Music – Whether you’re hitting the road or kicking back in the cab, it’s time to take a load off with Big Rig Banter, powered by AllTruckJobs.com, your source for finding the trucking jobs drivers really want. Get ready to shift into gear and let the conversations roll.
Connor: Hello, and welcome to the 11th episode of Big Rig Banter. I’m your co-host, Connor Smith.
Troy: And I’m Troy Diffenderfer.
Connor: And today we’re gonna be talking about millennials in the trucking industry; ways to recruit millennials, types of jobs they’re driving today, and just get some perspectives on younger people in the industry and their career goals and all that good stuff.
Troy: Yeah! And we’re even gonna hear from Aaron Slagle, a millennial driver, and he’ll be giving us his experience while on the road.
Connor: Yep, that’s right. But first, let’s start off with some trucking news topics.
Music
Connor: Alright, so today is January 3rd, 2018. We made it into the New Year, and that also means that the ELD trucking mandate has been underway since last month, December 18th. It’s causing a lot of stir in the trucking world as I’m sure you all know, and they’re still working out some of the specifics for different types of drivers such as livestock haulers, and it’s gonna take a little bit of time before they get all of the kinks worked out and things like that. But Troy, our first news topic is talking about the penalties incurred for ELD violations, could you tell us a little bit more about that?
Troy: Yeah! Like Connor said, a few weeks ago, the ELD mandate went into effect and we know from Facebook and Twitter that there’s a lot of truckers that are not very happy about it. Enforcement personnel have been trained in anticipation of the ELD rule and now that it’s in effect, inspectors will be verifying hours of service compliance by reviewing records of duty status requirements electronically. And in addition, more penalties could be on their way. Actually, if you get pulled over, a fine during a roadside inspection is one of the swiftest penalties that you’ll see. The FMCSA has already published an out of service penalty that will be levied against a driver as of December 18th. Should the vehicle not have an ELD, and this means your rig will be sitting for at least ten hours and could put you out of commission for quite some time and unfortunately that’s not all. Basic points and fines are also going to be levied against your truck should you not have an ELD, and that has many truckers both worried and frankly, angry about this new mandate. Fines can range from $1000 to $10000 and obviously, that’s a large amount of money. So, I guess time will really tell, Connor, how truckers adjust to that, and of course, we always want to hear your opinions. We’ve been hearing them the last few weeks on our Facebook page and as always, we encourage you to reach out to us and give your opinions, and maybe give some personal experience already while you’re dealing with this new mandate. Connor, I know you have another news topic to cover.
Connor: That’s right! As we covered in our last episode talking about Tesla’s release of their semi, there’s actually a new kid on the block, or should I say, a new kid in Valhalla. A company called Thor has actually produced their own electric truck. Kind of seems like it came out of nowhere, but it’s called the ET-One, and it’s a Frankenstein; built from parts cobbled together from other tractor-trailers. This thing looks pretty cool, it does actually look like Thor’s hammer, just the front cab of it kinda slamming down on the road. I mean, they’re very distinct in their branding and their marketing of the whole thing, but it’s definitely a direct competitor with the Tesla semi before it hits markets in 2019. They actually are saying they might be able to make it to market faster than Tesla, so this is definitely one to watch, especially considering that this truck has a range of 300 miles, a full load capacity of 80,000 pounds, and will eventually retail for $150,000. It’s also working on a hundred-mile range version. So, yeah, electric trucks are all the rage, and everybody’s trying to get into this space at the moment, but this just kind of popped up on our radars. There’s a cool article on TheVerge.com that we’ll link below that’s detailing the company and their journey as a startup, and you can see the truck there and read some of the skeptics as well.
Troy: Yeah, I think the big thing for them is going to be kind of backing up their promises. I think they have the marketing and, obviously, the look right, and that’s a huge part of business, but I think if they can really back up, especially on this price point. I mean, truckers are gonna need something that’s affordable, but if it looks as slick as it does and can meet all the demands of truckers I think they could definitely be successful and kind of play with the big dogs like Tesla.
Connor: Absolutely, and it’s nice for people who kind of want to go against the grain and don’t want to just say “oh I’m just gonna buy a Tesla truck” and kind of conform to the whole phenomena of the electric trucks.
