Nov 04, 2015

Meet the Trucker: Scott Wagner

We got to know owner-operator Scott Wagner during our Meet the Trucker Q&A. Scott had lots of wisdom and advice to share with the Trucker Path team.

Q: How did you hear about Trucker Path?

A: I found out about Trucker Path about 3 months ago from my good, good friend. Word of mouth is the best solution for everything.

Q: Would you recommend Trucker Path to friends?

A: I would recommend this app to aliens out on Mars.

Q: Do you encounter a lot of aliens on the road?

A: A couple of these drivers, the way they look these days, might as well be.

Q: How has Trucker Path impacted your driving?

A: Trucker Path has made a big impact on how I have been driving just recently. I was a company driver for 22 years and became an owner operator. Now, Trucker Path is out there telling me where the next weigh station is; tells me if it’s open or closed. It’s been beneficial in my driving success to get further down the road.

Q: What do you like about Trucker Path?

A: Everything I have seen so far on the app has been helpful in driving. Number one, knowing about the scales and, two, knowing where the next fuel stop is going to be. Being an owner-operator and not being told where we have to stop, it’s beneficial knowing I can make it another 150 miles on my next tank of fuel as opposed to 25 miles before.

Q: What features are most useful?

A: Weigh stations or next fuel stop. Also, at the end of the day it’s telling me is the lot full, is it half empty, is there plenty of parking, and also where my next Walmart store is. I love that, and there are no apps out there for that.

Q: Got any good trucking stories?

A: The organization I am with – people like to toilet paper other trucks. So don’t leave your truck unattended. That’s all I’m gonna tell ya.

Q: What does a hero truck driver look like to you?

A: It’s a person that does their job and is not afraid to lend a helping hand, even when they are not asked. We are a tight knit family out here, as a trucking group.

Q: Do you have any advice for other truckers?

A: Be yourself. Don’t try to be a “super trucker.” Be positive in your job. Be smart about it. There’s a lot of stupidity going on – make a positive influence on other drivers.

Q: Any parting words or comments on trucking in general?

A: The trucking business is a tight knit family – a lot of good and a lot of bad – and people like you guys helping to make it better than what it was.

A Match Made at MATS [p]Kevin Young and his wife Shannon have traveled together for half of his 16 year truck driving career, enjoying “the freedom of the open road and not having a boss standing over your shoulder.” Together, they’re on a mission to get the sense of community back in the trucking industry using new technologies like Trucker Path and podcasts.[/p] [img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2015/09/KJ_Picture1-1.png" alt=""] [p]Kevin Young knows the secret to keeping a relationship happy and healthy while on the road.[/p] [p]“Love,” Young said. “When you’re two feet apart all day, you either love them or hate them. Love and patience.”[/p] [p]At the Great American Trucking Show (GATS) in August, members of the Trucker Path team got to hang out with Young, a third generation trucker, and his wife Shannon in their truck.[/p] [p]“We know 99 % about each other,” Young said. “Sure, we get on each other’s nerves, but we wouldn’t change it for the world.”[/p] [p]When they need a break from one another, Young and his wife enjoy stops along the way like GATS and MATS. In fact, [a href="http://www.overdriveonline.com/a-match-made-in-mats-couple-gets-married-at-truck-show/"]they even got married at MATS in 2013[/a].[/p] [p]For Young, the highlight of GATS was the chance to talk to others in the trucking industry. “I love talking,” Young said, “and I had a lot of wonderful interviews. Talking to people is my main thing.”[/p] [p][a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/trucking-comes-up-short-in-search-for-young-drivers-1432071355"]Even the Wall Street Journal looks to Young for insight on trucking[/a].[/p] [img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2015/09/KJ2-1.png" alt=""] [p]Young said truckers come to GATS to learn about all the latest gadgets and technology in the industry. He said it’s important that truckers keep up with technology trends.[/p] [p]“Everybody has to change with the times,” Young said. “No old school mentality anymore.”[/p] [p]Along with over 400,000 other truckers, he and Shannon have turned to Trucker Path for help on the road.[/p] [img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2015/09/KJ3-1.png" alt=""] [p]“Like my buddy Brad James said, ‘Trucker Path is the new CB radio.’” Young said. “Lots of new gadgets out there in the trucking industry, and you’ve got to roll with it.”[/p] [p]Young is hoping the Trucker Path Pro app will help with a growing issue in trucking – community. He said that, while there’s a strong sense of community at events like GATS, that hospitality doesn’t always shine out on the road.[/p] [p]After a flat on his trailer’s back axle in the fall of 2000, Young says other drivers stopped to help him right away. Nowadays, however, he fears that sort of camaraderie is fading from the industry.[/p] [p]“Drivers don’t help each other on the side of the road as they used to,” Young said. “Community like that in modern day trucking is missing.”[/p] [img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2015/09/KJ4_edit-1.png" alt=""] [p]Young is on a mission to get that community back. He’s starting a podcast called [a href="https://www.facebook.com/Truckin-Roundup-page-1427419624228653/"]Truckin Round Up[/a] which brings together the elements of old school trucking with the trends of new school trucking.[/p] [p]Young’s podcast will take the form of a talk show full of interview segments with others in the industry. In it, Young plans to discuss new technology like Trucker Path that can keep old school trucking relevant.[/p] [quote]“You’ve got to have allies in this world and in this industry,” said Young. “It’s a never ending battle between good and evil. Stick together and be helpful on the road.”[/quote] [p]When Young isn’t recording his podcast or driving his truck, you can find him helping his wife Shannon learn to drive.[/p] [img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2015/09/Kj5-1.png" alt=""] [p]“If you want a hard challenge in your life, train your spouse how to drive a truck,” Young said jokingly. “I tell her do as I say, not as I do. She’s done drove me bald and took all my money. She might as well drive my truck too.”[/p] [p][i]Special thanks to Kevin and Shannon for sharing their stories with us and for their support of the Trucker Path app.[/i][/p]

