Why New CDL Drivers Should Consider Pneumatic Hauling

1 00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:05,520 You know, if you've ever looked at a pneumatic trailer and thought, there's no way I could figure 2 00:00:05,520 --> 00:00:11,560 all of that out. You're not alone, because every single driver you're about to hear from thought 3 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:16,440 the exact same thing. One of today's guests says the trailer looked so complicated that just 4 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:21,840 reading the handbook made him more confused than when he started. Another admits he was terrified 5 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:27,880 the day he got his CDL because for the first time, nobody was riding along to catch his mistakes. One 6 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:33,480 even ripped the mud flaps on his truck on day one. And the trainer who taught them? Oh, he'll tell you. 7 00:00:33,480 --> 00:00:38,000 The biggest thing that scares new drivers isn't the size of the truck. It's all those valves on 8 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:43,680 the back of a pneumatic trailer. But here's the part that matters. Every one of those drivers made 9 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:50,400 it through today. They're the people training the next crop of drivers. If you've just earned your 10 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:55,640 CDL and you're wondering whether or not you have enough experience, if you've been told you need to 11 00:00:55,640 --> 00:01:00,589 spend years hauling dry van and bumping docks before you can move into something specialized. 12 00:01:00,630 --> 00:01:07,589 This conversation might change your mind because nobody is born knowing how to haul 13 00:01:07,589 --> 00:01:13,709 pneumatics. Okay. Someone has to teach you. Today we're talking with bulks recruiting manager and 14 00:01:13,709 --> 00:01:19,029 two experienced driver trainers about why pneumatic hauling isn't nearly as intimidating as 15 00:01:19,029 --> 00:01:24,389 it looks. What the training process really looks like, and why some of the best drivers in the 16 00:01:24,389 --> 00:01:30,790 fleet started exactly where you are right now. This is one of those episodes that could change 17 00:01:30,790 --> 00:01:37,429 the direction of your career. Let's roll. You are listening to Always 18 00:01:37,430 --> 00:01:43,189 Pneumatic, Never Static. The Totally Pressurized podcast, brought to you by Bulk Transit, where we 19 00:01:43,230 --> 00:01:48,030 keep the lines clear, the tanks empty, and the conversation anything but dried. Whether you're 20 00:01:48,030 --> 00:01:53,670 running powder pellets or anything in between. Pull up a seat, crack the windows and let's hit it. 21 00:01:57,269 --> 00:02:02,710 How's it going out there? Bulk and Spur, welcome into another episode of Always Pneumatic, Never 22 00:02:02,710 --> 00:02:08,350 Static. Thank you so much for being here with us today. We've got a great episode for you planned 23 00:02:08,350 --> 00:02:15,310 out, and it's all about why new drivers should consider pneumatics as a career. So if you're 24 00:02:15,310 --> 00:02:19,830 out there listening to this podcast and you haven't given Rachel a call yet over in 25 00:02:19,830 --> 00:02:24,509 recruiting, but you're thinking about it, maybe you're listening to this podcast to test the 26 00:02:24,509 --> 00:02:29,509 waters a little bit and find out more about the company. This is one that you are going to want to 27 00:02:29,550 --> 00:02:35,470 lock in for. Uh, Rachel Dellaposta, the recruiting and retention manager for Bulk and Spur will 28 00:02:35,470 --> 00:02:42,229 join us, as well as Greg Sigler and Jeff Linne. Uh, Geoff was actually Greg's trainer, and, uh, 29 00:02:42,229 --> 00:02:47,509 both Greg and Jeff have a lot of experience training drivers themselves. And so we're going to 30 00:02:47,509 --> 00:02:52,990 talk about some of the anxieties, some of the myths, some of the things that new drivers that 31 00:02:52,990 --> 00:02:58,659 maybe just got their CDL and they're fresh out of school might not know about this specialty 32 00:02:58,699 --> 00:03:03,500 freight that we're hauling. And these trailers, these pneumatic trailers, they look they're really 33 00:03:03,500 --> 00:03:07,099 cool when you stand up next to them and you get to look at them, they look different. They're 34 00:03:07,100 --> 00:03:12,419 really cool looking. But I understand there's a lot to them. It can be a little intimidating. So 35 00:03:12,419 --> 00:03:18,300 today's episode is meant to talk to some of the people that have the information that you seek 36 00:03:18,300 --> 00:03:24,939 and, and put it out there as a way to say, look, Bulk and Spur will hire new drivers out of CDL 37 00:03:24,940 --> 00:03:30,299 school. They will. That's not something that's been, uh, the way that it goes the entire history of the 38 00:03:30,300 --> 00:03:36,659 company, but it's the way it is now. And so we want to get on here, talk about some of this stuff. Um, 39 00:03:36,659 --> 00:03:41,379 dispel any rumors or any misconceptions that there might be out there. Talk about some of the 40 00:03:41,379 --> 00:03:46,099 stuff that happens during training. I'll even ask the guys, hey, what's the funniest thing that's 41 00:03:46,099 --> 00:03:51,019 ever happened out there? So there's a little tiny bit of an entertainment factor here, but this is a 42 00:03:51,020 --> 00:03:56,569 very informative episode, and I think if you're considering Calling bulk and starting your career 43 00:03:56,570 --> 00:04:01,049 in pneumatics. This episode might be the thing that moves the needle enough to push you over the 44 00:04:01,050 --> 00:04:06,728 edge and make you actually give Rachel a call and start that conversation. Before we bring our 45 00:04:06,729 --> 00:04:12,169 drivers in here, though, I do want to mention our awesome podcast website and give a shout out to 46 00:04:12,209 --> 00:04:16,889 my guy Tyler. I built that website from the ground up and you can find it by going to 47 00:04:16,929 --> 00:04:23,929 podcast.bulktransit.com. Every single episode that we've ever done is located right there. You can 48 00:04:23,929 --> 00:04:29,329 find out all the information about the episode, who we're talking to, what we're talking about, and 49 00:04:29,369 --> 00:04:33,850 you don't even have to download an app to listen to it. You can listen to it locally right there on 50 00:04:33,850 --> 00:04:40,769 the web page. Once again, podcast.bulktransit.com. Also at that web page you can email me 51 00:04:40,810 --> 00:04:45,169 directly. It will hit me right in the pocket and I would love to hear from you. So if there's 52 00:04:45,170 --> 00:04:50,849 something that you want to hear about on this podcast, or if you would like to be a guest on 53 00:04:50,849 --> 00:04:55,839 this podcast, we have a lot of fun in here every single week, even though we're talking about 54 00:04:55,880 --> 00:05:01,599 serious stuff. Nuts and bolts type stuff. Look, you get to come on this podcast and be the expert. You 55 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:07,159 guys are the experts. I'm Steve Nash. I'm just here to deal out assists all day and look good, okay? 56 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:13,559 And I'm only really good at one of those things, which is the assist. So, um, but all jokes aside, 57 00:05:13,559 --> 00:05:17,920 this is a powerful episode, and I think you're really going to want to pay attention if you're 58 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:23,399 thinking about it and you just haven't quite crossed the finish line yet. Um, Greg, of course, 59 00:05:23,399 --> 00:05:29,719 lots of experience outside of trucking, Jeff. Lots of experience outside of trucking. And once they 60 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:36,319 got into trucking and and even more so got into a truck with Bulk and Spur, that's when they knew 61 00:05:36,359 --> 00:05:41,439 that they were going to retire working for this company. And, uh, those are a couple of the guys 62 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:46,799 that you might end up training with if you were to come on board. So really good stuff here about 63 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:51,519 to happen. In fact, I don't even need to make this intro any longer. All the meat and potatoes of 64 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:56,719 this episode is in the interview segment. So without further ado, let's get into it. 65 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:08,719 All right. Welcome back in here to always pneumatic, never static. Let's get our guests in 66 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:15,159 here today because we have a great conversation ahead about helping, uh, you know, kind of dispel 67 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:19,959 rumors and, and maybe give a little bit of confidence to some of you new CDL holders out 68 00:06:19,959 --> 00:06:25,799 there that might be looking at pneumatics as a career. And, uh, joining us today, quite possibly one 69 00:06:25,799 --> 00:06:30,760 of the first people you will talk to if you reach out to bulk about a driving career, uh, in 70 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:35,199 pneumatics and that is recruiting and retention manager Rachel Dellaposta joining us again, 71 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:39,679 Rachel, we're so appreciative of all the time you give this program. Welcome back. Thanks for being 72 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:45,680 here. Always happy to be here. Love having you. And, uh, we got two other guys here, drivers joining us 73 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:50,519 today. And these guys both have driver trainer experience which is really important for our 74 00:06:50,549 --> 00:06:55,349 conversation today. So first let's say hi to Jeff Linne. Jeff, how are you doing out there today, my 75 00:06:55,350 --> 00:07:01,429 friend? Doing well. Thanks for asking me back. Hey. Of course, man, we're very appreciative of your 76 00:07:01,429 --> 00:07:06,469 time as well. Thank you for being here. Uh, also joining us today, we've got Greg Sigler back on 77 00:07:06,469 --> 00:07:12,909 the show. Greg, appreciate you being here, my friend. Thank you. Um. Pleasure's mine. Read always. Man, I 78 00:07:12,910 --> 00:07:16,709 I'm glad you guys say that, because if the pleasure wasn't yours, it'd be a lot harder to get 79 00:07:16,709 --> 00:07:23,429 you on the show, I think. So we really appreciate it. Yeah, well, you and Rachel have this friendly 80 00:07:23,429 --> 00:07:27,790 little rivalry going where I think you guys are trying to set each other up for appearances on 81 00:07:27,790 --> 00:07:34,590 the show. You know, it's it's actually kind of fun for me. So let's just jump in 82 00:07:34,590 --> 00:07:39,669 here. Uh, Rachel, I'm going to start with you. Um, do I want to talk about why we're having this 83 00:07:39,670 --> 00:07:46,390 conversation? Um, tell me, is both actively recruiting, uh, new drivers to the 84 00:07:46,390 --> 00:07:53,219 fleet right now? And if so, uh, what's behind that decision? Absolutely. Um, we are 85 00:07:53,699 --> 00:07:59,220 busy across the board in just about every terminal. We are actively hiring, and we are 86 00:07:59,299 --> 00:08:05,939 looking for. I mean, of course, having pneumatic experience is is great. Um, 87 00:08:05,940 --> 00:08:12,059 but we are open to training people who don't have pneumatic experience. We are open to training new 88 00:08:12,060 --> 00:08:18,459 grads, given the right background. So we are definitely willing to train the right person 89 00:08:18,460 --> 00:08:24,179 for, uh, a good fit. And we've seen actually a lot of success doing that in the past. And we've got 90 00:08:24,179 --> 00:08:28,820 some great trainers with us. Right, right. And that is what's behind the whole deal is if you guys 91 00:08:28,820 --> 00:08:33,659 didn't have those great trainers, you probably wouldn't be able to take on as many, you know, real 92 00:08:33,659 --> 00:08:40,340 green, uh, wet behind the ears, fresh graduates, do you get a lot of new like fresh CDL holder 93 00:08:40,340 --> 00:08:47,259 traffic? Uh, in the recruiting business? Uh, at Bulk Rachel, we do. We actually actively recruit out of 94 00:08:47,260 --> 00:08:53,489 a couple of driving schools. I know Sydney is active in bringing on new grads. 