Troy: For sure.
Connor: Something to note is that the Thor trucks don’t have the automatic autonomous features necessarily, they’re just electric trucks, so that’s kind of a cool added bonus. Maybe more of a selling point for some people if they’re kind of wary about, you know, automated trucks stealing jobs and things like that, or they just don’t trust them.
Troy: Yeah
Connor: This is just an energy-efficient truck that could also find its way to markets, so check that out. The Thor truck, the ET-One.
Troy: Yeah, very cool. Hopefully, come this time 2019 we’ll be talking about it on the road and hopefully can speak with some drivers that are actually in a cab like that.
Connor: Indeed. Alright, now onto our final news topic for the day. As all of you probably know by now, Bitcoin is making headlines, people are buying Bitcoin in large numbers, the monetary value associated, or the stock value at least associated, with Bitcoin is way up. I think the last time we checked it was in the $17000-$20000 range.
Troy: For sure. And Connor, for some of our listeners and even me myself, can you kind of describe why people are gravitating towards Bitcoin?
Connor: Absolutely, yeah, I’ll do my best. I’m no expert on it, but my basic understanding is that a Bitcoin is essentially a line of code that people mine for. What that means basically is that there’s this algorithm at play in servers, and you can run your computer or your servers of computers to essentially solve problems within this algorithm, and once you solve a problem within that algorithm a Bitcoin, is mined. Each Bitcoin has its own distinct serial number so they can’t be replicated, and that means that there are only a certain amount of Bitcoins, and they can only be transferred using something called blockchain network which essentially is a ledger system that each party involved in the transaction has an accurate record of, and if these records at any point in time don’t match up to one another, essentially the transaction is invalid. So it’s a way to verify digital currency without necessarily having it backed up by, you know, any sort of standard, it’s more or less about the transaction and the usage of this currency that’s actually driving the cost.
Troy: So it’s essentially receipts and bank statements for cryptocurrency?
Connor: Right, right. The blockchain is the method by which you receive those receipts if you will. But anyway, the trucking industry is starting to look at this. As this technology becomes more prevalent and more people are buying Bitcoins and other types of cryptocurrencies, it may soon become an actual viable way to purchase goods and, eventually, do business. At this point, a lot of people use it for, you know, online transactions; buying digital products or even, I know a lot of the controversy is over the fact that so much of Bitcoin in its early days had been used for illegal purposes. People buying drugs and weapons and other things over the Internet, but now that it’s more mainstream, it’s a little more exposed and held accountable I think.
Troy: Yeah, and we’re even seeing some brick and mortar stores pop up that are accepting Bitcoin as well, whether it’s paying through mobile devices or iPads and such.
Connor: Exactly. And that kind of leaves the door open for transportation to make use of these technologies as well, considering that these are national businesses. You’re making payments to people all across the United States, and it can be a more secure way to do that. So in terms of trucking, there’s an article on TruckingInfo.com, and three of the main benefits they outline are authentication, finances, and process management. So all three of those things are areas where verifying payments and tracking transactions throughout time would be much more efficient to do than with current currency. The article also goes on to talk about the fact that there are 140 billion dollars in payments tied up in disputes in the trucking industry, so blockchain technology could help resolve those issues since each participant in a transaction would have access to the same information on that transaction. So you can think about this in terms of fleet maintenance. Fleets would have the ability to know everything about a truck, from the time it rolls off an assembly line throughout its service life, that includes every oil change, warranty repair, or any other service that would be visible in the blockchain to all participants. So you could really accurately track what was done to a truck over its lifetime, investments made, payments made to other companies, whether it’s logistics…whatever it’s going to be, you could use blockchain to quickly resolve disputes and make very secure payments. So we’ll have to see where all of this takes us, but just note that the trucking industry is looking into this technology heavily, and if you have the ability to invest in Bitcoin at this point or even mine for them yourselves, it seems like the right move to make at this point. But we’ll see what 2018 has in store for us in terms of cryptocurrency and the like.
Troy: Alright, and for today’s main topic we’re gonna be talking about millennial truckers. Connor and I are both millennials so we know what it’s like to live in this day and age, and we kind of know the stereotypes that come with being a millennial. Luckily, later in the show, we’re going to talk to a millennial who is in the trucking industry. So, our main goal is kind of to convince millennials why trucking is a good career path.
