How's That Strike Working Out?

BLACKTOP EPISODE 4 (PUMPKIN AT THE PUMP): Pumpkins at the pump, a history of what a perfect diesel storm looks like, and a moment of respite from all the talk of “STRIKE!” to celebrate veterans in trucking. That’s the route of BLACKTOP this week. Jimmy Mac explains that the fuel bill due at the top of the month is now $1,400 more than it was a year ago. And the cost of the war with Iran? It’s added $14,000 to the bill of a 10,000-mile-a-month trucker since the conflict started. If spot rates don’t rise soon and aren’t matched by a drop in fuel costs, those companies won’t owe money. They won’t exist. And you should probably check the number of personal pumpkins in stores and markets. If they look a little light on the gourd family, it might turn into a long October for boutique sellers and haunted attractions. Dave Nemo (yes, that Dave Nemo) shows up to explain the oil shocks of the ’70s and what could make our current situation go from a storm to a “perfect storm.” Let’s put it this way: If you don’t like our current circumstances, imagine them shutting down the fuel islands and running out of diesel because there isn’t any to sell. Since the word is all doom and gloom, BLACKTOP gives us a straight crowd-pleaser with its movie of the week, “The Straight Story.” Any tale involving an aging veteran’s quest to visit his dying brother by traveling from Wisconsin to Iowa on a John Deere tractor is something worth getting behind. And speaking of veterans, “Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence” just named five finalists for the chance to win a Kenworth T680. Fastport President Brad Bentley arrives to explain how the program, which celebrates veterans who have made the move into trucking, has evolved over its eleven years. It has grown from simply awarding a truck to a worthy driver into a rallying point for driver education, entrepreneurial advancement, and an opportunity to celebrate the veterans community at large. We’d love to hear your thoughts. But that would be a creepy power if we possessed it. So, instead, write down your opinion of the show in the comments section, and we’ll try ’em out on BLACKTOP. Dave Nemo began his radio career in 1969 in his senior year at Loyola University, becoming a weekend host at WWL 870 AM in New Orleans. After joining the Army in 1970 and broadcasting for AFKN in Seoul, South Korea, he returned to WWL in 1972. Upon return, Nemo met broadcaster Charlie Douglas. Douglas had created "The Road Gang" in 1971 to entertain overnight truck drivers across America. Nemo joined the show, combining trucking music, country, and rock-n-roll. During the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo, the show became an essential informational hub for drivers, relaying diesel prices, safe parking spots, and personal messages. When Douglas left for WSM Radio in 1984, Nemo took over leadership of "The Road Gang". Over the following decades, the broadcast expanded, shifted across several radio companies, moved to Nashville, and eventually transitioned to XM Satellite Radio (now SiriusXM). Nemo officially retired from full-time hosting on February 16, 2026. He is a cool dude and can sometimes be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/dave.nemo.14. Brad Bentley’s career includes recruitment advertising, positions in media companies to President of the Truckload Carriers Association. Today, Bentley is President of FASTPORT, a technology company that helps military veterans find meaningful civilian employment and serves as the Department of Labor’s intermediary for the transportation sector. He facilitates the annual Transition Trucking: Driving For Excellence contest, where a Kenworth truck is awarded to a military veteran. Bentley serves as FASTPORT’s representative on Task Force Movement and co-created the trucking industry’s first Veteran Ready Summit in conjunction with Tenstreet.