95 00:08:53,530 --> 00:09:00,449 Fairborn has brought on a lot of new grads recently. Um, it's something that, you 96 00:09:00,449 --> 00:09:07,289 know, we we try to find the right fit and bring in new grads that have a background that 97 00:09:07,329 --> 00:09:13,529 kind of aligns with what we do. And the requirements to come on board as a new grad are a 98 00:09:13,530 --> 00:09:19,288 little stricter than if you have experience. But, um, given the right background, we have seen a lot 99 00:09:19,289 --> 00:09:24,889 of success in bringing in new grads and getting them trained properly and and on their way. And 100 00:09:24,890 --> 00:09:28,929 we've had a lot of successful drivers that have stuck around and stuck with us for a long time 101 00:09:28,969 --> 00:09:33,689 doing that. I think those stipulations that you talk about that are a little bit more strict for, 102 00:09:33,690 --> 00:09:39,729 uh, just fresh CDL holders are kind of industry wide, right? If you take somebody that's never 103 00:09:39,770 --> 00:09:44,569 worked in a career, uh, even if they're bumping docs, driving box, truck, it doesn't matter if 104 00:09:44,570 --> 00:09:49,929 they've never had any experience, I think pretty much every, uh, trucking fleet, especially, you know, 105 00:09:49,969 --> 00:09:54,489 midsize, smaller fleets are going to have those tighter restrictions just to make sure that they 106 00:09:54,490 --> 00:09:59,809 can protect the fleet as well, because, um, you know, there are a lot of these mega carriers out there 107 00:09:59,809 --> 00:10:05,009 that I could go get a CDL tomorrow. They wouldn't listen to a single podcast and see how crazy I am, 108 00:10:05,010 --> 00:10:10,409 and they'd put me in the truck. So it's probably a good thing, right, Rachel. Right. Yeah, yeah, we 109 00:10:10,450 --> 00:10:17,169 definitely I mean, you know, we've talked about fit and retaining guys uh, before on the podcast. So 110 00:10:17,169 --> 00:10:22,849 that's always the goal. Do you think right now and I know we kind of talked about this a few weeks 111 00:10:22,849 --> 00:10:29,489 ago when we had, uh, a recruiting focused episode that you joined us for. But, um, do you think it's a 112 00:10:29,489 --> 00:10:34,449 good time right now for people to get a CDL? I mean, it seems to me just fly on the wall type 113 00:10:34,450 --> 00:10:38,809 stuff that the industry is sort of turning around. We spoke about that, how things are getting 114 00:10:38,810 --> 00:10:43,889 competitive out there for you in the job that you do on the day to day. Uh, but do you think it's a 115 00:10:43,890 --> 00:10:50,399 pretty good time right now for new CDL holders to enter the, uh, the market. It seems to be a lot of 116 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:57,359 companies are more opposed to hiring new grads. Uh, we're we're open to it. I think 117 00:10:57,359 --> 00:11:01,600 that the industry is really picking up. We've been busy, like I said, across the board and all of our 118 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:07,559 terminals. So right now is a great time to, uh, to start looking and getting in the door that way. So, 119 00:11:07,599 --> 00:11:12,439 I mean, there you heard it right there from the recruiting and retention manager at bulk. Uh, 120 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:18,639 Rachel telling us that it's a good time and there are opportunities available, and now is a great 121 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:24,799 time to bring in our driver trainers, uh, guys that have a lot of experience seeing new pneumatic 122 00:11:24,800 --> 00:11:31,599 haulers learn the ropes. Jeff, I'm going to start with you. Uh, think back for me to your first day 123 00:11:31,599 --> 00:11:36,599 with the CDL. What what things were coming up in your mind and bubbling up that you were worried 124 00:11:36,599 --> 00:11:43,468 about? Jeff, anything that comes to mind? Uh, I just want to learn. I, I was coming out of an office 125 00:11:43,789 --> 00:11:50,669 atmosphere, I. I was actually a production planner prior to getting my CDL, and I 126 00:11:50,669 --> 00:11:57,228 just wanted to actually learn the the new career. And 127 00:11:57,549 --> 00:12:04,549 I was my honest opinion about it is I just wanted to do this for a year as a paid tourist. I mean, 128 00:12:04,549 --> 00:12:11,109 that's really how I kind of looked at it, but, uh, I, I went to a school that 129 00:12:11,109 --> 00:12:18,070 was ran by, uh, C.R. England. And so during the time that I was in the school, they were 130 00:12:18,189 --> 00:12:24,990 preaching team and, uh, they wanted you to basically lease right off the rip. And I'm like, 131 00:12:24,990 --> 00:12:30,548 man, I need to get out here and learn the industry before I start trying to figure out how to run a 132 00:12:30,590 --> 00:12:37,309 run a business. So I think the biggest thing for me, or if I had any fear at all, 133 00:12:37,669 --> 00:12:43,219 just the unknown, just not knowing what I was getting into and where I was going, but yet I was 134 00:12:43,219 --> 00:12:47,979 going to enjoy it because I knew we had a beautiful country. Sure. I can imagine that's 135 00:12:47,979 --> 00:12:52,299 pretty intimidating as a guy that's just in school trying to figure out if this is going to 136 00:12:52,299 --> 00:12:57,780 be the right career, and all of a sudden the, the, the push and the pressure is to, hey, go ahead and 137 00:12:57,780 --> 00:13:03,179 buy a truck. Let's get you, let's get you as an owner operator right away I would I would just be 138 00:13:03,179 --> 00:13:08,938 overwhelmed. Jeff I, I couldn't imagine because listen, I doing so many podcasts for so many 139 00:13:08,939 --> 00:13:14,179 trucking fleets over the last four years. One thing I've heard is that that, uh, owner operator 140 00:13:14,179 --> 00:13:19,099 trap can be a big one, and it can be a really big money sink. Uh, probably not the way you would have 141 00:13:19,099 --> 00:13:24,379 wanted to start your trucking career. Uh, no. Not myself. I mean, there might be some people out 142 00:13:24,380 --> 00:13:30,579 there that might have lucked out and made it work. Uh, but I honestly feel like in most of the 143 00:13:30,580 --> 00:13:37,460 experiences that I've had or talked to anybody else that's been involved in owner operation, um, 144 00:13:37,460 --> 00:13:44,059 they've, they've either had influences from family. They've had some insight somewhere, somehow, to get 145 00:13:44,060 --> 00:13:50,098 started. I don't know of anybody to just come into the industry and went right into it and had been 146 00:13:50,099 --> 00:13:55,339 successful or are successful. They might have lasted a short period of time and it was like, 147 00:13:55,340 --> 00:14:01,739 well, we better close up shop and then go to the company route. Yeah, I mean, it happens with owner 148 00:14:01,780 --> 00:14:06,539 operators, just like it happened with a bunch of the smaller fleets. We've lost a lot of capacity 149 00:14:06,539 --> 00:14:12,579 in this market as of late. And part of that was because during the Covid boom, everybody in there 150 00:14:12,579 --> 00:14:18,378 dog got an authority and sometimes the market just can't support that type of capacity. And as 151 00:14:18,379 --> 00:14:23,219 things start to tighten a little bit and companies get busier that do have well run fleets. 152 00:14:23,260 --> 00:14:28,219 You see a lot of those people that maybe they didn't realize that, you know, the top half of the 153 00:14:28,220 --> 00:14:33,380 engine is going to cost you 15 to 20 grand to replace, or tires being as expensive as they are, 154 00:14:33,380 --> 00:14:38,298 or fuel or any of the rest of it. So, um, interesting stuff there, Jeff. I appreciate that. 155 00:14:38,299 --> 00:14:43,450 Greg, I'm going to come to you for the same question. Um, obviously, lots of driving experience, 156 00:14:43,450 --> 00:14:48,330 lots of turning left in your background. Uh, but what was going through your head on that very 157 00:14:48,330 --> 00:14:55,289 first day you were holding the CDL? Did you have any anxiety or any worries? Yeah, yeah, I had 158 00:14:55,289 --> 00:15:00,168 some worries because then you're fully responsible when you're with a, uh, when you're 159 00:15:00,169 --> 00:15:05,689 with an instructor, you kind of feel like somebody's watching your back. But as soon as you 160 00:15:05,690 --> 00:15:10,330 get a CT on your head, on your own, it's like, real nerve wracking. Yeah. And you guys, just like I 161 00:15:10,330 --> 00:15:16,649 didn't have a dog, but I did get a, uh, my own authority after Covid. It did not work. 162 00:15:18,369 --> 00:15:22,690 I didn't know we were going to come out here and team up on me, but that's okay. It's we. It was 163 00:15:22,690 --> 00:15:28,409 unintentional, Greg. But you did eat a couple of stray shots there, I apologize. It kind of hurt. 164 00:15:28,410 --> 00:15:35,369 That's my trainer talking, so, I mean. But, no, it's, uh, it's it was 165 00:15:35,370 --> 00:15:40,039 intimidating. I mean, because you're going from, you know, a normal person goes to maybe a pickup truck 166 00:15:40,039 --> 00:15:46,839 or a car to this, and you just got to watch, you got to have your head on a swivel, because 167 00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:52,319 for some reason, people don't see these trucks on the road and they want to cut you off. And you 168 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:57,639 just you learn. I and I think Jeff and I have talked about this before, I think you should have 169 00:15:57,639 --> 00:16:02,879 to drive in a semi as a passenger for a week before you can get your driver's license. Mhm. Man. 170 00:16:02,919 --> 00:16:06,919 Absolutely. But uh. That would be. Great. Yeah. It's it's intimidating. Like I said I tried it on my 171 00:16:06,919 --> 00:16:12,159 own. That didn't work. I worked for another company that didn't work. And I was very intimidated on 172 00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:18,598 the pneumatic trailers because the more I read our pamphlet, the more confused I was. And then the 173 00:16:18,599 --> 00:16:24,598 first day with Jeff, this guy shows up with a bucket hat on and shorts and I'm like, this is 174 00:16:24,599 --> 00:16:30,839 going to be awesome. And we had the best time. And basically, I mean, it just everything just clicked. 