Faith and Fortitude: How Dana Gardner Built His Trucking Business

Speaker A: Welcome to another episode of Trucking for Millennials. I'm excited to have you back for another episode. Today we're going to have Dana Gardner. He's the CEO of Dana Gardner Trucking and Dana's Journey. He started with a 9, 500 investment in a 1999 International, and he's grown his business to run a fleet of five trucks specializing in liquid bulk transportation out of southern Louisiana. And this is such a good story about Dana, and I'm excited to bring it to you. I'm also got some news for our podcast and our viewers. This is going to be. We are about to take an indefinite, um, break here on the Trucking for Millennials podcast, which after 290 episodes, it's pretty tough to take an indefinite break. Um, it was a tough decision, but there's certain things in our business and, and certain things that are calling right now for myself, um, to focus on. And although this podcast and our viewers and keeping. Keeping this moving is, Is so important to me, um, there's just certain things and opportunities that call and say, hey, we've got to take advantage of this. So at this time, I'm going to be taking an indefinite break on the Trucking for Millennials podcast. And I, I would like to just thank everybody, just thank you so much for your support of the show over the last five years. This, this is something that is near and dear to my heart. The whole, the whole reason, the whole reason this podcast came to be was to help people out there. And so I really hope and I pray that this podcast was able to help just one person. If it just changed one. One person's career or the path that they were on, then I would say that this show has been a success. And so I hope that this pot, this show had a positive impact on your journey in the trucking business, whether you're in trucking, freight brokering, dispatching, whatever, end of the business year, and maybe you're not even in trucking, but you love listening to the. So I just hope that it's made a positive impact on your life and in your business. Um, but thank you for your support. Without, without listeners, without viewers, um, there'd be no reason to do this. And, um, so I just want to tell you thank you. Um, and although it's, it's, you know, it kind of stinks. It's, um, it's just part of life sometimes. So an indefinite break is coming for the Trucking for Millennials podcast. I'm not saying we're never going to be back I'm not saying we'll never be back, but we are going to be taking a break. But today's show, as I mentioned, Dana Gardner, um, this is just a really good show and I think it, you know, we could bring somebody on from a big Fortune 500 company that could come in and throw some stuff at all of us and make us wow at the quotes and, and the one liners and things. But listen, Dana's story is so much like so many of us that got into this business. It's not easy, it's not something to be taken lightly. And it is a step by step business. And you're going to start with Dana's journey from the time that he first bought his truck. Well, really the time that he decided he wanted to be a driver till the time of him going to school, buying a truck, buying another truck, buying another truck, and eventually getting into bull calling liquid hauling and owning his own fleet of trucks and managing his own set of drivers. So, um, it really is a great story about Dana. The work never stops in this business. God's timing is the best timing. And I'm going to leave you with that. Thank you so much. Trucking for Millennials. Uh, listeners, viewers, thank you so much for the last five years. Now check out this show. Dana Gardner coming to you. Welcome truckers and logistics professionals. Let's hop in the truck and take a ride. It's the Trucking for Millennials podcast where the future of freight is happening now. And we're back. It's another episode of the Trucking for Millennials podcast. This is your host, Michael Clements Jr. I hope you are having a wonderful day and hopefully you're staying warm. I know it's been cold here in the south. We're not like, it's not that we're like, not used to it, but whenever it gets cold here, it's just kind of like you don't even want to go outside in the mornings. And it's been, it's been roughly 20 degrees all week long. And our guest, he's in Amit, uh, Louisiana, he said it's snow, 8 inches of snow in southern Louisiana. And it's weird where I'm at in Texas, Um, you know, it snowed here in Texas, um, a couple of weeks ago, all of it went north of us, um, just probably 30 miles north. It snowed, it missed us completely. So they had, they, you know, they had sanded the roads and saw or salted the roads. They did all of that. Nothing happened.

Speaker B: Here.

Speaker A: You go south now. Houston um, everything south of us, probably an hour and a half south, covered with snow. Once again, it missed us. So I don't know what's going on. We're, like, in this little pocket where, um, they just, they want us to continue going to work. They don't want us to have any snow days now. The schools took snow days. All the parents were mad because they didn't have to. Um, all the parents were upset.

Speaker C: It was great.

Speaker A: Um, but I don't know if anybody, like, saw. There were some cool pictures. I saw LSU's football stadium had snow. I got a buddy in downtown Houston, sent me a picture of Houston, covered it, just completely covered in snow. So, um, really cool stuff happening in the South. It's not something we're always used to, but I hope, um, all you drivers out there, I know we got a lot of listeners in Texas and a lot of truck drivers that drive throughout the south. So I hope you've had a great week. I hope it's been safe for you. I know the weather has not been great. Um, but, you know, there's a lot of optimism surrounding our industry right now. Um, a lot of good things that are happening, um, in trucking as well as our country. So hopefully, as we get through the. These bad weather days, um, the business is going to pick up. I. I know as I've been speaking with people and asking, you know, how's your business? How's things going? And it does seem pretty consistent right now. It's. It's not that, like, flood of business that all of us were, were really hoping for, you know, like, oh, it's the turn of the new year and we got a new president. It's just all gonna. The floodgates are gonna open. Just seems like we're quoting so much in our business right now. We've got a lot of quotes out. We're just constantly bidding, and our customers are telling us, I'm waiting on my customer. So, I don't know. Here's cheers to waiting on our customers. Customers. Right. Um, we're going to continue playing this game. I mean, we've been here before and, um, you know, salute to you and cheers to you. If you're still around, you're still hanging around in the trucking industry. It's been a. It's been a rough go the last couple of years. But don't forget, you know, at the end of last year, there was a lot of optimism surrounding this industry. Let's not forget that. And there's good things that are happening. We Just have to give it some time. So, you know, like, like, like a good wine. It's going to take a little bit of time. So quote those jobs the best that you can. Have an optimistic, um, you know, perspective. I think optimism is so important in this business. So have some optimism. You know, um, good things are going to be coming down the pipeline for us, um, as we continue to try to navigate 2025 and, uh, a cool thing for the podcast today on YouTube, we hit 250, 000 views. So really cool for our podcast and trucking, uh, for Millennials. So just thank you to the viewers and the listeners that have all checked out the podcast, our shorts. Um, I know we put the full length videos on YouTube, so just thank you, um, for, for that. Just a really cool accomplishment for the Trucking for Millennials team. Um, thank you to our editor, Michael Hansen, and our, uh, lady in charge of talent, Ms. Rebecca Thomas. So thank you to uh, our team. It really goes out to them. 250, 000 views on our podcast today. So thank you. And now I would like to welcome our guest. I'm excited to have Dana Garder to Dana Gardner to the show. Dana is the CEO of Dana Garner Trucking, a company he's been leading since 2015. Based in, uh, meet Louisiana. Dana specializes in liquid bulk transportation, an essential but often overlooked part of the trucking industry. With a foundation built during his time at Southeastern Louisiana University and his Louisiana roots, Dana has cultivated a wealth of knowledge and experience in the industry and in the logistics world. Today, we'll dive into his journey, discuss trends in bulk transportation, and explore some fun trucking stories from him and how he got to do what he is doing. Mr. Dano, welcome to. To the show.

Speaker C: Yes, sir. Uh, man, m. Thank you. Glad y' all have me.

Speaker A: And I'm telling you, I've been. I've been telling our guests this lately. I. I am available for hire if you ever need me to come do an intro or hype, man, you know I'm listening. Listen, if you're like, going in to talk to a customer, maybe you're going into their office, just hit me up, bro. I will walk in right in front of you like this. Do you know who's about to walk in here? Do you know who is about to walk into your office?

