand you've got deadlines you
have to handle.
And I I you know, I'm I'm tryingto understand you.
(20:52):
I was on I was on a the the deskside of of transportation myself
in safety for a for a good for anumber of years.
So I understand their side ofthe desk.
So all we're asking is that youunderstand from our side.
SPEAKER_00 (21:06):
Yeah, I mean, I think about these cameras they
put into the truck and howthey're just constantly the
bells and the whistles and allthose things are saying they're
making it safe.
And it's like, well, would youwant that in your office?
You know?
SPEAKER_01 (21:18):
It's it's it's it is it is challenging, and I
understand because I Iunderstand that in the world we
live in, that there are thingsthat larger companies need to
take into consideration, notonly just for safety, but it
also affects their bottom linewith regards to insurance.
(21:40):
And so I understand, but I thinkI think that and it's funny,
Harry's Harry has said thisstatement so many times, he's
like, they've made things sosafe somebody's gonna get hurt.
And it's you know, be betweenbetween, you know, like you
said, all the the the the alarmsand the alerts and the
(22:02):
notifications, and it's just youknow, you're you're absolutely
wired.
You're you're you're like, oh mygosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh.
And then, you know, if you do,then you have you have follow-up
phone calls.
And again, this is safety doingtheir job.
They have a directive.
You're on a list.
This report pulls out a list andsays, hey, you've done this,
whatever the case may be, andthey have to make a phone call,
(22:23):
and now you've made thistumultuous relationship between
safety and the driver ordispatch and the driver, and
it's all and that leads to thehigh turnover as well.
You know, you have there's thereit's it's it's such it's such a
grueling industry.
And so I think you know,anything, anything that I'm I'm
(22:45):
I'm grateful that.
I was, you know, I I was able tohave the opportunity to put this
all together because it's sothere's so much going on in the
industry that can push driversaway.
And that's you know, thatdoesn't do anybody any good.
unknown (23:02):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (23:02):
I mean, yeah, then it they get even more clever and
they come up with ways to haveautonomous trucks and thinking
that that's the answer.
We don't know yet.
You know, we don't know ifthat's the way to go.
It's uh still an experiment, Iin my opinion.
So yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (23:16):
And that adds and that adds stress to drivers too.
Drivers are, you know, they theythey you have these larger
companies, not necessarily thesmaller companies.
I'm not sure if the smallercompanies are gonna are are
looking to do that, but youknow, especially in the the mega
carriers, they're probablythey're looking into this as
well.
And drivers are just feelingthat stress.
That's just adding to the stressthat, you know, oh my gosh, am
(23:39):
I, you know, am I gonna have ajob in five years?
Oh my gosh.
I mean, that these these are youknow, these are serious, serious
concerns.
And I'm not saying that's thatautonomous trucks are the way to
go.
I'm not saying they're not theway to go, but I think that
again, we're not taking intoconsideration the human being
behind the wheel, the humanbeing who, you know, who is for
(23:59):
their heart and soul, went toschool, did the training, you
know, got the license, and hasbeen, you know, trying to
support their families.
It's you know, it's an addedstress that that they don't
need.
SPEAKER_00 (24:12):
Yeah, the good driver is still out there, he's
trying his best to survive.
Uh, there are some impostersthat come into the industry that
just want to think about themoney, but also the good driver
wants to think about theindustry and how it's gonna last
and what they're gonna leave forthe next driver.
So those drivers are still outthere and they're still trying
to make it work, and I thinkyou're one of them as well.
(24:34):
I mean, you talk aboutisolation, that's real.
Drivers can go days and weekswithout a meaningful
conversation.
It is.
How did uh isolation show up inyour own experience?
And was it subtle or did it hityou pretty hard?
I mean, you did talk about alittle bit before.
I wanted to touch on that again.
SPEAKER_01 (24:51):
Sure.
Well, uh being isolated from myfamily.
I mean, my family and we we hadfamily and tons of friends up
north, and you know, it was whenwe first started driving
together, it was only we wereonly out for a week at a time,
and yeah, it was a shift, but wewere able to handle it.
We were able to make thingshappen.
And then there was uh there wasan element where now we were
(25:15):
forced to be out like at leastthree weeks at a time because of
uh we had it, we had adedicated, we had a dedicated
account and we lost thataccount, and the only thing they
could offer us was OTR.
And that meant they they saidyou're out for three weeks at a
time, at least.