Connor: Absolutely, yeah. It’s not always an obvious route for a lot of millennials to take. It depends on a lot of different factors: whether or not you want to go to college, whether or not you can go to college, or whether or not you’d like to pursue a trade or a career of that type. Really, with the driver shortage being so dire at this point, it’s really important to start talking about the other options that there are for millennials, and some of the great careers out there. If you’re listening to this right now, you can actually go check out AllTruckJobs.com, we have student driver positions, and we’ll just throw that out there right away. Troy, why don’t you tell us a little bit about why millennials should consider trucking?
Troy: Yeah! Well, why don’t we start with the driver shortage? It’s something we’ve covered in past episodes, and it’s something that’s still prevalent today. It’s no secret that truck driver retention has been a struggle for many companies. Although steps have been taken to increase driver pay, a study by the American Truck Association says the driver turnover rate at large truckload companies has been stuck at 90% or higher since 2012, peaking at 106% in the second quarter of that year, and falling 10% to 96% at the end of 2014. Luckily, many trucking companies are putting together better financial and benefits packages to entice millennial drivers, whether it’s big bonuses, higher wages, or simply more connection between employer and employee, these trucking companies realize that millennials are a key to solving the driver shortage, but it’s also a relatively cheap financial investment.
Connor: Compared to college, at least. Compared to a four-year university or something like that…even most trade schools I would think. It’s a little more cost-efficient, and you get a lot of autonomy working as a trucker as well, and a lot of people just crave that. They don’t necessarily want to have desk job careers or anything like that, they just want to get out on the road and explore and make a good salary in the process.
Troy: Yeah, and driver schools actually play into that financial advantage that you can really lean on. A lot of driving companies will actually pay for your schooling with the agreement that you’ll come work for them after you complete your training. It’s a great way to kind of learn a new skill for free, and they already have a job in place at the end, which is something that is hard to find nowadays.
Connor: Absolutely. Each driver school will give you the exact type of education you need for all the different types of driving jobs out there. You’ll probably work first on getting your CDL Class A license, which is just your ability to drive most big rigs and commercial vehicles of that manner, you know, heavy-duty trucks. From there, you can really specialize in driving whatever type of trucks you’d be interested in. I think, Troy, you wrote an article a while back…kind of like a game show type of thing, detailing the type of driver jobs that are out there for new drivers to the industry.
Troy: Yeah! It breaks down each license type and what kind of trucking jobs you can take with that.
Connor: Exactly, and if you even want to head back to our earlier episode on driving schools and finding a job, those will be linked in the sidebar and below, you can check those out.
Troy: Yeah, and let’s not forget, there’s other areas of study that relate to trucking that doesn’t involve sitting in a cab all day. If you do want to take the college route, you can major in something like logistics or management or engineering where you’ll kind of be behind the scenes, making sure these truckers get where they need to go. I mean yes, it’s all about the truckers on the road, but we also need people to direct them and kind of handle the behind the scenes work.
Connor: Absolutely, those are also very viable career paths, and if you want to start out as a driver, you can certainly do that, and then eventually work your way up into higher positions as you continue your education and get a little bit more accustomed with the industry and how it functions. So, there are a lot of different ways to enter into transportation. If you try trucking out and you find out that it’s not for you, there are plenty of other avenues to take with that skill set, even just becoming like, a diesel mechanic or somebody who works on the trucks, you can make great money doing that if you’re more of the mechanical type of person as opposed to somebody who likes to get out on the road.
Troy: Yeah, and while I’m sure it’s nice hearing from us, why don’t we take a minute to bring Aaron Slagle onto the show? He’s a local millennial driver; he actually delivers produce around the Lancaster County area in Pennsylvania, and we had a chance to talk to him about his experience getting his first driving job and what it’s like being a millennial driver. Here’s that interview.
Music
Troy: Why don’t we just jump right into it? Again, I’m here with Aaron Slagle. He is a millennial trucker, and he’s here to kind of provide a perspective on driving as a millennial trucker. So Aaron, what made you want to start a career in commercial driving?