Speaker C: All right, I'll hold you to it.

Speaker A: Now, Dana, my man, um, so you said you got eight inches of snow there, uh, this week, huh?

Speaker C: Eight inches, man, and probably one day. Yeah.

Speaker A: How does that affect your trucking operation?

Speaker C: I mean, if the roads are open, you know, we'll still move. But this time it was. Since it was, you know, down south, it made things a little more difficult. Uh, one of my drivers got stuck in San Antonio for, like, two days, and they had to wait for the sun to actually throw out the product lines to unload. So this time we was. It was kind of difficult this time.

Speaker A: How did you navigate that with your driver? Because, I mean, you know, the customer asked you to come and do this, but then you get there and. And you can't. So, you know, is that just. Does that just come out of the company's pocket to be able to pay the driver to sit or.

Speaker C: Well, I mean, we requested, you know, I lay over the merge, however you want to say it. Um, so my. In my drivers, man with the chemical man, they kind of know how I go. And, uh, this is not our first rodeo. And they're real flexible, too. So, you know, when he got on site, they told him they could not. But they actually didn't come to work, actually. So I had to make a few phone calls. So he just went to a truck stop. You know, we took care of him, paid him layover. And, um, he's still happy, you know, and he's back at home now.

Speaker A: That's important. Um, I ran into that probably years ago. It's probably now almost 10 years ago. I ran into it. We had a job going to Ohio. Customer, we told them, we said, listen, you know, there's bad snow headed your direction. They said, listen, we need to get this shipment. So we took it. Driver got just north of Tennessee, and snow started hitting. He had to pull into a truck stop, stuck two days. And, uh, on that job, we actually requested that the customer pay because it was like we. We had warned against this. They requested. They said, listen, we need to get it. Go ahead and try your best to get it here. And we did. And that's one of those situations, you know, I know as a business owner, you're contemplating, do I build a customer for this? Do I just take on all these myself? Because you can't leave the driver hanging at the end of the day. I mean, they're out, they're away from home. There is no saying, well, we're not getting paid, you're not getting paid. That's. That. That's not gonna fly. Um, but I know that there's a lot of trucking companies out there this week in Texas and Louisiana there that are having to ask and answer that question.

Speaker C: If anything, I'm gonna make sure my driver happy to take care of him, you know, because without them, don't nothing move, you know, so I'm gonna make sure at the end of the day, I take care of them. That's like first priority.

Speaker A: Well, Dana, I do want to. I want to talk about your story, but before we get started on your story, because I know once we dive into that, man, go deep. So I just want to ask you a little bit about, um, the bull calling and liquids.

Speaker B: What.

Speaker A: What is that? You know, I do flatbed, man, so I don't know a lot about this. So how would you explain it to somebody that doesn't know a lot about it?

Speaker C: So, simplest term, we transport hazardous or non hazardous liquids. Uh, just about anything that can go in a full seven stainless steel chemical tank. Um, it may can go from herbicides, um, petroleum products, um, just a number of things, man. But any type of liquid that can go safely in a stainless steel tank, a smoothbore tank, you know, your round tankers. Yeah.

Speaker A: What's like the thing that, you know, if you're not in the business, you don't. You don't know about it, you know, like, what's some of, like the inside baseball things that you've learned about bull calling?

Speaker C: Well, for one that pops out that a lot of people scared of the surge, you know, having to shift correctly and just operate this vehicle, you know, safely, because in the wrong move, you know, it can happen just like that. And all day just picture like a, uh, I'm gonna say, for instance, this bottle. Just picture this all day, you know, and you got to control that flow, that motion. And I mean, it's a fight, you know, but with practice made, you know, makes perfect. So.

Speaker A: Yeah, how. How do you get good at that kind of hauling? You know, I mean, you're saying practice makes perfect. Is it just learning and understanding when to kind of how to work your

Speaker C: brakes, how to work your gears, man, slow and steady. Uh, you know, you can't get in a rush for nothing. Keep your following distance, you know, whatever. Whatever you think is safe, add a little more to it, you know, and just like I said, don't get in a rush is the main thing. That's where a lot of drivers, you know, tend to mess up at trying to rush.

Speaker A: So, Dana, and how many trucks are you running currently?

Speaker C: Oh, right now, five.

Speaker A: Five trucks.

Speaker C: All right.

Speaker A: And, um, you started all. You did not start off with five trucks, right?

Speaker C: No, sir. I started off with a half a truck.

Speaker A: Well, I think that's a Good segue. Then let's just get started. So how did. Let's just go all the way back to, you know, you. You thinking about I want to get a cdl. What even took you? What even got you interested in trucking?

Speaker C: Well, man, I'm gonna say for starters, my dad been driving, you know, probably before, a little bit before I was born. So I never thought it was something I was gonna get into because seeing him being gone a lot when I was little, you know, he had a. We had a nice, you know, living, but I just didn't think it was something I was going to be doing. But you know, growing up in a small town, it's not really, you know, too much to do really. After high school in my area, man, you're gonna either work in the chemical plants, probably a scaffold, pipe fitting, uh, a lot of guys go offshore or go to like a warehouse, Walmart distribution center or something like that. And I tried probably everything but, you know, offshore. And um, like I say, just wanting to see a change in my environment, see some different things and, you know, get out and just travel a little bit. And uh, so I was, I used to scaffold, uh, working in the chemical plants, building scaffolds or whatnot. And I, uh, used to see a lot of trucks come in and out. And uh, it was just, I was like, you know, I wonder what they, what that's about. So, man, I'll never forget. I was on a platform and um, I was about, I don't know, 60, 70ft in the air. And um, just we was chain link building the platform, just passing material. And I saw this 18, uh, Willow come in. It was a flat top, Peterbilt. And uh, he had the stacks, 8 inch stacks. And he was making noise. He was showing out a little bit because his truck was, it was clean. And I just got to look and I was like, man, he's nice. So that was my first really interest, really into it. And I was like, man, I know what I want to do. I want to drive trucks. And it was a way for me to get out my small town. And I never forget. I went home, I told my mama that day, I was like, I think I'm gonna go to truck driving school. And she was like, you want to drive trucks? I was like, no, I don't know. But I mean, it's worth the shot, you know. And like I said, my dad been in it all his life and just seeing the ups and downs of it, wasn't attracted from my point of view, you know. But um, I end up getting my permit and went um, to a school in uh, Indiana. It was short lived for maybe. I actually went twice because the first time I went they ended up sending me home because I had something on my license man, like a ticket or something. And I don't know if they didn't catch it or screen it but they sent me home, I had to get that cleared up and I went back a second time, probably stayed another week or two. I honestly don't remember why I got sent home that last time. But um, while I was up there though, in that little time span we got to play on the yard, do the pre trips, um, we got to actually drive the trucks, you know. So it was like the instructor and like four people in a freight line of Cascadia. So you know they kind of roomy so there's somebody in the passenger seat and like two or three students in the back. So we got to drive and just kind of learn the basics. But after I got sent home man, uh, I was like dang bro, I, I know a little bit. So prior to that I was working at the Kentwood water plant, uh, where they built like the bottled water, Kentwood Springs. And uh, I was on the side where they make the bottles at. And uh, I knew when I was there I was like the assembly like working on the line. And they only had two yard drivers. They had like a uh, it's supposed to been a 3 shift but they could never get nobody for that 2 to 10 shift. So they knew me pretty well and I told them, I said look man, I want the CDL school. I could drive a little bit like that. And it wasn't like I was really going anywhere so they gave me a shot. Learned uh, how to use the yard dog and uh, backing trailers up or whatnot. So I got real good at backing at first man. I couldn't back up a lick. I'm talking about the save my life. It used to take me like 30 minutes to get this trailer, 53 foot van into the dock so we could start loading it. But I uh, learned how to back up and uh, they had a 10 speed on the yard also. And uh, the first shift driver he got worked with me a little bit man. And YouTube wasn't too, too big or I wasn't too big on it at the time. But I started learning how to shift, you know just from watching YouTube actually. And then this guy kind of helping me and so I used to drive the 10 speed and practice made Perfect. Just kept doing it and man, I was able to use their truck and their trailer, pay 65. I brought somebody with me who had been driving, you know, and um, usually that truck and trailer got my CDL and been driving ever since. And that was like in December of 2012. So that's how it kind of started, you know.

