Caution: Wide Right

When you’ve spent 43 years behind the wheel as a professional driver, you’ve seen just about everything this industry can throw at you — weather, technology shifts, regulatory changes, and generations of drivers coming and going. But today’s guest didn’t just drive through those decades… he helped shape them.

Hey everyone and welcome to the podcast Caution: Wide Right, brought to you by Compliance Navigation Specialists. I’m Luke, your host – and today we are kicking off Season 4! To start the season, I’m joined by Brad Barnett and Bryan Haberstroh from J&J Companies. J&J is a family-founded, relationship-driven organization that’s become a true one-stop partner for designing, building, and maintaining safer, more efficient facilities—from material handling and warehouse systems to safety solutions and compliance support. In this episode, we’re diving into real-world warehouse safety challenges, how safety gets designed into large-scale material handling projects, and what it takes […]

Our guest is Ken Goss – trucker, retired firefighter/EMT, and Safety Manager at George A. Kint, Inc, as well as a board member of the PMTA. Today, we’re focusing on something close to all our hearts:  @WreathsAcrossAmerica  — the national initiative that honors fallen veterans by placing wreaths on their graves, while also teaching the value of service and freedom to future generations. We’ll talk about how the trucking industry supports this important mission, the logistics behind it, and Ken’s personal reflections on service, safety, and leadership.

What a weekend! The 2025 PA Truck Driving Championships brought the heat (and rain) to Kalahari Resorts with a high-energy, two-day sporting event-style competition that celebrated the very best of the trucking industry. From a written test and pre-trip inspection challenge to a skills course that demanded precision and focus, drivers showcased what true professionalism looks like behind the wheel. This event isn’t just a competition—it’s a celebration of the skill, safety, and pride that professional drivers bring to the road every day. To every driver, volunteer, sponsor, and fan—thank you for making this event unforgettable. Congratulations to all who competed—you make Pennsylvania proud!

With the 38th Annual PA Truck Driving Championship just days away… we talk to Kammi and Anthony of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association (PMTA) to discuss what it takes to prepare for TDC 2025, what the PMTA does, and what’s on the calendar later in the year. Welcome to the podcast!

Today we are diving into a topic that hits close to home for a lot of growing fleets: how to scale smart — not fast. We’ve all seen it — a small fleet jumps from five trucks to 20 almost overnight, chasing big contracts and new lanes… only to fold within a year. So, what goes wrong? And more importantly, how do you avoid being that cautionary tale? Joining me today is someone who knows this space inside and out — Sammy from Jano Logistics. Sammy, welcome to the podcast!

Did you know the GI Bill isn’t just for college degrees or military veterans? It can fully cover the cost of CDL training, helping veterans and their dependents step into high-demand, well-paying jobs in the transportation industry. Joining us today is someone with firsthand experience navigating the GI Bill benefits. Our guest, Matthew Benko, is a military veteran who has successfully utilized multiple chapters of the GI Bill—Chapter’s 30, 1606, and 33—gaining extensive knowledge on how these benefits can be used to earn a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) at an approved facility like CNS Driver Training Center. Let’s get started! Matthew, welcome to the podcast!

At Northeastern High School in York County, Pennsylvania, students aren’t just learning to drive—they’re learning how to build a career… from helping students prepare to earn their CDL permits and explore the opportunities in trucking and transportation. The DRIVE elective class gives students many choices on how they can use their Commercial Driver’s license, from over-the-road to construction. And for employers listening… If companies wait until age 21 to recruit and invest in employees, you are losing many motivated and valuable people that could make your company great. The DRIVE program is here to help close this gap. Our guest, Chad Forry, is the driving force behind the D.R.I.V.E. program. With over 20 years of experience as a driver’s ed instructor, Chad started this groundbreaking high school CDL program—the first of its kind in Pennsylvania and going 7 years strong. Chad, welcome to the podcast!

