Back to School & Labor Day: Safety, Kids & Roads We've Traveled

Released 09/02/2026

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Episode description

Back-to-school season is one of the most dangerous times of the year on American roads, and every pro driver knows it. In Episode 30 of Always Pneumatic, Never Static, host Marcus sits down with drivers Paul Francis and Walter Anderson to discuss what years behind the wheel of a commercial truck have taught them about sharing the road with school buses, unpredictable teen drivers, and children at play in the neighborhoods they roll through every day. Slowing down, keeping your head on a swivel, and building the kind of patience that only comes from experience are all on the table in the first half of this episode. Then, in honor of Labor Day, the conversation takes a genuinely fun turn as Paul and Walter look back at the jobs they had before trucking and pay homage to the work that shaped them before they ever sat behind the wheel of a big truck. Informative, practical, and a little nostalgic all at once. This one is for the drivers, the parents, and everyone who has ever had to work for a living. New episodes every Wednesday at podcast.bulktransit.com.

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About This Episode

This week on Always Pneumatic, Never Static, host Marcus marks Episode 30 with one of the most enjoyable conversations the show has produced. Driver Paul Francis returns for another appearance and is joined by Walter Anderson from the Evansville terminal, making his first appearance on the show. The episode runs two tracks simultaneously. A genuinely practical back to school safety conversation for every pro driver rolling through neighborhoods and rural roads right now, and a Labor Day tribute that turns into a walk down memory lane through every job the three of them ever worked before they found their way to a steering wheel.

Episode Highlights

Walter Anderson, first appearance from the Evansville terminal: Walter has been driving for Bulk for six years as of November and is the first Evansville driver to appear on the show. He credits terminal manager Charlie with being a good guy to work for and immediately gets recruited by Paul to start sending more Evansville drivers Marcus's way. Marcus accepted the assist gladly.

The back to school safety conversation every driver needs: Marcus set the stage before bringing the guests in. Farm kids waiting on dirt roads for the bus. Children congregating on street corners and rural pathways. School buses with unpredictable stops. Neighborhoods full of young people who have not yet learned to respect how long it takes an 80,000 pound truck to stop. Both Paul and Walter drove home the same two points independently. Slow down. Head on a swivel. Every single time.

Patience as a skill that gets built over time: One of the most valuable parts of the safety conversation was not about a specific hazard but about mindset. Marcus asked both drivers how they handle the moments when four-wheelers cut them off, do not give them enough room, or create genuinely dangerous situations without realizing it. Both drivers described the same progression. Early in their careers it got under their skin. Over time they learned that getting frustrated behind the wheel of a loaded truck is a safety risk in itself. The patience came with the miles and they both recommend building it deliberately rather than waiting for it to show up on its own.

Teen drivers, the most important reminder of the season: Both Paul and Walter acknowledged that they were once the exact kind of drivers that stress out pro truckers. Young, feeling invincible, not fully understanding what it takes to stop a big truck. Paul said it plainly. He used to not have much respect for the big rigs when he was a young driver because at that age you think you are going to bounce back from anything. That honesty was one of the most effective moments in the safety conversation because it acknowledges where teen drivers are coming from rather than just criticizing them.

Paul's first job, paper boy at nine years old: Paul started his working life delivering papers for a dollar a day in a town called Tolworth, West Virginia. Twenty houses. A little store. Enough candy to keep him going until the next dollar arrived. He kept the route until he was twelve or thirteen before graduating to farm work.

Walter's first job, Grit newspaper and the soda fountain: Walter sold Grit newspapers by mail order before moving on to mowing lawns, taking trash out for elderly neighbors, and eventually working at a soda fountain in junior high where his daily reward was a large cherry Sprite loaded up in a styrofoam cup. Marcus confirmed he was also a Shirley Temple and Roy Rogers kid and the conversation about soda fountain drinks and peanuts in Coke bottles went longer than anyone planned.

Walter gets demoted from busboy to dishwasher: Walter described taking a job at a fancy restaurant in Vincennes, Indiana where the wealthy clientele expected nothing but deference. A particularly rude customer got rudeness right back from Walter and he found himself reassigned to the dish pit faster than he could fill a bus tray. He noted that in hindsight the dishwasher job had one advantage the busboy job did not. No customers.

Paul's farm work and the things you find in hay bales: Paul graduated from the paper route to bailing hay, picking rocks out of fields, morning and evening milkings, and eventually driving tractors through high school. Marcus asked what kinds of things you find in hay bales. Paul said animals. A big black snake appeared right at his face at close range at some point during those years. Marcus did not press for more details.

Marcus was a Subway sandwich artist: Marcus went on record. Equal parts embarrassed and proud. He worked at the only fast food establishment in his hometown of roughly two thousand people and still goes back to eat there when he visits his parents. He also worked at Applebee's as a waiter where a woman attempted to get him fired for not offering her dessert at a full restaurant during a busy lunch rush. The dessert menu was on the table. He is still processing it.

Paul's most exciting job, coal mining: Marcus did not see this coming. Paul spent time working in the coal mines and described it as his most exciting job to date despite it also being one of the most physically and mentally demanding. It stopped Marcus mid-sentence. It is the kind of answer that only comes out in this kind of conversation.

Walter is a musician and working with a nine year old prodigy: Walter's favorite job is not driving. It is playing bass guitar. He performs mostly country music and some old rock and roll and is currently working with a nine year old girl named Mackenzie Watts who wrote a song called Let Me Be when she was six years old for a friend who was being bullied. Walter encouraged everyone listening to look her up on YouTube. Marcus gave a rhythm section handshake across the phone line. As a drummer of thirty years he confirmed that without the bass and the drums the whole thing falls apart. Walter quoted Peter Frampton on the subject. Marcus took it with him.

The terminal manager roundtable idea: Paul suggested that Marcus get all the terminal managers together for a dedicated roundtable episode. Jason Schaffner from Sydney came up specifically with advance warning that there may need to be some editing involved. Marcus put it on the board.

From The Host

“Thirty episodes. I did not plan to feel anything particular about that number and then I sat down to write this and realized what thirty episodes actually means. Thirty weeks of conversations. Thirty sets of guests who showed up and trusted this show with their stories, their experience, their honesty, and in Walter's case, a Peter Frampton quote that I will genuinely be thinking about for a long time. Paul Francis has now appeared on this show more times than I can count and he gets better every single time. Walter Anderson walked in as a first-timer and left like a veteran. Happy Labor Day to every single person in the Bulk and Spur family. Drivers, shop guys, yard jockeys, terminal staff, office managers, dispatchers, everyone. You work hard and you deserve a day that acknowledges it. And for every driver out there rolling through a neighborhood this week, slow down. The kids are back. Head on a swivel. Get home.” — Marcus Bridges, Host