175 00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:37,639 It worked out great. It was I, I, I was in my mind a lot more. This is really if you can count the 15 176 00:16:37,639 --> 00:16:44,639 and comprehend the English language. This is a easy job. I love that, that's great stuff. And I 177 00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:49,959 that's even better that we got Jeff on here as well as your trainer. Um, we'll get into that and 178 00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:56,120 how that went for you guys here in just a little bit. Uh, but in the vein of of thinking back to 179 00:16:56,159 --> 00:17:01,680 when you first started, I wonder, Greg, is there anything that you would tell young Greg right now 180 00:17:01,760 --> 00:17:07,479 if you could go back in time and give young Greg a bit of advice? Uh, knowing what you know today, 181 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:14,119 what would that be? I would say, don't be afraid. Just find do your research. Because there's a lot 182 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:20,999 of recruiters out there. Jeff will probably, uh, back me up on this that they just want to put you 183 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:26,958 in the seat. Yeah, whatever it takes to get you in the seat. They're a car salesman. Mhm. And Rachel 184 00:17:26,959 --> 00:17:33,240 didn't seem like that. And then I just it was just a perfect for everything. Just checked. Perfect. But 185 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:40,189 just don't be afraid if you got a new CDL. Don't be intimidated, everybody. I don't know for the 186 00:17:40,189 --> 00:17:46,389 most industry, but I know everybody here at Bull Transit. It's family. Everybody looks out for you. 187 00:17:46,430 --> 00:17:51,429 Uh, we've all got your back. But just don't be afraid to take the first step. It's overwhelming. 188 00:17:51,469 --> 00:17:57,389 The first. Your first overnight. I'm not going to lie, I backed over, uh, the mud flats. I ripped the 189 00:17:57,390 --> 00:18:03,829 mud flats off the track, tractor and trailer, and I'm like, oh, this is not good. So, uh, you know, I 190 00:18:03,829 --> 00:18:08,828 only had only had one way to go after that, so. Yeah, well, there you go. And, hey, no better way to 191 00:18:08,869 --> 00:18:13,869 get acquainted with all the guys at the shop than to, uh, rip a couple mud flaps off on day one. Right. 192 00:18:14,270 --> 00:18:18,589 I seen a picture, and I backed up, and I'm like, what is that shiny thing in the road? And I'm like, 193 00:18:18,590 --> 00:18:24,149 oh, God, this is no transit. And. And I called and Tommy just died laughing. And I'm like, well, I'm 194 00:18:24,150 --> 00:18:29,790 glad you guys are funny. Just funny. Funny. Yeah. Right. Uh, you never know how the shop's gonna 195 00:18:29,790 --> 00:18:34,060 react when you pile another something on their plate, so it's good that they they laughed it off 196 00:18:34,060 --> 00:18:39,219 with you and Rachel, I gotta say. Does that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside to hear, uh, you 197 00:18:39,220 --> 00:18:44,299 know, all this time after Greg came on with the company that you kind of set yourself apart from 198 00:18:44,300 --> 00:18:49,300 the other recruiters that he had talked to. I know you set yourself apart with me, because I get to 199 00:18:49,300 --> 00:18:54,259 talk to you so much, but you must be pretty good at your job. If Greg's calling that out here on 200 00:18:54,260 --> 00:19:00,379 this show. Yeah, I appreciate that a lot. I always tell people, you know, recruiters have a bad 201 00:19:00,379 --> 00:19:04,500 reputation throughout the industry that, you know, all recruiters lie. And I never want to be that 202 00:19:04,500 --> 00:19:10,059 person. You can tell you really can. And and we've called that out before on this show. And, uh, that's 203 00:19:10,060 --> 00:19:15,300 one of the reasons I'm always so glad to have you is because there is no smoke and mirrors with you 204 00:19:15,300 --> 00:19:19,779 and sometimes. Yeah, um, you know, with, with other fleets and, and it's understandable sometimes 205 00:19:19,780 --> 00:19:24,379 there's a little bit of tiptoeing around by recruiting because obviously they've got a job to 206 00:19:24,419 --> 00:19:29,459 do and they've got, uh, they need to get butts in seats. Um, but you can tell that you're really not 207 00:19:29,459 --> 00:19:35,609 out here selling cars. And that's one thing I really take to, uh, Jeff, I want to ask you the same 208 00:19:35,609 --> 00:19:40,449 thing that I asked Greg there if you could go back to to young Jeff and look him in the eye and 209 00:19:40,449 --> 00:19:46,809 give him a piece of advice, knowing what you know now, what do you think that would be? Oh. Wow. That's, 210 00:19:46,849 --> 00:19:53,449 um, I, I would like to give a lot of a lot of advice to young Jeff. 211 00:19:53,490 --> 00:20:00,329 Um, I, I don't know if you remember or not, but, uh, in the one podcast we were talking 212 00:20:00,329 --> 00:20:05,488 about, uh, I think it was the Father's Day win or whatever, and I said something about having a 213 00:20:05,489 --> 00:20:11,769 little bit of a left foot that doesn't necessarily, uh, benefit you in the trucking 214 00:20:11,770 --> 00:20:18,769 industry. Yeah. In fact, it can prove is a detriment. Gannon. Uh, absolutely. 215 00:20:18,970 --> 00:20:25,849 Like, I get a little older. I'm starting to acquire, uh, patience. Uh, I was very impatient. At 216 00:20:25,849 --> 00:20:31,769 a younger age. I was constantly wanting to go a hundred mile an hour all of the time and not 217 00:20:31,770 --> 00:20:38,529 really taking time and like maybe doing the pre-trip the correct 218 00:20:38,530 --> 00:20:45,409 way or whenever. I mean, I've had some situations in loading in or unloading 219 00:20:45,409 --> 00:20:51,689 and and not necessarily getting the things hooked up exactly proper. And you look over there and you 220 00:20:51,689 --> 00:20:57,249 got a, you got a dog here that's about ready to pop open and you're, you gotta rush around and 221 00:20:57,290 --> 00:21:01,810 make sure you cut back the pressure. And, you know, because you don't want a big explosion or 222 00:21:01,810 --> 00:21:08,569 whatever this, this small things impatience, um, that a and, uh, I, I think more than 223 00:21:08,569 --> 00:21:15,289 anything just understand that these are big trucks. They're not a 224 00:21:15,290 --> 00:21:22,250 four Wheeler, and they don't maneuver in the same way. And we don't get around 225 00:21:22,250 --> 00:21:28,519 like those other people do. And I, uh, I don't necessarily have all the little personal 226 00:21:28,519 --> 00:21:34,519 conversations, hoping that they could hear me when they do exactly what Greg was talking about. Yeah, 227 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:41,078 uh. Things of that nature. You know what I mean? Just just I would just impress upon patience and 228 00:21:41,079 --> 00:21:48,000 just being calm. Yeah. Um. That's great. Advice. Better make better decisions and and, 229 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:54,560 uh, and things go better, for sure. No, it's great advice. I do want to say one thing, though, uh, about 230 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:59,879 taking shots. Uh, the last episode, Greg took a shot about his trainer eating hamburgers. I didn't 231 00:21:59,879 --> 00:22:05,439 mention your name. And it was cheeseburgers. Yeah. Cheese. Cheeseburger. 232 00:22:08,680 --> 00:22:15,479 I would never. Well. Well, you know, fellas, I, uh, I'm glad that you have that that 233 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:20,599 little advice segment, because I, I think about sometimes going back and talking to young Marcus, 234 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:25,999 uh, as a, as a younger kid. And it seems like every single piece of advice that I would start to give 235 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:32,029 young Marcus starts with listen here, idiot. Um. And we all, we all gain knowledge and we all get 236 00:22:32,030 --> 00:22:37,229 better as we get older. And the other thing that happens as we get older is we naturally slow down 237 00:22:37,229 --> 00:22:43,069 a little bit. And, um, telling your younger self to, hey, be patient, slow down, don't rush through 238 00:22:43,069 --> 00:22:48,629 things, don't have a lead foot all the time. That's great advice, especially because we've got, uh, I'm 239 00:22:48,629 --> 00:22:53,469 hoping we've got new CDL holders listening to this, and they can heed that advice before they 240 00:22:53,470 --> 00:22:58,389 ever have to get 20 years of a career behind them and try to run backwards around the world fast 241 00:22:58,390 --> 00:23:05,109 enough to go back in time. So, um, I think it's great stuff. I want to move on to kind of the the 242 00:23:05,110 --> 00:23:10,270 intimidation surrounding pneumatic trailers. It's a little bit different. It's, uh, it's a little bit 243 00:23:10,270 --> 00:23:15,068 specialized, obviously. Um, and I'm going to go to all three of you for this question. So, Rachel, I'll 244 00:23:15,069 --> 00:23:21,309 start with you. Um, you probably get some calls from some people who've never even seen a 245 00:23:21,310 --> 00:23:27,299 pneumatic trailer before. Uh, is that the case? And if so, how do you sort of go about 246 00:23:27,300 --> 00:23:34,099 softening? Um, any anxieties that guys might have? Because this is specialized hauling and and if, 247 00:23:34,140 --> 00:23:38,619 let's say you trained and, and the only thing you ever trained with was a box truck and they just 248 00:23:38,620 --> 00:23:42,818 trained you to bump docks. We got a whole different job going on over here at Bulk and 249 00:23:42,819 --> 00:23:49,099 Spur. How do you approach that with somebody that has no idea what pneumatics really entails? Yeah, I 250 00:23:49,099 --> 00:23:53,380 actually get those calls all the time. I, I can't tell you how often I actually speak to people who 251 00:23:53,420 --> 00:23:58,379 don't even know what pneumatic trailers are, and that's fine. You don't have to come in knowing 252 00:23:58,380 --> 00:24:02,819 anything about it. We've got great trainers. That's something that I always lead with, as these 253 00:24:02,819 --> 00:24:07,180 trainers are going to make sure you know what you're doing before we send you out on your own. 254 00:24:07,260 --> 00:24:12,219 Um, if people do have some hesitations, I usually tell them, you know, tell your trainer you want 255 00:24:12,220 --> 00:24:18,259 more training on X, Y, and Z. Like they'll get you what you need. You don't have to, you know, have 256 00:24:18,259 --> 00:24:23,099 anxiety about going out on your own before you're ready. Um, if you feel like you need more training, 257 00:24:23,100 --> 00:24:27,739 we absolutely will get you more training. The podcast is actually something that I use as a 258 00:24:27,739 --> 00:24:32,179 tool pretty frequently with people. I tell them to, you know, go listen to the episodes where we've 259 00:24:32,180 --> 00:24:37,139 got drivers talking about haul in different product minds and what's what that is like, so 260 00:24:37,139 --> 00:24:42,139 they can really get an idea of what it's like. Because, you know, I, I'm a recruiter, I sit in the 261 00:24:42,140 --> 00:24:47,339 office, I don't do the job every day. So the best way for them to understand what they're getting 262 00:24:47,339 --> 00:24:52,539 into is to hear it straight from those drivers. Absolutely. Them in that direction. I tell them, you 263 00:24:52,540 --> 00:24:57,859 know, go take a look at the website, take a look at what we do. And I really try to be honest about it 264 00:24:57,859 --> 00:25:02,540 and tell them it is different from Holland driving. It is more physical. You're getting in and 265 00:25:02,540 --> 00:25:07,380 out of the truck. You're Holland heavy hoses. You occasionally may need to climb up on top of the 266 00:25:07,380 --> 00:25:12,779 tank using a harness, so I try to make sure that every single applicant knows that's what they're 267 00:25:12,779 --> 00:25:18,019 getting into before they get to the interview. That's great information for them to have. Um, 268 00:25:18,140 --> 00:25:22,889 Geoff, what what do you tell a guy that's walking out to get in your truck for the first time. Maybe 269 00:25:22,890 --> 00:25:28,409 he looks a little bit like Greg and has no idea what that pneumatic trailer is all about. How do 270 00:25:28,410 --> 00:25:33,170 you approach things with those guys? Is there a is there like a checklist that you go down, or is 271 00:25:33,170 --> 00:25:40,049 there sort of a process that you have, um, that that helps you kind of, I guess, baby, step them 272 00:25:40,050 --> 00:25:43,688 into that. There's two different ways we can we can let them in the shallow into the pool and let 273 00:25:43,689 --> 00:25:48,489 them walk to the deep end. Or we can take him down and kick him off the diving board. What's your 274 00:25:48,530 --> 00:25:54,969 what's your process there, Jeff? I will be truthful most of the time. Uh, 275 00:25:55,849 --> 00:26:02,209 it's an introductory period of time because typically when we leave Pike, then we got, uh, 276 00:26:02,209 --> 00:26:06,729 plenty of time to drive before we're picking up the trailer or dropping hook and that kind of 277 00:26:06,769 --> 00:26:12,969 thing. Uh, so really, it's, uh, getting to know each other, uh, kind of thing. 