255: Running with the Clydesdales to Hauling Tanks

This week on the Oakley Podcast, Jeremy welcomes Gerald Brown, a seasoned truck driver with 30 years of experience, who shares his remarkable journey from real estate to trucking. Gerald is an owner/operator here at Oakley and candidly discusses his career challenges, including a failed attempt at managing multiple trucks, and his transitions through various trucking jobs, ultimately finding stability with Oakley Trucking. He highlights the importance of a supportive spouse, effective truck maintenance, and adaptability in the trucking industry, currently transitioning from hopper to pneumatic tank hauling. Gerald also offers insights into the daily challenges of trucking, such as parking difficulties, traffic congestion, and the impact of technology like e-logs. The episode provides a personal and inspiring narrative about perseverance, learning from failures, and finding success as an owner-operator, with Gerald emphasizing that having a strong support system and being willing to embrace new challenges are key to thriving in the trucking profession. You won’t want to miss this! 

Key topics in today’s conversation include:

• Welcome to Today’s Episode (1:05)
• 2290 Tax Form Reminders (2:51)
• Heat Safety and Company Calendar (4:20)
• Gerald Brown’s Background and Family (9:12)
• Balancing Trucking and Family Life (11:30)
• Gerald’s Path to Trucking (13:02)
• Owner-Operator Challenges and Fleet Ownership (16:43)
• Financial Setbacks and Recovery (19:05)
• Starting at Oakley and Early Setbacks (23:38)
• Switching Divisions and New Truck Purchase (00:25:14)
• Truck Maintenance Philosophy (28:48)
• Parking and Hours-of-Service Challenges (30:25)
• Biggest Challenges in Trucking Today (32:59)
• Importance of Family and Support (35:04)
• Bulk Trucking vs. Other Segments (37:40)
• Future Plans for Gerald and Parting Thoughts (39:09)

Oakley Trucking is a family-owned and operated trucking company headquartered in North Little Rock, Arkansas. For more information, check out our show website: podcast.bruceoakley.com.