Aaron: Well, I never thought I would be, but my first job required me to get my CDL. I was working for a local municipality, so it was basically a single axle dump truck driving. We had a ten-wheeler, and I just loved it. Like, going in and saying that I’ve got to haul stone all day, I was like, “awesome, yes!” I loved it. So then after that, I got a job offer from a construction company and for that job, I needed to get my class A because I was hauling equipment as well as stone and material or whatever. It was still dump truck driving. So I got my class A, loved it, and then I did more construction driving at another company, but then I got a job offer from Lancaster Farm Fresh Organics hauling produce in the Tri-State area. I took that, and it was my first “delivery boy” style driving; the first time I did that. I love it, except it’s way too much paperwork. You get blamed for a lot of things that aren’t your fault but at the end of the day, I’m still driving, so it’s fun.
Troy: So going back, what was the process of earning your CDL like, and is there anything you’d do differently? I know you didn’t go to an actual driving school, you told us previously.
Aaron: Yeah, I trained through the people that I was working with. I got my permit and then they taught me how to do it. My experience is a lot different because I was taught by the older generation, and their style of driving is actually how you should drive. Like what they put in the book, what they teach you, is not, in my experience, how you should be driving a truck. Basically you have to treat it like you’re a survivor like you’ve got to always be aware, and it doesn’t seem like they emphasize that enough.
Troy: Did you get any pushback from your career choice? Whether it be from friends or family, or even older drivers when you initially were starting out?
Aaron: Yes actually. One of my really good friends, he was a truck driver his entire life. He’s, I don’t know, 78 now? I told him I wanted to drive truck and he goes, “I wouldn’t do it nowadays because, with the places that they have you going, it’s impossible to get into, and back in the day it wasn’t like that.” But also, there is kind of like a stigma attached to it as far as, you know, “you’re the dumb old truck driver” but besides that, my family, I didn’t get any pushback from them. I actually kind of pushed back myself because I’m not using my degree, but this is fun, this is what I want to do.
Troy: And how do you think more millennials can explore careers in trucking and commercial driving? I know that’s the big thing, trying to recruit this new generation, how do you think recruiters can attract them?
Aaron: Well what we first need to do is just get rid of all the social angst of not going to college and actually going to trade school. You know, apprenticeships aren’t even a thing anymore, and they really should be. That was my style of teaching as far as truck driving. You learn so much more because you have somebody teaching you their personal experience instead of, you know, “read this book.” I know they have driving simulators now and stuff like those, but that needs to change, like, it’s fine if you don’t go to school like college, it’s fine! And that attitude, when that shifts, then a lot more people will start driving truck again. But also, people not driving is driving up the wage and the salaries of truck drivers, so it’s not really that bad of a thing…but is a bad thing because there’s such a shortage.
Troy: I think the question I wanted to ask you most, and it’s something that Connor and I are kind of always covering and talking about, how do you feel about these ELDs and this ELD mandate? Because we constantly hear from truckers on our Facebook, and a majority of them hate it, but I’m sure you talk about it constantly and hear about it.
Aaron: Oh yeah. I’m completely against it, and I’ll actually send you a link to this amazing article about relating truck drivers to cowboys. Just like, kind of go and do your own thing. It’s taking the fun out of driving. It’s Big Brother coming back in and watching us at all times. It’s annoying, but I’ve always been an anarchist in that way. I still think it’s ridiculous, and it shouldn’t even exist.
Troy: Has your company adopted to that, or were they previously adopted? Or have they kind of had to change things since that mandate went in? I know Monday was the deadline for most trucking companies to get everything implemented.
Aaron: Well I don’t know the details of the mandate, but they must have I guess. I don’t know, we haven’t had any memos about it. But also, these trucks, some of them are just straight trucks and you don’t even need a CDL to drive them, so I don’t know if that’s part of the mandate, that every commercial vehicle has to have it.
Troy: So what are some ways you think social media can help young drivers? Are there any industry-related websites you follow to kind of get information, or are there any resources you still use or used early on when you were just beginning to truck?
Aaron: Yeah I follow…I think it’s called CDL Life on Facebook. It’s a really good source; they always have good articles. Also, there’s another one I follow, I think it’s Dump Truck Driving or something like that, but I don’t really follow that anymore because I’m not driving dump truck.