Transcript

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1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:07,240 How's it going out there? Bulk and Spur? Welcome into another episode of Always Pneumatic, Never Static. 2 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:14,240 I'm your host, Marcus. Thank you so much for being here today. You are joining us for episode 30 3 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:19,840 of this amazing podcast that we get so fortunate to listen to every single week. I shouldn't pat 4 00:00:19,879 --> 00:00:23,999 myself on the back like that, but you guys are enjoying it and you are out there listening to it 5 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:28,840 and you're telling your friends about it, and we greatly appreciate it. Every single one of you 6 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:34,439 that either went to the website this week or downloaded this on your favorite podcast app. It 7 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:40,200 means the world to us. You are the reason we do it. And so I just want to extend that. Thank you. At 8 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:46,120 the top of episode 30, before we get into what we're talking about today, uh, and as a quick 9 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:52,320 reminder, that website podcast.bulktransit.com head on over there. Uh, you can take 10 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:57,680 the quizzes at the end of each episode. Test your mettle. Uh, know that I did have a conversation 11 00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:03,049 this week about another impending giveaway that we are talking about. And when we do have that 12 00:01:03,049 --> 00:01:08,650 prize to give away, your way to get entered is to go take those quizzes. And it doesn't matter 13 00:01:08,650 --> 00:01:14,369 whether you get one question right or all of them right, or none of them right. Uh, all you have to do 14 00:01:14,370 --> 00:01:20,249 is just submit the quiz and you will be entered for our drawing. So stay tuned to the show here, 15 00:01:20,249 --> 00:01:26,970 because I'll be very, very vocal about when we have that next drawing. Um, and actually I'm going 16 00:01:26,970 --> 00:01:31,569 to try I'm going to put in some effort here off the air to get a hold of a couple of the guys, 17 00:01:31,569 --> 00:01:37,289 that one are cooling vests that we gave away right when we launch the podcast. Because I want 18 00:01:37,330 --> 00:01:42,249 to report, man, the dog days of summer upon us. I want to know if they've been out there using that 19 00:01:42,249 --> 00:01:48,649 cooling vest and if it was effective. Um, and, uh, I, I'm not going to give you any spoilers, but I'll 20 00:01:48,649 --> 00:01:54,289 tell you that some of the prizes that we talked about in said meeting, uh, were pretty freaking 21 00:01:54,289 --> 00:02:01,129 cool. So make sure you stay tuned head on over to podcast.bulktransit.com and take the 22 00:02:01,129 --> 00:02:05,329 quizzes. You can email me there if there's something you want to hear about on this podcast. 23 00:02:05,329 --> 00:02:12,129 I love taking requests. Uh, so jump on over there and drop me a line. Okay, first things 24 00:02:12,130 --> 00:02:18,329 first. Happy Labor day. Um, this is our Labor Day special. This is also our back to school special. 25 00:02:18,329 --> 00:02:24,449 We're kind of mashing these things together, and I like it because we get to have some fun. But we 26 00:02:24,449 --> 00:02:30,009 also get to focus on something that is so important in this job, and that is safety. And 27 00:02:30,009 --> 00:02:37,009 every single year around this time of year, we start to see the schools kick back into gear. We 28 00:02:37,009 --> 00:02:42,129 start to see school busses out there on the road. We start to see kids congregating on street 29 00:02:42,130 --> 00:02:48,529 corners and on roads and on rural pathways. There's another really important one man, those 30 00:02:48,529 --> 00:02:54,929 farm kids that grow up on farms out in the outer stretches of various towns and cities in our 31 00:02:54,929 --> 00:02:59,499 great country, also have to get to school, and a lot of times they're waiting out on the side of a 32 00:02:59,500 --> 00:03:04,459 dirt road for a bus to come pick them up. You got to keep your head on a swivel this time of year, 33 00:03:04,460 --> 00:03:09,459 and we are going to bring in a couple of drivers here in just a couple of minutes to talk to us 34 00:03:09,460 --> 00:03:14,979 about how they go about that. And there's some really important elements in our conversation 35 00:03:14,979 --> 00:03:21,419 that I want you to just keep an eye on. Um, one of the drivers is going to tell me head on a swivel. 36 00:03:21,500 --> 00:03:27,539 They're both going to tell me, slow down. And there is a very cool part of this conversation coming 37 00:03:27,539 --> 00:03:33,459 up where we talked about patience. And if you're anything like me, you've probably had your 38 00:03:33,460 --> 00:03:39,939 patience tested out there on the road. Now my patience gets tested as a four Wheeler, so I can't 39 00:03:39,939 --> 00:03:46,659 imagine what it must be like. For those of you in a giant truck with 80,000 pounds on your 40 00:03:46,659 --> 00:03:53,139 back. Um, people don't respect you out there. People don't give you enough room. People cut you off. Um, 41 00:03:53,139 --> 00:03:58,619 and we're going to hear about that and how these drivers that we're welcoming in here, Paul and 42 00:03:58,620 --> 00:04:05,459 Walter, have sort of increased their patience over the years. And that's a really important thing 43 00:04:05,460 --> 00:04:10,619 because you can change, right? If you find yourself being impatient and being a little bit hot under 44 00:04:10,620 --> 00:04:15,419 the collar out there on the road, a little bit of introspection and some work on yourself can 45 00:04:15,420 --> 00:04:20,559 change that about you. Or hey, maybe you just need to find a safe place to pull over and take a two 46 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:26,379 hour nap. We'll talk about that too. Uh, and also coming up in our conversation, we did a little bit 47 00:04:26,380 --> 00:04:30,780 of a two parter here, and it's I gotta get out of the way because this conversation went over an 48 00:04:30,780 --> 00:04:35,700 hour with Walter and Paul, and it's it's awesome. We had a good time all the way through it. Lots of 49 00:04:35,700 --> 00:04:41,499 great information. The fun part of, uh, the the interview is going to come on the second half 50 00:04:41,500 --> 00:04:47,939 where we talk about some of our first jobs, some of the best jobs we've had, some of the crazy 51 00:04:47,939 --> 00:04:53,059 stuff that we did as kids to earn some money. So we had a little walking around, change in our 52 00:04:53,059 --> 00:04:58,790 pocket and can go get the Mountain Dew or the Snickers bar or whatever it may be. Um, and you're 53 00:04:58,790 --> 00:05:03,349 going to be surprised at some of the jobs that Walter and Paul worked over the course of their 54 00:05:03,350 --> 00:05:08,469 lives. And, uh, you know, I'll go ahead and tell you a couple about me as well. One that I didn't 55 00:05:08,469 --> 00:05:15,189 mention as my favorite job, uh, because I didn't really stop to think about how great of a job it 56 00:05:15,189 --> 00:05:22,030 was. I was a parasail boat captain for three years on Wallowa Lake in Wallowa County, Oregon. It is a 57 00:05:22,030 --> 00:05:27,629 four and a half mile long lake that was formed by a glacier. It's pretty cold, but it sits up at 58 00:05:27,630 --> 00:05:34,549 about 3000ft elevation in this beautiful alpine mountain setting. And I was the guy that got to 59 00:05:34,590 --> 00:05:41,389 drag you around in a parasail at either 4 or 800ft worth of rope, way up in the 60 00:05:41,390 --> 00:05:46,749 sky, looking up into the mountains. Um, you know, there was a family of bald eagles in a in an old 61 00:05:46,750 --> 00:05:53,149 growth tree, and we used to make sure and take that parasail right by that family of bald eagles, 62 00:05:53,189 --> 00:05:58,989 especially if they had young eagles in there. They would be out there teaching them to fly. Oh my 63 00:05:58,989 --> 00:06:05,189 gosh. People would load up our tip jar with $20 bills. What a great job to have as a high school 64 00:06:05,189 --> 00:06:10,509 kid. I would go out there in the morning, put the parasail boat in the water, fly people around all 65 00:06:10,510 --> 00:06:16,829 day round about 3:00. It would get too windy to fly the parasail safely anymore, so I'd trailer 66 00:06:16,829 --> 00:06:23,029 the parasail boat, run home, take the six mile trip back home to my dad and mom's house, grab my dad 67 00:06:23,029 --> 00:06:28,469 and mom's boat and get back out to the lake and be able to wakeboard and waterski with my friends 68 00:06:28,469 --> 00:06:33,670 until dark. Um, I don't know if anybody had it better than that. I know there's a lot of really 69 00:06:33,670 --> 00:06:38,349 cool stories about how kids spent their time when they were in high school, and we're going to hear 70 00:06:38,350 --> 00:06:43,269 some of those from Paul and Walter. But that was one job that I didn't bring up in. Just a little. 71 00:06:43,630 --> 00:06:48,109 Just a little taste or a tease, as we call it here in the industry of what we're going to be talking 72 00:06:48,109 --> 00:06:53,480 about later on in the interview. So without further ado, let's bring Paul Francis and Walter 73 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:59,399 Anderson in here and talk a little bit about back to school safety and a little bit about Labor Day, 74 00:06:59,399 --> 00:07:06,319 because we're talking jobs. You are listening to Always Pneumatic, 75 00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:11,839 never Static. The Totally Pressurized podcast brought to you by Bulk Transit where we keep the 76 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:17,120 lines clear, the tanks empty and the conversation anything but dried. Whether you're running powder 77 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:21,959 pellets or anything in between. Pull up a seat, crack the windows, and let's hit it. 78 00:07:24,999 --> 00:07:30,799 All right. Welcome back in here to always pneumatic, never static. I am very excited about 79 00:07:30,799 --> 00:07:36,119 our next conversation here today, because it's going to have a little bit of a safety theme. And 80 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:41,200 towards the end we're going to have a little bit of fun because this is going to function as sort 81 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:47,559 of a Labor Day special. Also a back to school special. Uh, that's where the safety comes in is 82 00:07:47,559 --> 00:07:52,640 the back to school part. Now for the fun, I'm going to ask these drivers joining me a little bit 83 00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:58,919 later here about some of their first jobs. We're going to talk about the labor part of Labor Day. 84 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:04,399 We're going to talk about all the jobs that we've had in our upbringing the worst bosses, the best 85 00:08:04,399 --> 00:08:10,399 bosses, the worst thing we've ever had to do at a job. I know everybody's got these stories and I've 86 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:15,959 got two drivers here today joining me that are going to get in on this conversation. I'm very 87 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:21,358 excited. So I want to welcome them in right now. Joining us once again on the show. We've got Paul 88 00:08:21,359 --> 00:08:26,160 Francis on the line. Paul, it's always good to have some time with you my friend. Welcome back into 89 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:32,960 always pneumatic never static. Thank you I enjoy it. Well we enjoy having you, my friend. And, uh, we 90 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:38,319 appreciate the time. Uh, we've also got a new guest joining us today, making his first appearance on 91 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:43,919 the show. And that is Walter Anderson. Walter, thank you so much for being here. Oh. You're welcome. Glad 92 00:08:43,919 --> 00:08:49,239 to be here. Now, Walter, with everybody that makes their first appearance on the show, I always like 93 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:53,969 to sort of introduce them to the listeners a little bit and find out just a little