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Lenay: Hello and welcome. The date is July 15 and you’re listening to the 58th episode of Big Rig Banter. I’m your favorite co-host Lenay Ruhl, and I’m your other co-host, Troy Diffenderfer
Troy: And hey guys I just wanted to take a minute and give a special shout out to all the professional drivers out there. You’re the ones keeping America moving during this challenging time
Lenay: And Pilot Flying J wants to say thank you as well. To show their gratitude for all you do, they want to give you more rewards and more points. It’s called Push4Points, and it can get you to four points faster while you’re racking up those hard-earned miles. That’s right, you can reach four points per gallon after only six qualifying fills.
Troy: Push4Points is available only in the Pilot Flying J ap for a limited time. It’s as easy as one two three, and here’s how it works. Step one: push the activate button in the app at the beginning of each month. Step two: fill your tank with at least 75 gallons of diesel. Step three: sit back and watch your point balance grow faster than ever before. You’ll increase your earning level after each commercial diesel fill over 75 gallons, from one, to one and a half, to two, to two and a half, and so on. You’ll be earning four points per gallon for the rest of the month after six qualifying fills.
Lenay: And what can you do with all those points? Well, your rig’s not the only thing that needs a fill up, right? When you get hungry or you need a tasty beverage, you can redeem points for in store savings on the essentials as well as merchandise for you and your rig. And when you pull into park for a while, you can redeem points for a reserved parking spot and WIFI credits at participating Pilot and Flying J locations.
Troy: And again, from Pilot Flying J, thank you for all you do, drivers, and stay safe on the road! See terms and conditions at https://pilotflyingj.com/app/?utm_campaign=PFJApp_Q12020&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=BigRigBanter
Lenay: So, Troy, how do you feel about me taking your spot?
Troy: Uh… I don’t mind it. I think it was time to you know, pass the torch to you. I think, even though Big Rig Banter is my little baby, I think you’ve also helped raise it for the last… probably over a year now. I think it’s time to let you lead the show.
Lenay: Thank you, thank you. I think so too (Laughing)
Troy: How was your July 4th weekend? We got a longer weekend which was definitely nice, and it was definitely warm enough to be July 4 weekend, that’s for sure.
Lenay: Yeah, I know. I was going to say, it was really hot. But otherwise it was good. I got to go swimming, see some fireworks, spend some time with my family, so yeah. How about yours?
Troy: Good, it was good. It was relaxing. We didn’t really have… usually we’ll go to a cookout or do something like that, but we kinda just hung around the house. We went fishing, which was really, really cool.
Lenay: Oh nice
Troy: Yeah, so we finally got to use our fishing license that we got last month, so that was really, really fun. A lot of the time was just, you know, relaxing and hanging around the house, which was really cool. I am a little nervous, uh…so I’m off Friday and I volunteered – so I was like, you know, I wanted to be a good husband, and I was like, Lydia, you pick whatever dish you want, and I will cook it.
Lenay: (Laughing)
Troy: It can be any cuisine, whatever. I will cook it. Since you’re working and I’m off, I want to be the one that has a meal waiting for you when you’re ready. And I don’t know why… I was like, she’s going to pick burgers or pasta that I’ve done before. And she was like, no, I want lasagna.
Lenay: (Laughing)
Troy: And I was just like, oooh. Cool. Alright I can do that. Of course. No problem, honey. I know there’s 37 ingredients and 12 steps but ok. So, um….
Lenay: Yeah
Troy: I might need some help. I know you were sending me Pinterest recipes so that was a good start but um… I don’t know. I’m not… when I cook, I’m like, I want it to be homemade and I want it to be my recipe. And by my recipe I mean like, I’m not going to follow directions, and I’m just going to be like, that looks like it would taste good.
Lenay: Just wing it (Laughing)
Troy: Yeah, so that’s what my homemade recipe is so…
Lenay: Yeah well I… I do the same, like I look at recipes and then I kind of improvise from there, so I mean, I did actually make lasagna during the quarantine and it turned out ok. I mean, I definitely… it is a lot of steps and I ended up having way too many noodles left over after I was done building my lasagna, but I had like, just enough sauce. So, you kind of have to think about that as you’re spreading it on and everything. And then I ended up having to make like two baking dishes full, because I had so much stuff, and my baking dishes are smaller so… yeah.
Troy: Yeah and I think even, I’m dreading… I’ll probably grocery shop the day of and get all of the ingredients, but even like grocery shopping during this weird time is like even more stressful. You’re in a mask, you know, I’m not the best grocery shopper anyway, because I don’t… I suck at memorizing the lay out of the stores so I’m constantly aisle three, then aisle seven, then back to produce, then to the meat department…
Lenay: Yeah, same.
Troy: And stuff like that, so we’ll see how that goes. I might be bugging you while you’re at work for some tips, or being like, what do I do if it’s on fire?
Lenay:(Laughing)
Troy: We’ll see how that goes, but I’m excited…
Lenay: I’m a pro at setting my oven on fire (Laughing)
Troy: That is true. That’s a story for another episode but…
Lenay: (Laughing) yes, yes, it is. So, for this episode, we are actually going to talk about what you should do if your trucking company closes. So, I guess what do you say Troy, it was what, 2019, late last year, we saw a lot of trucking companies close?