278 00:26:13,050 --> 00:26:20,049 And once we get the load and we get to where we're going to unload, that's when we start 279 00:26:20,050 --> 00:26:26,240 talking about the trailers and stuff. I don't want to get them all panicking right off the rip. Um, so 280 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:33,039 when we go to unload or whatever, I just kind of go step by step of how to what my 281 00:26:33,119 --> 00:26:39,559 process is as far as my routine, like how I hook up, and then I kind of let them while I'm doing, I 282 00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:44,078 let them look at the trailer. Because most intimidating thing about the trailer itself is 283 00:26:44,079 --> 00:26:48,598 the number of valves that are on there, and it just depends on what type of product you're 284 00:26:48,599 --> 00:26:53,759 hauling. You may have when you're hauling that stuff like plastic. And anything that you're you 285 00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:59,920 can back on or blow off. There's multiple valves on the back side as well. And it can be 286 00:26:59,920 --> 00:27:05,199 intimidating by looking like, what what what's all these vowels for like. And honestly, you really 287 00:27:05,199 --> 00:27:10,959 only have three particular vowels at any at at the unload point that you're really working with. 288 00:27:10,999 --> 00:27:17,439 Um, but when you see them all, it's like, oh. Wow, uh. What's going on. Here? You know, and then, 289 00:27:17,839 --> 00:27:24,670 uh, just break it down as, uh, as we start to unload. And honestly, I've learned over the 290 00:27:24,670 --> 00:27:31,389 years that I did train and was training 99% of the people or 291 00:27:31,550 --> 00:27:38,189 and I'm one of them myself. I do better by doing it. In other words, tell me what vows to open and 292 00:27:38,189 --> 00:27:44,270 enclose or whatever. Let me do it. Don't go and do it. And and and just have me sit and watch. Right. 293 00:27:44,310 --> 00:27:51,189 Yeah. That hands on experience is so important. Yeah, yeah. So that that's kind of my first time. 294 00:27:51,349 --> 00:27:57,390 I usually do the first one myself, have them. And then like the, uh, there were a lot of times when I, 295 00:27:57,430 --> 00:28:01,749 we were doing, uh, two loads in the day, I would do the first load and then I would sit back and say, 296 00:28:01,750 --> 00:28:07,149 okay, let's, let's do it this way. That kind of thing. I can't remember if it was a one load deal 297 00:28:07,149 --> 00:28:13,949 with Greg or if we did two the first day, but, um, but that's kind of how I used to approach it. 298 00:28:14,270 --> 00:28:18,670 I don't have nothing written down. I'll have to be honest with you. I do everything kind of like off 299 00:28:18,670 --> 00:28:25,629 the top of my head. And then I, I let I kind of go by the feel of the day. Sure. And I 300 00:28:25,630 --> 00:28:31,468 always the whole time I'm like, hey, if you got any questions, ask them. Because a lot of times I don't 301 00:28:31,510 --> 00:28:36,629 remember everything, but it will get to it. But if you ask questions, it'll trigger something. And of 302 00:28:36,630 --> 00:28:41,150 course I got I get diarrhea of the mouth, so it don't take no time for me to start running off at 303 00:28:41,150 --> 00:28:46,429 the mouth. Which is why you're such a great guest on this podcast. If you didn't talk to us, Jeff, we 304 00:28:46,430 --> 00:28:52,869 wouldn't ask you to come back. So we like that about you. All right. And, uh, my first question is 305 00:28:52,869 --> 00:28:56,828 going to be, and I don't care what Greg has to say about it, my first question is going to be, where's 306 00:28:56,829 --> 00:29:03,829 the best cheeseburger and how far away are we from it? Uh, so. Uh, Greg, 307 00:29:03,830 --> 00:29:09,070 we will go over to you. Do you remember, uh, that first day training with Jeff? Was that, uh, did you 308 00:29:09,070 --> 00:29:15,149 guys end up doing two loads? Did you do one load? Yeah, we did two. And so he watched him do the 309 00:29:15,149 --> 00:29:20,660 first one, and he let you do the second one. He slept from the first one. I never saw him again. He 310 00:29:20,660 --> 00:29:25,780 was in the sleeper seat the whole time. I was just. I was a natural born talent. I can't help it. No, it 311 00:29:25,780 --> 00:29:31,859 was, it was a. Yeah, it was a learning experience, but it was very simplified. He was just like 312 00:29:32,460 --> 00:29:38,460 he showed me the first time he did it, but hands on, I've got you touch it and I want to mess it up 313 00:29:38,460 --> 00:29:44,458 myself. And then he's like, well, what are you doing? Like, I don't know. He would actually let me. I mean, 314 00:29:44,459 --> 00:29:48,619 he would actually like, oh, if you do that it's going to plug up. And I'm like, okay. So uh, yeah, I 315 00:29:48,619 --> 00:29:54,259 mean, it worked out really well because I mean, heck, I'm still here. So yeah. He did a really good 316 00:29:54,259 --> 00:29:59,019 job. But but the first day I'm like, hey, are you are you Mr. Linne? He said, get in, sit down, shut 317 00:29:59,019 --> 00:30:06,019 up. And I'm like, what a crap. Man. You guys, you guys get you guys in the same 318 00:30:06,019 --> 00:30:12,259 room together. It's just going to sound like a slap fight in there. Good Lord, it's bad. But I love 319 00:30:12,299 --> 00:30:19,129 training a new student to just have their CDL because I had one just a I've 320 00:30:19,130 --> 00:30:25,488 had actually, I don't know, 2 or 3, but I usually I kind of use Jeff's 321 00:30:26,170 --> 00:30:31,449 uh, model and training usually, uh, the safety department or somebody will email me how many 322 00:30:31,450 --> 00:30:35,968 hours they need behind the wheel. I'll take off the first day, get to know them. Uh, you know what 323 00:30:36,010 --> 00:30:41,129 background? What they you know, where they drove, where they took their school, uh, schooling. I'll go 324 00:30:41,130 --> 00:30:45,689 out. I'll let them drive empty back. If I feel comfortable for the first couple days, I'll let 325 00:30:45,689 --> 00:30:49,609 them drive empty. And then if they feel comfortable, we're doing, like, a load. It's real 326 00:30:49,610 --> 00:30:54,089 easy to get to because some places are easier than others. I'll let them drive heavy. And then, 327 00:30:54,449 --> 00:30:58,769 just like me. And I guess that they want to do hands on, I'll show them the first day. The next 328 00:30:58,769 --> 00:31:04,089 day I'll okay, here. Grab that, watch this. And then usually by the end of the week, they're they're 329 00:31:04,090 --> 00:31:10,528 kind of off on their own. But that being said, if say somebody has to have, I don't know, 100 hours 330 00:31:10,529 --> 00:31:17,089 just throwing a number out there behind the wheel driving. But if they're not ready, I won't release 331 00:31:17,089 --> 00:31:23,530 them until they are comfortable with our Qualcomm, our pneumatic trailers. I want them to. I want to 332 00:31:23,569 --> 00:31:28,289 set them up for success, not to get out there and be frustrated the whole time. Because if you're 333 00:31:28,289 --> 00:31:33,969 frustrated, you're going to quit. Yeah. Yeah. And you see that across the industry. That's one of the 334 00:31:33,969 --> 00:31:39,608 reasons I think that turnover can be so high in some fleets is because they're not training up 335 00:31:39,609 --> 00:31:44,649 guys well enough. That leads to that frustration. They can't ever get out of that hole. And it's 336 00:31:44,650 --> 00:31:49,169 just easier to go and find another gig than to try to restart that whole process. And I think 337 00:31:49,169 --> 00:31:53,569 that's a that's something you should hold near and dear Greg, because the guys that get out of 338 00:31:53,569 --> 00:31:58,529 your truck after you've trained them, uh, they always feel ready. If that's your philosophy, 339 00:31:58,529 --> 00:32:03,049 there's never a guy that's going to get there. That's not 100%. And and I'm assuming you're 340 00:32:03,050 --> 00:32:08,049 asking them that question directly to. Are you ready? What is it that we can work on if there's 341 00:32:08,050 --> 00:32:14,839 anything? Yes, I when we get real close, I'm like, what? Do you feel comfortable? Do you? 342 00:32:14,840 --> 00:32:20,359 And some of them. I mean, I've had a I've had one that you just it's kind of like a bird. You just 343 00:32:20,359 --> 00:32:24,879 kind of had to give them a push. They could do it just as good as I could, but they just they were 344 00:32:24,879 --> 00:32:30,239 afraid to take the first step. And they did really good on their own. Right. And then most of them 345 00:32:30,479 --> 00:32:36,080 there, I think Jeff let me start doing the Qualcomm day 3 or 4. And that's when I start doing 346 00:32:36,119 --> 00:32:42,480 start getting in the the paperwork, the Qualcomm I want them to be comfortable with everything. It's 347 00:32:42,480 --> 00:32:48,479 just got to be second nature. It's got to be habit. We're trying to. And I did get in trouble after 348 00:32:48,480 --> 00:32:55,120 Mr. Lenny sent me out. I was doing my paperwork just a little wrong. And Kelly like, what are you 349 00:32:55,120 --> 00:33:00,520 doing? I'm like, I don't know, all right? I said, what am I doing wrong? And she's like, well, this. I'm 350 00:33:00,520 --> 00:33:06,039 like, oh my bad. I said, well, you know, we fixed it before it became a habit. So I try to do the best 351 00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:11,029 I can, but there's like Jeff told me, once you get out on your own, you're going to play around and 352 00:33:11,029 --> 00:33:17,269 find your own way to do things, and exactly right. I just teach you the basic way that's going to, 353 00:33:17,349 --> 00:33:22,029 you know, it's going to get you to A to B, it's going to get you unloaded. But there is a faster 354 00:33:22,029 --> 00:33:27,549 way to do things. But you'll figure it out for sure. Rachel, it's got to make you feel pretty good 355 00:33:27,709 --> 00:33:32,389 hearing this, knowing that these are the guys that, uh, or some of the guys and the quality of 356 00:33:32,389 --> 00:33:39,309 trainers that you have that you can put new recruits in with. I just wonder, you know, you look 357 00:33:39,349 --> 00:33:44,588 at this kind of zoom out and look at the entire process from that first phone call all the way to 358 00:33:44,589 --> 00:33:49,669 your off on your own. And you are a pneumatic driver. Um, everybody that comes through your 359 00:33:49,669 --> 00:33:54,149 office gets some really, really good training. And that's what we're seeing here today. You can tell 360 00:33:54,149 --> 00:33:59,909 that these guys are dedicated to making sure that everybody is set up for success. And I mean, no 361 00:33:59,909 --> 00:34:04,350 wonder you don't have to be a car salesman. Why would you, with that type of, uh, with that type of 362 00:34:04,350 --> 00:34:10,499 operation going on? Oh, yeah, it's it's definitely a big help to me when I can say 363 00:34:10,499 --> 00:34:14,939 confidently, you're going to be in good hands. They know what they're doing, they're going to train 364 00:34:14,939 --> 00:34:20,139 you well, and you're going to feel comfortable when you're out on your own. Um, and it's it's such 