If you’re in the trucking industry, you know that safety and compliance reporting and management is critical and is why we at CNS are here – to help you navigate, track, and manage your safety and DOT compliance requirements.    Well, now there is a growing push for fleet emissions tracking and reporting. From the SEC Climate-Related Disclosure Ruling to CARB’s Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act, new regulations are emerging fast, and emissions compliance is becoming the new norm… It is easy to image that supply chains are not tracking this information accurately as they are not given the proper resources to report something they don’t fully understand. That’s where GreenIRR comes in – It is Carbon reporting made easy for fleets. And, similar to CNS, their mission is to take the burden of navigating complex regulations off of you, while making you more attractive in a hyper competitive market. Joining me today is Celine King, Founder and CEO of GreenIRR. She’s here to break down how GreenIRR’s bottom-up approach to carbon accounting is transforming the way trucking companies manage emissions. Celine, welcome to the podcast!

Ryan Berardi of CNS Companies discusses Data-Driven CDL Training at the 2025 CNS Proactive Safety and Compliance Conference in Lancaster, PA.

Looking to turn your property into a profitable truck parking location without the hassle of day-to-day management? In this interview, we sit down with Rig Hut, the full-service truck parking management software that helps landlords, leaseholders, and property managers seamlessly run an Industrial Outdoor Storage (IOS) / truck parking lot. Can IOS solve the truck parking problem? Maximize Your Property’s Potential How does Rig Hut work? How can property owners generate passive income? Whether you’re a property owner looking for a hands-off investment or a developer seeking flexible options before breaking ground, Rig Hut provides a turnkey solution that ensures steady income and peace of mind while handling tenant interactions and maintenance for you.

Hey everyone and welcome to the podcast Caution: Wide Right brought to you by Compliance Navigation Specialists. I’m Luke, your host, and with me today is Ryan Good, CEO of RGM Transport. Founded in 2005,  @rgmtransport  is a fast-growing, asset-based trucking company specializing in hauling building products, steel, aluminum, and high-value equipment across North America. With operations in both Bethel, PA, and Buckeye, AZ, RGM serves all 48 continental states and Eastern Canada. CEO Ryan Good, who grew up in the trucking industry, took over the company in 2012 after starting with just three trucks. Under his leadership, RGM has expanded to nearly 55 trucks in 2024, with a diverse fleet of flatbeds, step decks, RGNs, and more. Committed to excellence in service, safety, and compliance, RGM continues to grow while maintaining strong partnerships with its customers and a driver-focused company culture – which we will break down in this podcast. Ryan, welcome to the podcast! 00:00 – Intro 04:29 – How RGM started 08:42 – Advise to growing trucking company 12:59 – Managing diversification, Growing customers 17:25 – West Coast expansion 20:18 – Faith and Management 23:22 – CDL Testing 24:11 – Managing freight fluctuations 27:39 – Heavy Haul dispatch 30:59 – Growing brokerage business 33:32 – Hiring Drivers 39:32 – Driver Turnover 41:06 – Approach to Fleet Tech 45:16 – When In-House Maintenance 48:06 – Managing DOT regulations and Safety 52:12 – RGM Future

Hey everyone, and welcome to SEASON 3 of our podcast Caution: Wide Right brought to you by Compliance Navigation Specialists. Today we are going to break down all the planned regulatory changes coming in 2025 and if we believe the timelines will stick or be pushed further down the road. 00:00 | Intro 02:57 | Crash Preventability Program Changes 04:48 | Autonomous Vehicles 06:24 | Automatic Emergency Braking 07:21 | FMCSA New Registration System 09:51 | DOT Oral Saliva Testing 12:01 | Truck Speed Limiter Rule 14:01 | New-Entrant Regulation Knowledge Test 15:27 | ELD Revisions 16:19 | Eliminating MC Numbers 17:24 | Safety Fitness Changes 19:14 | New Content Coming 2025

Is the Tesla Semi living up to the hype? What about Nikola and Freightliner EVs? I REACT to the EV Semi discussion and look at if and how an electric truck transition makes sense! 00:00 | Why this EV discussion is important 03:06 | Run On Less Event 2021 Takeaway 10:35 | Starting a Trucking Business? 11:39 | Tesla SEMI Production Update 15:04 | Run On Less Event 2023 Stats 22:47 | How EV Semis Compare 26:13 | Is EV Semi transition possible?