bit about 94 00:08:53,969 --> 00:08:59,090 you. Uh, first and foremost, what terminal do you drive out of? I drive out of the Evansville 95 00:08:59,130 --> 00:09:04,169 terminal. Evansville, Indiana. Perfect. Man, I don't think we've had anybody from Evansville on here 96 00:09:04,169 --> 00:09:09,569 yet. So you're, uh, you're kind of the the first one. You gotta do some work for me. Tell some of these 97 00:09:09,569 --> 00:09:16,530 guys they gotta come on the show, man. Oh, okay, I'll get right on that. I appreciate it. I appreciate 98 00:09:16,530 --> 00:09:21,649 the help. Word of mouth is huge for us here in the podcast world. Walter. Uh, how long have you been 99 00:09:21,650 --> 00:09:28,289 driving for bulk? Uh, six years in November. Six years? November the 6th. As a matter of fact. 100 00:09:28,330 --> 00:09:34,249 That's great, man. And, uh, you must like it to be sticking around after six years. Yeah, they're a 101 00:09:34,249 --> 00:09:39,329 pretty good company to work for. I like my terminal manager, Charlie. He's. He's a pretty good 102 00:09:39,329 --> 00:09:44,489 guy. He's a little different sometimes, but he's a good guy to work for. Well that's great. Well, it 103 00:09:44,489 --> 00:09:49,010 takes being a little bit different sometimes in this trucking world, doesn't it? You got to have a 104 00:09:49,489 --> 00:09:54,449 the mind to work your way through all of the different issues that you guys see. And a terminal 105 00:09:54,450 --> 00:10:00,289 manager, he's just putting together a puzzle every single day, isn't he? Oh, he he's a puzzle in 106 00:10:00,289 --> 00:10:06,810 himself, I'll tell you that right now. If you if. Hey, hey, if you knew Charlie, 107 00:10:06,849 --> 00:10:13,289 I'm sure maybe Paul might have talked to Charlie. Maybe once or twice. Yeah, I've met Charlie. You 108 00:10:13,289 --> 00:10:20,049 knew Charlie, you know. Yeah. Well, that sounds like a guy. We need to. We need to get him on the 109 00:10:20,049 --> 00:10:26,569 show, is what it sounds like. Yeah. You do. My terminal manager. I'm. Shit. Okay. And. And who's. 110 00:10:26,609 --> 00:10:33,529 Which ones? That, uh. Paul. Remind me. Jason Schaffner. Ah, yes. We do have to get Jason on. I don't know, 111 00:10:33,569 --> 00:10:38,689 there's some of these guys that don't necessarily want to come on the show, and far be it for me to 112 00:10:38,729 --> 00:10:45,249 twist anybody's arm. Uh, but we'll take it. What you should do is get with corporate 113 00:10:45,249 --> 00:10:52,179 and set up a Terminal Manager podcast special. There you go. That sounds like a good idea. 114 00:10:52,219 --> 00:10:58,418 Get them all in here. Have a roundtable with them. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, that sounds fun. We'll put 115 00:10:58,419 --> 00:11:04,379 that on the board. Jason's the type. You might be doing a lot of editing. That's what I heard. Now, 116 00:11:04,380 --> 00:11:09,539 say you're not the first person to tell me about Jason being a little free with the language, and 117 00:11:09,539 --> 00:11:15,858 I'll be. I'll be honest with you. I'm here for it. I like that type of conversation. Jason is 118 00:11:15,859 --> 00:11:22,859 technically a born salesman, so he took when he took over Sydney. We only 119 00:11:22,859 --> 00:11:29,659 had maybe 18 drivers. Wow. Power up! 33. 34. 120 00:11:29,699 --> 00:11:36,538 Oh, wow. Almost doubled it. And he's trying to hire a lot more. Well, so he's got the 121 00:11:36,539 --> 00:11:42,179 gift of gab. It sounds like. That. And he can get, like he gets a lot of loads for the Sydney 122 00:11:42,219 --> 00:11:48,939 terminal. I mean, a lot. Well, sounds like the other terminals get some of our loads because they'll 123 00:11:48,939 --> 00:11:54,340 get too many and we can't cover them all. Well, it sounds like he's doing one heck of a job out 124 00:11:54,340 --> 00:11:58,859 there. I will definitely see if I can get him on the show, because I'd love to talk a little bit 125 00:11:58,859 --> 00:12:05,099 about the great work he's doing out there in Sydney. I mean, he is a good I've known him for 40 126 00:12:05,140 --> 00:12:11,299 plus years, so. Okay, so you guys have one of those those relationships that goes way back. 127 00:12:11,700 --> 00:12:18,179 Yeah. Back in middle school. Okay, perfect. Well, I'll tell you, Paul, you might be coming on here with 128 00:12:18,179 --> 00:12:22,900 him because that's I the the conversations you guys have are the types that I want to hear. If 129 00:12:22,940 --> 00:12:27,299 you've known somebody for that long, uh, I bet that's a lot of fun to get in a room with you 130 00:12:27,299 --> 00:12:34,179 guys. It's just if you get Jason on there, call him frog. Frog. Okay, I got it. 131 00:12:34,179 --> 00:12:41,059 I'm taking notes, man. I'm taking notes here. All right. So his nickname from school. Okay, I got it. 132 00:12:41,059 --> 00:12:46,509 And he's not going to be offended if I call him that, is he? No. no. He'll probably know exactly who 133 00:12:46,510 --> 00:12:53,430 told you. Okay, perfect. Well, fellas, I got you in here today because I want to talk a 134 00:12:53,430 --> 00:12:58,949 little bit. Obviously, safety is such a big part of what we do here every single day. You guys are 135 00:12:58,949 --> 00:13:05,750 always keeping an eye on it. And this time of year, it's kind of a special time for safety, 136 00:13:05,750 --> 00:13:11,909 because what we see is a bunch of kids going back to school. That means school busses on the road, 137 00:13:11,950 --> 00:13:17,789 that means kids walking and riding their bikes to school. That means teenage drivers on the road. 138 00:13:17,790 --> 00:13:23,230 That means parents rushing, trying to get their kids to school, and possibly making questionable 139 00:13:23,230 --> 00:13:28,549 decisions on the road. There's a lot that goes into it, and you guys are both very experienced 140 00:13:28,549 --> 00:13:35,469 drivers. Um, so, Paul, I'll kind of start with you here. When school starts back up, what changes for 141 00:13:35,469 --> 00:13:40,709 you behind the wheel that a four Wheeler might not even notice? Is there anything that comes to 142 00:13:40,710 --> 00:13:46,109 mind this time of year that you start to see and have to pay attention to. A little bit of 143 00:13:46,110 --> 00:13:52,670 everything. I mean, because you got kids coming out on the corners of the driveways or trailer 144 00:13:52,670 --> 00:13:59,549 parks, kids will bunch up right there and you really got to be around. So you gotta 145 00:13:59,550 --> 00:14:05,469 just have your head on a swivel and be ready. You gotta slow down, you know? Because the way I go to 146 00:14:05,469 --> 00:14:12,389 this run, I take a lot of back county roads just to get me off the main interstate. So I run into a 147 00:14:12,389 --> 00:14:19,030 lot of school busses, go through a lot of school, you know, zones. You just gotta, you know, be aware. 148 00:14:19,189 --> 00:14:25,909 Really aware. And there's, you know, them kids can do anything right out front of you, trip anything. 149 00:14:25,909 --> 00:14:31,309 You got to be ready for. It, right? Some of the most unpredictable people running around this world 150 00:14:31,310 --> 00:14:37,189 are going to be school age children, aren't they, Paul? Yeah, exactly. I mean, especially if you're 151 00:14:37,190 --> 00:14:43,560 driving in town, too. I mean, they run out between cars And it's just it's 152 00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:50,158 scary. I mean, I used to be bad for driving a little faster than I should and 153 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:57,599 stuff like that, but I've slowed down. I've, you know, trying to do better since we 154 00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:04,239 got all this safety stuff in our trucks. A lot of guys don't like it, but 155 00:15:04,839 --> 00:15:11,359 it's not there to penalize you, right? Right. You know, it's there for your safety and everybody 156 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:17,159 else's safety on the road with you. And and Tim Hamilton has told me that the biggest piece of 157 00:15:17,159 --> 00:15:22,759 safety technology that we have in the trucks is the driver, Paul. So I'm sure he's glad to hear you 158 00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:28,239 talking about it this way, because you make a a focused effort to sort of look out for this stuff 159 00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:32,799 this time of year, don't you? You know, you gotta you gotta have your head on a swivel, you know? 160 00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:39,239 Anytime I see kids standing on a corner at a bus stop or even out in their front yards, I always 161 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:45,799 slow down. Slow down and I'll blow my air horn just to let them know I'm coming. And they like 162 00:15:45,799 --> 00:15:52,479 that too. That, that get that gets their attention real quick. They do? Yeah. Yeah. It's it's scary at 163 00:15:52,479 --> 00:15:59,159 times. Sure. Now I'm like. Uh, sorry, Paul, but I was going to ask you, I'm sure you have a story or 164 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:04,999 two about this time of year with something happening. I'm sure both of you guys do that, that 165 00:16:04,999 --> 00:16:10,239 either gave you pause or made you learn something for the next time. Can you share any of these 166 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:15,479 stories about kids being unpredictable this time of year, and what happened and how you handled the 167 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:22,319 situation? Paul. Well, I've never really ran into anything like that yet, you 168 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:29,199 know, because it I, I don't know if it's just luck, but I've never 169 00:16:29,199 --> 00:16:35,478 really run into that yet because I'm more vigilant this time of year, you know, at certain 170 00:16:35,479 --> 00:16:41,849 times of the day when, you know, school busses are out in the morning or out in the afternoon? 171 00:16:42,250 --> 00:16:48,890 Sure. You know. Yeah. It could be a pain because they got stopped every. So let kids off and 172 00:16:49,090 --> 00:16:55,690 but they just their their time is just as important as my time. So 173 00:16:56,010 --> 00:17:02,330 exactly. You just gotta sit back there. Wait. Go. Stop. You know, 174 00:17:02,610 --> 00:17:07,770 eventually they're going to turn off or run out of kids, and then you can go do your thing. Right? 175 00:17:07,770 --> 00:17:13,410 Right, right. Now it's. You said. I don't know if it's just luck. Paul, I gotta say, from my 176 00:17:13,410 --> 00:17:18,529 standpoint, here's a fly on the wall. It probably is a little bit of luck that you haven't run into 177 00:17:18,530 --> 00:17:22,609 something like that. But I think you're also right there. I think it's because of the vigilance that 178 00:17:22,609 --> 00:17:28,409 you have this time of year. And, uh, that's why you guys are both perfect for this episode, because 179 00:17:28,489 --> 00:17:34,609 you are looking out for this stuff as much as you can, and that is what prevents the accidents. 