And so that was that was thatwas a huge shift that again very
(25:36):
heartbreaking for me, of close,close with friends and family
that we missed terribly, buteven within the truck, just
being I felt and I felt lonelyin the truck with my husband
three feet behind me becausehe's got to sleep.
He's doing he's doing what hehas to do to do his job well,
he's getting rest, and I can'ttake that from him.
(25:56):
But at the same time, I'msitting here and I'm driving on
roads I've never been on, doingwhat I need to do, but that
missing that human element wasit it surprised me.
I think there was what I thinkit was it was subtle, and I
couldn't figure out what it was.
Why was I, you know, why why amI feeling this?
And then all of a sudden it cameto me like I'm lonely.
(26:17):
And it uh it took me a while toprocess because I'm like, how am
I lonely?
I mean, he's three feet awayfrom me.
And then I realized, well, youknow what, he he's got to sleep,
he needs rest.
We, you know, he'll come out,he'll come up and right before
we leave, and then he goes inthe back and he rests.
And uh, it's that was a shiftthat kind of that took me by
(26:37):
surprise.
And I think that there's youknow, that's that's an element
that again getting the gettingthe license is the easy part.
These are things that you learnas you go on.
And I think I was trying tofigure out, well, you know, what
am I doing?
How do I figure this out?
And that was part of theinspiration to writing the book
because I was looking forinformation.
(26:59):
I was looking for this, I wastrying to figure out like, what
am I doing?
What am I doing?
Like, what am I doing wrong?
And I realized that there reallywasn't a resource there for
drivers to say, this is what thelifestyle can do, this is what
can happen, this is what youneed to know before you get
behind the wheel.
And that's you know, so the bookactually became the resource
(27:20):
that I was looking for.
It's the book that I needed whenI started driving.
That's that was the motivationbecause you know, you I mean,
there's we try and build acommunity out here.
We have, I mean, CB radios.
My husband has it, we have a C Bradio in our truck, and we, you
know, I will hear him talk atnight to drivers.
I'm not one to talk on the CBtoo much, but I will listen and
(27:41):
I will make sure, like, ifthere's an accident on the road,
somebody, you know, there's nota lot of them out there.
There's not a lot of them outthere anymore.
But, you know, if somebody's ona, you know, I try and let
people know, hey, you know, wehave this accident at a mile
marker, such and such here onair.
And I will every once in a bluemoon get somebody to say, thank
you, driver.
Appreciate that.
So some you know, there are someof us out there.
(28:01):
So we do try and get thatconnection and community out
here.
But when you're talking aboutfamily and friends, that's a
whole different, that's a wholedifferent ballpark.
And so it's important that we dotry and make those connections.
And that's one of the things youwant to prioritize on the road,
even if it's just a little bit,even you know, a five-minute
video, you know, like a videochat or something while you're
(28:22):
on your if you're taking your30, hey, you know, reach out to
somebody that you know meanssomething that that's meaningful
and just have, hey, just want totouch base with you.
How are you doing today?
SPEAKER_00 (28:31):
Isn't that nice?
SPEAKER_01 (28:32):
And let them and and and and and and make and make a
connect and make that connectionand keeps you grounded so that
you don't feel like you're outhere by yourself.
SPEAKER_00 (28:40):
Yeah.
How did that feel?
I mean, what does that feellike?
Maybe you can describe it inwords when you are able to let a
driver know there's an accidentup ahead.
SPEAKER_01 (28:49):
I feel I I think that's that we are part of uh
that we are in ourselves our owncommunity, that you feel like
we're all we are all workingtogether, that we have this
mission that we're doing.
We may be able to be driving,you know, we're driving through
different companies, we havedifferent trucks, but on in its
(29:12):
core, we're all on the samemission.
We're helping the country run.
We are we are moving, we keepthe country moving, whether it's
groceries, whether it's whetherit's Christmas presents, whether
whatever the case may be, wewell medical supplies, we make
sure that everybody gets whatthey need when they need it.
SPEAKER_00 (29:34):
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, you know, great jobthere.
I mean, you probably like asuperhero out there on the road,
guardian of the road.
So good job.
Man, so you know, you thinkabout writing that book, you
know, all the time that goesinto writing a book.
I mean, I thought that theisolation part will lead
perfectly into this part becauseyou know, you did this from the
cab, it sounds like.
(29:55):
Uh you recorded voice notes, youdid things like journaling at
rest stops, probably, and youdid a lot of things reaching out
to drivers and companies andgetting their responses.
I mean, what was that all liketo put that all together?
SPEAKER_01 (30:11):
I I think I just wanted to I wanted to look and
see what was uh yeah, what couldbe possible.