Troy: And of course, Big Rig Banter and AllTruckJobs as well I’m sure.
Aaron: Oh yeah, yeah. You’ve got the big name ones that are really popular, but that CDL Life one, that’s probably my favorite page to go to. They always have good advice, and it keeps you up to date on trucker news.
Troy: So what do you have planned for the future? I mean, I know right now you’re working for the Farm Fresh Company locally. Would you ever consider going kind of intrastate, or do you want to stay locally or kind of get a change of scenery? What are you thinking about?
Aaron: Well my soon-to-be wife and I have considered moving out to Colorado, and I don’t know what the industry is like out there, but that’s one option that I was thinking of. But yeah, I really do want to go over the road. I even thought about buying my own rig. Just like, selling everything that I have and living in the truck for a while. I know a few guys that have done that. A buddy of mine, him and his wife sold everything and bought a rig, and they just live in the rig. They drive all around the country.
Troy: Yeah what’s that process like? Do you think more millennials would do that? Do you think that’s taking a big jump? Tell me what the process was kind of doing research when it comes to getting your own rig and possibly using that as your home.
Aaron: I mean it’s not like I’m dead set on that, it’s just an option that I was thinking of, but through my research, through talking to people who have done it, it is pretty complicated because of tax write-offs and stuff like that. And the overhead costs are phenomenal, so that’s one thing that turns me off about it, but it really does seem like the industry isn’t going in that direction. Since there’s such a shortage, it seems like companies will pay for you to get your CDL and then you can work for the company, so I think that’s a huge thing right now. But yeah, the whole millennial trucking thing, trying to spark interest in people, it’s really difficult because nobody really cares about it.
Troy: Yeah, and you were talking about this kind of societal ignorance, I wanted you to elaborate on that too.
Aaron: Yeah, even millennial driving, not even truck driving, has rendered it very difficult because nobody obeys traffic signs anymore. Like nobody really knows how to drive, even with their regular license. Maybe that would be a big first step, is to actually teach people how to drive. I mean, you’re always gonna have bad drivers. My brother is the worst driver in the world, and he’s just always gonna be like that I guess, I don’t know. It makes it VERY difficult. You know, we live in a high-speed world right now, and nobody knows how to just like, tone it down and just go at a good rate of speed.
Troy: For sure. Well, Aaron, I thank you a lot. I appreciate you coming on the show. We always appreciate hearing your input obviously. We’re around the same age, so it’s great to hear someone’s input on the industry and kind of get to know what it’s like first-hand as a millennial driver coming up through the ranks.
Aaron: Yeah, for sure! Thanks for including me.
Troy: Again, that’s Aaron Slagle talking about the millennial driver experience.
Music
Connor: So again, a special thank you to Aaron Slagle for coming on the program and telling us all that cool information and just giving us the low down on millennial trucking. So now, we’re gonna get a little bit more into things that millennials can also look out for on social media for when they’re thinking about companies to check out for driving jobs, or just flirting with the idea of becoming a trucker, you know? To start, check out social media because there’s a lot of great resources out there today. There’s a lot of people talking about the industry on social media, places like Facebook and Twitter, and LinkedIn as well. You can kind of hear from all sorts of people and what they feel about the industry, specific issues as they pop up in news feeds and things like that. You can also stay up to date on the latest industry trends that way. I know as far as what we post on AllTruckJobs, we try to educate our audience as to what’s going on in the world of trucking and keep everybody up to date with regulations, whether it’s ELDs, stuff like autonomous trucks… But really, this is just a good way to get a feel for how trucking is perceived and how it’s evolving in the digital space. It’s really important for truckers to feel connected, and for companies to connect with potential drivers in terms of the lifestyle and making a career out of trucking. We do have some experience with video marketing at this point, you know the whole Troy Thunder video was a fun sort of stint into that, and we’re gonna have a lot more of that coming this year hopefully.