180 00:17:34,610 --> 00:17:40,489 That's what prevents, uh, something surprising you or sneaking up on you. That head on a swivel thing 181 00:17:40,490 --> 00:17:46,009 is so important. Just probably just as important as the fact that you're slowing down when you 182 00:17:46,010 --> 00:17:52,050 anticipate this stuff. Also. Walter, have you ever had, uh, something happen where, uh, you know, maybe a 183 00:17:52,050 --> 00:17:57,050 kid ran out between a car or a soccer ball or a basketball or something like that came out in the 184 00:17:57,050 --> 00:18:02,609 street or anything that that made you learn a lesson about this time of year and how 185 00:18:02,609 --> 00:18:09,410 unpredictable, uh, school kids really are? Not really. For the most part, I'm 186 00:18:09,490 --> 00:18:15,209 like, Paul, I pay attention to all that stuff, and I'm I if I'm in the school zone or around the 187 00:18:15,209 --> 00:18:21,050 school bus or anything like that, I'm always I stay prepared. You know, you like it seems like 188 00:18:21,050 --> 00:18:24,609 Paul said, you don't you don't know where they're going to stop. You don't know where they're going 189 00:18:24,609 --> 00:18:30,569 to turn, and you don't know when they're going to be dropping off or picking up kids. Patience is 190 00:18:30,569 --> 00:18:36,049 the best way to handle that. You got to be patient. Yeah, and I didn't know how to have faith. You know, 191 00:18:36,089 --> 00:18:42,979 my patients were thin when I first started doing this. Mhm. And go 192 00:18:42,979 --> 00:18:49,019 go go. Mhm. Well fellas uh there's a lot of drivers listening that might be dealing with that same 193 00:18:49,020 --> 00:18:53,499 thing. Can you talk me through. Uh Paul I'll start here with you and Walter. I'll come to you for 194 00:18:53,500 --> 00:18:58,819 this as well. But talk me through how you built that patience, because, listen, I'm a 41 year old 195 00:18:58,819 --> 00:19:05,380 guy. Um, I'm just like most other 41 year old guys in the driver's seat of my Chevy Silverado. There 196 00:19:05,380 --> 00:19:11,339 are things out there on the road that will thin my patience to, uh, less than the width of a piece 197 00:19:11,339 --> 00:19:17,699 of paper. And I really want to help other drivers that might be dealing with that short patience. So, 198 00:19:17,699 --> 00:19:24,659 Paul, how did you kind of correct that about yourself over the years of experience? Just 199 00:19:25,099 --> 00:19:31,779 trying different ways to drive it. And it could be just because I'm getting older. Yeah. You know, 200 00:19:31,819 --> 00:19:38,379 I, I am 59 so I just turned 59 a couple of weeks ago. 201 00:19:38,420 --> 00:19:45,339 Actually. So happy birthday. Yeah. Happy belated birthday. Thank you. But, you know, as 202 00:19:45,340 --> 00:19:52,139 you get older, maybe that's why I'm learning more patience. You know, we got 203 00:19:52,859 --> 00:19:59,019 there's drivers out there that'll get us and scream and yell and it's like, what good does it 204 00:19:59,020 --> 00:20:06,019 do? The person can't hear you. So just slow down. Get that gap. You're still 205 00:20:06,019 --> 00:20:12,379 moving. Right? But you might not be, you know, you're you might not be doing, 206 00:20:13,219 --> 00:20:20,219 you know, 70, but you're doing 67. Right? So you're really not losing a lot 207 00:20:20,260 --> 00:20:26,259 of time. Three minutes over a hundred miles. That's all you're going to lose. Boy, it sounds it sounds 208 00:20:26,259 --> 00:20:30,779 so insignificant when you put it in those terms, Paul. And that's the best way for people to hear 209 00:20:30,780 --> 00:20:36,790 it. That three minutes isn't going to change your day, is it? No it's not. No. And I used to be that 210 00:20:36,790 --> 00:20:43,709 person. And I wanted to get there, get done, get home as quick as I could. And then I've learned 211 00:20:43,709 --> 00:20:50,669 just over the years of driving that having patience, you 212 00:20:50,670 --> 00:20:57,669 can actually sometimes go farther in a day than just drive 213 00:20:57,670 --> 00:21:03,109 and pull out all the time. Sure, sure. You know, I I've, I think I've mentioned this adage before, but 214 00:21:03,109 --> 00:21:09,829 there's a, there's a spy novel series that I read by an author called Brad Thor, and it follows this, 215 00:21:09,829 --> 00:21:15,068 uh, you know, this, this, uh, black ops guy who's always undercover and everything, and he has this 216 00:21:15,069 --> 00:21:21,429 saying about when he's cleaning his weapons and when he's using his tradecraft. He says slow is 217 00:21:21,430 --> 00:21:27,709 smooth and smooth is fast. And I always think about that when you guys are talking about 218 00:21:27,710 --> 00:21:33,389 slowing down and paying attention and leaving the gap. If you guys don't do that stuff, There's so 219 00:21:33,390 --> 00:21:40,389 much more potential for things to go wrong, and so going a little bit slower can speed you up at the 220 00:21:40,389 --> 00:21:47,230 end of the day, because you're not going to end up having those problems. Yeah. Yeah. It it takes 221 00:21:47,230 --> 00:21:53,829 time. I mean it really takes time to get to that point. Yep, yep. I mean, the last two days 222 00:21:53,829 --> 00:22:00,509 coming back from doing this, what I've been doing, I'll head Indianapolis right around between 223 00:22:00,510 --> 00:22:07,389 4 and 6:00. Oh, joy. Which is the worst time to hit Indianapolis? Yeah, 224 00:22:07,829 --> 00:22:14,749 yeah. You know, so. Yesterday because I go in, come in 225 00:22:14,790 --> 00:22:21,389 78. I get on 465 and run that around and and up. Then I go to 226 00:22:21,430 --> 00:22:28,389 69 and that's why I go oh well I lost an hour yesterday just 227 00:22:28,389 --> 00:22:34,759 in that little 17 mile stretch for 465. All the road construction? 228 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:41,238 Yep. Yeah. That's construction. And I hit it right at the worst time. Yeah, 229 00:22:41,280 --> 00:22:48,119 absolutely. Yeah. Today I'm a little bit ahead of schedule, so I'll probably hit 230 00:22:48,120 --> 00:22:54,799 it around 3:00, so I'll hit some congested, but I should get through it pretty 231 00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:59,759 easy. Yeah. And you know, I don't know if it's like, uh, where I'm at, you know, I'm out here in Eugene, 232 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:05,920 Oregon, and so I don't have the gridlock type, you know, real metro traffic that you guys get. But one 233 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:11,359 thing I do notice a lot of the times is later in the week, those rush hours start earlier and 234 00:23:11,360 --> 00:23:17,839 earlier this Thursday and Friday. Rush hour can start as early as 2:00 out here in Eugene. It can. 235 00:23:17,839 --> 00:23:23,359 And that's here at times. Yep. Everybody's trying to get off for the weekend, especially during the 236 00:23:23,359 --> 00:23:30,040 summer. Everybody's got plans. You know. There's times, Marcus, that I've actually pulled 237 00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:36,879 over and took a two hour nap. My man. That's exactly. Yeah. And that's. Been there. Done that and 238 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:41,599 been there, done that. Yeah. Walter, let's go to you for a little bit of this, uh, you know, building 239 00:23:41,599 --> 00:23:46,679 patience talk, because, boy, what a great thing for being able to take your mind off of the 240 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:51,759 frustrations and and also quell some of the problems with the traffic you're dealing with. 241 00:23:51,800 --> 00:23:57,599 Pull over and take a quick break. Um, that that can solve those problems. That can ease your stress a 242 00:23:57,599 --> 00:24:02,679 little bit. But, Walter, how do you how did you go about building that patience? Uh, because you 243 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:07,919 mentioned to when when Paul said it that you used to be a little bit short on patience as well. So 244 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:14,880 walk us through the process. It's like Paul said it. You see it. I think it's one of the things that 245 00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:21,478 comes with age. You know, I'm 62 years old, fixing to be 63, and, uh, 246 00:24:22,199 --> 00:24:28,560 I've been driving since 1987. Yeah. When I first when I first started driving, 247 00:24:29,290 --> 00:24:36,088 It was tough. It really was to gauge all the stupid people. Sorry about that. But you know it's 248 00:24:36,089 --> 00:24:42,329 the truth, right? People always, you know, you ain't going fast enough for them or you're in their way, 249 00:24:42,329 --> 00:24:47,569 and then they come by, either pass you on the wrong side or pass you on the right side and give 250 00:24:47,569 --> 00:24:54,409 you the finger as they go by. And that kind of triggers a little bit. Um, I imagine I 251 00:24:54,410 --> 00:25:01,250 am going to admit, I'm going to admit I've been wanting to give it back to. You know, 252 00:25:01,290 --> 00:25:06,810 I tend to give people the thumbs down when they when somebody gives me the middle finger, I give 253 00:25:06,810 --> 00:25:13,449 them a thumbs down to let them know I'm not mad. I'm just disappointed. Walter. That's right. 254 00:25:13,969 --> 00:25:19,529 I I'd like to have a sign on my truck the next time we've all your fingers at me. 255 00:25:23,369 --> 00:25:28,609 Oh, man. That's that's great. Have you ever, uh, found yourself pulling over to take a nap. Like Paul 256 00:25:28,609 --> 00:25:33,209 mentioned, when you get to that point where you feel like it's going to start to bubble over on 257 00:25:33,250 --> 00:25:39,529 you. Walter. No. Yeah, absolutely. That's why I said whenever he said it, I said, been there, done that. 258 00:25:40,209 --> 00:25:46,649 Um, sometimes you get that little adrenaline pumping when somebody does something stupid and 259 00:25:46,650 --> 00:25:53,329 then, you know, you gotta slow down and calm yourself down. And sometimes after that adrenaline 260 00:25:53,329 --> 00:26:00,249 wears off, you get a little tired in the meantime. So, you know. We take that two hour break 261 00:26:00,289 --> 00:26:07,250 and the sleeper burst. We don't lose any time. That's a free break that dot gives us, right? 262 00:26:07,290 --> 00:26:13,409 Yeah. Gotta utilize. That. Take two hours. Yeah, I use it quite often, actually. 263 00:26:15,050 --> 00:26:21,170 You see, you do you. See traffic gets backed up. Like coming in to empty. I'll just find a safe 264 00:26:21,170 --> 00:26:28,140 place. Pull over. Take two, 2.5 hours. Let traffic clear. Up. And keep right on going. 265 00:26:28,180 --> 00:26:33,419 You guys are making me want a two hour nap after this. I mean, it sounds kind of nice after a long 266 00:26:33,420 --> 00:26:38,499 day. I'm going to be honest with you. Especially, uh, running doubles like you're doing right now, Paul. 267 00:26:39,579 --> 00:26:46,379 Yeah, I mean. It's. You gotta use things to your advantage. And luckily, I 268 00:26:46,380 --> 00:26:52,619 really don't have to do it, because when I'm loading and stuff like that, it it works out where 269 00:26:52,619 --> 00:26:59,059 I could get it done, like I need to, but it's just long day. I mean, I haven't been home since 270 00:26:59,819 --> 00:27:06,579 Tuesday morning when I left to start this, I thought because I go from Pandora to 271 00:27:06,620 --> 00:27:13,300 Brazil and Pandora, Ohio to Brazil, Indiana, a load and unload, 272 00:27:14,339 --> 00:27:21,260 pull forward, load again, go back to Pandora and unload. And then I load again and parked by the 273 00:27:21,260 --> 00:27:28,019 silos and go to sleep. Man with. Uh, I can do it again. With names like Pandora in 274 00:27:28,020 --> 00:27:32,979 Brazil. I would think you're down driving in the tropics, but no, you're you're in the Upper Midwest, 275 00:27:32,980 --> 00:27:39,299 man. It's, uh. Yeah, yeah, no palm trees where you're at. But, uh, the names are certainly doing their 276 00:27:39,300 --> 00:27:46,139 best. I've been running this load for about two and a half years. You know, if it's 277 00:27:46,140 --> 00:27:52,420 every day I run it and I'm home every night. Usually I don't work weekends. 