Today we are exploring how to grow a safety and compliance team, what this role looks like, and how to generate driver retention and positive engagement. Today, I have Andrea Bird, Safety and Compliance Manager at Denver Cold Storage and Denver Logistics. Andrea has over 20 years in the transportation industry and joined the Denver Logistics team back in 2020. A little about the company, Denver Cold Storage is family owned and operated, founded nearly 40 years ago with a mission to provide bulk frozen, refrigerated, and ambient food storage for various food manufacturers and clients. Today, they operate three warehouses in Denver, PA. Beyond palletized storage, the company offers specialized supply chain services, including order picking, blast freezing, labeling, repacking, order fulfillment, delivery, and more. And their sister company Denver Logistics, boasts around 30 trucks and reefer trailers. Andrea, welcome to the podcast!

Today we are chatting with one of the best dry bulk commodities transporters in the US that is also one of the safest on the roads – and they got the awards to prove it! GFI Transport is a family-owned trucking company and a leader for over 30 years in hauling dry bulk commodities such as grain, feed ingredients, agricultural products, mulch, sand, and more… primarily serving areas east of the Mississippi. Ryan is President and CEO of GFI Transportation. Ryan, welcome to the podcast!

Today we are going to explore the uses of telematics data for fleet safety, insurance underwriting, FMCSA studies, and more.  My guest today is Jim Angel, Vice President of Telematics Partners at Speedgauge, a driving analytics and performance company. Jim has 20 plus years of transportation experience, from Director if Transportation at Redman Building Products, Director of Safety and Compliance Solutions at PeopleNet, Vice President Video Intelligence Solutions at Trimple Transportation, Vice President of Video Telematics at EROAD, and more.  Jim, Welcome to the Podcast!  00:00 – Who is Jim Angel? 05:38 – What is SpeedGauge? 09:50 – How has fleet safety changed over the years? 14:13 – How does insurance approach safety data? 21:58 – What safety programs or policies should fleets have? 29:01 – CNS Learning Hub does what? 32:08 – What if GaugeMyFleet? 36:37 – How do the best fleets manage safety? 40:01 – FMCSA Driver Detention Survey using SpeedGauge 45:41 – What is future of fleet data and management? 51:32 – Are Unions in Trucking good?

Today we want to answer the question – WHEN can your growing fleet JOIN a CAPTIVE and potential SAVE money through Insurance and HOW? You have probably heard about it throughout the years, but now is the time to dive deep into what a Captive is, and why it should be a goal for your fleet. With me today to help answer this question, and many more, is Tod Bergen… Business Insurance Executive at McConkey Insurance who has over 20 years in the captive business. Tod, welcome to the podcast! 00:00 – Hello Tod Bergen05:38 – Why insurance hates trucking07:55 – Safety tech good?09:57 – Risk management more than insurance?11:50 – What is group Captive insurance?16:03 – WHEN to join captive?21:32 – WHY join a captive?23:50 – Accident happens, then what?26:03 – What’s a good captive?31:03 – Example of successful captive33:45 – GAPS in insurance?38:15 – Future of Trucking advise43:45 – Driver shortage46:28 – Captive Advise

If you recall back in our first podcast episode, we chatted with John Irwin, founder and CEO of CNS. What you may not know is that his father-in-law helped found CNS and both grew the business to what it is today. As Vice President of CNS Companies, Dean Weinhold has moved into a role as our trusted business advisor, as well as a reliable expert in the industry. Dean holds a class A CDL, Inspection Mechanic License, is a certified trainer and CDL examiner AND is an authorized school bus trainer. But what can we learn from Dean’s over 30 year career in truck and trailer sales, compliance, safety, and licensing management, or his long personal life as a chicken farmer? Let’s find out! Dean, welcome to the podcast! 00:00 – Who is Dean Weinhold? 02:15 – 1953 Tractor Pull! 03:44 – How Chicken Farm Started 06:07 – How Got Into Transportation? 08:22 – Driving in Snow 09:35 – Starting CNS 17:35 – Growing CDL School 20:47 – Teaching Trucking Tips 22:35 – Why Trucking Regulations? 26:53 – How Transport Chickens 32:20 – Proactive Safety at CDL School 36:14 – What is Bridge Formula? 40:39 – Advice to Truckers and Bus Drivers 44:04 – Training School Bus Drivers 48:07 – First Roadside Inspection 51:58 – Worst DOT Experience 58:28 – Understanding DOT Regs

