The Trucking Entrepreneurs Podcast

We are closing shop on our podcast completely officially November 1st.  In addition, our magazine will be closing also, with no new publications, but the website will still be available to view until January 1st, 2023. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/truckentrepreneurspodcast/support

In this episode, Ashley Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of Supreme Driver Recruiting, joins the show.  She is an inspirational and nationally renown motivational speaker who specializes in transportation recruitment for both businesses and individuals alike. Her story of overcoming adversity through hard work and determination has allowed her to become one of America's success stories. With books such as Divorcing the Game: My Journey from the Stripper Pole to Owning a Million-Dollar Trucking Business, she shares her personal journey with listeners all over the world. Today, Ashley talks about how driver recruiting works, what it means to persevere in the face of adversity, and how to put your trust in God in everything you do. Website: https://supremedriverrecruiting.com/ About the Guest [05:28] Ashley formerly worked at a home security company and sold home security before entering the trucking industry. She was about the hustle and left her house when she was 13. When she was working at a call center, a friend encouraged her to pursue a career in the trucking sector. [07:58] Ashley is also an author and motivational speaker who gives speeches on various tour stops. Her mission is to give back to organizations, inspire others, and make a difference in people's lives. Starting a Business [12:08] When beginning a business, Ashley wants her audience to understand that "disruption follows intention." However, she encourages individuals not to give up because failure is a part of the business path. [18:51] Ashley encountered difficulties while working in a call center. She acquired COVID and was forced to fire all her employees because their system was no longer operational. Even though it was the most difficult time of her life, she did not give up. Supreme Driver Recruiting [21:58] Her company provides various services, including one-time driver recruiting, which assists carriers in hiring a local driver, regional driver, over-the-road driver, or specialty driver. They also provide access to driver names as well as a coaching program. Truck Driver Recruiting Advice [24:22] According to Ashley, truck driver recruiting is a hidden market. This industry is worthwhile with a little coaching. [28:14] Ashley advises people struggling with a so-called driver shortage: accept automation or embrace technology and exploit it to your advantage. Feedbacks [30:50] It is not always bad for people to look in the mirror and tell themselves that they did a good job. But no matter what she achieves in life, Ashley constantly prays to God to remind her to be humble, no matter where she is or what she achieves. Biggest Success [35:57] Ashley went to church, and the pastor said God would give somebody a vision and a dream. With a piece of paper and pen beside her as she went to sleep on her second night, God showed her how to start a successful virtual assistant. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/truckentrepreneurspodcast/support

In this episode, we have Rowena Thornton, the CEO of Vallon Consulting. The firm focuses on consulting services and resources that aim to support clients to become successful in the trucking industry. They conduct various services like business formation, authority setup, complete compliance maintenance program, and much more. Rowena also shares with us about Vallon Consulting and how she got there, in addition to giving some tips to succeed in the trucking industry.  Website: https://www.vallonconsulting.com/ CEO & Founder Rowena Thornton is the CEO and Founder of Vallon Consulting, a consulting firm that focuses on compliance, business development, and providing resources to owner-operators and small carriers in the trucking industry. Vallon Consulting has helped thousands of trucking companies all over the United States and Canada. Before devoting her work full-time to Vallon Consulting, Rowena served and continues to serve as the Director of Compliance at Innovative Logistics Group, a trucking consulting firm out of Charlotte and Atlanta. She entered the transportation industry almost a decade ago working under a number of different roles such as Fleet & Driver Manager and Marketing Director for a non-emergency medical transportation company and luxury transportation company (Charter buses, party buses, limos, etc.) Rowena has over 15 years managing and owning and managing international businesses in the Ivory Coast and Zimbabwe, as well as domestic businesses here in the United States. These business ventures fell within the realm of real-estate, retail, and restaurants/food service industries. Rowena recently graduated with her Masters in Business Administration(MBA) from the Jack Welch Management Institute. Prior to that, she received her Bachelors of Science in Psychology. She is currently working on a program to help the formally incarcerated re-enter society by helping them find jobs and start their own trucking business. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/truckentrepreneurspodcast/support