278 00:27:53,180 --> 00:27:59,938 I'm working weekends now to help Jason because he can't get drivers to work on Sunday. So 279 00:28:00,219 --> 00:28:06,019 I'll take a Sunday load, give up a Brazil and then run Brazil's the rest of the week and 280 00:28:07,300 --> 00:28:13,740 help him out the best I can. Sure, sure. Uh, fellas, I want to pivot just a little bit here. Uh, there's 281 00:28:13,740 --> 00:28:18,499 one thing about this back to school, uh, time of the year that we haven't really touched on yet. 282 00:28:18,540 --> 00:28:24,229 Obviously, the kids on the on the road are one of the biggest things that you got to watch out for 283 00:28:24,229 --> 00:28:30,550 because A they're unpredictable. B they're really little compared to the size of your truck. And 284 00:28:30,589 --> 00:28:35,789 that means that they're really bad. Things can happen because they're hard to see. But I want to 285 00:28:35,829 --> 00:28:41,829 kind of turn this to the older kids because I wonder, uh, and Walter, I'll start with you here on 286 00:28:41,829 --> 00:28:48,629 this one, this time of year, once summer wraps up and we get into the fall, do you start to see 287 00:28:48,629 --> 00:28:54,629 more risky driving, uh, from young drivers out there on the road? A lot of kids this time of year 288 00:28:54,629 --> 00:28:59,949 will be just getting their hands on that driver's license for the first time, and they can't wait to 289 00:28:59,949 --> 00:29:05,670 load up their Honda Civic with all their friends and take off for a cruise. Uh, do you see an 290 00:29:05,670 --> 00:29:11,829 increase in that this time of year? And if so, how do you sort of approach it? Are you leaving more 291 00:29:11,829 --> 00:29:18,629 space? Is it more of a slowdown thing? What do you see out there, Walter? Well, a lot of times 292 00:29:18,630 --> 00:29:24,910 whenever and I'm sure Paul knows this too. But a lot of times whenever those kids get around the 293 00:29:24,910 --> 00:29:30,749 ones that are driving, I usually flip my little deal on my dashboard tells me how fast they're 294 00:29:30,749 --> 00:29:36,309 going. And I've had several of them pass me at over 100 miles an hour, so I don't have to worry 295 00:29:36,310 --> 00:29:43,309 about slowing down. I just got to watch for the crash. Exactly. Yeah. But, uh, yeah, I'm sure Paul has 296 00:29:43,310 --> 00:29:49,109 done the same thing you get. You go with the motorcycles and and, uh, you know, we got this. The 297 00:29:49,110 --> 00:29:54,309 deal on our dash. The thing on the front is the radar. And you can flip it over to a certain 298 00:29:54,310 --> 00:29:59,829 setting, and it'll tell you how fast the vehicle in front of you is going, like, right now. In front 299 00:29:59,829 --> 00:30:05,909 of me. He's doing 68. Oh, yeah? Yeah. See? It tells 300 00:30:06,589 --> 00:30:13,389 me how many feet I'm away from him. Yeah. That's great. I mean, I I'm 301 00:30:14,149 --> 00:30:20,589 sorry. Go ahead Walter. And not paying it and not paying attention. And you, they they go by you. You 302 00:30:20,589 --> 00:30:27,319 see four people in the car. Uh, young kids, I'm talking, you know, 17, 18, 19 year old 303 00:30:27,320 --> 00:30:32,440 kids, four people in the car and all four of them texting on their phones. Right? Yeah. Including the 304 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:38,399 driver? Yeah. Including including the driver. I took it when I said all four people in the car and all 305 00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:44,399 four of them texting. Yep. And they're probably texting each other, and, uh, you know 306 00:30:44,879 --> 00:30:51,559 that. I think that probably scares me more than anything. Yeah. The new drivers on the road scare 307 00:30:51,600 --> 00:30:58,519 me. Yeah, I've had them come by me and pass me so close, being so close that 308 00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:04,640 I actually had to move off the road onto the shoulder so they didn't hit me. Wow. Yeah. And then 309 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:10,799 they jerked the wheel back the other way. Yep. That inexperience is so much more dangerous than what 310 00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:17,559 people give it credit for. Walter. Yeah, exactly. I mean. They were saying to, 311 00:31:18,079 --> 00:31:24,799 you know, like, when people pass Yeah. Like, if I'm in the right lane, a car comes in the left. You got 312 00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:31,599 to be ready because. Not exactly. Right. Then they're not going to give you but 30 to 50ft 313 00:31:31,599 --> 00:31:37,479 before they come over in front of you. Right. And that's if you're lucky. Yep. I've had them cut in 314 00:31:37,479 --> 00:31:44,279 front of me. So close. I swear to God, they missed my bumper by inches. Wow. Oh, yeah. Wow. 315 00:31:44,760 --> 00:31:49,999 Yeah. Well, cautionary tales, fellas, and that's exactly kind of what what we wanted to get to 316 00:31:50,039 --> 00:31:55,079 here today. Because if nothing else, we just want the other drivers that are listening to this, uh, 317 00:31:55,079 --> 00:32:00,439 to be able to play off of your guys's experience and what you've seen. And I'm sure if you guys are 318 00:32:00,439 --> 00:32:06,919 both telling me that kids are zipping around you, uh, texting and, uh, doing 100 miles an hour, there's 319 00:32:06,919 --> 00:32:12,319 other drivers out there seeing it. I know I've seen it. It's quite terrifying. Um, you know, 320 00:32:12,359 --> 00:32:16,798 especially when you kind of break down the experience level here. You're talking about kids 321 00:32:16,799 --> 00:32:21,169 that haven't been driving maybe more than 6 six eight months. Maybe it's only been a year or two. 322 00:32:21,209 --> 00:32:27,929 But what I can tell you is they have zero understanding of what's going on in your guys's 323 00:32:27,930 --> 00:32:32,289 truck. They do not understand how long it takes you to stop. They do not understand how 324 00:32:32,329 --> 00:32:38,689 maneuverable those trucks are. And it only takes one bad decision to cause a really bad accident, 325 00:32:38,689 --> 00:32:44,729 especially at those speeds. Um, so I appreciate it, guys. I know that this stuff isn't always fun to 326 00:32:44,770 --> 00:32:51,089 talk about, but this is there's a good reason for it. I mean, it's like when I was 327 00:32:51,449 --> 00:32:58,169 just driving a car, not a truck driver. I was one of them idiots that didn't respect 328 00:32:58,209 --> 00:33:05,209 trucker, you know? And just about anybody that's been in a car has cut a 329 00:33:05,209 --> 00:33:10,809 truck driver off, pulled out in front of them. I think they should have some program before you 330 00:33:10,810 --> 00:33:17,609 get your license. You ride in a big truck for. Yeah. You know, I was going to say exactly the 331 00:33:17,609 --> 00:33:22,569 same thing. I think it ought to be a requirement for all these, for every one of these kids that go 332 00:33:22,570 --> 00:33:28,089 get their driver's license. Take a ride in one of these trucks. Yeah. There are some high schools 333 00:33:28,090 --> 00:33:33,930 that are starting to have truck driving as part of the curriculum because there's kids, you know, 334 00:33:33,970 --> 00:33:39,209 it's a lot like shop class. Uh, you got to get you got to have those educational opportunities for 335 00:33:39,210 --> 00:33:44,648 kids that want them. And there's a few high schools in the nation that have a big rig, and 336 00:33:44,649 --> 00:33:49,810 they've got instructors there that are qualified to teach these kids. And I'll tell you what, those 337 00:33:49,810 --> 00:33:56,089 places are going to see less accidents, uh, in and around their high school area, because these kids 338 00:33:56,090 --> 00:34:02,130 have learned how to respect and how to operate around a big truck because they've been inside of 339 00:34:02,130 --> 00:34:08,089 it, just like you guys are saying. But, uh, I do want to. This has all been great. First and foremost, I 340 00:34:08,090 --> 00:34:13,609 want to thank you guys for talking about this part of it. Um, because we we definitely needed to, 341 00:34:13,649 --> 00:34:19,459 to spend some time and talk about the safety aspect of this time of year, and we're always 342 00:34:19,459 --> 00:34:23,540 going to do that on this show. We're going to be doing that again once winter rolls around and we 343 00:34:23,540 --> 00:34:28,659 talk about road conditions and things like that. It's just something that's a good thing to have 344 00:34:28,659 --> 00:34:35,459 your eye on this time of year and keep your head on a swivel like Paul and Walter said. Um, now I 345 00:34:35,499 --> 00:34:41,419 kind of want to pivot away from this, and I want to bring you guys back to when we were all dumb 346 00:34:41,419 --> 00:34:45,619 kids. It's a lot like you were saying, Paul. You said I was one of those kids that didn't have 347 00:34:45,620 --> 00:34:52,619 respect for the big rigs, and I was that way, too, because when you're 16, 17, 18 years old, you're 348 00:34:52,620 --> 00:34:57,860 not convinced yet that you can, uh, do anything other than bounce. You think that you're just 349 00:34:57,860 --> 00:35:04,099 going to bounce back from every accident, every bad decision, everything. You feel invincible. And, 350 00:35:04,379 --> 00:35:11,259 um, it's that mindset that I want to take you guys back to in regards to Labor Day. 351 00:35:11,260 --> 00:35:16,989 This is also our Labor Day special. Uh, happy Labor Day to all of you guys, all of you drivers and 352 00:35:16,989 --> 00:35:23,188 bulk employees out there. Um, you guys all work very hard, and so the least I can do is wish 353 00:35:23,189 --> 00:35:28,350 everybody a happy Labor Day. But I thought we could have a little bit of fun. Paul and Walter 354 00:35:28,389 --> 00:35:34,069 talking about some of our first jobs, going all the way back to when you were a kid and you 355 00:35:34,110 --> 00:35:39,989 finally decided, I need some walking around money. I'm going to go get a job. Let's talk about that. 356 00:35:39,990 --> 00:35:46,829 Paul, take me all the way back. What was the very first job you ever worked? Paper 357 00:35:46,830 --> 00:35:53,509 boy. A paper boy. And how old were you when you started that? Uh, nine. Wow, 358 00:35:53,829 --> 00:36:00,429 that's really young. So, on your bike up before the sun, going to meet somebody to get your stack of 359 00:36:00,429 --> 00:36:04,269 papers, rolling them up and taking them out and throwing them in driveways, was that sort of what 360 00:36:04,270 --> 00:36:10,749 it implied? Pretty much. It's already rolled. There's a little store in the town I grew 361 00:36:10,749 --> 00:36:17,669 up, and I got paid a dollar a day. Wow. Child labor laws or something 362 00:36:17,669 --> 00:36:24,629 else, aren't they? You know, and back then, you know, for a toddler, you wouldn't believe 363 00:36:24,629 --> 00:36:31,469 how much candy I could buy at that little store. Yes, sir. So. And I grew 364 00:36:31,469 --> 00:36:38,389 up in a town. Its name is Tolworth, PA, W.Va., and 365 00:36:38,429 --> 00:36:45,429 it's like ten miles east of Sydney. And it was just a small one 366 00:36:45,429 --> 00:36:51,070 in town when you're driving by. If you blink, you passed it. Yes, sir. There might have been. Might 367 00:36:51,110 --> 00:36:57,469 have been 20 houses. Wow. And so how long did you keep your paper route, Paul? 368 00:36:57,909 --> 00:37:04,509 I think I did it. I don't know, till I was 12, 13 years old before I started working on 369 00:37:04,509 --> 00:37:10,749 farms. Okay. All right, well, we'll get to that. We'll get to that after, uh, I'll go to Walter to talk to 370 00:37:10,750 --> 00:37:16,759 you about his very first job. Walter, what was it? Take me all the way back to. To Walter as a child. 371 00:37:16,760 --> 00:37:23,719 What was the very first job you had? Well, mine was pretty much the same thing. I don't know 372 00:37:23,719 --> 00:37:29,759 if anybody remembers the old grit newspapers. I haven't heard of it, but. 373 00:37:30,879 --> 00:37:37,678 Yeah, it's. I don't know if Paul would either, but, uh, that was my first job. We we 374 00:37:37,840 --> 00:37:42,799 sent off for it, and they they'd sent them to you in the mail. You'd go out and sell them and send 375 00:37:42,799 --> 00:37:49,159 them the money. Oh, wow. And, uh, I think I yeah, I think I was making a little bit more than Paul. 376 00:37:49,560 --> 00:37:56,438 I, you know, usually get about ten bucks a week for that. Yeah. And then, uh, then, of course, I'd, uh, 377 00:37:56,960 --> 00:38:03,639 mow yards. And I took out a lot of trash for the elderly people in the neighborhood. And, 378 00:38:03,679 --> 00:38:09,959 uh, and much like Paul, I went to farm work after that. Worked in a few 379 00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:15,599 restaurants whenever I was a teenager, I worked in a soda fountain, as a matter of fact. When I was in 380 00:38:15,600 --> 00:38:22,239 junior high school. I used to go over there during my during my lunch hours and, uh, make 381 00:38:22,239 --> 00:38:29,040 milkshakes and, you know, different kind of Cokes and good luck. 382 00:38:29,159 --> 00:38:36,119 Yeah, a lot of things people don't even remember. And much like Paul, I could go buy 383 00:38:36,120 --> 00:38:42,999 a sack full of candy for a nickel. Oh, yeah. Yes, sir. Yeah, man, I'll tell you anytime I come by a 384 00:38:43,040 --> 00:38:48,799 soda fountain, like a traditional soda fountain and maybe a, you know, sort of a historical part of 385 00:38:48,800 --> 00:38:54,639 a town that I'm in. It's so hard for me not to stop and go in there and just get so loaded up on 386 00:38:54,639 --> 00:39:00,279 sugar that I can't stop buzzing. Oh, yeah. You know, because, uh. Oh, yeah, that's something that we've 387 00:39:00,320 --> 00:39:05,678 sort of lost to history a little bit. You don't see too many of them, uh, Walter. But I bet that was 388 00:39:05,679 --> 00:39:11,888 a fun job as a kid. I imagine you made yourself a few milkshakes in that place, didn't you? You bet. 389 00:39:12,490 --> 00:39:19,209 Absolutely. My my favorite. My favorite drink, though, was the cherry sprite. Mhm. I used to get a 390 00:39:19,770 --> 00:39:25,449 large sprite in the styrofoam cup every day before I left work. And man, I'd fill it up with 391 00:39:25,450 --> 00:39:31,089 sprite and load that thing up with cherry. Drink it on the way home. And my God, that was the best 392 00:39:31,090 --> 00:39:37,969 in the world right there. That's a Shirley Temple, isn't it? Well, well, without the alcohol. Oh 393 00:39:38,010 --> 00:39:42,369 that's right. That's right. The original Shirley Temple does have alcohol in it. But yeah, that's 394 00:39:42,409 --> 00:39:48,329 you know. Yeah, I used to order those at like it was my job at every restaurant that I went to 395 00:39:48,370 --> 00:39:52,809 when I was a young kid. I'd ask my mom, do you think they have Shirley Temples here? And she 396 00:39:52,810 --> 00:39:58,290 would always get me one. And it was it was the Shirley Temple or the Roy Rogers, which was, uh, you 397 00:39:58,290 --> 00:40:04,330 know, Coke with cherry in it. So I'm familiar, man. Cherry. Yeah, I am familiar. 