Tens of thousands of dockworkers have gone on strike indefinitely at ports across much of the US, threatening significant trade and economic disruption ahead of the presidential election and the busy holiday shopping season. Members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) walked out on Tuesday at 14 major ports along the east and gulf coasts, halting container traffic from Maine to Texas. The action marks the first such shutdown in almost 50 years. Trucking companies and freight rail operators are scrambling to move billions in trade that has been arriving at the ports. What will happen during this strike? How long will it last? And How will trucking be affected? Let’s find out! 00:00 – STRIKE! 03:15 – Union Boss WHY striking 05:22 – What is Strike about? 12:26 – Potential Impact REPORT 18:39 – Get Class A CDL Now 21:50 – Union Boss THREAT 23:58 – Shippers NOTICE 32:20 – ATA Trucking Perspective 39:47 – Baltimore Strike VIOLENT? 44:12 – Trucker OPPORTUNITY? 49:27 – Conclusion

Hey everyone and welcome to the podcast Caution: Wide Right brought to you by CNS. We at CNS are constantly listening to our customers and improving our services to small to large fleets as we focus on offering the best customer experience possible. From behind the scenes, employee onboarding, and interacting with you daily, we haven’t stopped moving, changing and growing. So today, I am excited to chat with John Irwin, president and CEO of CNS Companies, to talk about all the exciting things happening at our group of companies and how it is helping people looking to get into the trucking industry, become their own successful business owners, keeping employees safe, lowering your business risk, and helping manage many areas of your business so you can focus on what you are experts at. John, welcome back to the podcast! 00:00 – Intro 03: 01 – Rapid Fire Questions 04:20 – Expanding Sites at CDL School 12:14 – More Mobile Units at CNS Occmed 20:51 – CNS Connects Software Coming 26:15 – CNS Learning Hub For Training 29:48 – CNS Experience Best Customer Service 34:18 – CNS Dominating Proactive Safety 36:44 – CNS Fleet Licensing 38:49 – CNS Production and Compliance Conference

Today we are going to talk about the $800 million broker and freight fraud problem and how to prevent it from the driver level. My guests today are Mike Fullam and Matt Patterson, Co-Founders of QuikSkope… a tool for transportation partners to engage efficiently while mitigating the risks of re-brokering, identity fraud, and cargo theft. Let’s find out how. Mike, Matt, welcome to the podcast!

CNS is excited to be the Media Sponsor and will be LIVESTREAMING the PA Truck Driving Championships this year! Thanks to the PMTA, Compliance Navigation Specialists (CNS) is the media sponsor for this year’s competition. We are tasked with creating a fun and exciting livestreaming experience for drivers, companies, and families to watch, and with over a year under our belts with our Caution: Wide Right trucking podcast, we are bringing our production crew to Kalahari! The livestream and other footage will cover: • What to expect at TDC • Driver and Company Interviews • Livestream of the Driving Competition • and more!

Are you looking for unique and cost-effective ways to be environment-friendly AND save money? Well, Smash My Trash — aims to be exactly that. Smash Trucks are here helping business in trucking, construction, distribution, manufacturing, and more… from delaying dumpsters being haul away. How? By smashing it down so it can be filled again and again. This reduces the number of these expensive hauls. With me today is Derek Lehman, President and Owner of Smash My Trash’s Harrisburg, PA location. Derek, welcome to the podcast!

The total solar eclipse is coming, affecting 13 states from Texas to Maine… and with that… TRAFFIC! The question comes down to, Will there be Hours-of-Service Exemptions or Oversize/Overweight Permit Restrictions in your state? Let’s get in the loop to find out!

It’s that time of year! State truck driving championships have just kicked off from Louisiana and across 40 states holding competitions this Spring and Summer. In June, Pennsylvania and the PMTA is gearing up for their turn to send the best drivers to Indianapolis for the National Truck Driving Championships in August. This is where the best and safest drivers come out to play, and today we have one such GRAND champion in our midst, Bob Dolan, a retired driver after 45 years on the road with 3.5 million safe miles driven with just one accident and has won the PMTA championship and 16 National Truck Driving Championship titles! To top it all off… Bob was also awarded the Neill Darmstadter Professional Excellence Award for his lifetime of safe professional truck driving in 2019. Currently he is PMTA’s Road Team Leader. Bob, welcome to the podcast!