Speaker A: So how did you get from Louisiana to Indiana for, for drive. For truck driving school? Was there, was there no driving schools in your area or was it. Was it company based? What. How did that happen?

Speaker C: Honestly, I don't. It's been so long, man. Uh, I don't remember how I found that school to be real. Probably, I don't know, word of mouth maybe getting on the Internet, searching around because it's. It was some closer schools. But I think really what it was, they took me like immediately, man. Like within a week of applying. Uh, it was the fastest one, I believe so. And that's why I ended up going there. And it was the longest ride of my life because I had to ride the Greyhound, something like never do it. And it took me like three days to get up there, man. But, uh, I think that's why I end up going up there. Just because it was, it was kind of a quick process and I didn't know too many others at the time. Yeah.

Speaker A: So. So 2011, 2012, you decide, hey, I want to go to truck driving school. So. So you go to truck driving school. Second, um, attempt, you come back and so you, you went to school, you came back and that's whenever you end up doing your driving test was back, um, in, In Louisiana. Correct. Is that what I heard?

Speaker C: Say that again for me.

Speaker A: Now you did your truck driving school in or you did your driving test or whatever in Louisiana.

Speaker C: All right, so like I said, I went to school up there, that second rip for like a week or two, but I ended up coming back home. I can't remember why though.

Speaker A: Okay.

Speaker C: So I, I actually got a job back at a. Somewhere I used to work at, at Kentwood Springs. And uh, like I said, I was an assembly worker. But by me having been going to the truck driving school, they had an opening on the second shift for a yard driver. And um, they, they allowed me just out word of mouth and gave me a shot, you know, So I just, they. I was still a line worker, but they was kind of transitioning me too.

Speaker B: Okay.

Speaker C: That yard driver position after they, they saw I was catching on pretty quickly and just, you know, learning, learning. Now you didn't need a cdl because you was on the yard, really? And, um, I was able to use their truck and trailer later on, probably like five, six months later, because they wanted to make sure I was safe too, and knew what I was doing. And then when it took my test and got the license.

Speaker A: Okay, all right, so you've got your license, right? And I mean, that's a, that's a big deal. That's like the first big hump you have to get over if you're gonna become a driver, right? Is of course, it's, you got to get your license. But also, like you said, getting into the school and following that process would, um, you know, how would you advise somebody that was wanting to become a driver today? How would you advise them? Um, knowing what you know now?

Speaker C: Definitely not the way I did it because that, it was hard, you know, um, definitely go to school, man. I think it's like a 17 day, three, four week process or something like that, man. Go get the school and go get the proper training. Because some of these guys just want to think they can go pay somebody three, $4,000. You get this license and you're kind of stuck because you don't know much. So get the right training, man. Definitely, yeah.

Speaker A: All right, so. So now you've got your cdl and, and you now, now it's like, hey, I guess I can work as a truck driver, right? Is that. Was that your next move after you got your cdl?

Speaker C: Well, I made it harder than it had to be. So I stayed there probably another, I don't know, man, six months. And, um, I went into the food service industry because that was like that without me really having no training, that was the easiest way for me really to branch into trucking. So I did the food service thing for a little while, man. Uh, probably worked at like, Pepsi and stuff like that. And, uh, so now I'm driving on the road, per se, you know, and like locally, you know, but, um, just kind of learning as I go, you know, getting it out the mud the hard way. And, um, I had like a couple jobs. Food service. I did food service about a year or two. And, um, man, I ran into this guy at this one company and I was training him or whatnot. He rolled with me for like, I don't know, three, four days. But he was a, um, he was an owner operator actually. And he was always angry, man. I'm like, every day he came to work, like he was mad. So I just asked him one day, like, man, what's up? What's going on with You. He was like, man, my truck broke down. I said, your truck broke down? What you mean? And, uh, he was like, man, I got my own 18 wheeler. Uh, I haul containers. And he was leased on to a company, um, you know, hauling containers out the port or whatever. And uh, so at that time, at that day and age, it was about the money for me jumping into it, you know, at that time. Because I ain't really have no, no, no guidance in no outlook on it. So, um, we got to talking about it. I said, man, what I gotta do to get my own truck? And, uh, he was just like, man, say your money up. Go find you a truck. It ain't got to be nothing nice. And basically, uh, that's what I did and, uh, went and bought my first truck. It was like a 99 international, uh, like the Eagle, the. I think it was like the 9, 400 model eagle. And paid, uh, like 9, 500 for it. Probably should have left it where it was. It was a piece of junk. But it put me in business, man, and that's where it kind of, you know, started from now.

Speaker A: So, I mean, you're. You've got a truck, you've got a license, and it sounded like you had some work.

Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. So I went up, uh, at least on to the company where he was. He got me on what. Not just by, you know, good word, good faith or whatever with the company, and started running that truck, man. And um, it was a journey. It was a journey, man. I probably had every breakdown you could name, man. And, um. Man, we got through it, though. We got through it and I ran that truck, man. I'm gonna say for about, about eight months though. And, um, just everything I was making, I was having to put back in the truck to keep it going and kind, uh, of built the love for it. And, uh. So she put me down one day, it had a crack and I was using a lot of cooling every day. I'm talking about, I'm putting, I don't know, 2, 3 gallons of cooling in every day. So cooling got too expensive. It's hot down here. I'm starting to put straight water in it, you know. And I was like, man, I told my partner, I said, man, I'm. I'm leaking. Cool. I'm losing it. He was like, man, you gotta leak somewhere. Kind of find out. I had a crack in the block on the. On the right side of the block. So, um, I got some stuff, man, some stop leak stuff. Pulled it in a radiator. Listening to the old School cat. And it actually worked. And, uh, I ended up trading that truck in, man, and, um, thought I was doing myself something good and ended up getting a lemon, man. Another lemon. 07. Um, man, Freylana Columbia, and she was a lemon from Jump street, you know, because like I said, I really had no guidance, you know, starting off, man. It was just get it how you live, basically, and just fighting through all the obstacles and stuff, figuring it out on my own. And, uh, man, I bought that truck, and that was pure hell, man. It was hell, bro. And, um, I ended up having to sit that truck down for some time, and I went and got, like, a local position back, you know, a company drive, I think. I went and got my hazmat, and I started dabbling into the hazmat space, uh, hauling gas or whatnot, and, um, could never really get that truck back going. And I had that truck financed, actually. That was a whole nother situation right there. And, um, I'm trying to think after. After that, I went. At least I went and did, like, a lease purchase, because I was basically out of money at this point. Like, I done sunk every penny I had, you know, into this truck or whatever. So we had to start back from ground zero. And, um, that guy that I told you who got me started, kind of, he went to, uh. He actually. His truck put him down, too. So we ended up going to qc, uh, and, uh, hauling tankers or whatnot. They kind of took us, green trained us, did a successful lease purchase, man, for about, I don't know, probably a year, Stacked a lot of money up. And, uh, he was like, man, long. Make a long story short, he was like, I'm gonna go get my own authority. I say, well, you go get yours. You already know I'm behind you. I'm gonna go get mine, too. Not thinking we probably should have came together, hindsight, you know, being 2020, but it's all good. But, um, from now, uh, when they got another truck and got my own authority, and, uh, that was like, in 2019. Yeah.