As you said, I have I've got, ohmy gosh, I lost track of how
many notebooks I have I have inhere.
Just just writing notes and asyou said, video notes, and then
just trying to to bring it up,bring it all together and say,
(30:32):
okay, well, how am I going to dothis?
Well, you know, I mean, thereare guidelines and they talk
about the tenets of driverwellness, health and health and
nutrition and health andnutrition and sleep and stress
management.
They all mention the FMCSA doesmention all of that.
And you know, but they just say,okay, well, this is, you know,
we you should you should takecare of this.
(30:52):
Well, how?
That's where the that's how theframework came to be, just being
able to take notes and take myreflections and say, what can we
do, you know, what can we do toon the road?
We are our strategies on theroad.
And you know, Fred has his protips and that, yeah, we all need
to people and and and and haveyou know get get resources and
(31:16):
make sure that all myinformation was correct and and
doing research and and and thenhaving the final product put
together was it was veryfulfilling, it was very healing
in a way.
It was something where I wasable to put all everything
together and say, yeah, this isthis is the book that I would
(31:37):
pick up and say, this is what Iwas needing, this is what I
needed, this is something thatanswered a lot of questions,
this is something that gave mesome practical tips, this is
something that from written bysomebody who uh speaking to
drivers, I am a driver, I liveit, I know what it's like, I get
(31:57):
it.
And hopefully, I if one drivercan pull one sentence out of the
book and say, you know what,that makes sense.
I want to try that.
Or one somebody from managementcan say, yeah, okay, I I I get
that.
I can I can relate to that.
Hopefully, then I I feel likethat that's a job well done.
SPEAKER_00 (32:19):
Nice.
That is that is amazing thatyou're able to do that, get that
done, package it all up forsomeone to have a better
experience, and also helpcompanies to be successful.
Like I said, speaking directlyto leadership, you're getting
the word out there, you'rehelping them to see how drivers
can be successful, how they canbuild a program to help them
build a better future for theirfleet.
(32:41):
So great job with that.
That's awesome.
Oh, some parts of reflection.
SPEAKER_01 (32:45):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_00 (32:46):
Yeah, you're welcome.
Some parts of reflection.
I'm going to throw a fewquestions in.
What's one thing the publicmisunderstands about truck
drivers?
SPEAKER_01 (33:00):
That they like being alone.
I think just the whenever youtalk about you hear a truck
driver, you know, they're allthey're alone in the cab, or
they you know this this lonewolf, tough exterior, you know,
weathered, worn, you know, roadweathered husk of a person.
(33:22):
And they but uh but the realreality is that a lot of them
want that connection.
You know, if you're if they'reat a truck stop, hey, can I buy
a cup of coffee?
You know, that would go thatwould go a long way.
And I think the idea is that wehave we're human beings, and
that we have we there's more tous than just what we do.
(33:46):
And unfortunately, that's Ithink the biggest misconception
is that because we live life outon the road, we do tend to
embody this job.
We do become the job, literally,but there's so much more to us
than the job.
So we have to be willing to notonly let people in, but to let
(34:10):
people know that, yeah, that'swhat we that's what we like.
This is who we are.
You know, I play, you know, wewe play music.
I'm a music, you know, I I was amusic teacher for 20 years.
I let people know that.
I, you know, I be able to share,you know, share stories with
people and let them know thatthere's more to us than the job.
SPEAKER_00 (34:29):
Absolutely.
I mean, sometimes I have to askfor forgiveness because I'm
like, oh yeah, that's right.
I'm a I'm a trucker.
Sorry guys, uh, my schedule'sall over the place right now.
Or you know, the anxiety thatcomes with it all.
They're like, man, what's goingon with you?
You're at a you're at a nine.
SPEAKER_01 (34:47):
Oh, of course.
Of course.
SPEAKER_00 (34:49):
Yeah, it's it's nuts out there trying to make it all
work and trying to make peoplefeel comfortable.
What's what's one habit thatbuilds resilience on the road?
SPEAKER_01 (35:00):
One habit that builds resist resilience, I
think, would be giving yourselfgrace and not trying to be
perfect all the time.
I think that when we have thisnever-ending list of things that
(35:21):
we want to do, that well, firstof all, that we need to do.
We've got to drive safely, we'vegot to watch our ELDs, we have
to be, we have to be safe, wehave to keep on schedule.
We have there are all thesethings that we have to do, and
we have to do that to the bestof our abilities.