365 00:34:20,620 --> 00:34:26,659 a good experience when we have trainers who are willing to continue to mentor our drivers after 366 00:34:26,659 --> 00:34:30,739 they're out on their own, I know a lot of them continue that relationship, too. And, you know, 367 00:34:30,780 --> 00:34:34,819 they'll they'll text the guys, they'll call the guys, say, hey, I got a question about this or 368 00:34:34,819 --> 00:34:39,259 what's going on with this. And and they continue that relationship. And that is always super 369 00:34:39,260 --> 00:34:46,100 helpful in retaining our drivers. And, and again, bringing in that family feel for sure. Uh, it's so 370 00:34:46,100 --> 00:34:51,859 cool. Uh, I, you know, one of the topics that we'll do sometimes and it's actually we've got it on 371 00:34:51,860 --> 00:34:57,939 the board, we want to do it here. Uh, for always pneumatic, never static is, um, sage advice is what 372 00:34:57,939 --> 00:35:02,259 I like to call it. And it's when we bring on drivers that have been around for like 20 or 30 373 00:35:02,259 --> 00:35:06,059 years, they've been doing this so long, they know it like the back of their hand. And then we get 374 00:35:06,059 --> 00:35:10,978 some guys that are just freshly in the truck, and I just open the microphones up and say, pepper 375 00:35:10,979 --> 00:35:16,899 them with questions, ask whatever there is to ask. And I learn so much on those episodes. But what I 376 00:35:16,939 --> 00:35:22,939 what's always kind of a a through line in every single one of them is these experienced drivers, 377 00:35:22,940 --> 00:35:28,819 Jeff Greg and everybody out there like them. They really enjoy sharing this knowledge. It's not 378 00:35:28,820 --> 00:35:34,939 something that is gate kept. Um, and look, I've got experience across a lot of industries. Uh, even in 379 00:35:34,939 --> 00:35:40,339 radio, there would be higher level questions that I would sometimes ask the people that were my 380 00:35:40,340 --> 00:35:46,059 boss and they would look at me like, stay in your lane, pal. And it's like, well, what if I want to run 381 00:35:46,060 --> 00:35:51,659 this radio station one day? And and there's never like that. I want to pass this knowledge down to 382 00:35:51,699 --> 00:35:57,299 you. It was like, you get to stay down there until I decide I've had my time. I don't see that stuff 383 00:35:57,300 --> 00:36:02,620 with truck drivers and Jeff and Greg. Maybe you could comment on that a little bit. Um, Jeff, I'll 384 00:36:02,620 --> 00:36:07,689 start with you. You get quite a bit out of sharing the knowledge that you've earned over all these 385 00:36:07,729 --> 00:36:14,089 years, don't you? I. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, that's to me if I can. 386 00:36:14,649 --> 00:36:20,169 I mean, I, I it kind of comes, goes back to whenever I was younger, before I started driving trucking, I 387 00:36:20,169 --> 00:36:26,569 was actually, uh, coaching in the, at the little league level and stuff. I, I, I got more enjoyment 388 00:36:26,610 --> 00:36:31,129 out of the ones that I had to work harder with to get anything out of than I did those that were 389 00:36:31,169 --> 00:36:37,329 like, a little more talented and kind of could go on their own. Mhm. So those I get I'm not I'm going 390 00:36:37,330 --> 00:36:42,529 to be I'm not going to lie it the same way somebody comes along and that, that picks up on 391 00:36:42,529 --> 00:36:48,530 things uh rather quickly. I mean it's not that, it's no it's not a challenge or whatever, but if 392 00:36:48,530 --> 00:36:52,369 there's somebody comes along and they question everything and you have to tell them two and 393 00:36:52,370 --> 00:36:57,528 three times, I get more enjoyment out of that, because if they end up doing really, really, really 394 00:36:57,529 --> 00:37:04,370 well, then I feel like I've done something to get through to them. For sure. Well, I, I have to ask, 395 00:37:04,399 --> 00:37:08,239 since you're a little league coach, I got to ask you, since we're. We're kind of fire and strays 396 00:37:08,239 --> 00:37:13,519 here every now and then in this episode already. Would you compare Greg to that all star pitcher, 397 00:37:13,519 --> 00:37:18,158 shortstop, middle infielder. That's the do everything guy? Or would you compare him to the 398 00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:21,839 kid that you're stashing out in right field because he's more interested in picking 399 00:37:21,840 --> 00:37:27,639 dandelions? Well, I won't be. This is the total honest of God's truth. Greg knows how I feel 400 00:37:27,639 --> 00:37:34,239 about him. Greg got recommended for a few things through me. I actually recommended him, and he 401 00:37:34,239 --> 00:37:40,599 hadn't even been with the company more than what, a year. Greg. Mhm. What'd you recommend me for? 402 00:37:42,039 --> 00:37:48,279 Counseling therapy. A couple of things. Well all of that too. Big company comedian. 403 00:37:49,040 --> 00:37:54,759 No I'm serious. Everybody just laughed at me. It hurts my feelings, right? Yeah. I think I was here 404 00:37:54,760 --> 00:38:00,679 about two years when you recommended me, but. Yeah. Yeah. He's a he's mentored a lot. Mentored a lot. To 405 00:38:00,679 --> 00:38:04,869 me. That's cool. So it sounds like. Sounds like Greg might have come in with a little bit of that 406 00:38:04,870 --> 00:38:11,708 pitcher, shortstop, you know, kind of all star guy, uh, vain about him. Greg done a lot of things 407 00:38:11,709 --> 00:38:18,509 right in life. You see, he's a retired ironworker. Yeah, he he got himself nice set up, you know, 408 00:38:18,509 --> 00:38:24,629 and he come over here into this truck driving industry and, and, uh, he, he was already well 409 00:38:24,669 --> 00:38:31,549 rounded, individual smart, already had, uh, experience being, um, 410 00:38:31,789 --> 00:38:36,589 in a, like, superintendent or whatever. Is that what they call him? Greg? You should pretend it. Yeah. So, 411 00:38:36,629 --> 00:38:43,149 you know, you got subordinates and things of that nature. So driving a truck. That's why he says it's 412 00:38:43,149 --> 00:38:49,429 so easy. Yeah. Lots of responsibility in that old gig, wasn't there, Greg? It was a lot of sleepless 413 00:38:49,430 --> 00:38:55,749 nights. Yeah, and. And that those don't happen to you anymore. Working at bulk, do they? Only if you 414 00:38:55,790 --> 00:39:02,749 park next to a reefer. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Well, guys, I've been waiting to get to this part of 415 00:39:02,750 --> 00:39:07,109 it. I wanted to get some of the, uh, the serious questions out of the way first, because whenever I 416 00:39:07,110 --> 00:39:11,789 have kind of a recruiting focused episode and I'm talking to recruiters and trainers, this is 417 00:39:11,790 --> 00:39:17,469 something that I just have to bring up because the stories that we get are, uh, they're mind 418 00:39:17,550 --> 00:39:23,149 blowingly off the wall, and they're always fun. Um, without mentioning any names, Greg, I'll go to you 419 00:39:23,149 --> 00:39:28,469 first. But without mentioning any names, can you tell me a funny story? Uh, that's happened to you 420 00:39:28,509 --> 00:39:33,429 when you've been training somebody? You know, we've all come in to new careers in our professional 421 00:39:33,429 --> 00:39:39,310 lives and, um, making a misstep or a funny mistake or saying something that's completely off the 422 00:39:39,310 --> 00:39:44,829 wall. It happens to all of us. Uh, so I wonder if you've got one story, Greg, that kind of sticks out 423 00:39:44,830 --> 00:39:49,229 to you that just when you think back about it, you laugh about the thing that happened with that 424 00:39:49,229 --> 00:39:56,149 trainee. Well, I think the the biggest things I do is, well, they're 425 00:39:56,149 --> 00:40:02,139 excited when they're driving and, you know, like Jeff, Jeff and I. You're carrying on a conversation 426 00:40:02,139 --> 00:40:07,658 going down the road and I'll say, hey, there's our turn. There we go. We pass it, then they panic and 427 00:40:07,659 --> 00:40:11,938 I'm like, well, you know what? Both transit. We go the extra mile mainly because we miss our turns. 428 00:40:11,979 --> 00:40:18,659 But yeah. But I'll tell you a good one on Jeff. Uh, the first 429 00:40:18,659 --> 00:40:25,579 time my trailer plugged up, Jeff has a really good setup on how to unplug a trailer. 430 00:40:25,580 --> 00:40:29,060 It's in writing and everything. I don't think it was in writing them, but he wrote it down in my 431 00:40:29,060 --> 00:40:35,059 notebook. I got notes for pretty well everything I've done from day one about transit. So I get out 432 00:40:35,060 --> 00:40:39,339 there and I'm trying to unplug it. It's not working. So I called. Yeah, he's like, well, what did 433 00:40:39,340 --> 00:40:43,419 you do? I stole idea of what anybody would. I ran around the trailer with my arms and you're going, 434 00:40:43,419 --> 00:40:50,299 oh my God, it's plugged its plug. Yeah. But, uh, I mean, 435 00:40:50,340 --> 00:40:56,779 that's usually we we joke around. I don't know one particular thing, but my favorite thing is just 436 00:40:56,779 --> 00:41:02,009 when they miss the exit. Yeah. Because that's. I. Mean, that's just common. Like four wheelers are 437 00:41:02,009 --> 00:41:06,729 going to do that too. If I had a nickel for every time I'd miss my exit, I wouldn't be a podcaster, 438 00:41:06,729 --> 00:41:11,649 I'll tell you that much. Um, I. Would have called me. Not parked. I'd be in Alabama right now because I 439 00:41:11,649 --> 00:41:17,570 was like, huh? Where am I going? I get it. I get it. Uh, Jeff, how about for you, man? You got a funny 440 00:41:17,570 --> 00:41:22,688 moment? Uh, with a trainee. Of course we got the one from Greg. Any other ones that come to your mind? 441 00:41:22,729 --> 00:41:27,408 Uh, something silly or funny out there that happened that, uh, you know, wasn't detrimental. I 442 00:41:27,409 --> 00:41:32,769 obviously, I know things can go wrong and things can become really bad, but, uh, anything sort of 443 00:41:32,810 --> 00:41:38,649 lighthearted and funny that, uh, you remembering from your training days? Yeah. There have been 444 00:41:38,649 --> 00:41:45,569 several little things. I don't know, the one thing that I found a little. I'm a little strange. I, uh, 445 00:41:46,449 --> 00:41:53,089 I was training an individual. I think he was, uh, 50, 446 00:41:53,170 --> 00:41:59,728 52 years old, something like that. And in our conversation he was talking about 447 00:41:59,770 --> 00:42:06,489 LARPs and I was a little bit younger. Not much, but I have 448 00:42:06,490 --> 00:42:13,409 never in my life heard of anything about Larp. Are you saying, can you spell it for me just so I 449 00:42:13,409 --> 00:42:19,369 know what you're what you're saying? Because I don't think I've heard of it either. LARP okay. 450 00:42:19,409 --> 00:42:24,448 That's, uh. Now, I now I'm on board with you. Go ahead. Sorry. Continue. Okay. So. And I ask him to 451 00:42:24,449 --> 00:42:31,009 explain it to me. And, uh, so he was explaining it to me, 452 00:42:31,010 --> 00:42:37,369 and it's live action role play, right? And I got a little bit nervous 453 00:42:38,529 --> 00:42:45,529 because I didn't know what direction it was going in. So, um, he 454 00:42:45,530 --> 00:42:52,090 proceeded because in the previous, uh, part of the dialog, he was talking about having 455 00:42:52,169 --> 00:42:58,439 having a wife and dating a woman at the same time. And they both had the same name. Geez, 456 00:42:58,840 --> 00:43:05,039 that's a that's a pickle right there. Yeah. So it was real strange. But anyway, 457 00:43:06,240 --> 00:43:12,919 when he started explaining it to me, these people would meet and they were different venues or 458 00:43:12,919 --> 00:43:19,320 whatever it could be in the local park, it could be wherever. And they would. They were 459 00:43:19,320 --> 00:43:25,119 using Dungeons and Dragons. I was like, wouldn't that went out back in the 80s? 460 00:43:27,560 --> 00:43:32,320 But that's what the whole premise was. It was based off of Dungeons and Dragons. They would 461 00:43:32,320 --> 00:43:38,839 literally get together, dress up, and they would put together this, acting out of 462 00:43:38,840 --> 00:43:45,638 this, they the storyline that somebody developed. Yep. And I was like, this is crazy. A 463 00:43:45,639 --> 00:43:52,519 man 52 years old, still doing this kind of stuff with with Dungeons and Dragons. I thought that 464 00:43:52,520 --> 00:43:59,469 was kind of hilarious and the same thing. He gets to a place in Portsmouth, 465 00:43:59,469 --> 00:44:05,989 Ohio. Osco, and he gets plugged up. I get a phone call 466 00:44:07,469 --> 00:44:12,749 and he said, hey, I got plugged up. And I said, did you follow the procedure? He said, I did everything 467 00:44:12,750 --> 00:44:17,909 he told me. I said, well, tell me what you did. And he explained what to me, what he did. And sometimes 468 00:44:17,909 --> 00:44:24,750 when you're unplugging. When you're the materials coming back into the tank, the tank will bounce. 