Troy: Alright, so now we talked about why you should be a trucker, but let’s talk about the lifestyle of a trucker because it’s definitely a unique one, and maybe one that most millennials aren’t accustomed to. One of the biggest things is the lengths and the types of seasonal jobs. Obviously, there’s gonna be some cases where you’re going to be on the road for a long time, and that’s something you need to consider; if that’s kind of the lifestyle for you. That’s why it’s perfect, millennials, you might not have a family yet, you might not have a wife or children at home, and it’s a great kind of job to get your foot in the door and really experience what the country has to offer at a young age. Many of these millennials are getting the chance to criss-cross the country while making money, which is always an advantage. And seasonal jobs are always good too if you want to only work a few months out of the year. You can put in your work and, kind of like a schoolteacher, you can have a few months off each year to just relax and use the money that you’ve saved up as well. Friends and family is another one, Connor, and I know you can account for that.
Connor: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I have no real, direct experience in sort of relating to it necessarily, but as a trucker, friends, and family, you’re going to have to think about checking in with people in your life. It can be difficult to sometimes make time for everybody if you’re traveling throughout the country, and to kind of keep relationships going, and that is important because trucking is such a lone profession at times. You’ve got your CB radio but that only goes so far with quality conversation and what have you. So at the end of the day, it can be about organizing times to see friends and family. I know we just had the holidays, too, so when things like that happen it’s best to kind of plan ahead of time and make sure that you’re connecting with everybody in your life that you can, and like you mentioned, Troy, a lot of millennials, not everyone, we’re getting older here obviously, but not everybody is settling down as quickly as maybe their parents were, so there’s a lot more flexibility in your ability to create a career in driving.
Troy: Yeah, and another thing to think about is your commitment to follow the rules as a trucker. Truck driving does have some very strict regulations, but one of the benefits is the money. You’re doing a job that has a lot of responsibility and it’s important to be on time and to follow regulations, whether it’s on the road or just listening to your employer and maybe that’s not for everyone, but a commitment to avoid trouble is a huge part of becoming a trucker. Aaron talked about it, that many millennials don’t know how to drive it seems, so that’s a huge thing. You need to stay vigilant on the road and be attentive, and really hold yourself accountable if you get into this type of career.
Connor: And that’s something that can kind of come with experience but obviously if you’re just starting out in your career, you have to pay extra attention to that and again, like Aaron was saying, learn from the pros, learn from the people who have been in it for a while who can give you good advice. He kind of made the comment as well that trucking schools don’t always teach you exactly how things function on the road. Sometimes it just takes getting out in your own rig to kind of figure that out and connecting with people in the industry to get a good feel for that. So yeah, definitely stay committed to avoiding trouble and to sum up the lifestyle, pretty much you have to lead a pretty clean, sober existence for what it’s worth as well. You know, you have to be alert in the cab so you can’t be drinking, you can’t use any type of drugs that’ll come up on a test. It’s important to kind of discipline yourself to really orient to be the best driver that you can, which is not always in line with millennial viewpoints or perspectives either. It takes a lot, but if you can do it, it’s a great job and it’ll keep you employed for a while.
Troy: Yeah, and we hope this episode kind of spurred any millennial listeners out there to really engage in the trucking career, or if you have friends that are millennials, we hope you encourage them to think about pursuing a career in trucking. The driver shortage is a huge issue and if it’s not fixed, it could really hurt us in the long run. If you want more information, we’ve covered a lot of these issues more in-depth on previous episodes so feel free to look through our archives and give them a listen, and don’t forget to head over to AllTruckJobs.com if you’re looking for a job, and that includes not just millennials, but truckers of all experience levels, so feel free to head on over there and find the best possible trucking job for you. But Connor, I know we have some fun topics to get to before we head on out.
Connor: That’s right. So, it is the new year; it’s 2018 and hopefully, all of you guys out there have formulated some kind of new year’s resolution, and that could be a personal thing, or you could make it completely related to trucking and your career as a trucker. Actually, AllTruckJobs.com does have a post, it was written two years ago but I think it’s still pretty relevant. Troy, why don’t you get us started with the first trucker new year’s resolution we have.
Troy: Yeah, for sure! This is one that I need to take to heart myself, and that’s adopt positive sleeping habits. I know I tend to stay up pretty late and get up in the morning and I’ll pay for it around two or three in the afternoon. There’s no better time than the start of a fresh year to get thinking about correcting bad sleep habits you have because when your livelihood depends on the ability to operate a giant truck, you really want 7-9 hours of sleep a night to feel refreshed and alert when it gets later in the day, so that’s something you truckers should really focus on. Especially with these ELDs that are going to be tracking the amount of time you’re trucking, you should have plenty of time to catch some sleep.
