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- Tale Lites Issue 2
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Community is Everything
At the start of 2023 is when I began hauling open deck freight. I contracted with Warren Transport based out of Waterloo, Iowa. I was referred there by my buddy Ben, a fellow trucker, who travels with his Concept2 Rowing machine to stay in shape. Per usual Orientation was on Monday (shoutout Joe Seppi) and I was excited. What I loved about their onboarding was how much Warren truly wants their contractors to feel apart of the company. That's a hard sell to truckers nowadays. How many trailers have advertisement wraps all claiming “we love our drivers” or that “we treat drivers like family.” It’s almost cliche, and something we’ll chuckle at, because odds are their dispatchers are either overseas, or one Tiktok search unveils a laundry list of horror stories. But to be honest, Warren proved themselves right. Even the last carrier I drove for, R&R Solutions out of Gravette, AR, had fairly low turnover, and an amazing culture. I even referred to Northwest Arkansas as somewhat of a second home. The company itself did more than just trucking too, being involved in 3PL, and other forms of project management, but the CEO really loved the drivers the most, and made it a point to know them. Where not all drivers may agree with this, he did his research, and he wanted only Volvos in his fleet because he wanted the absolute safest vehicles, because no matter what he never wanted a driver to lose their life on his watch, no matter what.
Back to Waterloo at Orientation, not only did I have this sense of being welcomed to a family, the other drivers at orientation did too. We met the Senior VP of the Specialized Division, and his number one priority was transparency, and making sure all the contractors not only had a place to voice their opinion, but provide input when and where they could. Admitting that he wasn’t the one on the ground, and can’t possibly know everything, especially given his main focus was building relationships with customers to get us good freight.
Similar to myself, Warren loved taking pride in the company’s history, so much that one of their biggest selling points of why you should be proud to be here was the company’s 4-digit DOT number. The company did their job, but what drove it home that made me wear their hat and safety vest with pride? My birthday happened during orientation, and one of the other drivers went with me to a Freddy’s Steakburgers restaurant, and refused to let me pay for food. We hung out there for almost two hours where he dropped all of his decades of trucking knowledge on me. He did some awesome stuff, including hauling the new steel that went into One World Trade Center in New York City. After dinner I still needed to get my truck organized with my headache rack, chains, and binders, and without me mentioning or asking he was just outside the hotel with me, and did most of the work for me. I asked him why he had done all this for me, not really knowing who I am, and having just met. He told me he knows enough, because I decided to do this job, and actually care, that we only succeed when we all come together and help each other out. I never saw this gentleman again, but I met other Warren drivers at our drop yards, and across the Nation, and that energy was largely out there over the road. We had weekly calls with the SVP, and a facebook group. I always looked forward to getting back up to Waterloo, because I couldn’t wait to see who I’d meet, or say hello to the terminal staff. You may love something, or you may even generally dislike a lot of aspects about what you do, in 2023 the freight didn’t pay that great, but my overall morale stayed high, and I stayed motivated because I felt like I was apart of a community.
I want to hear from you! For Driver Submissions, questions, and comments contact me at: [email protected] or Text me directly at 423-275-2444
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Who is Lee Schmitt? Trucker Applies for Head of FMCSA
“The FMCSA(Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) has been in existence for 25 years. It was created to improve Commercial Motor Vehicle safety on our roads. There have been 19 administrators of the agency, 6 confirmed by Presidents, and 13 acting administrators. Not one of them has ever driven a CMV for a living. In the last 25 years, CMV safety has gotten so bad that truck driver is the number 3 most dangerous job. In the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999, which created the FMCSA states that the President shall appoint someone with “professional motor carrier safety experience”. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
It is time to break the pattern of a desk driver at the helm of a regulatory body deciding what is safe for truck drivers and the public—because we are the ONLY mode of freight movement that shares our workspace with the general public. It is TIME for someone with safe driving experience to be appointed to be administrator of the FMCSA. Lee Schmitt has been driving for over 30 years in all sectors of the industry, with a perfect safety record. He has managed a carrier and owns his own truck. He and his wife, Lisa are thoroughly knowledgeable of the “Green Book”: the regulations of the trucking industry. They have established relationships with Congress, Senate, FMCSA, and other government agencies necessary to improve safety. They are well known in the trucking industry through their social media handle, Trucking Across America with the Schmitts. If you agree with other drivers that we need a change at the top, please call your Senators and sign the petition here and share with all your friends.”
@truckingwtheschmitts #Trucking #seanduffy #FMCSA #regulations #cdl #cdldrivers @President Donald J Trump @donaldjtrumpjr
You can follow Lee Schmitt on
Tiktok @truckingwtheschmitts
Twitter @LSchmitt_TAAWTS
Facebook page: Trucking Across America with the Schmitts
Health Tip of the Week
Air Fryer - The weapon of choice in fighting for your health
While I was over the road I had a microwave and fridge in my truck, but the best source for protein comes from meat. You can’t really cook meat in a microwave, so I picked up an air fryer from Walmart. Max cook time would be 20 minutes, and that’s for a thick chicken breast. Ground beef or pork took even less. Even if you have to be driving right after your 30 minute break, the air fryer can give you a healthier, better for you option that is higher in protein, and lower in calories than what the average truck stop will be selling. Check out this meal I made that took me 12 minutes!
@lombardtrucking Dinner time in the truck #macros #fyp #thehighwayguido #truckers #trucking #trucker #truckerlife #truckerslife #truckdriver #truckinglife... See more
$10 towards your next booking!
Use promo code talelites2 (all lowercase - one time use) at checkout for $10 off your next Truck Parking Club booking at one of our 1300+ Property Member locations!
Partner Post of the Week
Every week, we’ll share a piece of content from a Truck Parking Club Partner! This week it looks like our buddy Ralph got flipped the bird!