Speaker A: Then I want to go back, you know, with the International and the Columbia, and then how you made your decision to buy your next truck. So I think that's something important to talk about for our listeners, because I promise, you know, there's somebody out there that is battling a truck. You and I both know it. I. I've battled trucks. Um, I've bought lemons before. I remember, dude, I was super excited. I brought a. It was a freightliner, a Coronado, beautiful truck. We bought it brand new, like 9, 000 miles on it. This thing's already starting to have engine trouble. 9, 000 miles, that's nothing, right? That might as well be 10 miles on your personal vehicle.

Speaker C: Yes, indeed.

Speaker A: Already having engine problems. Traded it in at around 75,000 miles because it was, it was a. It was a pure lemon. That truck was pure hell. And you think we're, uh, sitting here get. And I've been battling used trucks for years before that, and so that was whenever. So I bring that up, though, because I want to ask you, when, as a business owner, do you have to make. Do you need to make that decision? Because I think there's too many of us that probably. And it sounds like you might have even done a little bit. I know that I've done it. I've hung on to bad equipment too long, and, uh, and I've sat there and tried to continue keeping it running. So, you know, hindsight, 20 20, when. When do you think is a good time to move on from that equipment?

Speaker C: For one? If you married or something, your wife gonna let you know, for one, because she gonna be like, ain't, uh, no money coming in. Because if you vent to her a lot, you know. But on another note, man, uh, when it just stopped making sense. Some guys can make the older equipment work, but I bet they limited to a lot of things that they can do. They just trying to 2, 300 miles every, uh, every day. Like you. You limited, man. And if you limiting yourself, it don't make sense what you're doing it for.

Speaker A: That's right.

Speaker C: So you just kind of gotta look at every aspect of it and when you got to kind of determine when does it make sense for yourself. But, um, that's such a good way

Speaker A: to describe that, though, because it's, you know, as biz, when you go into business and you start saying there's all these things, whether it's, um, the government, whether it's the dot, whether it's your customers not calling you, whether it's a driver not showing up. You know, all these things are. Can inflict pain on your business. But then you have to look at, see the things that you can control, and what pain am I inflicting on myself? And a lot of the times it could be that equipment that you're continuing to try to run. And, uh, I don't know, I just think it was a. I think that's an interesting piece because I know there's people out there, I know there's. There's drivers out there. There's small fleet owner operators that, that are, that are battling right now equipment and they're probably thinking, you know, I've got to get rid of this. And I'm telling you, if you're already at the point you're thinking, I've got to get rid of this, you're just gonna have to, you're just gonna have to pull, pull, you know, you're just gonna have to pull the plug. You just got to do it. It sucks most of the time when you do it, you lose money. Um, but do you want to continue losing money in that truck or are you ready to, to start new? And um, you know, I. Danny, do you feel like whenever you started, whenever you got rid of that Columbia, you were starting new?

Speaker C: Yes. Well, all right. I look at it like this though, man. I thought I was, but I end up going to buy another used truck because at that time I was thinking that I don't have just say if I didn't have a truck. No. If I go out and pay cash for something, you think that, you know, well, if something do happen, I can sit it down, work on it, fix it up. Uh, but that's not always the way. But uh, my first chance when I got the opportunity, didn't want to go through any more hardships. Yeah, I'm going new. I upgraded and I don't regret it to this day.

Speaker A: Day. Mhm.

Speaker C: So you know, like I said, it's a lot of factors that determine that, so. And paid for doesn't always mean, you know, that's the best way. But like you said, you bought a brand new truck that you had problems with, so.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker C: It kind of man, these machines, at the end of the day, this equipment. So it's a, it's a gamble sometimes, man. Dude.

Speaker A: And I was, I was so excited about that truck too. I think at the time. The Coronado, this is before prices jumped on trucks. Right. So I think we paid like 115, maybe 125 for that truck. And, and I, I was so, I was so excited. It was like the, the first, like now I'd had a Peter built before, but they, all the trucks up to that point were used and I finally made the decision, we're going to get us a new truck. And I remember it just started, it was like, no, this beautiful truck's having all this trouble now. Um, so I mean it, you know, you don't know which way it's going to go. But I guess the moral of the story is of, of equipment is at some Point in time, you've got to pull the plug or you're going to continue sinking money into something that's not. That's never going to pay off for you. And if you're running older equipment, if you're running used equipment, I don't want to say all used equipment is bad. Not all of it's bad. But if you're running used equipment and it's not getting your business to where it is, you have to think to yourself, am I spending what I would be spending on a note for a new truck? Am I spending that on maintenance right now? And, I mean, either way, you're going to be paying for the truck. And. And that's something. It's like you said, when you first get into trucking, you're like, I got a truck now. I can go make money. Well, hang on a minute. There are, you know, if you don't know a whole lot about semi trucks, they are going to have their problems.

Speaker C: And then you gotta think, does it make sense, tax purposes, to have a, uh, you know, so you gonna have. You can write it off, you know, so it's. It's a lot of factors, man, that determines that. But, yeah, if it's not making sense, the end of the day you got to get rid of. Or you might be out of business.

Speaker A: You might be out of business.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker A: All right. So, um, you told us a little about the international, the Columbia, getting into your new truck. I think we're kind of in the late 2010s right now getting into the 2020s. So let's pick up back the story about. About your career and how you got to where you're at today.

Speaker C: So July 5th, I think it was 2019, man, I hauled my first load. Um, I had winning, like I said, I purchased another truck, another 07 freight line of Columbia at that. But it was from a guy that I knew locally. So he had been running the truck for some time. So I took another chance to gamble, but it ended up paying off and probably should have kept that truck, man. And, um, my thing was out, me and my partner that I was talking because we kind of was doing it together. I, like, he wanted a Peterbilt. I'm like, man, you already know. You go get a Pete, I'm gonna go get one. One. And, um, man, we were just in it really at that time for the. It was fun at the time. You know, we was taking care of our family and stuff at the same time. It was peaceful. We was controlling our own destiny to a Sense, you know, running how we wanted to run. And, you know, it was just having fun. But, um, I ended up selling that truck, man. One of the worst mistakes I ever made. Bought a 96, Pete. This truck was, um, at a dealership in Texas. Matter of fact, I got it for like 20 grand. And, um, had a. Had a C model cat in. I think it was a C model. And, uh, man, she. It sounded good, but the truck had been in the Walking Dead. I ain't even know that, really. So, uh, the guy told me the story on the truck. I probably should have left it there, man. But, uh, I went and got the truck thinking, you know, it was gonna be good or whatever. Uh, brought it back home and just say it's like I started all over again, Put myself in another situation. And now we trans. We transitioning into Covet, you know. So it was running, it paid for itself. But all my money, I was sinking into it. Made another bad decision, you know. So during COVID like, we was flatbed at the time too, you know, and my, uh, equipment was paid for. I kind of just. Just skated by, man. I would be. I was barely getting by. And then, you know, we had, uh. So doing covert, of course, everything was kind of shut down. I was doing a lot of research, man, and, um, ran into some grants. I applied for some grants, got some grants. I probably got like $40,000 in grants, man. And, um, I said, you know what? If I'm gonna continue to do this, I'm gonna do it the right way. Uh, February of like 2021, kind of after covert a little bit, per se. I went and bought my first brand new truck. And I bought a, um. It was 2022, but I bought a 23. No, it was a 2022 Peterbilt, uh, 389. And, um, probably one of the best decisions I ever made, man. And it was kind of. It was up from now, so it was a matter of fact, I purchased it February of 2021. And it was a 2022 model. Yeah, that's how it was, dude.