469 00:44:25,389 --> 00:44:29,509 The dude panicked and closed everything off and shut it down because I didn't tell him that it 470 00:44:29,510 --> 00:44:36,109 bounced. I can understand that. Why is this giant trailer 471 00:44:36,110 --> 00:44:43,110 bouncing? I'm shutting everything down. I can get that instinct I do. But yeah, that 472 00:44:43,110 --> 00:44:49,628 was something that. That, I promise you, is never going to leave my memory unless I get dementia. 473 00:44:49,830 --> 00:44:54,739 Well, I'll tell you, man, there's no better way to stay young than to dress up like a wizard and 474 00:44:54,739 --> 00:44:59,860 throw snap pops at your friends in the park. Okay. I think that we could all probably benefit from 475 00:44:59,860 --> 00:45:06,460 that for a little bit. Uh, not lying to you. You know, my wife does cosplay. She. She does cosplay 476 00:45:06,460 --> 00:45:12,259 where she'll just dress up like a character and build a whole outfit out of it. And, uh, I will tell 477 00:45:12,259 --> 00:45:16,820 you, she goes to some of these conventions. There'll be people lined up down the hall to take 478 00:45:16,820 --> 00:45:22,019 pictures with her, and she doesn't even she doesn't play the part. She just dresses in the 479 00:45:22,019 --> 00:45:27,658 part. And it's crazy how many people are into it. It's a, you know, uh, you said Dungeons and Dragons 480 00:45:27,659 --> 00:45:32,938 went out in the 80s. Man. It's making a resurgence these days. I've got people that have told me that 481 00:45:32,939 --> 00:45:39,219 they play Dungeons and Dragons, that I was blown away. I mean, some of the biggest, uh, sports fans, uh, 482 00:45:39,220 --> 00:45:45,099 that are friends of mine, that are big football fans, big hockey fans. They love watching sports 483 00:45:45,100 --> 00:45:49,739 and, you know, doing all the guy things. They're outdoorsmen and they play poker and everything 484 00:45:49,740 --> 00:45:55,340 that you would expect your run of the mill guy to do, but then on Sunday afternoons, I'll be damned 485 00:45:55,340 --> 00:45:59,259 if they're not wearing leather armor and have a fake sword strapped to their chest because 486 00:45:59,259 --> 00:46:04,979 they're out there doing Dungeons and Dragons stuff. So, uh, more power to you, man, I say. To each 487 00:46:04,980 --> 00:46:11,099 their own. If you're having fun, uh, put on a costume and own it. Right? Right. Well, I mean, it was 488 00:46:11,100 --> 00:46:16,019 just it just caught me by surprise. And like you mentioned, something about, uh, your wife doing 489 00:46:16,019 --> 00:46:22,178 something to going to. There's a thing in, uh, I think it's down around Cincinnati once a year. Um, 490 00:46:22,179 --> 00:46:27,219 I don't remember. It's Renaissance days or something like that. Yep, yep. And, uh, I think it's 491 00:46:27,220 --> 00:46:32,979 in that same vein. It is. They do it. And I think it's a big draw. It it is. And I'll tell you what 492 00:46:32,980 --> 00:46:39,500 they also do out there. They get just as drunk as you can imagine. I've never seen people drink like 493 00:46:39,500 --> 00:46:43,579 I seen some of these at these Renaissance, because I live in Eugene, Oregon, which is the hippie 494 00:46:43,580 --> 00:46:48,099 capital of the United States. So that type of stuff, that's just a Wednesday down in the park 495 00:46:48,100 --> 00:46:53,289 here in Eugene. And I'll tell you, those people, they can party. They have a lot of fun dressing up 496 00:46:53,290 --> 00:46:59,528 in the in the old kind of, you know, uh, I yeah, just kind of Renaissance era clothing. And they, they 497 00:46:59,610 --> 00:47:04,929 drink like a super mug made out of wood full of lager. I mean, it's really fun to watch. Uh, I will 498 00:47:04,929 --> 00:47:10,129 say, and I can understand why people get into it. Uh, but great stuff there, Jeff. I'm glad you told 499 00:47:10,129 --> 00:47:15,290 that one. Uh, and, Rachel, we gave you plenty of time to think. You spend a lot of time talking to a lot 500 00:47:15,290 --> 00:47:20,329 of these recruits as well. And I know that there's got to be a story bubbling up in your mind that, 501 00:47:20,330 --> 00:47:25,089 uh, maybe makes you laugh. Something that's happened with a new guy, or maybe a question that 502 00:47:25,089 --> 00:47:29,649 got asked that was kind of off the wall. You got anything for us? You know, I don't really have any 503 00:47:29,649 --> 00:47:36,570 specific stories, but some themes kind of come to mind that, uh, that I hear a lot. Um, the 504 00:47:36,570 --> 00:47:42,408 way people pronounce pneumatic trailers because they, like, see it? I've heard it pronounce like pu 505 00:47:42,409 --> 00:47:46,729 matic trailers. Like, they ask these questions and, you know, they they've never heard it. They've just 506 00:47:46,729 --> 00:47:52,079 seen it. So they they come up with these crazy ways to say it, and that always makes me laugh. Um, 507 00:47:52,120 --> 00:47:57,999 one thing that always makes me laugh is, you know, we get quite a few female applicants, and so I'll 508 00:47:57,999 --> 00:48:02,479 be explaining it to them. And I talk about, you know, the hoses are fairly heavy, blah, blah, blah. 509 00:48:02,479 --> 00:48:07,799 And they're like, well, if the hose weighs 75 pounds, I only weigh 90. I don't think I can lift 510 00:48:07,800 --> 00:48:13,559 that. So, you know, at that point we have a different conversation and, you know, think this 511 00:48:13,560 --> 00:48:17,679 maybe isn't for you, but it always makes me laugh when you know, they're like, I'm teeny tiny. I can't 512 00:48:17,679 --> 00:48:24,119 lift that. Yeah, I imagine so. Well, the reason I bring that stuff up, guys, is just because if if 513 00:48:24,120 --> 00:48:28,839 anybody's listening to this right now, I want them to know that this is this is the way it is for 514 00:48:28,840 --> 00:48:34,559 everybody. If you're new to this and you've never been around it before and, uh, you know, there's 515 00:48:34,600 --> 00:48:40,199 there's so much that goes into it. But the fact of the matter is everybody comes in in some shade of 516 00:48:40,199 --> 00:48:46,120 green when it comes to getting this new job, and everybody has to learn at their own pace. And the 517 00:48:46,120 --> 00:48:50,309 funny stuff. The lighthearted stuff just goes to show you that you never really know what you're 518 00:48:50,310 --> 00:48:54,389 in for. When you get in with your trainer, your trainer doesn't know what they're in for when 519 00:48:54,389 --> 00:49:00,349 they get in with you. But that's all part of the process. And having such a great staff of trainers 520 00:49:00,350 --> 00:49:07,349 at bulk, like we do, is what makes that transition easier on everybody. Um, and I 521 00:49:07,350 --> 00:49:12,389 appreciate you guys bringing that up because, um, I just want to set everybody's nerves at ease. 522 00:49:12,389 --> 00:49:16,589 Something's going to happen if your trailer starts hopping off the ground and you've never 523 00:49:16,590 --> 00:49:21,429 experienced that before. It's okay to panic a little bit. But let's take a deep breath. Call the 524 00:49:21,429 --> 00:49:26,869 guy that can help you out and, uh, get that all ironed out. And, uh, Jeff, I assume everything went 525 00:49:26,870 --> 00:49:33,429 okay with this gentleman after you got in touch with him and his trailer was bouncing? Yeah, he 526 00:49:33,429 --> 00:49:39,269 finally went back and got it unplugged, and and his day was, uh, over at that point, so. But yeah, 527 00:49:39,270 --> 00:49:45,148 that was that was kind of interesting, though. Good, good. Well, uh, I want to do kind of a biggest myths. 528 00:49:45,229 --> 00:49:51,989 rapid fire here. And I'll kind of go around the table and ask you guys these questions. Um, 529 00:49:52,149 --> 00:49:56,950 and you just give me a true or false. And if you want to explain that answer, you can explain it. 530 00:49:56,950 --> 00:50:01,829 But consider this kind of a primer for somebody that's never hauled pneumatic doesn't know 531 00:50:01,829 --> 00:50:06,908 anything about it, but they're thinking about giving Rachel a call. Uh, Greg, I'll start with you. 532 00:50:06,949 --> 00:50:12,509 True or false? Pneumatic drivers spend all day covered in whatever product that they're hauling. 533 00:50:13,310 --> 00:50:20,109 Very false. Very false. Talk to me. Yes. I don't like getting dirty. So, yeah. My truck. I keep my truck 534 00:50:20,110 --> 00:50:27,110 clean. If you are covered in stuff, something is terribly wrong. Got it. Okay. Uh, Jeff, going 535 00:50:27,110 --> 00:50:32,189 to you. Pneumatic hauling is only for experienced drivers. I think we know the answer to this one. 536 00:50:32,189 --> 00:50:39,030 But true or false? That's absolutely false. You've seen a guy that's as green as the day has long 537 00:50:39,030 --> 00:50:45,739 come in here and have a successful career from the word go, haven't you? I'm just saying that not 538 00:50:45,739 --> 00:50:51,180 everybody. I don't know how many people starts out hauling pneumatic trailers right off the rip. So 539 00:50:51,180 --> 00:50:58,060 about everybody's green. Yeah, exactly. You know, uh, you don't wake 540 00:50:58,100 --> 00:51:04,899 up, uh, right the first day after having your CDL going into a job hauling, 541 00:51:04,899 --> 00:51:11,339 uh, pneumatics most often. But back to kind of in the same vein that the topic of this whole 542 00:51:11,659 --> 00:51:17,859 podcast, the whole idea of the of pneumatics being a specialized 543 00:51:17,860 --> 00:51:24,658 carrier. That's the way it was when I like I was going back and forth working an hourly job and 544 00:51:24,659 --> 00:51:30,178 I when I decided to get into the truck driving, like I really had intentions of coming to this 545 00:51:30,179 --> 00:51:36,859 company right off the rip. But I found out that back then they didn't allow drivers 546 00:51:36,899 --> 00:51:41,779 unless they didn't hire drivers, unless you had two years of experience. So that's why I went 547 00:51:41,779 --> 00:51:46,329 ahead and got my license and went out with all the other companies. I had intended coming back to 548 00:51:46,330 --> 00:51:51,009 work for this company because it was just right there in my backyard. Right, right. You had you had 549 00:51:51,010 --> 00:51:56,129 your eye on BOQ for a while and you eventually got there. So it's all good. But you did have to, uh, 550 00:51:56,169 --> 00:52:02,209 you had to cut your teeth a little bit, didn't you? Yeah. Then yes. Not so much. Now things have changed. 