And then, of course, we have ourpriorities where we want to try
to get our health in, our sleep,our good nutrition, our
(35:42):
hydration.
And I think we have to giveourselves that grace, that
cushion to be not perfect allthe time.
You know, and we may not be ableto get everything as well as we
want to do.
And so, but to build resilience,because if you're gonna go with
that 100%, I'm gonna be perfectevery day, all day, you that's
how you that's how you're gonnaburn out, and you're gonna do
(36:04):
yourself some real harmemotionally and spiritually and
physically as well, because youput so much pressure on yourself
to do the right thing all thetime.
SPEAKER_00 (36:14):
Yeah, yeah, that's that's amazing.
Um, you can even put that withrelationships as well.
I mean, that's a huge thing Ilearned from one book I read,
uh, I think it was the 80-80okay book there that talks about
how you can help not just do50-50 for each other, but if you
do 80-80, you're gonna dropbelow that 80 and then you're
given the 50.
(36:35):
Uh, if you try to do 100-100,that's just not attainable, it's
not manageable, it's notsomething you can actually
maintain.
You're gonna feel like youshortchained somebody.
But if you do 80, that numberworks out pretty good where you
can feel like you're going aboveand beyond to help the other
person to be successful.
You know, that's that's huge.
So, yeah, I mean, that's yeah,it works for even for
(36:58):
relationship, what you what youwere saying there.
So great job.
SPEAKER_01 (37:01):
And and there is, you have to, I mean, I mean,
obviously, there arenon-negotiables.
We want to be as safe as we can,we want to be as dependable as
we can.
But at the same time, we have,again, priorities with the with
health and sleep and nutrition.
And so we want to make sure wegive that, you know, give our
give ourselves some grace.
And once you start incorporatinggrace into your heart, even with
(37:21):
work or relationships, you'regonna find that you're building
that resilience that you can gofurther.
That's what it's all about.
It's taking taking the road andtaking being able to go farther
down the road because of theresilience that you're building.
SPEAKER_00 (37:35):
Yeah, it's one of the biggest things that we could
do is to forgive someone orourselves.
So that's something that hasbeen done for mankind.
So we we why not share that witheach other?
Like you said, buying that a cupof coffee for somebody.
It goes a long way.
SPEAKER_01 (37:50):
So um opening a door, opening a door for the you
know, holding the door open forthe driver behind you.
You know, it's it's just it'sjust little little things, you
know, or some just or even justa smile or a wave just going by,
you know, like how you doing?
Good morning, just a goodmorning, just acknowledging that
another person is there, likewithin, you know, a couple feet
of you.
(38:10):
You know, we're all you know,it's uh but we are we're we're
all we're all part of this ofthis logistics transportation
machine, but we it's up to us tomake those extend that, extend
ourselves and say, hey, yeah,you know what, we're still
human.
I see you, you see me.
SPEAKER_00 (38:30):
Right.
Absolutely.
Great job with that.
What's one sentence you hopedrivers or excuse me, readers
from your book, whoever they maybe, all walks of life, will want
you want them to take away fromafter reading your book or
listening to this podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (38:47):
I would want them to understand, I would want them to
hopefully understand that truckdrivers are people, they always
have been people, and they havefeelings and they have emotions
and they have dreams, and thatwe want to make sure that they
are heard and understood, andthat if we're going to do
(39:12):
anything to make this industrybetter, that we need to look at
them as people, as whole humanbeings, and that emotional
well-being is not a luxury thatthis industry can, you know,
look away from anymore.
They need to take that needs, itneeds to be emotional
well-being, mental well-beingneeds to be part of the
(39:34):
conversation for this industryto continue.
Uh, drivers don't want anotherkeychain or a t-shirt or pizza
party, they want to beunderstood and they want to be
uh able to support theirfamilies and not have to become
(39:56):
casualties at the same time.
SPEAKER_00 (39:59):
Nice, nicely said.
I mean, think about all thethings that we're doing.
If all of these professionalswere to leave an industry, what
would that look like later, youknow?
So we got to try to keep some ofthe talent uh in the industry
and share that with uh the nextgeneration.
So a lot of people trying to dothat.
Great job.
And in closing, what's onelesson you learned on the road
(40:19):
that you think you probablywouldn't have learned if you
weren't in the truck?
SPEAKER_01 (40:26):
Wow.
That's good, that's a good one.
That's a good one.
I would say that the lesson Ilearned is that if you don't
hear or see somebody speakingout on a topic, become that
(40:48):
voice.