Speaker A: That had to be. That had to feel like going from like a jet, like a Jetta to a Lamborghini, right? Like a 2022.

Speaker C: Pete. Yeah, bro, it was. It was amazing, man. And, um, look, it was, uh. It was a 18 speed. All I had really ever driven was a 10. I ain't even know how to drive the truck out the lot, like talking about it, man, but it didn't take me long to get right. But, man, I still remember that day, bro, I never forget it. Yeah. But, um, yeah, it was a good day.

Speaker A: So you got your new truck in early 2021. Now, did you get in before the big ju. Equipment prices or did you get in right at the start of those?

Speaker C: Man, I got that truck brand new, zero miles for 165k. And, uh, the interest rate on it was maybe like a 4%. So I got in right for that spike, man, and I missed those prices. Let's just say that, you know, that

Speaker A: was the good old days, right? It's crazy to think just it. I don't know, for. For most of my adult life, it's like business loans were always four, four and a half percent. And I, I never knew how good we had it back in those days. I, I just. Now I'm looking at it, you know, you call the bank right now and you say, oh, well, seven and a half percent. Oh, okay.

Speaker C: Sign on the dotted line. That's indeed. But, uh, like I say, man, when I got it, bro, like, it was the best decision, one of the best business decision I made. So I was able to go, I was able to stretch out a little more, you know, get on, get out. My comfort zone, because your reward is basically on the other side of it. And it was a leap of faith. And I actually, I named that truck Faith. I wrote on the side of it, uh, Faith. That was her name. And, um. Because that's what it boil down to at the end of the day, because the route I was going and tracking, all the challenges, the mistakes I had, you had to have a lot of faith to keep going, you know, because it was like this don't even make sense. But to speed the story up a little bit, man, I was still, uh, flatbed and was going good. I mean, wasn't doing nothing but PM's every, you know, 15, 000 miles or whatnot. And, um, man, I remember one Sunday I was on the low board. And why, I don't know. I was in my office, man, and something just told me, jump on the low board. Something you really don't do on a Sunday. And, um, I saw a posting and they needed, um. It was out on the west coast in Arizona, and they needed fuel haulers. And, um, around the time when I had one of those trucks I was telling you about earlier broke down. I had to go back and get a, you know, regular job. I started, uh, doing a little fuel hauling or whatnot. Learned how to haul a few, and I liked it. How? Gas and diesel. So I Called the guy up and he answered the phone. So I said, man, I'm responding to this post you got on DAT or whatnot. And, um, I said, you got need few haulers, 10k per week. And I was like, I'm just trying to find out what's going on. And he was like, oh, uh, yeah, man. We had a. Basically a state of emergency on the west coast, um, in a few states. I thought. I think a major pipeline or something had went down. He was like, when can you leave? I said, well, hold on. Let's, you know, let's let me find out what the scope of work is. So we got to talking about it, and, um, I took a chance, took a leap of faith. He. He sent me a raycon that day for 10K. And I'm like, well, I got the raycon. Let's. Let's go. Let's just try. And I, um, I bought tail wheel out there to Arizona, man, and, uh, picked the trailer up out there. And it was so crazy how it worked out. I end up knowing the guy who was out there that I didn't even know. But we was keen, actually. I knew his mom, his brother, his sister, because we was around the same age, his brother and sister, but I didn't know him. So I felt like it was the right decision. You know, I'm like, God, just lined it up like that, you know, and it was everything that guy said it was gonna be, actually. And, um, I was out there made for like two weeks because I wanted to really get the feel I was what was going on? And I asked him, I was like, man, you mind if I bring some other people out here? Y' all need some other trucks? And he was like, yeah, you know. And, uh, I brought like five, six guys that had their own authority, just meeting people, you know, throughout the years or whatnot. And none of these guys even had few hardened experience. But I told him, I said, man, you give me like four, five days with my healthy guys, you know, ready to haul for you safety. And so let me back up a little bit for your more experienced guys. So I was. I was running my own authority. I saw this posting on the load board. So a broker had. This had to work. So all I had was like a million dollar, you know, insurance, uh, the liability or whatever with a hundred, 150, 000 cargo. That's all we needed. We didn't have to have. You just needed the hazmat and tankers on your license, which is. That's something I never dropped. I Always kept it for some odd reason. And um, so we was out there running, you know, running few man. And I, uh, brought those guys out there, they gave me a little bonus form and I uh, stayed out there probably two and a half, three months and uh, just got to looking around, man. I'm like, man, this, this was a good come up. And I was like, when I get back home, I just can't see myself going back to what I was just doing. Making this type of money. I think I know what I want to do. And hauling chemicals and fuel all, uh, that was kind of my past performance anyway. And uh, like I said, stayed out there about three months, man. Came home and um, started applying for hazmat insurance. But this was 2021. We went out there like in May or June. I came home like right around, I'm gonna say September of 21. The company we was out there with, I didn't know that they did like disaster work or whatever. They go all over doing, responding to disasters, FEMA situations. We had hurricane idol like in, I don't know, September of 21, if I'm not mistaken. I was able to use one of their trucks and um, how few locally to our disaster area. So now I just hit a lick out here for three months. Then I came home like another two weeks. I was able to work on a project back home. And man, I said this, this ain't nothing but God telling me, hey, this is what you need to be doing. So, man, I started doing a lot of research and went and applied to get my um, to start, you know, moving hazmat. And that's just kind of how it

Speaker A: started, you know, how, how important was it, do you think, to your story? Whenever, whenever you decided to go and get Faith, you know, whenever, whenever you got that truck. Because I mean, do you think that your equipment before that would have been able to do all that, go to Arizona, do those loads, get back, do the work without the trouble?

Speaker C: I wish I could say what I wanted to say, but heck no. No. Hey, look man, it was some guys out there with some older equipment, man, I promise. Then the weather out there different, man. It was like 117 every day. So they a lot of older trucks, man. Some of them guys AC did it. Acs didn't even work breaking down and stuff. But I was in a brand new truck, probably didn't have 20, 000 miles at the time, man. And uh, I was able to capitalize off that situation with some good equipment. So like I said, I had to Step out of my comfort zone to do it. And my reward was on the other side of it, you know, so it wasn't nothing but faith, man.

Speaker A: Well, you put, you put yourself out there. Uh, but like, what, What I, What I'm hearing though, Dan, is that you put yourself in a position to succeed whenever you got that equipment. But it's not just about putting yourself in a position to succeed. Right. It's also like, um, looking where no one else is going to be looking. And it's like you just checking out a load board on a Sunday, right? Everybody else may be watching a football game or maybe, maybe chilling, you know, I'll get back to work tomorrow. But you never know. Whenever you're saying, I'll get back to work tomorrow, when one of those opportunities that can change your life, it could be right in front of you. So, Dana, like, you know, for you naming your. Your truck Faith and for, For. For doing those things, you know, I, I agree. I don't think your story is by accident. I think God has a plan for your. For your life, for what you're doing. And, and you're following that.

Speaker C: Nothing short of turning limits into lemonade. Yes, indeed, man. But yeah, just like you said, positioning yourself and going after opportunities, a lot of research and, um, you know, acting on it. Faith without worse is dead. Putting that hard work in, man, and just, hey, going after it, you know.