Sep 29, 2015

Oct 27, 2015

This financial advisor turned trucker means business [p]For Canadian Stacy Hill, his third turn as a trucker may well be his most satisfying. “If you look at the capital cost of buying your own truck and trailer, and you know what you’re doing, I don’t know of any business that offers a greater potential return on investment than trucking.”[/p] [images src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2015/08/stacy-hill.jpg" alt="Cost of parking" width="200px" align="left" ] [quote]If you’re not using Trucker Path you’re wasting time and money.[/quote] [p]Stacy knows a little something about ROI. He was a financial advisor from 1991 to 2000 – and in 2001, he started specializing in Reverse Takeovers. Which, by the way, is what? “A reverse takeover is when a private company uses the stock market to raise capital. My partners and I did this before there was such a thing as Kickstarter, and one thing I learned about the public markets: The better your product’s story is, the sharper the knives that come-out from the wolves and the crooks.”[/p] [p][b]A good deal goes bad[/b][/p] [p]Which is exactly what happened to the last company Stacy worked with. “A group of stock manipulators ran the company’s stock up and down – taking profits on the rise, then selling short to profit on the drops – until they’d bled the company dry. I’d personally raised $2 million for this company from family and friends, so I felt obligated to try and keep the company afloat by shouldering the financial load for as long as I could.” Which eventually drove him into bankruptcy, and very likely caused his heart issues in 2012n – and possibly his cancer in 2014.[/p] [p]You’d think a series of setbacks like that would leave Stacy bitter and defeated. You’d be wrong. “I believe, without a shadow of a doubt, I’m exactly where the Lord wants me to be. To me, there is nothing less stressful than driving. And by making what I do as efficient as possible, I reduce my stress even more.” That’s where Trucker Path comes in.[/p] [p][b]“I only used it about four times today!”[/b][/p] [p]“I use Trucker Path multiple times every day. If I’m in a busy area and it’s getting time to stop, I’ll call the nearest truck stop and find-out if there’s a wait time on the showers. If they’re busy, I’ll just go to the next one.[/p] [p]“Whenever I make a longer stop, I’ll get out of the truck and take a 30-minute power walk with my five-pound hand weights. With all the gyrations I make, I probably look crazy. But anybody who says they can’t fit exercise into their daily routine is just being inefficient with their time.”[/p] [p][b]Calculating fuel costs in advance[/b][/p] [p]“I created an Excel spreadsheet that lists and subtracts fuel taxes for every state I drive through. So when I’m planning my day, I use Trucker Path to look-up fuel prices at the truck stops in the states I’ll pass through. Then I’ll calculate my [i]real[/i] fuel cost at every potential stop – and plan where to refuel accordingly. I’m saving hundreds of dollars in fuel costs every month, using Trucker Path and my spreadsheet.” And here’s the real kicker: Stacy isn’t even an Owner Operator.[/p] [p]“That was one headache I didn’t want.”[/p] [p]“I could have bought my own truck, but with my financial resources at the time, it would’ve had to been an old used one. I didn’t want that. Besides, I was still able to work my way out of bankruptcy two years ago, and now my wife and I even have credit again.” Needless to say, his decision to become a company driver was a blessing for the man who owns the company. “Yeah,” Stacy says, with a smile, “you could say the boss has a good understanding of value!”[/p] [p][b]Mixing business and pleasure[/b][/p] [p]“Granted,” Stacy admits “truck driving may not be the best paying profession in the world,” but he’s clearly enjoying himself – on and off the road. “Another thing I love about Trucker Path is the Available Parking feature for Truck Stops and Rest Areas. Of course, I rarely ever park in truck stops. They’re too noisy. Besides, I like to find rest areas located next to big, cut-grass fields.”[/p] [p]Stacy carries his golf clubs in the truck with him, and when he doesn’t have time to play one of his favorite courses along a route, “I’ll just pull out my clubs, and pound a Shag Bag full of balls.” Asked which part of his game is strongest, Stacy says, “I’m best at the short game.” Something tells us he’s also pretty adapt at the long haul.[/p] [br] [p][i]SUMMARY: Our profile of a Company Driver who uses Trucker Path to save time and money every day on the road.[/i][/p]

Aug 10, 2015