Be the person that says, Hey,you know what, this is something
that needs to be said, this issomething that needs to be done.
And I would have never if youhad told me five years ago that
I'd be writing a book on how tomake truck drivers handle this
industry better, I would havesaid, You're crazy, you're nuts.
(41:11):
I have no idea what I'm but herewe are, and it's because these
experiences and believe me,there have been some wonderful
experiences out here too.
I don't want to say it's allhorrible, but there are times
where drivers struggle.
And if you want to keep driversin the industry, you've got to
talk to them as human beings.
(41:32):
And so that's what I'm striving.
That's the lesson that I learnedis that I became the voice for
people who I I what I would liketo become, I shouldn't say I
have become, I would like tobecome a voice for people to
improve and be, you know, ifthey're in management, maybe
take a different approach to howthey handle their drivers, if
(41:55):
they're just starting out in theindustry, that this is a
resource that they can usetoward thriving in their career.
If they're a family member, theycan look at their driver and
work together as a family tomake this something where make
the situation work as best as itcan for their situation.
SPEAKER_00 (42:18):
Absolutely.
Yeah, and thank you.
And you provide that tool sothat it can be done.
Thank you.
Yeah, appreciate that.
So, yeah, I mean, you got tolook at all that's going on out
there.
I mean, we got a lot to dealwith just in the news headlines.
There's a lot of things going onthere.
So let's uh stay focused out onthe road, stay focused on who we
are and what we're becoming andhow we're being able to be used
(42:40):
in the industry to help not justourselves, but all those that
are out there.
So I appreciate you doing that.
There's been a lot of talk abouttrucks and efficiency, but not
enough about the human behindthe wheel, and that's what
you're doing.
So you're making that changepossible and be the change that
you want to be.
Like you said, speaking up, Imean, that goes in right along
with uh Tat truck is againsttrafficking.
(43:02):
So, what a great thing, justeven on that level, too.
So, I I love what they're doing,I love the mission that they're
trying to accomplish.
The more we can get involved,the more we keep talking about
it and keep it on the forefrontof our minds.
I think it's gonna helpeveryone.
So, yeah, yeah.
So, the book, the rough roadahead.
I got one coming in the mail.
I'll put it a picture out thereand I'll post it.
Yeah, so I'll be digging into itas well.
(43:25):
Uh, I just didn't time it gooduh where it would be here for
the show.
Um I apologize for that, but I'mgonna dig into it myself.
And so let everyone else knowwhere where they can find you
and uh where they can connectwith the book.
What's the best way to get thatgoing?
SPEAKER_01 (43:40):
Well, the best way you can get the book is go right
to oh sure, if they if they wantthe book, you go to our website,
which is www.componvoy.com.
And that is actually our homehub for all of our vlog
activity.
Just a typical day of truckingis my daily vlog, and you can
see me all over social media.
I'm on YouTube, Instagram,Facebook, TikTok, so you can
(44:03):
check in there.
But if you really but if youwant a direct connection, the
website www.compassconvoy.com isthe way to go.
And that's it can get you, andyou can get the book in a
physical copy and an ebook.
So if you don't feel likecarrying a physical book with
you, if you want to have both ofthem as a reference, I we want
to make that happen.
(44:24):
There's also that website alsohas a monthly blog article that
I produce, and that hasdifferent elements of driver
wellness.
There's a different topic everymonth from sleep to nutrition to
surviving the holidays.
So look for that every month.
I'd love to see peopleinterested, and I want to make
sure that I could provideresources for people to survive.
(44:47):
The road.
SPEAKER_00 (44:47):
Yeah, I mean that vlog is really good.
I mean, think about all thethings that people deal with
each day, and he's updated.
And that's what you're doing.
You're putting in their work tokeep them updated with those
changes.
And hey, that way we stay fluid,you know, we stay agile.
We're able to uh make make themoves and the necessary changes
just like driving a truck outthere on the road.
So great job.
And everyone out therelistening, if you like what you
(45:08):
see, if you like what you hear,please be sure to reach out to
us on that'sdeliver.com and alsoon uh anywhere you get your
streaming podcast networks.
Um be sure to let us know if youhave any questions or concerns
you want us to reach out andtalk about on the show.
We'd love to hear from you.
Also, share this episode withanyone you can.
This way it helps bringawareness to all the great
(45:29):
things that are going on in theindustry.
People need to hear what's goingon.
A lot of companies also canlearn from a lot of great tools
like your book, The Rough RoadAhead.
So thank you so much.
And until next time, I'm Truckand Ray, and that's delivered.
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