Hey everyone and Welcome to our podcast, Caution: Wide Right, Today we are going to talk about getting into trucking, how to prepare for CDL training, learn a bit about flatbed and specialized loads, and more. With me is one of our own CDL instructors here at CNS Driver Training Center, where we offer 1-on-1 CDL training in Lititz, PA. Dave comes with over 10 years of experience driving trucks, specifically flatbeds and step decks for specialized loads. Before being a trainer here, he worked for the best specialized load carrier in the US – RMC Transportation – where he drove and trained new drivers, teaching them the ropes of the flatbed industry! Dave, welcome to the podcast! 00:00 | Intro 01:30 | How Dave Drove Specialized Loads 05:32 | Is TMC Transportation THAT GOOD? 08:46 | Becoming a CDL Trainer 11:35 | Tips on Winter Driving 14:25 | Best CDL School on East Coast 16:13 | Why CDL Trainer Experience Matters 19:26 | From Steer Wrestling to Spartan Racing 26:32 | Clutch Leg and Driver Health 29:08 | Research Before Getting CDL 32:40 | Bad Habits at CDL School 33:59 | What was NYC Driving Like?

Today we are going to talk about trucking companies OVERPAYING TAXES in OREGON, my home state, and the industry is finally standing up and suing the state! That’s tight, the Oregon Trucking Association and some of their members, are in a lawsuit against the state of Oregon because the trucking industry is overpaying taxes by over 30%, the state knows about the problem, there are no plans to fix this, AND taxes are INCREASING in 2024! Talk about unfair! I am excited to have Jana Jarvis, President of the Oregon Trucking Association now for 9 years, here to help us walk through what this lawsuit means and how it could change trucking taxes in the State. 00:00 – Intro 02:07 – How did trucking get in this mess? 05:50 – Where does weight-mileage taxes go? 07:01 – ODOTs cost have increased a lot 08:20 – CNS helps with fuel and mileage tax management 10:09 – What is unfair about vehicle taxes today? 13:47 – Truckers overpaying taxes by 32%! 15:24 – Has Oregon tried fixing unfair taxes? 17:06 – Lawsuit wants three things 19:05 – Oregon 2025 Transportation bill coming? 20:16 – How do we fix ODOT road money problems? 26:50 –OTA membership and how they need help from you 29:08 – Outro

Here we are in 2024… we in the trucking industry are hoping for a freight recovery and reduced recession fees so we can all get back to making money. But while we have been in a freight slowdown, the federal government has not. They have been very vocal about big regulatory changes, no matter the outcry from trucking associations (like ATA or OOIDA) or drivers. Let’s get In the Loop with Luke and see what regulatory changes are coming in 2024 and beyond and if we believe they may get approved, and when.  

Now listen… we hear it all the time, “I need help fixing a bad ‘score’, what do I need to do?” Basically, “can you wave that magic wand and make things disappear!” The problem is the carrier doesn’t understand that there are different scores, they are based on different factors, and there are different ways to improve each type of score. With me today I have one of our own DOT regulation experts, Jared Kline, here to help us understand the common misconceptions around trucking safety scores, how they are used, how they affect your business, and how they can improve. Jared, Welcome to the Podcast! 00:00 | Intro 03:22 | Jared’s Background 05:21 | Is there a Magic Wand to fix bad trucking scores? 11:46 | Should new companies be tested on Regulations? 15:41 | What are CSA scores? 18:42 | How TIME affects safety scores 23:12 | Are ALL carriers actually inspected? How? 28:05 | How inspections at Roadside work 31:26 | How are DOT audits triggered and notified? 37:13 | DATAQ fixes bad scores and inspector mistakes 41:30 | Proactive training fixes bad inspections 44:38 | Fixing Unsatisfactory ratings with CAP Plans 47:33 | Best practices to fix root of safety problems 49:25 | Wrapping Up