In this episode, Elizabeth Rodriguez of Elizabeth Insurance joins the show. Elizabeth’s Insurance is a 15-year-old Independent Insurance Agency representing many different companies for your insurance needs. With a lot of experience, their team has the expertise to help you simplify the process of selecting an insurance carrier to fit your individual needs.  Today, Elizabeth shares a little backstory of her previous years leading up to starting Elizabeth’s Insurance as well as discussing with us how Elizabeth’s Insurance which is a family owned and operated agency located in Southern California is a powerhouse in the trucking insurance and insurance industry with the services and support that they offer.  As you will hear also, Elizabeth freely shares her wisdom and valuable knowledge and helpful tips throughout our interview. Website: https://elizabethsinsurance.com CEO Elizabeth’s Insurance is a Christian, family owned business, whose core values are to always demonstrate integrity and honesty in every transaction. We are one of the largest trucking insurance agencies in California. Our agency is empowered by our 98% referral based business, our knowledgeable, licensed and honest staff and most importantly by our exclusive rated A insurance company appointments. Our agency has nurtured powerful relationships within the industry for the last 25 years. We are a trusted, dependable, and valuable asset to the trucking industry. But most importantly, our mission is to provide the needs of our community. Our agency has provided meals, housing, funeral expenses, Kids camp supplies, support to woman & children, men, & woman’s homes, educational funds & financial aid to many across the globe, and currently helped build an orphanage & church with our brothers and sister in Kenya Africa. We have offices in Riverside, Colton, City of Commerce and Fontana, Ca. We are currently licensed in California, Texas, Arizona & Nevada We have 22 team members Established April 1, 2007 Licensed since 1999. Insurance Experience of 25 Years. We are here to serve and help get you covered to run your business with excellence. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/truckentrepreneurspodcast/support

In this episode, Scott Rea of AvatarFleet joins the show. Scott is the president of AvatarFleet, which Mark Gardner founded in 2014. It aims to help you fill empty seats, pass every audit, and come home safely. Its primary goal is to help solve the driver problem in the trucking and transportation industries. In today’s episode, Scott discusses the driver problem in the industry, mentorship, and his business, AvatarFleet.  Website: https://www.avatarfleet.com Blog: https://www.avatarfleet.com/blog Resources: https://www.avatarfleet.com/resources Purple Cow Academy: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-DsGPxt5fwTxWowNCYA-JaJA9njOkMXF CEO Scott Rea, President of AvatarFleet, is on a mission to help transportation companies fill empty seats by doing driver marketing the smart way. Scott started in the industry by managing a high growth driver recruiting department. He uses that first-hand experience to ensure AvatarFleet provides the industry’s best software and services for transportation companies to recruit, hire, train and retain safe drivers. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/truckentrepreneurspodcast/support

In this episode, our guest is Patrick Holmes. He began his financial services career at State Employees Credit Union in 2013 and started building relationships with members, helping them with their financial needs ranging from financial counseling, tax preparation, personal and mortgage lending, and Auto, Home, and Life Insurance. Determined to find the best insurance solutions on the market, he founded Seven Two Advisors, specializing in Life, Health, Disability, Long Term Care, and Medicare Solutions with no sales goals, quotas, or forceful sales practices. Today, Patrick explores the essential components that influence a person’s spending habits, discovering the true value of wealth and how to be financially independent. Website: https://seventwoadvisors.com/about/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/truckentrepreneurspodcast/support