Troy: Yeah, that sounds about right. You know, it’s obviously not the happiest topic, but it’s really important. We saw this trend in 2019 and that wasn’t even taking into account – if we could see six months into the future – we would see things definitely got a little tougher for a lot of truckers. That trend definitely continued well into 2020 and of course COVID had a huge impact on that, so we wanted to really highlight what to do if your trucking company closes, because it’s a scary time, losing your job, no matter the circumstance and especially how abruptly these things can happen. We thought it was really good to flesh out and go over some tips and some things you can do if your company does close.
Lenay: Yeah, I mean it was crazy. In some of those situations the trucking company just like, sent out an email and then drivers were just stopped on the side of the road, like everything’s void, you know. You have no delivery, nothing. And they’re just like, ok, now what do I do? So, here are three things that you can do if that happens to you.
Troy: Yeah and you know, I hit on it before but you know in 2019 we’ve seen over 640 companies close and that’s just in 2019. That’s not accounting for the dozens if not hundreds of companies that have closed just because of COVID. And you know, we’ve spoken to guests already in recent months that have had that same issue happen or same thing happen to them. Yeah, Lenay, what’s one thing that truckers should keep in mind if their company does close?
Lenay: Well, I would say the first thing is just don’t panic. Make sure that if they send an email out or any kind of information out, that you read it carefully. Some companies are asking drivers to finish their delivery and then terminate, you know, so just make sure you read all of those instructions and follow them. Because obviously, at the end of the day, you don’t want your clients to be left high and dry either, so just make sure you follow whatever instruction the company gives you. In a case where they don’t give you any instruction, again, just try not to panic but think about what you need to do that’s best for you in that situation and not so much worrying about what happens to their equipment or things like that. Just think about what the best thing you can do for yourself is.
Troy: Yeah, and you gotta think of the money too. You know you’re still going to be getting mileage for delivering that load so you know you don’t want to just drop everything and leave your rig behind and get going. That’s money that you’re still going to be making finishing that delivery, so that’s really important as well.
Lenay: Well, hopefully, right.
Troy: Yeah, and then the second thing we would tell you to do is to figure out how you’re going to get home. There’s been horror stories of truckers getting that emails and they say, just drop your rig at the next location and yeah so, good luck to you, and that’s kind of all that truckers are left with. Luckily, there’s some charities and organizations out there that will dedicate to help truckers find a way home in the time of need. A place like the St. Christopher Trucker’s Relief Fund is a good one. They’re a nonprofit, and they always help truckers in difficult situations, especially when it comes to getting home. And you know, reach out to your company. There’s definitely been companies that are giving stipends or allowances that will allow you to catch a flight home or rent a car to get back home. That’s something you need to keep in mind. Obviously, you need to get home, and that’s a scary situation, especially when you have no way of getting home at first. We want you to definitely look at those resources, and they’ll definitely be helpful as well.
Lenay: Yeah, and because we saw so many trucking companies close, I know that a lot of these non-profits were stretched pretty thin on their resources, so if you are in a position where you’re doing really well financially and maybe you are one of those drivers that got really lucky during COVID and you were slammed, consider donating to these trucking resources too, because they can definitely use the help.
Troy: For sure, and just the last and third thing is you know, you want to keep rolling. You want to start looking at finding a new job, and luckily there’s tons of resources out there. Of course, AllTruckJobs is going to help you find a new job. We mentioned it before on previous podcasts but we’re seeing a big uptick in reefer jobs and flatbed jobs, so that might be where you want to look first. If you have experience driving either of those freight types, that’s something to keep in mind as well.
Lenay: Yeah definitely, I mean we did see a little bit of a fluctuation in the job market for truck drivers here in the past couple of months, but it seems to be leveling off now. And reefer and flatbed have not only been consistent but have actually really increased in job availability during COVID, so definitely a good place to start.
Troy: yeah and as always, feel free to contact us if you have any tips for drivers who are out of a job right now. Like we’ve said before, we’ve spoken to people on the podcast who have gone through a similar situation and they were able to provide a lot of insight, so any time you can help a fellow trucker out, you know, whether it be a job tip or just sharing your experience of what it was like losing your job, whether it be during this COVID situation or even years and years ago, any of that is helpful, so feel free to reach out to us. Message us and we’ll get them added to our blog that I had recently written on AllTruckJobs.com. I added some tips there so, anything we can do to help truckers during a difficult time is helpful.
Lenay: Yeah, for sure, and we’re on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube – so just feel free to reach out to us. And, if you have a free minute while you’re hanging out this week just leave us a review, because we’d love to hear how we’re doing.
Troy: Also, if you have any tips for making lasagna, I’m all ears.
Lenay: (Laughing) I have one! I have one!
Troy: Oh, the noodles, right? The magic noodles!
Lenay: Go to an Italian restaurant and buy it
Troy: Oh, that’s true, yeah. Olive Garden might be a life saver. But no, we really appreciate all the feedback we get, whether it’s through reviews or commenting on our social media. We love interacting with those who listen to the podcast, and it’s really cool and it’s a cool relationship to build as well.
Lenay: Yeah, absolutely, so keep in touch, and we hope you all had a safe and fun fourth of July weekend!
Troy: Yeah, that’s right, and I think that about wraps things up Lenay
Lenay: I think so
Troy: Alright. Once again I’m your co-host Troy Diffenderfer
Lenay: And I’m your favorite co-host Lenay Ruhl
Troy: And this has been Big Rig Banter
Music – Thanks for tuning into 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.