551 00:52:02,209 --> 00:52:07,889 And like like Rachel said, they're they're, uh, all about trying to get some people right out of 552 00:52:07,889 --> 00:52:14,850 school, and and that's that's bring them on. Yeah. Actually, I, I, I had a, I had 553 00:52:14,889 --> 00:52:21,809 a, uh, old, old hand. Tell me one time he was a boss man of mine. He said he would 554 00:52:21,809 --> 00:52:28,728 much rather bring in a greenhorn and teach them the way he wants them to be taught and run things, 555 00:52:28,729 --> 00:52:32,769 rather than bringing somebody in with all the experience and thinking they know everything. Sure, 556 00:52:32,809 --> 00:52:38,569 sure. You can't have hotshots out here trying to trying to, uh, reinvent the wheel. Right. We gotta 557 00:52:38,610 --> 00:52:44,639 bring them up the right way. And and that's part of, I think the family aspect of the company here 558 00:52:44,639 --> 00:52:49,559 is that, look, it's it's there's a way that we do this. There's a safe way, there's an efficient way. 559 00:52:49,559 --> 00:52:55,559 And kind of getting everybody started out of the blocks in that right lane is is the way to do it. 560 00:52:55,600 --> 00:53:00,599 And um, I mean, that's it's like you said, that's why we're here today. Uh, Rachel, I don't want to 561 00:53:00,600 --> 00:53:04,919 leave you out of the true or false. I, I kind of have a recruiting focused one here that you might 562 00:53:04,919 --> 00:53:10,878 hear, uh, from time to time, but I'll ask you. True or false? Uh, hauling pneumatic is harder than 563 00:53:10,919 --> 00:53:17,878 hauling, um, let's say driven. True, true. And if somebody just asked you that. 564 00:53:17,919 --> 00:53:24,639 Hey, is it harder than hauling dry van? How are you answering that question? I would say it. It 565 00:53:24,679 --> 00:53:30,560 depends. Um, different product lines are different. Different terminals go to different customers, and 566 00:53:30,560 --> 00:53:35,719 that makes a difference. I know, like here in Plain City, going down to the rail yard is harder than 567 00:53:35,759 --> 00:53:41,279 doing things at other terminals. So it depends where they're looking, what they are used to doing 568 00:53:41,679 --> 00:53:47,919 and what they are comfortable doing too. Because some guys love being able to get in and out of 569 00:53:47,919 --> 00:53:53,239 the truck and, you know, having a little bit more physical activity. And some. Guys lately. You know, 570 00:53:53,280 --> 00:53:59,799 it's it's a lot harder for them to drive and, you know, stay out 2 to 3 weeks at a time like 571 00:53:59,840 --> 00:54:05,199 that's, you know, it just kind of depends what they're used to and what is hard for them. Yeah. It 572 00:54:05,199 --> 00:54:09,958 was like I think about it as like in on the playground in grade school, you got your monkey 573 00:54:09,959 --> 00:54:14,958 bar kids and you got your swing kids. The swing kids are good. Just kind of hanging there. Fine. The 574 00:54:14,959 --> 00:54:18,438 monkey bar kids, it's okay if they're climbing on something and they fall off, they're going to get 575 00:54:18,439 --> 00:54:23,519 right back up and climb right back up on top of it again. And it's just it's a personality type. 576 00:54:23,519 --> 00:54:29,479 And and identifying that is is all part of the gig here. But the opportunities are there for all 577 00:54:29,480 --> 00:54:34,519 types. And there's lots of different types of, of hauling that bulk and spur get into and lots of 578 00:54:34,519 --> 00:54:39,589 different scenarios that you could end up in. So if I could take anything away from this, I would 579 00:54:39,589 --> 00:54:44,389 say, just give Rachel a call. She's going to give you all the info that you need. And if you end up 580 00:54:44,389 --> 00:54:48,429 working here, you might end up sitting next to Jeffrey Greg at some point in time and getting 581 00:54:48,429 --> 00:54:55,069 some really good instruction. Um, I always am amazed at these conversations on this podcast, in 582 00:54:55,070 --> 00:54:59,070 particular on always pneumatic, never static. I always look at the clock and think, well, we've 583 00:54:59,070 --> 00:55:05,510 been talking 20 minutes or so. No, we've been here for 50. At this point in time. So I've already run 584 00:55:05,510 --> 00:55:09,789 out of time with you guys. I want to get you back to it. I know you're busy. We're recording this on 585 00:55:09,790 --> 00:55:15,070 a Friday. Everybody's trying to get home for their weekend. So let's get to the Final Thought segment 586 00:55:15,070 --> 00:55:20,510 here today. This has been a fantastic interview with you guys talking about why new drivers 587 00:55:20,510 --> 00:55:25,909 should consider pneumatics. And, uh, we just really appreciate all of the information that you all 588 00:55:25,909 --> 00:55:30,949 have brought here today. Uh, final thoughts from you, Jeff Linne. Before we get going, anything we 589 00:55:30,949 --> 00:55:37,019 left on the table or anything else you want to say before we wrap it up today. I would just 590 00:55:37,020 --> 00:55:43,699 encourage those that want to get into the industry. Uh, not necessarily listen to 591 00:55:43,699 --> 00:55:49,939 the the instructors at the schools as far as saying, hey, you've got to go out here and be with 592 00:55:49,940 --> 00:55:56,859 these, uh, long haul companies to get experience because there are specialized companies out here 593 00:55:56,860 --> 00:56:03,299 like us now that are taking you right directly out of school. So check in and don't be 594 00:56:03,300 --> 00:56:10,299 afraid. Um, and right off the rip, to be truthful about it, specialized is where you really want to 595 00:56:10,340 --> 00:56:14,619 end up in in the long run, because you're going to be home more often. You're not going to be out to 596 00:56:14,659 --> 00:56:20,579 in three weeks like you would if you're like they say you have to do to get your feet wet, to be 597 00:56:20,580 --> 00:56:26,459 able to come back to do the local jobs. We're not necessarily local, but I would venture to say 598 00:56:26,459 --> 00:56:33,459 we're about 99%, uh, everybody's home at least two days. Uh, whether it's on both weekend 599 00:56:33,460 --> 00:56:39,219 days or like a maybe two days in the middle of the week. If they got some that are taking 600 00:56:39,220 --> 00:56:44,698 advantage of the weekend. Pay whatever you know. But just don't let it hold you back. Great advice 601 00:56:44,699 --> 00:56:49,860 Jeff. We really appreciate the time. As always, my friend. You're welcome on the show anytime. Uh, 602 00:56:49,860 --> 00:56:55,059 we'll get you back on here again soon. Thanks for being here. Uh, Greg, final thoughts from you, uh, 603 00:56:55,060 --> 00:57:00,019 after this great interview. We really appreciate your time as well. Anything that we left on the 604 00:57:00,020 --> 00:57:05,939 table or that you want to say before we wrap up. I would just say, don't be. I tell everybody that 605 00:57:05,939 --> 00:57:11,099 comes on board, the newer, uh, the newer people or just anybody that's been been doing this for 606 00:57:11,100 --> 00:57:17,659 years, like drive in flatbed. Don't be intimidated by the trailers. There's a lot to look at. And 607 00:57:17,659 --> 00:57:22,059 there's a you don't have to learn it all the first day. It's all pretty easy. Like Jeff said, 608 00:57:22,100 --> 00:57:28,659 it's specialized. We run. I can't speak for all the terminals, obviously, but we run our terminal runs. 609 00:57:28,700 --> 00:57:33,888 We've got dedicated routes, we run normally, then we'll help other terminals out. Uh, And if you ever 610 00:57:33,889 --> 00:57:39,569 have a problem, if I don't have the answer, I'll call Jeff. I'll call another trainer. Uh, I mean, we 611 00:57:39,570 --> 00:57:44,009 will get you an answer. Everybody's got everybody's back. And this is a little bit more 612 00:57:44,010 --> 00:57:49,289 than a job. This is really a good career. So if you're starting out, you can absolutely make a 613 00:57:49,289 --> 00:57:56,289 great living doing this. You take care of yourself. And when you get, you know, upper 60, 70, if you 614 00:57:56,289 --> 00:58:01,610 want to hang it up, hang it up. There you go. There you go. Great advice. Uh, Greg, thank you for being 615 00:58:01,610 --> 00:58:08,169 here again. You're welcome on the show anytime as well. Anytime. Uh, and, uh, of course, somebody that I 616 00:58:08,169 --> 00:58:13,169 already mentioned gives us so much time and helps out so much. Behind the scenes with this podcast 617 00:58:13,169 --> 00:58:17,809 is recruiting and retention manager Rachel Dellaposta. Rachel can't thank you enough for the time 618 00:58:17,809 --> 00:58:22,009 that you give us here on this podcast. Final thoughts from you before we let you get back to 619 00:58:22,050 --> 00:58:28,569 work. Um, I will just throw out one other kind of reassurance for you. Uh, when we do 620 00:58:28,570 --> 00:58:34,679 release you out of training, we try not to sing you too far out right away. That way, if you do get 621 00:58:34,680 --> 00:58:39,600 plugged up, if you run into trouble, we can get to you fairly quickly if need be. So it's it's kind 622 00:58:39,600 --> 00:58:44,440 of one of those things you don't have to go into it scared. Like, I know doing something new is 623 00:58:44,440 --> 00:58:49,879 always nerve wracking, but we try to take care of you. I always make sure everybody knows I'm always 624 00:58:49,879 --> 00:58:53,599 here. If you're not comfortable going to your terminal manager or your trainer, which I hope 625 00:58:53,599 --> 00:58:58,959 that you are, but if you're not, give me a call. I'll talk. I'll talk you through whatever needs 626 00:58:58,959 --> 00:59:02,959 talk through and point you in the right direction. And if I don't have the answer, I will find it for 627 00:59:02,960 --> 00:59:08,320 you. And we'll. We'll talk through things and make it work. Great stuff. Rachel, thank you so much for 628 00:59:08,320 --> 00:59:12,279 the time today. If you're listening to this and you're thinking about it, I'm going to tell you 629 00:59:12,280 --> 00:59:17,080 right now, take a deep breath, settle down just a little bit and give Rachel a call. I think that 630 00:59:17,080 --> 00:59:22,399 you'll find that this is a really good company to work for, a really good career to start. And, uh, hey, 631 00:59:22,399 --> 00:59:27,519 just like Greg said, you're going to look back and be 70 and be ready to hang it up after you come 632 00:59:27,520 --> 00:59:33,629 to work here with Bulk and Spur. And another thing I want to say is we will get some newer drivers 633 00:59:33,629 --> 00:59:39,070 on here that are in the beginning of this process very soon and do sort of a follow up episode to 634 00:59:39,070 --> 00:59:43,669 this. We've heard from the people that have all the answers. Now it's time to go and talk to some 635 00:59:43,669 --> 00:59:49,468 people that are just getting started and see how it goes. Rachel Greg, Jeff, awesome stuff from you 636 00:59:49,469 --> 00:59:54,350 today. Thank you so much. We'll see you soon okay. Thank you. Thank you. 637 01:00:03,110 --> 01:00:09,189 Great stuff from Rachel, Jeff and Greg. Hats off to them as always. Three people that have given a lot 638 01:00:09,230 --> 01:00:15,949 of time to this podcast, and we appreciate them greatly for that because listen, I said it in the 639 01:00:15,950 --> 01:00:21,429 open. I am not the star here. I am Steve Nash. I gotta get experts in here, people that are really 640 01:00:21,430 --> 01:00:26,948 well versed in what we're talking about and let them lead it. And they did a fantastic job. I 641 01:00:26,949 --> 01:00:31,230 actually told them off the air Next time I'm not even going to say anything. I'm going to cut the 642 01:00:31,230 --> 01:00:35,390 mics on and I'm going to go take a nap. And I'm going to let Jeff and Greg and Rachel do the 643 01:00:35,390 --> 01:00:40,469 episode, because they're so good and they're so knowledgeable that they could do this without me. 644 01:00:40,469 --> 01:00:45,709 I'm I'm literally just tossing the ball around the table. It's like that. You ever work in like an 645 01:00:45,709 --> 01:00:49,870 office environment, and they have the little squish ball and you toss it around the