398 00:40:04,490 --> 00:40:11,009 Chocolate Coke with chocolate. And it's good, too. I've never tried that. I might have to. That sounds. 399 00:40:11,010 --> 00:40:16,688 Cool. Yeah. Yeah, you should try. It is good. It's very good. I will definitely give that a try. He 400 00:40:16,689 --> 00:40:22,449 says peanuts. Put in Coke or Pepsi? Yep, I've done that before. In fact, that was. You always used to 401 00:40:22,449 --> 00:40:26,689 see kids walking around with the old 20 ounce bottles of soda, and you'd see the peanuts in the 402 00:40:26,689 --> 00:40:33,569 bottom of them. Yep. I know exactly what you're talking about. Well, you know, fellas, um, I my 403 00:40:33,569 --> 00:40:40,089 very first job originally was working for my dad at his insurance office, and I was just a file boy. 404 00:40:40,090 --> 00:40:46,249 I filed more paper and more file cabinets than you could shake a stick at. But once I stopped 405 00:40:46,249 --> 00:40:52,409 working for for him, I was actually. And this. I'm equal parts embarrassed and proud about this, but 406 00:40:52,409 --> 00:40:58,409 I was a subway sandwich artist. Fellas, um. How are you? Ain't nothing wrong with that. Yeah, you know 407 00:40:58,449 --> 00:41:05,370 that there was a. I grew up in a town of only 2000 people, and subway is the only sort of fast food 408 00:41:05,370 --> 00:41:10,819 that we ever had. There's no McDonald's. There was a dairy Queen for six months, but it it wore out 409 00:41:10,820 --> 00:41:17,060 real quick and didn't make it. But that subway is still there. All these years later, 30 plus years 410 00:41:17,060 --> 00:41:21,739 later, I still go to that place and get a sandwich every now and then when I'm back home seeing my 411 00:41:21,739 --> 00:41:27,899 parents. And, uh, man, you learn a lot about the general public working in food service. Uh, Walter, 412 00:41:27,899 --> 00:41:33,019 you mentioned, you know, working at the soda fountain and working in some restaurants. Um, 413 00:41:33,179 --> 00:41:37,379 there's there's few things that can be more frustrating than dealing with people and their 414 00:41:37,379 --> 00:41:44,378 food. Am I right? Wow. Oh, my God, I could tell you some stories. We got time. I'd love to 415 00:41:44,419 --> 00:41:49,379 hear them. There's a couple of them you really don't want to hear. 416 00:41:52,139 --> 00:41:58,860 You know. But. Yeah. Uh, I worked at a place called Maroons in Vincennes, Indiana. 417 00:41:59,379 --> 00:42:05,820 Um, I started out busing tables, and I believe it or not, I got demoted from that 418 00:42:06,539 --> 00:42:12,299 To Washington, D.C.. I was going to say they put you on the spot, didn't they? Yeah. The reason. The 419 00:42:12,299 --> 00:42:19,139 reason for that is because, well, I had a lady come in there and she got extremely rude with me, 420 00:42:19,180 --> 00:42:25,139 and I got rude right back, and they didn't care nothing for that. It was kind of a, I don't know, 421 00:42:25,460 --> 00:42:32,419 all the wealthy, well-to-do people came in there. It was kind of a fancy place. And, uh, yeah, I just, I 422 00:42:32,539 --> 00:42:39,500 just don't take. At that time, I didn't take the criticism that she threw at me, and I didn't take 423 00:42:39,500 --> 00:42:45,019 it very well. And, uh, I got demoted from busboy to dishwasher. 424 00:42:46,139 --> 00:42:52,979 Actually, I actually, actually, I don't know which one was worse, to be honest with you. Right. Yeah. 425 00:42:53,179 --> 00:42:57,139 Because at least back there in the dish pit, you don't have to deal with the general public, right? 426 00:42:57,139 --> 00:43:04,139 There's one that's one reprieve. That that was the plus right there. That was the plus. Yes, sir. Yeah. 427 00:43:04,139 --> 00:43:09,509 I never got a chance to work at a restaurant. Oh, Paul, you're the luckiest guy in this room right 428 00:43:09,510 --> 00:43:15,790 now. I'll tell you. That guy. Lucky guy. That's right. Lucky guy. But, Paul, you. Man. I'll tell you what, 429 00:43:15,830 --> 00:43:21,469 people. People are hard to deal with. Oh, man. They're ridiculous. You know another thing I'm. I'm 430 00:43:21,469 --> 00:43:28,029 equal parts proud and embarrassed of is, uh. I was a waiter at Applebee's for a while, and I had a 431 00:43:28,030 --> 00:43:34,668 woman try to get me fired. I call my general manager over and tell her you need to fire that 432 00:43:34,669 --> 00:43:41,628 guy right now. And she said, why? And he said. She said because he didn't offer me dessert. It 433 00:43:41,629 --> 00:43:48,270 was 1:00 in the afternoon, fellas. She'd come in and had a salad for lunch and we were 434 00:43:48,270 --> 00:43:53,469 just slammed. There were so many people in that restaurant, and she wanted me fired because I 435 00:43:53,469 --> 00:43:59,589 didn't say, would you like dessert? Mind you, there's a dessert menu on the table. You can just 436 00:43:59,589 --> 00:44:06,189 order it. I promise you, I'll bring it to you. Um. Yeah, exactly. I tell you, the nerve of some people 437 00:44:06,189 --> 00:44:12,509 now. Now, Paul, you did some farm work, man. Which means that, uh, the frustrations that you dealt 438 00:44:12,510 --> 00:44:19,429 with were probably, uh, more mechanical and of the natural, uh, variety, but. Yeah. Talk 439 00:44:19,429 --> 00:44:25,069 to me about it. Yeah. I started off just bailing hay and straw for farmers. You know, when the 440 00:44:25,069 --> 00:44:31,949 season come, they would just go around, collect kids up and, you know, pay you to 441 00:44:31,950 --> 00:44:38,829 stack and straw in the barn. And once you did it, well, then they would hire you to 442 00:44:38,870 --> 00:44:45,789 pick rocks up in a field for week. I mean, a little bit of everything and, you know, doing the 443 00:44:45,949 --> 00:44:52,148 baling. You know, eventually I ended up moving up, working at a farm in high school. I'd go before 444 00:44:52,149 --> 00:44:58,629 school to the morning milking, and then if I didn't have some sport practice 445 00:44:58,629 --> 00:45:04,799 afterwards, I'd go back and do the evening milking and then bail hay or do whatever, you know, drive 446 00:45:04,840 --> 00:45:11,638 the tractor and just use the kick balers and kick it in a bale king wagon and get them 447 00:45:11,639 --> 00:45:18,399 loaded up for the guys the next morning to do all the hard work. Sure. You know. I did that all the 448 00:45:18,399 --> 00:45:24,759 way through high school and you wouldn't believe the stuff. You find it in bales of hay or 449 00:45:24,759 --> 00:45:31,679 straw? Yep. Uh, animals, all sorts of stuff. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Oh, my 450 00:45:31,679 --> 00:45:38,600 gosh. One time. And a big old black snake. Oh, I'm right at my face. Jeez, man, I can't imagine 451 00:45:38,639 --> 00:45:44,560 it. Well, well, you know, it's it's a luxury nowadays. You see all these big pivots out there in the 452 00:45:44,560 --> 00:45:49,599 fields, and the watering basically happens on its own. But I'll tell you, when I was a freshman in 453 00:45:49,600 --> 00:45:56,239 high school, my summer job was changing pipe, and there was never enough people to 454 00:45:56,280 --> 00:46:02,678 change pipe. You work for one farmer. You'd work for three of them. We'd be out there all day. 455 00:46:02,679 --> 00:46:09,000 Moving pipe. Did you do any of that when you were a kid? No, no. You're lucky. You're lucky. That was a 456 00:46:09,000 --> 00:46:13,919 that was a bummer, man. I hated that job. And I really liked the farmer I worked for. He was a 457 00:46:13,919 --> 00:46:20,119 super nice guy. Uh, but his pipes would get filled with sand, and they're, like, 30 foot long sections 458 00:46:20,120 --> 00:46:25,239 of pipe. And you're out there at 14 trying to muscle these things around the field. I was never 459 00:46:25,240 --> 00:46:31,959 stronger. I was probably never in better shape in my life. Paul. But wow, I hated that part of it. I 460 00:46:31,959 --> 00:46:38,758 mean, you know, I learned about wagons and all that at 12, 13 years old. 461 00:46:38,800 --> 00:46:45,759 Wow. I mean, you got to work on a farm. And if they need this wagon taken to a farm 462 00:46:46,199 --> 00:46:53,159 two miles away, he put you the keys to the pickup truck, and you pull it down the road. Yep, yep. 463 00:46:53,159 --> 00:46:59,759 And you better know how to drive. How to work a clutch, huh? I imagine? Yeah, or. You figure it 464 00:46:59,810 --> 00:47:06,128 out? Yo. Yep. I mean, I work on a farm and help castrate 465 00:47:06,250 --> 00:47:12,649 pigs and all kinds of different stuff. I mean, you grow up fast out there, don't you, Paul? 466 00:47:13,530 --> 00:47:20,449 Oh, yeah. My body. That's for. Sure. My body feels it now. All the stuff I did back then. I'm sure, I'm 467 00:47:20,450 --> 00:47:27,369 sure. No. Well, fellas. Up and down. And let's, uh. Before we run out of time here, I want to 468 00:47:27,409 --> 00:47:33,209 ask you about the your favorite job you've ever had. I mean, I'm very fortunate I get to do this 469 00:47:33,209 --> 00:47:39,529 for a living. This is a really cool job for me. Uh, but I also spent ten years doing a live radio 470 00:47:39,530 --> 00:47:45,569 show that was very popular here in Eugene. And, uh, we got to do whatever we want. At a certain point, 471 00:47:45,569 --> 00:47:50,489 they gave us carte blanche. There was really no saying no. And even if they did say no, well, a lot 472 00:47:50,530 --> 00:47:56,089 of times we'd turn that into the bit and we'd do it anyway. And, uh, that was. Good. Anyway. That was a 473 00:47:56,090 --> 00:48:01,010 real fun job for me, fellas, I want to know from you. And it might be the job you're working right 474 00:48:01,010 --> 00:48:07,969 now, but what is the job over all these years, Paul, that you've enjoyed the most? Well, 475 00:48:08,129 --> 00:48:14,649 when I was a coal miner. A coal miner, I would not have expected anybody to say that. Why did you 476 00:48:14,649 --> 00:48:20,649 enjoy a coal mining? Because that is a pretty demanding job, Paul. Well, what I did is took care 477 00:48:20,649 --> 00:48:27,529 of the belt line that carried the coal from underground to outside. So that's what I did every 478 00:48:27,530 --> 00:48:34,279 evening. I worked third shift. There was guys that walked the line and their smiles. It might be 10 479 00:48:34,280 --> 00:48:40,569 or 12 miles worth of belt. Wow. Well, they would find holes or bad brackets or 480 00:48:40,610 --> 00:48:47,489 rollers. They'd write it down and me and another guy would fix it every night. That's what 481 00:48:47,490 --> 00:48:54,409 we did. Wow. That's amazing. I just enjoyed it because, I mean, yeah, when 482 00:48:54,409 --> 00:48:59,820 I first went down that elevator and you're dropping in an elevator into the ground. 483 00:49:00,820 --> 00:49:07,820 It's kind of creepy. Yeah, I can imagine. It was. Every little pop crack. 