Speaker A: You know, one thing else I want to ask you about, um, during this time period, you know, from, from really 2012 all the way up to 2022, and, and you finding this break in the liquid hauling, how important was it to have support at home? And, and what did it mean, you know, what did it mean to you to have that support? You know, and maybe I don't. I. I'm assuming that you had it. You sound like you had that support, so I'm just going to make the assumption that you did. But how important do you think that is to, to whether you're a man or a woman in business? How important you think that is?

Speaker C: Man, it's everything, man. Like, like you said, like the first, like my three. I had my wife, my mom, my grandmother. And I used to. At that time, I used to be like, if I can just keep those things, not keep them happy, but as long as they happy, I know I'm good, I'm doing good. But, uh, man, my wife, she. She was there, though. She know the whole. She probably could tell the story better than I can, man, you know, But I don't had A lot of people say, man, you crazy. You, you stupid. Go find you something else to do. This ain't working out. But I'm like, man, my faith just stronger. My belief is stronger than your doubt, basically. And like I said, my wife, man, she just always encouraged me, push me. We had to take up a lot of steps back, readjust, you know, reassess the situation. Praying mama, praying grandma, man, and it was everything, man, that support, bruh, it was everything.

Speaker A: So, yeah, so you, you got back home after Arizona, you were able to pick up some more work after the hurricane.

Speaker C: Keep going, keep going. So, all right, um, all right, so after I did the, the work back home, I went back to, you know, flatbed. But it was short lived. So I, I started doing a whole lot of research because I said, I gotta get this, I gotta be able to haul Hazmat some type of way. I'm gonna find a way to get in there. So, um, man, I start on Google one night and just talking to Google, just how me and you talking, man, and um, trying to apply for Hazmat insurance, filling out a lot of inquiries. Had a lot of companies call in the next couple days and just uh, vetting them too. Because some of, some of that could be a little scam, you know, spam or whatnot. So I ended up meeting this guy out of New Orleans and he called me, he gave him a good little rundown, basically like what I'm doing now. And he said, m, man, if you serious about it, I can help you get the insurance, uh, get it added to your insurance or whatnot. And I said, man, I'm all in. So I asked, I was green to this on the admin administrative side, trying to get this insurance to it, you know. So this guy ended up helping me fill out everything that came with that. So if he didn't know something, he was going to, the underwriters are going to the producers of whoever's writing the insurance. They telling me, telling him what all we need putting hazmat procedures in place, safety plan, security plans, the whole nine. So that was nothing by the grace of God, man. Cause I didn't know none of that, you know. And um, the process took about. It actually took about two months. Two months. Because he wanted to make sure when we submit this, we got everything, you know, everything is perfect. And I was able to get that insurance. It was costly, but I was able to get it. And um, so then I said, well, I'm gonna jump back on the load, Booker. That's all I know really? And I started trying to do like, hazmat flatbed freight moving, you know, hazardous flatbed, think totes, uh, just whatever it might be. And, uh, until I can find a way to branch inside, uh, you know, the tanker side of it, because even out there I was doing gas. So I said I want to come home, you know, and try to start hauling gas back home or whatnot. But come to find out it wasn't that easy to break inside the. The fuel industry at home. It was more easy, more accessible to start doing chemicals, which has, you know, been my background. So I got to finding out, well, I gotta get a trailer. Where can I get a trailer? Not knowing they're having a trailer crisis. And, uh, so this round, October, November of 2021, and um, man out doing more research back on the Internet, trying to find like leasing companies, leasing trailers or whatever. And I, uh, found the company back home that we had locally, but I was a little too green for them, so they didn't really want to take that chance, which I definitely understand because, you know, safety first for the public or whatever. But I found this company out of, um, um, cad. They had a leasing department. And I was able to go lease a trailer. Not look, didn't even have a load, man. Just went in, got. I had the insurance, the 5 million and got the trailer. But kind of in the process of it, like I said, doing a lot of research, I found a little low boy called buck loads. Now, hindsight being 2020 is there's really no low board, foot tank or work per se. You know, it's a lot of networking and stuff. But Kobe had things so off balance, you know, some. It was some stuff that I found on this low board. Like it was a forum. It was kind of set up like Facebook almost. So I'm going through that, looking at all the past history and stuff, like looking at all the. The different topics, seeing the broker post loads, I'm going on there, emailing them, m filling out carry your package. And man, when I got that trailer, it wasn't even a week's time, probably wasn't three days. I had a load and, um, connected with this broker on it. And man, my life changed that day. Like, so we was in a different time then, you know, and the race and stuff was just out of this world, man. Like 7, 8, 9, $10amile type stuff. Something I never seen, man. I did hit it from Ohio back down to like Alabama, man. They get that, uh, I got like three grand a dead head back down. I'm like, like I done hit the money. And, uh, man, it was up from now. It was kind of. It was up from now. And so start. Start working it. And it just, it was working out, but I had a lot to learn. I had a lot to learn. And, um, just going through trial and error. Uh, so I' ma say, like, it. It didn't take too long. But it's a different ball game when you start in tankers on your own, without no guidance, without no experience, because, man, you can blow yourself up. Uh, basically you gotta know. I know this now, but you gotta know what you can put in these tanks. Read these SDS sheets, reading up about the product, what products you can put in your trailer, uh, that's compatible without, you know, burning a hole into the trailer, pitting the trailer. So, man, it was, uh. I had to learn quick, learn fast and making some connections at the tank washers, talking to some of the guys that watched the trailers because they. Dealing with the product. And I had to pay for some, for some knowledge, you know. But it paid off, you know, and, um, man, just. I was able to. I got my first 1099 contract around January. He came on with me. I met him out there, actually, when we was in Phoenix, uh, doing the field work he leased on to me. And, man, we just got it in, man. I'm talking about. It was amazing. And, uh, I'm gonna say around June of 2022, I branched out, purchased another truck, another brand new truck, another Peterbilt. And I, uh, ended up hiring my daddy. He was like my first employee. And that was fine. And man, it was just. Just going through all the trials and the errors, you know, as a business owner, because now I'm really running a legit company, man, you know? And, um, I learned a lot. Let's just say I learned.

Speaker A: What was it like working with your dad?

Speaker C: I can't stop laughing, man. It was, it was, it was different because now the rules have changed, man. He had it like, basically I was the boss, you know, he was still dad, you know, and I still, you know, still mutual respect and all that. But my dad, a little old school, man. And those old school guys kind of setting their ways and it was. We. We worked together for about, I'm gonna say three, four months. It was fun, though. But, um, yeah, it didn't work out, uh, too long.

Speaker A: Okay, so I'm gonna ask this question. What advice would you have for somebody that's working in a company with a family member or a parent?

Speaker C: Well, me looking back on It. Now I hear some stories. They work. But I say, don't do it. Family, friends, keep it separate, man. Keep it. Find something else for them to do. But just looking back on it, what I know now, it could have worked, but it was some development and stuff that I even had to. To go through, you know, so it's possible, but it's not going to be the easiest, you know, but it. It's doable. But I'm, um, trying to. I stay away from it. Just me personally.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker C: Yeah. But not the bashing. My nothing, though, because I end up bringing them back a couple years later. But, um, yeah, after a lot of developing, you know. So your dad was.

Speaker A: That. Your dad was the first driver you hired. Um, and. And you said you're running five trucks now. So what. You know, from that time period to hiring and bringing on drivers, um, what's that. What's that experience been like for you, Dana? And I mean, you know, whenever you got started in 2011 and 2012, you went up to Indiana and went to that school. I mean, I'm sure you weren't. You know, you probably had big dreams for yourself, but, you know, until you start living them, you don't know what they actually look like. You know, that there's a plan for your life, but we don't know what it is until we're walking in steps. So what. What is it like now? And. And having to hire drivers and.

Speaker C: And.

Speaker A: And still learning every day.