In this episode, Vitaliy Vinnichuk joins the show. He is the Co-Owner and General Manager of VTS Transportation Inc. VTS Transportation Inc. offers full-service transportation and logistics solutions, specializing in reefer transportation. Today, Vitaliy Vinnichuk shares the story of how VTS Transportation Inc. was born, the services they provide and how they provide top-quality customer service to their customers, while maintaining excellent care for their employees. Sit back, relax and enjoy! Website: https://vtstransportation.com General Manager Hello my name is Vitaliy Vinnichuk and I am the Co-Owner and General Manager of VTS Transportation Inc. A little about me, I was born in Ukraine and in September of 2000, we moved to California with my family. We quickly adapted to the hard-working culture of the country and began to work in the trucking industry. Being owner-operators at another company we continuously encountered issues and poor customer service. We wanted to do things differently; thus VTS Transportation Inc was created. Our goal was to be transparent, honest, and exceed at customer service. We started with the idea of opening up a dispatch company to dispatch the 6 trucks we had at the time of early 2013. From the beginning the journey was difficult, we had troubles, mistakes, and frustrations. The hours were long due to the lack of knowledge and expertise in how dispatch correctly functioned. We knew we needed to take a different approach, my brother and I dove into learning the correct way of managing a trucking business, from booking loads to correct billing we strived to exceed at it. Meanwhile our father started to learn the maintenance of trucks and began to service the trucks to minimize downtime on the road. Believe me, the journey was difficult, we were in a different country with little English, but this motivated us to work harder, we learned the rules, language, and culture quickly setting yearly goals, and achieving them. Today we have over 150 trucks that we Dispatch with 40 office personnel. Our gross projection will be over 33 million this year. Everything we do is in-house from servicing our own equipment to the in-house software we built. Above all, we remain transparent, honest, and exceed at customer service. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/truckentrepreneurspodcast/support

Truck parking has always been a problem in the trucking industry, and this is a problem that requires a solution. In this episode of Trucking Entrepreneurs Podcast, we have Jora Singh, founder of Semiyard, an app for booking a parking space for your truck, and it aims to solve the truck parking problem in the industry. Check out today’s episode as Jora discusses Semiyard and how it can contribute to the trucking industry. Website: https://semiyard.com CEO & FOUNDER An app that provides hands on semi truck parking solutions to truckers on their finger tips and within 5 minutes. The SemiYard Driver App is up and running flawlessly and we are Ready to Scale! We want truckers not to park at the freeway exits and sleep at night. It is not safe. We will provide them a safe, secure, and affordable parking space in no time. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/truckentrepreneurspodcast/support

In this episode, Michael Ritzema of Superior Trucking Payroll Service joins the show. Michael started Superior Trucking Payroll Service in 1995 because they couldn't find someone in the payroll sector who knew enough about trucking to assist them. Superior Trucking Payroll Service helps drivers save money on payroll by constantly researching best practices in the trucking business, and we serve clients across the country. Today, Michael talks about the importance of having a wide range of backgrounds and experiences to rapidly understand what's happening behind any firm and come up with a solution that's right for them. Website: https://www.truckingpayroll.com President and Founder With over 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship, management, business planning, financial analysis, software engineering, operations, and decision analysis, Mike has the breadth and depth of experience needed to quickly understand entrepreneurs’ businesses and craft the most suitable solutions. Before founding Superior Trucking Payroll Service, Mike was the CFO of a trucking company with 80 trucks and a thriving brokerage. This experience gave him the perspective that a payroll solution has to make the lives of the office people better. All the solutions he has designed are to benefit everyone. Our company mission is to help trucking families and that includes the company owners, the drivers, and the office. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/truckentrepreneurspodcast/support

In this episode, Chris Joslyn of iLevel Logistics joins the show. CJ Solutions Group was founded by Chris and is led by him as CEO. With over 25 years of experience in the sector, he works with customers and companies to develop and implement supply-chain solutions that are both efficient and cost-effective. Customer first has always been Chris' personal philosophy. ✅ Why you need a partner like CJ Solutions Group ✅ How they help companies succeed ✅ What they can do for your company Join us, as Chris talks about these important topics and much more! Website: https://www.ilevellogistics.com CEO 17 years with The Hub Group from Salesperson to the President of the Pacific Northwest Division. 2008 left Hub to pursue his goals in the Transportation Industry founding CJ Solutions Group. A company designed for equipment repositioning, truck brokerage, Business Planning and development as well as Special Project Implementation. Additionally, Chris owned a small Los Angeles Drayage company and now is beginning to develop an online platform for the aggregation, curation and dissemination of Information, statistics and opinion throughout the Transportation world with www.iLevellogistics.com Chris believes that the "high tech" nature of our progress shouldn't leave behind the "high touch" aspects required to positively shape our Industry --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/truckentrepreneurspodcast/support