484 00:49:07,860 --> 00:49:14,620 You hear? You're jumping. Ready to run. But once you just think 485 00:49:14,659 --> 00:49:21,619 about it, it's no different than you being in your basement working. Well, that's a good way to think 486 00:49:21,620 --> 00:49:27,499 about it, but that basement's only about 5 or 6ft underground. You were a far sight deeper than that, 487 00:49:27,499 --> 00:49:34,378 I would imagine. Yeah. We were we were way down. And like, when we would drop in 488 00:49:34,939 --> 00:49:41,939 cars, they call them man trips. Mhm. And when you sit on them you're sitting way down. Your 489 00:49:41,940 --> 00:49:48,939 feet are straight out. You're almost laying down. And then the guy beside you he's facing 490 00:49:48,939 --> 00:49:54,579 the opposite direction. So he's staggered. Mhm. So you can get more people on it. And then a guy 491 00:49:54,620 --> 00:50:01,580 drives it End of the mind. Take you to where you're going. You do what you got to do. And when 492 00:50:01,580 --> 00:50:06,859 you leave, you get back on it. He turns the seat around and drives back out. I always wondered if 493 00:50:06,860 --> 00:50:12,299 they staggered you guys so you could see the fear in one another's eyes on those carts headed down 494 00:50:12,299 --> 00:50:19,219 there. Paul, I do, but. But and I 495 00:50:19,219 --> 00:50:25,499 would say this job. Because the reason I like this job, I don't have somebody looking over my 496 00:50:25,499 --> 00:50:32,019 shoulder. Technically, you've got the cameras, but you know what you're doing. You get up. Go do it. Go 497 00:50:32,019 --> 00:50:38,779 home. No you're not. You're not being hounded or you're not 498 00:50:38,899 --> 00:50:45,899 being rushed. You just get your load. Load it or pick it up. 499 00:50:45,899 --> 00:50:52,579 Already loaded. Just get it there within their delivery window and get back. 500 00:50:52,620 --> 00:50:59,229 Simple. Simple stuff, man, I can tell. Why wouldn't you enjoy a job like that? Well, I've 501 00:50:59,229 --> 00:51:05,829 seen pretty much the whole country, you know. I get paid to do it. Exactly, exactly, man, it's. It's a 502 00:51:05,829 --> 00:51:12,149 great gig to have. And especially if you don't mind the driving. Walter, I wonder. Oh, sorry. Go 503 00:51:12,149 --> 00:51:17,989 ahead. Paul. I was going to say one of my favorite trips. I've only done it once. I went out to 504 00:51:18,030 --> 00:51:24,749 Washington State. I came out to my side of the country. Huh? Yeah. And on the way 505 00:51:24,750 --> 00:51:31,189 back, I burnt the clutch out of my truck. Oh, no. Probably on one of those passes, I would assume, 506 00:51:31,189 --> 00:51:35,349 because you start to get to some pretty, pretty angry mountain passes over here on this side of 507 00:51:35,350 --> 00:51:42,229 the country. Yeah. The trucks, the trucks. That bulk buys are for more for 508 00:51:42,229 --> 00:51:48,149 fuel mileage. They're not set up to pull those mountains like that. Mhm. 509 00:51:49,030 --> 00:51:55,789 And yeah my truck letting that old and it burnt a clutch out in Iowa. 510 00:51:56,350 --> 00:52:03,109 Luckily, I was in love and it was out there about three months. Wow. Wow. 511 00:52:03,590 --> 00:52:10,309 Well, I'll tell you, I, I, I just to go home and see my family from where I live, I have to go over the 512 00:52:10,310 --> 00:52:17,188 infamous Cabbage Hill. Uh, on the way over on the way back. And, man, I will tell you, uh, 513 00:52:17,189 --> 00:52:22,989 the number of times I've come off that pass and seen a truck up on the runaway ramp is more than 514 00:52:22,990 --> 00:52:28,509 I care to count. I can't tell you. And you smell it, too. When you start to go down the hill, you start 515 00:52:28,510 --> 00:52:34,149 to smell the brakes and you think, man, you better get off of those things. Or find a way to slow 516 00:52:34,149 --> 00:52:39,389 down because it ain't getting any better. Until you get to the bottom. You just gotta. Start off 517 00:52:39,389 --> 00:52:45,388 slow and keep that pace. Yep. Going down that mountain. Oh, momentum is such a it's such a killer. 518 00:52:45,389 --> 00:52:50,750 You see guys, I mean I've, I've had trucks pass me at 85 miles an hour. And I know it's because they 519 00:52:50,750 --> 00:52:57,719 can't slow down. Yeah. And I've had my motherfuker so tight that I had to pry myself. Off 520 00:52:57,720 --> 00:53:04,239 the seat. I'm sure, I'm sure. Oh, man. Any driver that's 521 00:53:04,240 --> 00:53:11,199 been, you know, over that way before because. Yeah, we got mountains here. You 522 00:53:11,199 --> 00:53:17,959 know, Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, North, you know, but ain't nothing like I carry 523 00:53:18,239 --> 00:53:24,720 on. Yeah. You know, we're we're I'm from Paul. We call those hills what you have out 524 00:53:24,720 --> 00:53:31,079 there on mountains. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. You know. Exactly. We drive 525 00:53:31,279 --> 00:53:37,799 straight a lot here. You start getting in those areas, you got a lot of twists turned upside down. 526 00:53:38,000 --> 00:53:44,478 Oh, yeah? Yeah. It's true. I loved it, you know. It's scenic. It's very scenic out here. 527 00:53:44,600 --> 00:53:50,759 Yeah. And I would do it again. I'm the type that I'll go anywhere 528 00:53:51,759 --> 00:53:58,639 If they need me to. Might not like it, but my job is to deliver this product. 529 00:53:58,679 --> 00:54:03,199 Well, if you make it back out here and you're in the area of Eugene, Oregon, you better give me a 530 00:54:03,199 --> 00:54:07,679 call so I can come and buy you a cup of coffee on that two hour break. You're going to take out here. 531 00:54:07,679 --> 00:54:14,519 All right. Paul? Oh, yeah. Because I love my coffee. All right, all right. We'll meet. You. Uh, 532 00:54:14,560 --> 00:54:19,479 Walter, I want to talk to you about your favorite job, man. Is it the one you're working right now? Is 533 00:54:19,480 --> 00:54:23,719 there something else? Paul really surprised me with the coal mining thing. I can't wait to hear 534 00:54:23,720 --> 00:54:30,320 what you've got for me. Well, I tell you, I I've been. I drove trucks for so 535 00:54:30,320 --> 00:54:37,039 long. I mean, it's I have to say, as it is right now, it's not my favorite job. My 536 00:54:37,040 --> 00:54:43,959 favorite job is a little more unusual. Or it's usual or it's really not work. I like I'm 537 00:54:43,960 --> 00:54:50,569 a musician. Oh, okay. And, uh, I like to. I like to play music, And, uh, I 538 00:54:50,570 --> 00:54:57,208 think for me, whenever I retire, that's going to be my favorite job for sure. What do. You play? 539 00:54:57,690 --> 00:55:04,408 Yeah, I play bass guitar. Okay. And, you know, mostly country 540 00:55:04,409 --> 00:55:11,369 music. Uh, we do a little oldies, little old rock and roll, stuff like that. Um, right now 541 00:55:12,049 --> 00:55:17,889 we're working with this nine year old girl, and she is absolutely, 542 00:55:17,889 --> 00:55:24,849 100% amazing. Her name is Mackenzie Watts. And if you'd like her, if 543 00:55:24,850 --> 00:55:31,210 anybody else would, like, look her up on YouTube. Um, she's got a song about. And it goes along with the 544 00:55:31,210 --> 00:55:37,849 school thing about the all the bullying, bullying and stuff that's going on in school. Yeah, yeah. 545 00:55:37,889 --> 00:55:44,809 It's just. Yeah, it's a song called Let Me Be okay. Everybody looked that up. This little girl 546 00:55:44,809 --> 00:55:51,569 wrote that song herself when she was six years old. Wow. Because of one of her. One of her 547 00:55:51,889 --> 00:55:57,969 friends in school was getting bullied all the time. And she came home and she told her dad about 548 00:55:57,970 --> 00:56:03,929 it. Her course. Her dad sat down and helped her ride it. But that little girl, she's got a video on 549 00:56:03,929 --> 00:56:10,929 YouTube. Um. And look it up. It's it's. Let me be Mackenzie Watts, and I'm gonna tell 550 00:56:10,929 --> 00:56:17,128 you what. If you watch that video, you watch that video. If it does not make you cry. You are not 551 00:56:17,129 --> 00:56:23,569 human. That's what I was going to say. I was going to say that sounds like a tear jerker, man. 552 00:56:24,689 --> 00:56:31,569 I'm telling you, you watch it. You'll and you'll see. I mean, all that stuff is going on, and and 553 00:56:31,570 --> 00:56:37,289 it's getting worse. Yeah. You know, I don't know why people ain't jumping in and doing more stuff 554 00:56:37,289 --> 00:56:43,569 about it or putting more stuff like that out there, but my God, it's just it's. Everything's 555 00:56:43,610 --> 00:56:49,860 everything's getting worse. Uh, but I, I want to tell you, uh, first of all, tip of the cap to you 556 00:56:49,860 --> 00:56:55,019 there, Walter, because I am a fellow rhythm section musician myself. I've been playing the drums for 557 00:56:55,019 --> 00:57:01,820 about 30 years. And, um, I'll tell you any any time I meet a bass guitar player, I just want to shake 558 00:57:01,820 --> 00:57:06,499 their hand, man, because it's you and me. We're the heartbeat of the whole thing. If they don't got us. 559 00:57:06,580 --> 00:57:13,378 That's right. They don't got nothin, man. I ain't got no. I have no 560 00:57:13,379 --> 00:57:19,659 rhythm at all, so. Well, we got plenty. Peter Frampton Peter Frampton said it best 561 00:57:20,220 --> 00:57:25,859 were the balls of the band. Yeah. There you go, man. What a great place to end it right there. I'm 562 00:57:25,859 --> 00:57:32,059 taking that one with me. Fellas, we are out of time here today. Uh, Walter and Paul, you guys have been 563 00:57:32,060 --> 00:57:37,419 awesome. Uh, one thing we're always going to do on this podcast is leave you a little bit of time to 564 00:57:37,420 --> 00:57:42,179 share your final thoughts with us. And, Paul, since you've done this before, I'm going to go ahead and 565 00:57:42,180 --> 00:57:47,859 go to you first here. But, Walter, uh, just to catch you up on it. The Final Thoughts segment is 566 00:57:47,859 --> 00:57:52,299 totally yours. Anything that you want to talk about that we might have left on the table, now's 567 00:57:52,300 --> 00:57:57,419 the time to bring it up. If you want to give a shout out to anybody that you work with, or maybe 568 00:57:57,459 --> 00:58:03,219 a family members back home that might listen to this, now's when you can do it. So let's get to the 569 00:58:03,219 --> 00:58:09,459 final thoughts from Paul Francis. Thank you so much for your time today, Paul. Oh no problem, I 570 00:58:09,459 --> 00:58:16,379 enjoy it. I'll be back on. But you know, my I just want to thank, you know, Paul, for 571 00:58:16,380 --> 00:58:23,339 putting up with me for 12.5 years. And you know, I can't. I can be a 572 00:58:23,339 --> 00:58:30,139 pain. I can admit that I'm bullheaded, sovereign. But, you know, I want to thank all the 573 00:58:30,139 --> 00:58:36,979 guys that, you know, call and talk with me every day to, you know, help pass the time. And, 574 00:58:37,460 --> 00:58:43,579 oh, thank you for having this podcast because, you know, I get to meet new drivers that I would 575 00:58:43,579 --> 00:58:50,388 probably never meet or talk to. So, you know, it's just a good time. 576 00:58:50,590 --> 00:58:56,109 Well, we, uh, we greatly appreciate that giving us a little bit of flowers here on on the show, Paul, 577 00:58:56,149 --> 00:59:01,189 because that's exactly what I hope can we can make happen with the show anytime drivers get 578 00:59:01,189 --> 00:59:05,869 connected here on this show and end up forming some type of relationship or helping each other 579 00:59:05,910 --> 00:59:12,669 out. Uh, just warms my heart, man. Well, most drivers here at bulk will help each 580 00:59:12,670 --> 00:59:19,629 other out. Yep. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. You know, we even got a lot of drivers. I'll help any 581 00:59:19,630 --> 00:59:25,989 driver. I don't care what company they work for. You know, we're all out here to make a living and 582 00:59:26,270 --> 00:59:33,229 do our job. So if I can help somebody give them a tip or anything like that, 583 00:59:33,229 --> 00:59:38,949 I will. There you go. That's the lifeblood of the whole company, man. And it's, uh. That's how we keep 584 00:59:38,950 --> 00:59:43,429 so many good drivers moving through this is sharing that knowledge that you guys have gained 585 00:59:43,469 --> 00:59:48,909 over so many years of experience. Paul, thank you so much for being here today. Uh, as always, you're 586 00:59:48,909 --> 00:59:53,229 welcome. You're welcome back anytime, my friend. You know, I'll let you on this show anytime you want 587 00:59:53,229 --> 00:59:59,789 to come talk to me, okay? Yeah. All right. Walter, we're gonna go to you. Walter Anderson making his 588 00:59:59,790 --> 01:00:05,949 first appearance on the show. Did a phenomenal job, man. I would guess that you've done this 300 times 589 01:00:05,950 --> 01:00:10,589 before. You were so comfortable today. Really appreciate the time from you. Final thoughts 590 01:00:10,590 --> 01:00:16,589 before we let you get back to it, Walter. Well, this is my first time ever doing it. So just so you 591 01:00:16,590 --> 01:00:23,069 know, um, I'm I'm much like Paul. I mean, I appreciate the people that both trained it. I, I 592 01:00:23,110 --> 01:00:29,069 really appreciate my terminal manager putting up with me. Of course, I have to put up with him, too. 593 01:00:29,669 --> 01:00:36,268 True. So turn the bats. Fair play. Right. Oh, hey, Paul. Paul knows what I'm talking about with 594 01:00:36,269 --> 01:00:42,679 Charlie. Uh, I think you get get get Charlie and and Paul's terminal manager together. 