Hey everyone and welcome to the podcast, Caution: Wide Right! I’m Luke, your host, and today… shortly after Veteran’s Day, we are going to talk about one vet’s perspective, Ted Danowski, who is on the journey of getting his CDL and starting his owner-operator business. We will discuss his time in the military, why he is getting his CDL, how the training is going, and what he hopes his new career and business will look like. Then, hopefully in a future episode… we will discuss how it is going and what he’s learned along the way. 00:00 | Intro01:30 | How Ted joined military04:56 | What is TACP special forces? And stories…09:54 | Civilian life17:26 | Why military veterans are assets in trucking/logistics21:57 | CDL journey – what are you anxious about?24:20 | Favorite trucking-related movie?26:26 | Research to prepare for CDL and Owner-Operator business?31:42 | What will make Aurelius Logistics a success?36:45 | Plans for loads?42:29 | Outro

Today we are going to talk about the race for fully autonomous trucking to become reality with hopes to transform the $4 trillion global freight industry. The aim is Level 4 autonomy, meaning full automation without human intervention. If the technology is nailed, then peak hours of travel can be circumnavigated to provide greater assurance on cargo arrival times, partnered with improved safety of fellow road-users, fleets would expect to see more balanced routes and improved safety scores and fuel efficiency. Of course, truckers are hoping for a slow transition of autonomous tech that will leave plenty of time for operation optimization and new opportunities rising across the supply chain as traditional driving transitions. Well, we will look at the autonomous trucking industry with help from Michael Wiesinger, the Vice President of Commercialization at Kodiak Robotics which was founded because they believe autonomous technology will save lives, not just some day, but soon.

We all know that in 2018, ELDs were pushed across the trucking industry… but, did you know, that the technology goes back to AOBRDs since 1988! Since then, the telematic and vehicle tracking hardware and software has improved dramatically, helping both truckers manage their time and equipment; as well as carriers manage fleet efficiency and safety. But right now we are dealing with a bottom in the freight recession, high costs in vehicle maintenance, insurance carriers are dealing with high claims and increased nuclear verdicts, and more. So, how can vehicle tech help today and what are the next steps with this technology? We find out as we chat with John Elsner CEO of Pedigree Technologies and Joshua DeCock, VP of Product Management. Pedigree is a premier provider of tech solutions in the telematics and “Internet of Things” space for North America. In fact, in 2021, the company received an Internet of Things Innovator Award for Trucking Fleet Management!

With me today is the one and only founder of the Women In Trucking organization, Ellen Voie. Ellen is an internationally recognized speaker and authority on gender diversity and inclusion for women in transportation. She started WIT in 2007 after decades in the transportation industry and saw it grow from hundreds to now over 8,000 members across 10 countries! Women in Trucking basically represents women that design the trucks, build the trucks, buy the trucks, sell the trucks, own the trucks, fix the trucks, and drive the trucks! And I am sure you can include the brokers, insurance agents, safety and compliance industry, human resources, and more. Ellen, Welcome to the podcast! WOMEN IN TRUCKING: https://www.womenintrucking.org/ 00:00 | Women In Trucking Early Reflections 04:16 | Will Ellen get another tattoo? 05:21 | Trucking and Relationships Roles at Home 11:32 | Girl Scouts WIT Transportation Patch 15:49 | What’s Harder: CDL or Pilot License and their Pre-Trips? 19:10 | CB Handle and Favorite Trucking Movie? 22:10 | How did WIT Mentorship program get started? 23:40 | How to Mentor women in trucking 25:05 | WIT Mission and Success Today 33:20 | WIT Accelerate Conference is Awesome! 35:12 | What’s Next with Ellen Voie after WIT retirement? 36:50 | Advice for men in trucking? BE ALLIES!

Today we are going to talk about how we can disagree about really important things (theology, politics, even moral issues) and still be in relationship, in conversation, and in loving community together. To help me are the authors of their new book ‘Loving Disagreement’: Kathy Khang and Matt Mikalatos… as well as someone who can help bridge the gap to the trucking world: Ron Fraser, President and CEO of Transport For Christ. Book: “Loving Disagreement: Fighting for Community through the Fruit of the Spirit” — PRE-ORDER NOW: https://www.amazon.com/Loving-Disagreement-Fighting-Community-through-ebook/dp/B0BX1CH71J Transport For Christ (TFC Global): https://tfcglobal.org/

Today we are going to talk about an old 1992 Freightliner semi-truck turned simulator sitting at an old Oregon museum that need a lot of tender love and care so it can run a truck driving simulation again. To talk about this project, I have Stephen Hodges… not only a friend of mine, but a man of many skills… a serial entrepreneur, marketing expert, Program Manager for Student Engagement for the College of Business at Oregon State University, teacher to new business students, and mechanic with his own YouTube channel  @BadIdeasGarage  where, among loving cars and doing ridiculous things with them, has had a project fixing this old truck driving simulator at the Pacific Northwest Truck Museum outside Salem, Oregon.