Speaker C: Man, you better know what you're getting yourself into if you really thinking about growing a company. You know, it's some factors that. That has to be in place for. Even when you're hiring drivers, for one, you need. You got to make sure you got the work, you know, you got to be consistent because they. They got to make money, provide for their family, you know, and just vetting them, man, a job could be taught. We know that. So if you. When I, man, I have like, um, a. We have like a call initially just to kind of break the ice, but then I meet them in person, we sit down, and I don't care how much experience you got, if you don't align with my core values and just a, uh, mutual professionalism from them when I'm meeting them. I'm going the other way now, you know, I mean, I know these trucks, sometimes you got notes, you got to have somebody in that seat, but, man, they can make or break you, and it's hard getting good ones, you know, sometimes. And, man, it's been a journey. I find Some of them I'm like, indeed and stuff like that. But now a lot of word of mouth people, I'm, um, I didn't. Got established a little bit better now, so people, you know, find me now. But it's a headache sometimes, man. We'll be real.

Speaker A: Have you found anything that whenever you're, whether you're in an interview or looking at a, at a resume or someone that wants to come work for you, have you found something consistent in that? You know, generally if they have this, they're going to probably be a good driver. If they, if it's, if it's looking like this, I don't know how it's going to work out. It's 50, 50, you know, if. Do you have any inside, you know, knowledge? Do you feel like now of that?

Speaker C: So as truck drivers, man, you know better than me probably. We don't have a lot of jobs. You find them bouncing around a whole lot. I bounced around a little bit. You know, I was a hard headed driver almost. I, I wanted to do kind of what I wanted to do. So it wasn't, it was just meant for me to run my own company, man. You know, but normally when I see a lot of jobs, especially within three, four months, I'm talking eight, nine, 10 jobs. It's a gamble almost.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker C: You know, because it's a story. It's. It's telling a story, man. So you really don't know until you meet them. You run the bet like you run. I'm not even gonna sell background check because I really don't run background checks per se. But like now my drug consortium, they do things like that. We making sure we know who we hiring on, you know.

Speaker A: But um,

Speaker C: when you're doing, doing the calling the job verifications, you know, it's gonna, they're gonna tell on themselves, you know, and man, it's just a lie, man. There's a lot to go into it, I uh, promise you. But um, yeah, man, well, the, the

Speaker A: focus of your business has obviously shifted though from I mean you, you dealing with lemon trucks to now you've got, you got five trucks and drivers in those seats. And Dana, it's not just you, you you're concerned about anymore, right? You've got, you've got employees and they've got families, they've got kids, they've got things. And you know, all that stuff starts to rest on the, the owner of the company's shoulders. So Dana, as your responsibilities have shifted from you know, maybe, you know, messing with a truck to to now making sure people put food on the table. Um, how. How do you have you. How's that. How has that development been? You know, and I don't look at it as just an, you know, it's not just a job. It's not just something like. I almost feel like it's a privilege, right? It's a, it's an honor to be able to. That people trust in you for that. They're putting their faith in you as a business owner, that you're going to keep this thing moving, you're going to be able to keep, you know, it's going to face the bumps in the road, but hey, we're going to trust the man in front of us. And man, I, I can just tell by talking to your man of faith. So your faith is in someone else. It's not just in yourself. And so I think that that's important too. But, but as, as you've, as you've grown into this role, how. How have those things weighed on you and how have you developed really as a leader and as a business owner,

Speaker C: man, that pressure has been applied. You know, like you say, these guys counting on me to feed their family. So I carry that on my shoulder every day, man. You know, it's something I think about every day. Um, man, I don't even know where to start at, but, um, I'm gonna say for one, all right, that makes it challenging us. You got a small town guy, you got a small trucking company playing in a. You in the ocean. Now I'm in a specialized niche or whatnot in the field that not too many young cats like myself are in. You know, it was, it was a wonder I even got in the space, man, and been. And been profitable. It has a, uh, touch of early success edit, you know, and what makes it complicated or, uh, challenging for me even right now to this day, still trying to lock down some dedicated work. Weekend, week out, day in, day out, uh, the consistency, even though it's there, I'm winging it a lot. So this is my third year going into it. Sometimes, man, man, you better. You gotta be prepared for to what comes with it, man. I'm talking about lack of sleep, um, not being present everywhere I met, you know, I'm working basically. I might be physically there, but my mind ain't. You know, my wife tell me that all the time, but. And even for owner operator, they running a business up under your business, you know, so, like, it's a lot of trust that comes into it. But once they get to know me, man, and um, see how, what I'm about, see how I operate. It's been working out, but it's hard as hell because I don't really have that direct freight right now, even if it's through a broker or through some, uh, a customer or whatever. So that's my biggest challenge. And I'm working on it tiresomely every day, trying to lock some down for the longevity for my, for our company, you know. But, um, it's a different ball game. You better know what you're signing up for. Uh, and trying to grow a company, man, based off just spot, free, spot market freight. That ain't always the smartest thing because, you know, we, we had that big boom. Everything was, you know, was going up, uh, pretty much going good. And when that changed, man, it's like you gotta adjust. You got to make the necessary adjustments to, you know, stay stable, stay consistent. But man, it's, it's been challenging, but we get it done. I didn't kind of establish myself out there. Some people know me now, but, um, I'm still working on it right now, just to be transparent, you know.

Speaker A: Well, it's always going to be a work in progress, right? And, and, and I think that's the thing. Everyone thinks that there's like this end goal where you just like, you, you hit the end of the rainbow and you got a bunch of cash and you're like, oh, great, I'm glad I got a trucking business, you know. But that's not the case. It is going to be ups and downs, it's going to be rough, it's going to be good. Um, I, I, you know, I think that the, the best way to describe the, the way that you have to think in trucking is like, there's massive ups and downs right there. There's mountains, there's valleys, there's everything in between. And it's just trying to keep yourself even, kill as much as possible through all that. Because if, if you get too caught up when it's good, you're going to get an inflated view of what you think you should be making. Um, whether it's how much you're, you're earning or how much you're paying out to your drivers that inflation can really mislead m you. But also when it's so bad that it's like, man, we hadn't hauled a load in days or we don't have the work that we had in here, it's probably not as bad as it feels in that moment either. And so it's just so important to hang in there and not get caught, caught up between the ups and downs. Right. And, and you get it though, from all angles, because your employees start to ask your driver, what's going on? Are we, are we going to stay busy? Are we, am I going to have something next week? And that, and that starts to weigh on you. But as a leader, it's so important that you just got to stay even through those moments because, I don't know, there is something funny about faith and that you just have to have it in this business. And more times than not, the, the right knock will come at the door, but you either have to be looking for it or you got to be available for it to happen.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker A: And, um, I don't know, we, we've talked for years in our business, you know, that we'll have these big ups, but it's like if you could just keep those things steady in between, it would help so much. But I think that there's so many of us that are in small businesses in the trucking industry and freight brokering that we're all kind of facing that similar battle of filling in those gaps.

Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, no doubt, man. You know, like, even for my guys, for their peace of mind, my company drivers, I tell them, like, look,

Speaker B: well,

Speaker C: I give them a guarantee. It's not much, but it's a thousand dollar guarantee. And that's just for peace of mind. You got, you got, you got weather. Like we just got this snow out of nowhere. And um, in a tank again, you get rejected. Trailers might get rejected for whatever reason. And these guys still got to take, like you said, got to take care of their families. At the end of the day, you got to give them some sense of stability. And um, I mean, I just, we just make it work, man. And if they flexible and just open minded, it works out. At the end of the week, man, I promise it's gonna work out. But it's been a journey. It's been a journey.