Connor: Hopefully! And that leads us to our second new year’s resolution which is getting into better routines. I mean, I think that’s incorporating sleep but it also incorporates nutrition. Make sure you’re eating protein and some veggies. Try to pre-plan your meals a little bit more so that you’re not scrambling and you just have to pick something up that’s crappy at a rest stop. Make stuff ahead of time. Make some Mason jars. You can go check out our earlier episode where we talk about nutrition and the whole lifestyle but make an effort to eat better because you’ll feel better, you’ll sleep better, and all of your routines will follow as well.
Troy: For sure! And you also want to make time for loved ones, especially you millennials getting out there on the road. It’s always important to kind of stay in contact with those at home. If you’re an over the road driver that doesn’t get much time at home, try to communicate digitally with the ones you want to talk to, whether it’s FaceTime or Skype, or just a simple phone call. It’s important to keep these ties and I think it really keeps you grounded while you’re on the road and reminds you why you’re doing this career.
Connor: Exactly. As we also hit on previously, keep in mind what you’re sipping on. If you’re a coffee drinker or you like to drink sugary drinks, just keep tabs on that. You’ll be sitting a lot more often if you’re just getting into trucking and you’re not really accustomed to the lifestyle. It’s important to drink and stay hydrated and also, just be very conscious of your alcohol intake because that’ll affect things like sleep. Now is a good time in the winter to really ramp up your health and get in a good routine, get more active for the new year because when spring rolls around, it’ll be a little easier. Winter’s always the time where people get a little gloomy and they don’t have much motivation, but if you can take care of that in the bleak mid-winter, then that’s pretty good, that’ll keep you sailing until spring. So Troy, what is your new year’s resolution this year?
Troy: Well I think it’s less of a resolution for me, but I think it’s important that you and I both look ahead and look towards the future of Big Rig Banter. It’s something that Connor and I talk about every day. We talk about where we want to take this podcast and where it’s come from in the last year. You know, this is something that we started and we didn’t know how many people would listen to or how quickly we’d gain a following. Luckily, we were able to get some analytics in the last few months and it was nice to see that we do have people listening to this podcast and again, we thank each and every one of you for listening, and it really means a lot. We’re trying to do something good for the trucking community and to know that there are people listening and want to hear us cover various topics, that really means a lot to us, so, Connor, why don’t we look forward to 2018? What do you want to accomplish when it comes to Big Rig Banter?
Connor: Hm, well, I personally would like to do a lot more video content. Maybe make some more Troy Thunder videos or something like that, and we’re also looking to do a live episode at some point in time. You know, have people interviewed on the spot and come talk to us, whether that’s at some convention remains to be seen, but yeah, keep your eyes open for all that we have planned for Big Rig Banter this 2018, it’s going to be a big year for us. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter @BigRigBanter, subscribe to us on YouTube, and of course, download this if you haven’t already. How else would you be listening to it? On iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher. But yeah, after that shameless plug, thanks again everybody for listening, and next episode, we’re going to be talking about relationships on the road, a pretty saucy topic that we’ve been holding out on for quite some time. I don’t know if anybody’s followed our trucking blog on AllTruckJobs.com at all, but there’s one post called “Lovers Lane” that gets frequent attention. We get comments for this post almost every week, sometimes twice a week, if not more. Be sure to check that out, but our next episode, like I said, is going to be focusing on relationships on the road for February, you know, Valentine’s Day is rolling around so be sure to stay tuned for that. Thanks again for listening, I’m your co-host, Connor Smith.
Troy: And I’m your co-host, Troy Diffenderfer.
Connor: And this has been Big Rig Banter.
Music – Thanks for tuning in to another edition of Big Rig Banter. For your next job, check out AllTruckJobs.com, the premier online source for finding the best driver jobs in the country. Browse hundreds of positions by freight or driver type to get back on the road with confidence. Click “subscribe” to keep the conversations coming, until next time on Big Rig Banter.