BREAKING NEWS: In Pennsylvania, there will be no CDL Tests from Aug 24-27 because of upcoming changes. If you take a test and don’t finish before August 24th, you will have to: – Receive a new CDL permit – Pass another driver instruction permit test – Take knowledge theory test again, and – Take the updated behind-the-wheel skills test So, what exactly is changing on the behind-the-wheel skills test? Find out with our guest Jolyn Graham, Vice President of Operations at CNS Driver Training Center in Lititz, PA.

For over 70 years Peters Brothers has been hauling freight from livestock in the 1950s to refrigerated loads hauling food coast to coast. They are a family owned company that started with Brothers George and William Peters in Lenhartsville, Pennsylvania to George’s son Gerald Peters, and now Gerald’s nephew Brian. Today, Brian manages 72 trucks, 120 freezer trailers, and 85 employees from the company’s original Pennsylvania headquarters and a second Wisconsin terminal. They provide both LTL service and Truckload coast-to-coast transportation of frozen, dry, and fresh products. They also offer on-site refrigerated cross docks and warehouses to ensure products are fresh when delivered. Just started a triaxle division this year and I am sure more to come! 00:00 – Intro 2:23 – Peters Brothers over 70 years 6:21 – Dispatching in the 90’s to CEO pros/cons 9:47 – Trucking recession, Yellow closing, driver turnover 14:50 – How to Grow in Todays Market 16:47 – Insurance Captive and how it made us Safer 25:31 – Vehicle turnover management 29:20 – Suing Govt over CARB Emissions Rules 38:35 – Does EV semi trucks still intrigue you? 41:08 – Future trucking safety tech and automation 44:06 – Why should drivers work for Peters Brother Trucking? 45:29 – Outro

With us today we have a trucking company that has been around for 40 years who have been heavily involved with the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, and delivers all sorts of loads from the Mississippi River to the East Coast, from Canada to Florida. With me is the President of Jagtrux, Zack Germak. Zack, welcome to the podcast! 00:00 – Intro 00:43 – How Jagtrux Started 02:31 – How Owner-operator business is different than just driving truck 06:34 – How was it growing up in the trucking industry? 12:00 – Why owner-operators should lease on to larger carrier 15:14 – Independent contractor AB5 rule in CA a growing trend? 17:34 – 7:1 trailer ratio for drop and go loads 23:05 – Driver shortage and driver culture 28:43 – Why state trucking associations like PMTA are important 38:17 – How to help fuel tax revenue lost from EV transition 39:56 – Why should a driver work for Jagtrux? 43:52 – Signing off

Now, with me today is not just a local Girl Scout Troop Leader, which my daughter will be excited to hear if a nine-year-old enjoyed listening to her dad talk about trucking regulations! But, even better, with me is Rebecca Oyler, none other than the President and CEO at Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, which has been promoting the interests of the trucking industry since 1928. 00:00 | Intro 02:26 | A Girl Scouts leader 06:03 | I-95 Tanker Crash and PMTA’s Role 17:00 | How state trucking associations help truckers and carriers 25:28 | Baptized by bridge tolling 33:50 | Explaining CARB adoption in PA 37:13 | PMTA suing state govt over CARB 46:31 | Is trucking’s transition to EV adoption inevitable? 55:09 | Other PMTA initiatives 58:02 | Outro

Everyone knows that within the first 12 months of operating as a property carrier within interstate commerce, or 120 days as a passenger carrier, each carrier must undergo a new entrant safety audit. Oh, you didn’t know that? Well, then you must be asking yourself… is it a big deal? Let’s get in the Loop with Luke and find out!