Speaker A: So Dana, what, what's, what's up for 20, 25? What are, what are some of your business goals? What are you hoping to accomplish this year, man?

Speaker C: Well, I have a, I have a good forecasting plan, man, from being into a course that I kind of invested in myself for my company. So I got a good forecast for the next five to 10 years, what it could look like off of bad times at that, you know, so it's very optimistic, it's very promising, you know, and, well, I'm very optimistic about it and it's very promising for what I see. But like I say, something gotta change, man. You know, if I'm gonna have that longevity like I need, I'm not gonna be winging it. Like, I am not so much. I guess that's the right word to use, winging it. But, um, we guys, I think the best is yet to come. You know, I really think it's the best is yet to come. And man, um, I'm working hard, I know, trying to make some things come, you know, come forth or whatnot. And um, just showing up the fight every day, man, showing red, showing already. And when those opportunities present themselves, hey, taking advantage of them, you know, and you're gonna see how I go.

Speaker A: Well, yeah, I like to hear that, Dana. And you know, something I'm taking away from this, um, podcast today is I, I love, I love your mentality, man, and that, that don't stop, bet on yourself. And faith without work is dead.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker A: Uh, you know, like, Dana, I don't know, it's. It's cool to hear your story, to know that, man, you saw a Pete pull into a yard one day and you said, man, I think I want to go drive a truck. And now here you are, over a decade later, running your own business, and you got families counting on you. It's a lot of heavy shoulders. I know it can be at times. But Dana, you're built for it, my man. You're built for it. Um, that's why you're here. That's why, that's why the Lord puts you in this place. So then I, man, I, I'm, you know, I don't, I don't personally know you, but man, I'm proud of you. And, and you got to keep pushing yourself and keep pushing your business because I think there's great things on the horizon for you and I think this is a great show for, for our viewers and our listeners because, um, it, this is the real part of trucking, right? Everybody on Instagram or everywhere wants to just show you the good side. But man, this, this is really the come up. This is how it happens and it really, the work never stops. And uh, I mean, five years from now, Dana, I promise you, for, for both of us, the work isn't going to stop. There's always going to be something there or there's going to be something irritating us or something. We know that we could be doing better or that one, that one customer, we know that if we could just get their business, it would Change everything completely. That I. I don't think that that hustle ever stops. And. And I think it just, you know, it's in some of us that, like you, it doesn't matter who's telling you no. In your mind, you've already heard yes. And you just got to keep going

Speaker C: and just believe in yourself, man. Um. Some days it's gonna look like the worst is the, you know, doesn't happen, but, man, just keep going. And, I mean, you're gonna go through trials and tribulations, and the road ain't gonna be always smooth. I ain't gonna always be straight. You just gotta adjust with it. And like you say, you just build forward, man, and keep going. I mean, I'm too far. I didn't. Can't. I'm. I'm in too deep to. To quit. You know, I might make some adjustments and some pullbacks, but every time I'm pulling back, you know, I'm about to get ready to launch forward, you know, so, man, I just. It's light at the end of the tunnel, definitely. And I know for some business owner, man, they jump into this watching YouTube and stuff. Trucking ain't the prettiest, man. It's a different beast, man. And I like to say, especially starting off, if you ain't gonna. If you can't do this for free, don't even think about coming over here to trucking, because it ain't. It ain't all peaches and cream over here, man, sometimes. Some weeks, starting off, man, I. I couldn't even pay myself. And, man, that's where that faith come in at, though, you know, knowing that a way is going to be made around. Got a ram in the bush. At the end of the week, some way, somehow it's gonna work out. But I do a lot of, you know, networking. I'm. Faith is very important, but like I said, that hard work that comes with it as well, you know, and my guys, I said like this, like I said, they know what I'm out. They know what I'm about, but at the end of the day, they don't really want to hear that. So that's where the work come in. I gotta make sure that.

Speaker A: Hey, man, Noah still built the yard, didn't he?

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker A: You know, he had. He still had to get the hammer and the nails and the wood to build that ark. You know, he followed his faith, but he. He had to still build the ark so that it's so important that the work has to be there accompanied with, um. You Know the plan that. That the Lord has for our life. So, Dana, man, it's been fun, um, chopping it up with you today and, and getting to hear your story. Um, you know, if I'll just give you, um, you know, just. You can. I know you've got a lot of knowledge you can pull from here, but just if there's any one thing that you could tell somebody out there that maybe is where you were at five or 10 years ago, what is it they need to hear?

Speaker C: Man, I don't even know what I did from in there. Arsenal is so many, man. You kind of put me on the spot. But, man, if you really believe in something, man, go after it, bro. Uh, like your reward on the other side of that comfort zone, man. You just gotta go after it, bro. Uh, like, no, no, no matter what nobody say, because you got that vision. That's your vision. You gotta bring it, you know, write it down, make it plain, you know. But when other people see it or hear it, they might not think about it how you may think about it, but that's your vision. And just bring it to life, man. You know? And I'm talking to myself now. Cause in some hard times right now, I want to just. Sometimes, like, man, you can't stop. Don't give up and ah, just keep going forward, man. It's just simple as that. And keep investing in yourself. Learn what you don't know, because it's always something you don't know. Education really important, especially in business. And, um, just keep going after it. Keep showing up for the fight. It's gonna get better if you really believe it, you know, speak those things, man, like, hey, life and death and the power of the tongue. So I kind of. I'm mindful of what I say, you know, I don't care if it's been slow all week. We ain't not saying this happened. Like, we ain't moved in two, three days. I'm gonna reword that. I'm gonna watch how I say that we in between some lows right now. It's coming, you know. But just watching what you say, just throw that. Basic principles, man. And like I said, just keep showing up.

Speaker A: Love it.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker A: Well, then if, um, any of our listeners would like to get in touch with you, um, what's the best way? LinkedIn, email?

Speaker B: Um.

Speaker C: Hey, that's funny. I laugh. My wife been getting on me about that. Uh, I had this YouTube channel I was doing, man, and it was funny, me hearing myself and talking to the camera. So I kind of stopped doing it. But I had a lot of people reaching out to me like, man, you know, you need to keep doing your YouTube thing. So I'm on YouTube, is uh, Dana Gardner Trucking LLC. Uh, Dana Gardner whatnot. But I haven't posted on that in so long. But like my journey is actually on YouTube from the very start of me, I think even get my own authority. And uh, like you said, I'm on LinkedIn. Dana Gardner or Dana Gardner Trucking. Um, website DG Trucking LLC. And um, I've been getting a lot of phone calls later. So people Google me and call me. So call me, I talk to you. And um, um, my email tankers at DG Trucking llc. So those is pretty much the platforms I'm on.

Speaker A: Love it. Well, yeah, Dana, thank you for coming on the show today, uh, for being on Trucking for Millennials. And um, man, I'm, I'm wishing you the best, um, in your business and for a prosperous 2025. I want to thank you to Michael, uh, Hansen, our editor, as well as Rebecca Thomas in charge of talent and finding great guests like Dana to come on the show. But Dana, thank you so much brother for coming onto the show.

Speaker C: Yes, sir. Matt, thank you for having me. Thank you for the opportunity, you know,

Speaker B: so yeah, thank you for listening to Trucking for Millennials. I hope you enjoyed the show. Now let's connect. Follow DQAmerica on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube to get more transportation related content and view clips from the show. By the way, are you a five star fan of the the podcast yet? All you have to do is leave a five star review of the podcast on itunes. If you leave a written review, you might even get a shout out on the show. If you would like to recommend a guest or suggest a topic for the podcast, just email podcastdqamerica.com or send us a message on social media. Thanks again for listening. Ten, four. Over and out.

Speaker C: Sam.