595 01:00:42,959 --> 01:00:49,719 Oh, boy. Oh, yeah. You'd be. You'd be hitting that beep if you got a beeper on your podcast. You'd be 596 01:00:49,760 --> 01:00:54,959 hitting that a lot. I hear you. I leave that up to my editor, Mike. I don't have to do that live. I 597 01:00:54,959 --> 01:01:01,839 just let him go. I just let him fly and put it in Mike's hands. Okay? There you. Go. There you go. And. 598 01:01:01,839 --> 01:01:08,359 And I think my plug. I'm going to have to go with the the Mackenzie watch thing. I 599 01:01:08,840 --> 01:01:14,759 really like to see her get out there. I mean, that video has been on YouTube for a long time. I 600 01:01:14,759 --> 01:01:21,080 really would like for people to watch it, especially parents of especially the young kids. 601 01:01:21,120 --> 01:01:27,759 They're really young kids, you know, it's we we had an incident here a while back, and as a matter of 602 01:01:27,759 --> 01:01:34,679 fact, not too far from where I lived were a bunch of kids, had a girl in the bathroom, and they 603 01:01:34,680 --> 01:01:41,519 were just beating the tar out of her. And don't ask me why. Just, just. It's stupid. And 604 01:01:41,519 --> 01:01:47,959 it's. Yeah, exactly. There are kids. Uh, some parents are teaching their kids about it. Other parents 605 01:01:47,960 --> 01:01:54,958 are ignoring it. Mhm. I think that, you know, and that's to me that's important because 606 01:01:54,959 --> 01:02:01,319 I got grandkids in school, you know. Sure. Um I've got, I've got, I've got a, I've got a granddaughter 607 01:02:01,320 --> 01:02:07,759 that, you know, uh back whenever she was really, really super little, she ended up having to 608 01:02:07,760 --> 01:02:14,679 have surgery on her brain because she fell and actually bruised her brain really bad on 609 01:02:14,679 --> 01:02:21,039 the inside. Now, today, she's a 14 year old girl, and she's probably, like, 610 01:02:21,040 --> 01:02:26,920 eight. Never mind gloves. You know what I mean? And I worry about I worry about stuff like that. I 611 01:02:26,920 --> 01:02:33,679 think about that stuff every day. You know, I wonder when the day is going to come, when I'm 612 01:02:33,680 --> 01:02:39,728 going to hear that somebody is making fun of her, or they caught her in the bathroom and, you know, 613 01:02:39,729 --> 01:02:46,689 she's up in middle school now and, uh, you know, it just it it worries me. It really does. 614 01:02:46,729 --> 01:02:53,410 And people need to be paying attention to that. For. Sure. And, uh. Yeah. You know, 615 01:02:53,689 --> 01:02:58,689 Walter, the one thing I'll say just to add to it is for as many bad kids as there are out there 616 01:02:58,729 --> 01:03:03,570 doing this stuff that you're talking about, that's so tragic and heartbreaking. I've also been 617 01:03:03,570 --> 01:03:08,969 fortunate enough to meet some young kids, probably a lot like Mackenzie Watts, that are out there 618 01:03:09,010 --> 01:03:15,089 doing everything they can to make a difference in the size of the heart in those kids. Exactly. It 619 01:03:15,409 --> 01:03:22,209 gives me hope for the future, I'll tell you that much. Exactly. Yeah. And she was. I'm telling you, she 620 01:03:22,209 --> 01:03:28,729 was never meet that little girl in person. You would swear she was a grown up. Yeah, I swear, that 621 01:03:28,729 --> 01:03:33,809 little girl, she's got more. Of course she's got more talent in her little finger than most people 622 01:03:33,810 --> 01:03:40,009 got in her whole body. But that's beside the point, right? Oh my God. But she's doing good with that 623 01:03:40,009 --> 01:03:45,369 talent. She's. She's doing good with that talent. She's making a difference. And what a cool thing. 624 01:03:45,489 --> 01:03:51,610 Well, yeah, she her sister Trinity. Uh, they're both the same way. I mean, they take her, they do 625 01:03:51,649 --> 01:03:58,529 collections. They they just recently done a kind of a raffle up their own stuff 626 01:03:59,050 --> 01:04:05,649 to help a little boy that's got cancer. Wow. That's amazing. They sold their own. Their own 627 01:04:05,650 --> 01:04:12,009 stuff, you know, to do that. And it's just. It is amazing. It really is. Yeah. They are. They're really 628 01:04:12,050 --> 01:04:18,729 good kids. They're out there. Go check out that video. Let Me be by Mackenzie. What's on YouTube? Uh, 629 01:04:18,729 --> 01:04:23,689 I'd love to hear some guys come back to you, Walter, and tell you that they had a, uh, a little 630 01:04:23,690 --> 01:04:29,009 cry in the cab of their rig listening to that, because. Oh, I guarantee. You, we need. To guarantee 631 01:04:29,009 --> 01:04:33,168 you they. We need to be touched emotionally like that every now and then to remind us what it's 632 01:04:33,169 --> 01:04:39,738 all about. Right? Absolutely, absolutely. Yeah. I hope you'll have me back on sometime, Marcus. I do 633 01:04:39,739 --> 01:04:46,699 appreciate it. I've enjoyed myself. Yeah. You have fun. Yeah. Paul. Maybe someday we'll meet. We 634 01:04:46,700 --> 01:04:52,619 might. I'm always all over. And Sydney's always needing help with less, so. 635 01:04:53,939 --> 01:04:59,619 Well, Charlie keeps me. Charlie. Charlie keeps me some cotton pickin busy. I don't even know if I 636 01:04:59,620 --> 01:05:06,260 could even get there. Yeah. Maybe someday. Yeah. Between Canada and 637 01:05:06,260 --> 01:05:11,659 Michigan. New York. Yeah, I've even been to California. I'm like you. I've been to California 638 01:05:11,659 --> 01:05:17,218 with these people. Wow. Yeah. That's awesome. Well, fellas, we are we are out of time today. But thank 639 01:05:17,219 --> 01:05:22,739 you both so much. And, uh, Walter, you're welcome to answer the question. You're welcome on here 640 01:05:22,740 --> 01:05:27,458 anytime. You've got my phone number. Now, if you want to come back on the show at any time, feel 641 01:05:27,459 --> 01:05:32,059 free to reach out to me. And I will keep you on the list of guys that are willing to come back on 642 01:05:32,060 --> 01:05:38,340 if I'm looking for drivers. Okay, fellas. That's why I said you're looking. Just messaged me off. There 643 01:05:38,340 --> 01:05:44,340 you go. You got it. Ah! You fellas. Stay here. Be safe out there. Okay. All right. Yep. Thank you. All right. 644 01:05:44,340 --> 01:05:50,659 All. All the tall boat drivers out there. Stay safe, man. Watch your back. Yeah, exactly. All right. 645 01:05:51,179 --> 01:05:52,539 All right. Thanks, guys. 646 01:06:01,419 --> 01:06:06,178 Great stuff there from Paul and Walter. Man, that one went long. And it's because I could sit there 647 01:06:06,179 --> 01:06:11,418 and talk to those two guys all day long. Uh, I'm so glad that Walter decided to come in here and make 648 01:06:11,419 --> 01:06:16,060 his first appearance. You heard him say it there at the end of the segment. He had a lot of fun, and 649 01:06:16,060 --> 01:06:21,100 he's going to come back and do this again. Uh, take it from that experience. You know, Paul's told us 650 01:06:21,100 --> 01:06:25,899 the same thing about this show. If you're really wondering what it's all about and you want to get 651 01:06:25,940 --> 01:06:30,620 on here, but you're maybe a little bit nervous, maybe you're on the fence about it. Send me an 652 01:06:30,620 --> 01:06:37,390 email. Uh, by going over to Com and give me your phone number. I'll call you. Off the 653 01:06:37,390 --> 01:06:42,509 air. We'll have a conversation. You can sort of feel what it's like to be on the phone with me, 654 01:06:42,510 --> 01:06:49,349 because, listen, I get it, okay? Um, if I was out in the Midwest driving for bulk 655 01:06:49,469 --> 01:06:54,669 towing around a pneumatic trailer and getting the product to where it needed to be, and some random 656 01:06:54,669 --> 01:06:59,870 kind of excited guy from Oregon called me and said, hey, do you want to come on a podcast? I might 657 01:06:59,870 --> 01:07:05,869 have a little bit of pause. Okay, I get it. So my job here is to make you guys as comfortable as 658 01:07:05,869 --> 01:07:10,910 possible and make this environment open for everybody that wants to take part in it. It's not 659 01:07:10,910 --> 01:07:16,869 for everybody. And I fully understand that. I don't take it personally. If you tell me no, I'm going to 660 01:07:16,870 --> 01:07:21,349 tell you to have a great day. And if you ever change your mind to call me back. So don't be 661 01:07:21,349 --> 01:07:27,350 intimidated. Just know we're in here. We're just talking shop. That's all it is. I tell people when 662 01:07:27,350 --> 01:07:32,309 they come on the show or when they're thinking about coming on the show, this is a lot less like 663 01:07:32,310 --> 01:07:38,109 a podcast when it actually gets going, and it's a lot more like a conversation around the break 664 01:07:38,109 --> 01:07:43,789 room table over a cup of coffee. Okay. Um, I'm not looking to call anybody out. I'm not looking for 665 01:07:43,789 --> 01:07:49,469 gotcha journalism. We're going to have engaging conversations about things that matter that have 666 01:07:49,469 --> 01:07:54,909 to do with the job you do and the things that surround it. So today's conversation was a 667 01:07:54,910 --> 01:08:00,909 phenomenal example of that, and I want to thank Paul for coming back again. We always enjoy our 668 01:08:00,909 --> 01:08:06,149 time with Paul Francis. And once again to Walter Anderson. You are welcome back here anytime, my 669 01:08:06,149 --> 01:08:11,590 friend. Love to have you on the show again. Uh, what a great conversation. I did not expect Paul to 670 01:08:11,590 --> 01:08:18,190 tell me that coal mining was his most exciting job, his favorite job that he's ever had. Uh, but 671 01:08:18,190 --> 01:08:23,709 that's just what we do here on always pneumatic, never static. We get to talking, and sometimes some 672 01:08:23,709 --> 01:08:29,109 surprises come out of it. Thank every last one of you that clicked download or went to the website 673 01:08:29,149 --> 01:08:34,319 to listen to the show today. You're what drives this bus. I'm just the one holding the steering 674 01:08:34,319 --> 01:08:39,240 wheel. Okay. Uh, we want to welcome all you drivers. So if you heard this one and you thought, hey, that 675 01:08:39,240 --> 01:08:43,759 sounded kind of fun. Get in touch with me. Love to have you. And for those of you that are listening 676 01:08:43,759 --> 01:08:49,799 to this, if you get anything out of this podcast, if you laughed once today, if you thought, hey, 677 01:08:49,799 --> 01:08:55,519 that's a good tip, I'm going to make sure and slow down, uh, when I'm on my rural routes or when I'm 678 01:08:55,519 --> 01:09:01,599 out in little towns around the Midwest because it's back to school season. That's great. If we did 679 01:09:01,599 --> 01:09:07,199 that for you today or with any other episode, do me one favor. Tell a friend about it. That's all 680 01:09:07,200 --> 01:09:12,079 you got to do. You see a guy out there wearing a bulk shirt, driving a bulk truck? Uh, and you get 681 01:09:12,079 --> 01:09:17,399 into conversation with him, mention the podcast, see if he's listening. If he's not, tell him where 682 01:09:17,399 --> 01:09:23,159 he can find it. Podcast.bulktransit.com. If he is, tell him, hey, you got to get in touch with 683 01:09:23,160 --> 01:09:28,999 Marcus and get on the show. And if he doesn't want to I totally understand podcast.bulktransit.com 684 01:09:29,000 --> 01:09:32,999 the website one more time. That's where you can get in touch with me. You'll hit me right in 685 01:09:32,999 --> 01:09:38,359 the pocket. Send me an email. Let's let's get on here and talk some shop. Man, we're having so much 686 01:09:38,359 --> 01:09:44,479 fun. What a great episode we had today. Happy Labor Day to all of you out there working hard for this 687 01:09:44,480 --> 01:09:48,759 company. That goes for everybody. We're not just talking to drivers here. We're talking to 688 01:09:48,799 --> 01:09:55,399 everybody in all of the terminals, whether you be terminal staff, shop guys, yard jockey, it doesn't 689 01:09:55,400 --> 01:10:00,519 matter. Happy Labor Day. Thank you for joining us today here on Always pneumatic never static. We'll 690 01:10:00,520 --> 01:10:06,799 see you next week Wednesday 5 a.m. local time for another hour. Content. Until then, be safe out there. 691 01:10:06,799 --> 01:10:13,560 Bulk and spur. And that's all she blows for today's episode of Always 692 01:10:13,560 --> 01:10:19,639 Pneumatic, never static. Your number one and probably only Pneumatic Trucking podcast, brought 693 01:10:19,640 --> 01:10:25,199 to you by Bulk Transit. Thanks for rolling with us today. Till next time, stay safe, keep those lines 694 01:10:25,200 --> 01:10:27,118 clear and keep it pumping.