Today, we have James Martin with Keystone Transport and Diamond Fleet Services here with us. James is the owner of Keystone Transport, which started in 2014 delivering high end, blanket wrapped furniture to stores and designers. Shortly after, James started Diamond Fleet Service, a diesel truck repair and maintenance shop for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty trucks with visions to include upcoming Tesla semi maintenance needs, which we will definitely talk more about. 00:00 – Intro 1:09 – How did Keystone Transport get started? 3:33 – How do you handle driver retention and on-boarding? 7:01 – How did Diamond Fleet Service and Repair get started? 8:28 – On the Tesla Semi waitlist? Is EV coming? 11:58 – What about EV Semi charging? 14:39 – How do you survive in this crazy freight market right now? 17:05 – What truck safety tech does Keystone use? 19:31 – ELDs: Good or Bad? 21:06 – Thoughts on Speed-limiter Rule? 23:26 – What about Uner-21 Interstate drivers? 27:34 – How do we solve the truck parking issue?

For those that follow the ATRI research reports, you will have noticed that last year they conducted a Driver Camera Survey… and the results came in a few weeks ago. While previous ATRI research found that truck drivers have very positive opinions about road-facing cameras, there were numerous concerns over driver-facing cameras. Well, we are going to dive into this topic with the experts in the field… Barrett Young with Netradyne. For those that don’t know, Netradyne is an industry-leading SaaS provider of artificial intelligence (A.I.) and edge computing solutions focused on safety and driver coaching for commercial fleets.

With us today we have some exciting guests… Matt Witmer and Andrew Walker from Shipley Energy, a natural gas, propane, and heating oil transport company serving commercial and residential customers across Central Pennsylvania. In this episode we talk about Shipley Energy’s approach to DOT and HAZMAT regulations, why drivers should work at Shipley, discuss the speed-limiter rule proposal, captive insurance, safety technology, and more. CNS Job Board: https://cnstrains.com/trucking-jobs/

So, what’s better: Urine or Oral Saliva drug testing? While I know many of you listening might not care about how the drug test is handled, that it’s just a part of being a professional trucker or employee, the new rules are critical for your career. So, listen up as we run down the history and science of oral saliva drug tests, discuss which testing method is better from privacy to drugs to detection times, and what carriers should consider changing in their drug testing policies.

So, you want to make money in trucking? Well, you found the episode to help you out! One of the most important skills to develop in the transportation industry is learning how to find loads. This is especially true for owner-operators and small fleets that are just starting out. There is a lot to talk about, so let’s get In the Loop with Luke and dive in! 00:00 – Make money in trucking 00:26 – Understanding the Three Types of Freight 04:04 – Why knowing freight types help you negotiate with brokers 05:54 – Four ways to find loads 06:34 – Tips for vetting brokers 08:20 – How to you negotiate with brokers 10:22 – How to use a load board 11:59 – How to become a government contractor 14:24 – How to build your contract freight from shippers directly 16:02 – How to create a “carrier packet” to give to shippers 17:21 – Find shippers to work with directly 18:51 – Join industry events and associations

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is planning to expand the number of crash types considered not preventable in the Crash Preventability Determination Program (CPDP), which would allow carriers to have a broader range of non-preventable accidents leave CSA scores unaffected, according to a Federal Register notice. Join CNS’s Jared Kline and John Irwin as they discuss the full list and new additions.

You wanted more Caution: Wide Right — Another Trucking Podcast and we delivered. In this episode, we have RT Specialty coming on and explaining what they look for when writing a trucking insurance plan. Learn hot to fill up your wallet as we fill up your ears. 0:00 | What are Insurance Underwriters? 2:57 | Insurance for New Trucking Companies 5:28 | Hiring New CDL Drivers 6:20 | Under 21 CDL Pilot Program 9:14 | Risk with Commodities 14:14 | What Underwriter’s Want to See 19:47 | Safety Tech 27:01 | Claims and Nuclear Verdicts 33:27 | Future of Insurance?

No… Cash is NOT KING… Cashflow is king. Cashflow is simply the amount of money coming in versus coming out of the company. It is your inflow and outflow of cash. If you have positive cashflow, this allows you to pay bills, reinvest into the business, and build a safety net for maintenance issues, low freight rate cycles, and more. If you have negative cashflow, you can try to survive while living in debt and hope your negative cashflow doesn’t kill your business. 

In part 4 of our New Venture Roadmap to successfully start-up your trucking company, we will discuss insurance. Not just what coverages you need, but how you can start building a good safety record to help you keep future rates as low as possible.