table, and 646 01:00:49,870 --> 01:00:54,149 then you say something about whatever you're talking about or you, you give a personal fact or 647 01:00:54,149 --> 01:00:59,269 something like that. That's a lot what my job is. I'm the ball people are. I'm just getting tossed 648 01:00:59,270 --> 01:01:05,269 around and I'm just asking people the questions and they're doing awesome. Answering us, giving us 649 01:01:05,269 --> 01:01:10,430 all the information that we need. Um, if that episode didn't move the needle for you as a new 650 01:01:10,430 --> 01:01:16,510 CDL holder thinking about pneumatics, I don't know what will. Um, you heard right there. Proof in the 651 01:01:16,510 --> 01:01:22,389 pudding. I didn't even know that Jeff was Greg's trainer until he said that live on the show. I 652 01:01:22,390 --> 01:01:27,500 just knew that Jeff and Greg had both trained people before, and they both volunteered to come 653 01:01:27,500 --> 01:01:33,059 on the episode. So great. But we got an even deeper layer there and hearing a little bit about Greg's 654 01:01:33,060 --> 01:01:39,579 training. And, um, listen, you heard two guys that told you, look, I was intimidated. I did not know if 655 01:01:39,580 --> 01:01:44,460 I was going to be able to do this. Um, you know, Jeff thought he was going to be a one year 656 01:01:44,460 --> 01:01:50,819 tourist, like he said. So, um, it's understandable to be a little bit intimidated by special, uh, 657 01:01:50,819 --> 01:01:56,259 specialized hauling like this. But at the end of the day, Bulk and Spur have the trainers and the 658 01:01:56,259 --> 01:02:02,499 staff and the support to present this opportunity in a way that it can be seized and seized 659 01:02:02,500 --> 01:02:08,580 successfully and turned into a great career for you. Uh, there is one thing that I want to add here 660 01:02:08,580 --> 01:02:13,820 before we wrap this whole episode up, that, uh, the drivers told me a little bit after we went off 661 01:02:13,820 --> 01:02:18,699 the air, we were just kind of chatting back and forth, and, uh, I believe it was Greg or Jeff, one of 662 01:02:18,699 --> 01:02:24,300 the two that said, hey, can you make a note so that people that are listening to this, that maybe our 663 01:02:24,300 --> 01:02:29,129 prospective bulk employees, they are going to give Rachel call after listening to this episode. Know 664 01:02:29,129 --> 01:02:34,049 that the truck that they're going to get into is going to be an automatic. That's a very important 665 01:02:34,049 --> 01:02:40,649 thing in today's trucking industry. Many of these trucking schools don't even train guys on manual 666 01:02:40,649 --> 01:02:46,290 transmissions anymore. They only train them on automatics, which means that, you know, if if you 667 01:02:46,290 --> 01:02:50,249 didn't know that and you were coming out of school and all of a sudden they put you in an 18 668 01:02:50,250 --> 01:02:56,169 speed, uh, things are going to be a little bit weird for you, but these trucks are automatic. Um, 669 01:02:56,169 --> 01:03:01,810 and listening to Greg and Jeff talk about why they like the automatic trucks, even though they 670 01:03:01,810 --> 01:03:08,650 came from the manual truck era, is something that makes me realize that these trucks are. First of 671 01:03:08,650 --> 01:03:13,809 all, we know the equipment at bulk is top notch. It's very well maintained. Uh, a lot of times you 672 01:03:13,810 --> 01:03:19,889 might end up in something new or newer. Um, and of course, Brad DeWolf over there running the shop 673 01:03:19,889 --> 01:03:25,120 and the maintenance department, um, and all of the terminals and all of the truck and trailer shops 674 01:03:25,120 --> 01:03:31,439 throughout all of the terminals do a fantastic job. And proof of that. We've only been able to get 675 01:03:31,439 --> 01:03:36,280 shop guys on the show just the one time because they're busy. They have a lot going on. It's hard 676 01:03:36,280 --> 01:03:41,760 for them to cut out for an hour in the middle of their day and keep this fleet on the road in good 677 01:03:41,760 --> 01:03:48,039 condition. Um, and we understand why they would bypass the podcast to continue working on the 678 01:03:48,040 --> 01:03:53,320 bulk trucks and keeping them as well maintained as they are. So just a little side note for you, 679 01:03:53,320 --> 01:03:57,999 their automatic trucks, if you're thinking about it, I don't know what else I could tell you at 680 01:03:57,999 --> 01:04:02,879 this point in time that would, uh, move the needle any more for you. Um, you're going to get great 681 01:04:02,920 --> 01:04:07,959 training. You've got a resource there in Rachel who will answer every single question to the nth 682 01:04:07,959 --> 01:04:13,439 degree for you until you're comfortable enough to actually send in the application. And you even 683 01:04:13,439 --> 01:04:17,879 heard her say right there before we left, that, hey, even if you're feeling a little uncomfortable 684 01:04:17,920 --> 01:04:23,359 talking to your trainer or your driver manager or your terminal manager about something, Give me a 685 01:04:23,360 --> 01:04:28,639 call and I'll see if we can talk it out a little bit. That type of support is not necessarily 686 01:04:28,640 --> 01:04:33,439 something that you see across the industry. I've worked with a lot of trucking fleets over the 687 01:04:33,439 --> 01:04:39,479 last four years of experience that I've built doing this, and I think that's the first recruiter 688 01:04:39,480 --> 01:04:45,159 that I've ever had, say, on a podcast, after you're in the truck and out on your own and months have 689 01:04:45,160 --> 01:04:51,480 gone by, and if you have an issue, you can still call me. That's amazing, because the process for 690 01:04:51,480 --> 01:04:56,679 Rachel, by the time you're off on your own in a truck, that process is over. She's off looking for 691 01:04:56,680 --> 01:05:02,799 new, fresh recruits, qualified good applicants to be the next crop of bulk drivers. But she's still 692 01:05:02,799 --> 01:05:06,559 willing to take a call from you. She's still willing to help you out in any way that she can, 693 01:05:06,600 --> 01:05:12,679 and never more evident than how she helps us out all the time on this podcast. Uh, Rachel is a 694 01:05:12,679 --> 01:05:19,119 budding star as far as broadcasting is concerned. She's a solidified star in the recruiting and 695 01:05:19,119 --> 01:05:25,229 retention, uh, category, and we're just lucky to have somebody like that heading up the department 696 01:05:25,229 --> 01:05:31,829 here at Bulk and Spur. Want to say thanks to Rachel? Of course. Jeff and Greg one more time. And 697 01:05:31,830 --> 01:05:36,909 I also want to remind you everything that you need to interact with this podcast is on the 698 01:05:36,909 --> 01:05:43,668 website podcast.bulktransit.com. Head on over there. Click the button, send me a message. We've 699 01:05:43,669 --> 01:05:49,709 got quizzes that go with every single episode. And you know there's there just for testing your 700 01:05:49,710 --> 01:05:54,549 mettle a little bit. Hey, how's how's your retention and not keeping good drivers here? 701 01:05:54,549 --> 01:05:58,629 Rachel's got a handle on that. How's your retention when it comes to hearing information 702 01:05:58,629 --> 01:06:03,189 and remembering it? Somebody, when the information comes from this podcast, sometimes that can get a 703 01:06:03,190 --> 01:06:08,789 little hazy because your boy likes to chat, but you can go take the quizzes and know that when we 704 01:06:08,790 --> 01:06:14,269 have our next giveaway, that is how you will enter. The giveaway is by taking the quizzes. So get a 705 01:06:14,270 --> 01:06:19,669 little bit of practice in right now. Uh, start working on that mental retention and sooner or 706 01:06:19,699 --> 01:06:24,340 later here, sometime within the next few months, we should be having another giveaway where we'll put 707 01:06:24,340 --> 01:06:29,539 something on the line and we'll we'll get everybody entered by taking one of the quizzes or 708 01:06:29,619 --> 01:06:35,139 a couple of the quizzes, and then we will do a random drawing to give away a really cool prize. 709 01:06:35,140 --> 01:06:40,619 The last time we did that was shortly after we launched the podcast, and we gave away two really 710 01:06:40,620 --> 01:06:45,939 nice cooling vests. And let me tell you, that was before summer. So I bet those guys have been out 711 01:06:45,940 --> 01:06:52,019 there utilizing the cooling vests all summer long, staying cool, staying hydrated. Maybe they're 712 01:06:52,020 --> 01:06:55,899 climbing up and down off the trailer. Maybe that's their gig. Maybe they've got one of the ones where 713 01:06:55,899 --> 01:07:00,819 they don't have to do that quite as much. Doesn't matter. They're keeping it cool because they got a 714 01:07:00,819 --> 01:07:06,820 cool cooling vest from always pneumatic, never static. So we're just here for you guys, that's all. 715 01:07:06,859 --> 01:07:11,339 I mean, I'm I'm here to have a little bit of fun. Yeah, we get to make it entertaining, but at the 716 01:07:11,340 --> 01:07:17,339 end of the day, episodes like today's are chock full of information that will answer questions 717 01:07:17,339 --> 01:07:22,929 for you if you're still on the fence, and if even one person jumps off the fence and gives Rachel 718 01:07:22,929 --> 01:07:28,689 call because they heard this episode slam dunk, man, I'm happy about it. So I want to say thank you 719 01:07:28,689 --> 01:07:33,689 to everybody that clicked download today. Go to the website. Take the quiz. Send me an email if you 720 01:07:33,689 --> 01:07:38,889 want to be on the show, or if there's something you want to hear on the show. And do me a favor, 721 01:07:38,889 --> 01:07:43,849 let me add some homework to your list today. It's real easy if you're listening to this, and you 722 01:07:43,850 --> 01:07:48,929 tune in every week and you get anything out of it, maybe, even maybe it's just a laugh. Maybe you 723 01:07:48,929 --> 01:07:54,249 listen to hear what the next ridiculous thing that comes out of my mouth is. Maybe you listen 724 01:07:54,249 --> 01:07:59,369 for when I stop talking and you can hear the actual experts talk. It doesn't matter if you've 725 01:07:59,370 --> 01:08:04,529 ever gotten anything out of this show whatsoever. Do us a favor. Hear it. Always pneumatic, never 726 01:08:04,529 --> 01:08:10,250 static. And tell a friend. That's all I'm asking. You run into somebody at the truck stop that you 727 01:08:10,250 --> 01:08:14,129 haven't seen for a while. Maybe they drive for bulk out of a different terminal. And, hey, you 728 01:08:14,129 --> 01:08:19,489 cross paths, ask them. Hey, if you checked out. Always pneumatic, never static. Yet it's real easy 729 01:08:19,490 --> 01:08:26,249 to get to the websites podcast.bulktransit.com. Head over there and check out a couple episodes that would 730 01:08:26,249 --> 01:08:31,409 do wonders for us. We just want more people to listen. We want more people to be involved. 731 01:08:31,409 --> 01:08:37,609 Everybody that wears that bulk or Spur logo is welcome here on Always pneumatic, never static. So 732 01:08:37,609 --> 01:08:43,209 get over to the website, shoot your boy a line and let's make some podcast magic together. Thanks 733 01:08:43,210 --> 01:08:48,210 again to Rachel, Jeff and Greg for their awesome interview today. We will be back here next week 734 01:08:48,210 --> 01:08:54,250 for you with another hour of content on always pneumatic, never static. Be safe out there. Have a 735 01:08:54,250 --> 01:09:00,769 great week! And that's all she blows for today's episode of Always Pneumatic, Never 736 01:09:00,770 --> 01:09:06,609 Static. Your number one and probably only Pneumatic Trucking podcast, brought to you by Bulk 737 01:09:06,649 --> 01:09:12,089 Transit. Thanks for rolling with us today. Till next time, stay safe. Keep those lines clear and 738 01:09:12,089 --> 01:09:13,289 keep it pumping.