"There are more computers in a truck than there are in an office" - Ryan Campbell, Lead Technician

This is part one of a conversation we had with Ryan Campbell, a lead technician for the largest tank transportation company in North America.

In this part we discuss how Ryan got into the industry, his experience with entrepreneurship, the difference between a mechanic and a technician and what it takes to become a successful trucking technician. 

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Michael Clements:
Welcome to Trucking For Millennials where we engage with the future of freight happening now. My name is Michael Clements.

Aaron Dunn:
And I'm Aaron Dunn and we're here to help trucking and logistics professionals stay up to date and ahead of the curve as our industry evolves.

Michael Clements:
We're connecting with every step of the supply chain as part of our mission to increase transparency and provide world-class freight solutions.

Aaron Dunn:
Okay. Thank you for listening to Trucking For Millennials. This episode is really, really great. It's part one of two of a conversation I had with Ryan Campbell. He is a lead technician with a lot of industry knowledge and experience, but he's still a younger guy. He's a younger guy in the industry. Having a successful career as a technician and in this conversation you're going to learn more about him. We dive a little bit deeper into the trucking stuff and talk about the difference between a mechanic and a technician and the work that he does and what it involves.

Aaron Dunn:
And then in part two I ask him about the technician shortage and we dive into that and a little bit more. So part two will come in a matter of weeks, but for now, enjoy part one. And if you enjoy technician talk, if you are a technician or you have another suggestion about a topic you'd like to hear us cover on the Trucking For Millennials Podcast, please send an email to aaron@pdqamerica.com or just give us a shout on social media. We're really active on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, at PDQ America for those handles. And then just do the search bar for PDQ America and you will find us on just about every platform out there. So anyway, enough of me here. Time to go to our conversation.

Aaron Dunn:
All right, Trucking For Millennials Podcast. Thank you for tuning in today. Really excited for our guests. Value packed episode, talking all things under the truck or within the truck I suppose.

Ryan Campbell:
On top of, over, around, within.

Aaron Dunn:
Yeah. Guest today, Ryan Campbell, he is the lead mechanic at the largest, you were saying-

Ryan Campbell:
Truck... The largest tank transportation company in North America.

Aaron Dunn:
Awesome. And how long have you been there?

Ryan Campbell:
I've been with them for roughly two years now.

Aaron Dunn:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). Just two years?

Ryan Campbell:
Coming up on two years. Yeah.

Aaron Dunn:
Cool. So lots of topics to discuss. We have two or three here on my notes that I really want to ask you. But before that I want to provide the audience a little bit of context and so they can get to know you and understand your expertise. So if you could just let us know what you're doing now and then maybe your career so far. Just kind of give an overview for anybody.

Ryan Campbell:
So right now I run a shop. Even though I'm a lead mechanic, I have multiple pieces of equipment to myself. So I'm a lead mechanic as well as administration, parts inventory, breakdown, road calls, 24/7. My phone never stops. Basically anything that can go on in a shop, I do.

Aaron Dunn:
Okay.

Ryan Campbell:
So working on getting another mechanic under me. The company does like to run a slim team, let's just say.

Aaron Dunn:
Yeah.

Ryan Campbell:
So getting help in there will help. I think that would help with all mechanics in general when having help because you can't put one person in a shop and feel like you can do everything, because you can't.

Aaron Dunn:
Right. Yeah. It's a team effort.

Ryan Campbell:
Absolutely.

Aaron Dunn:
At the end of the day. And it seems as if you're going to have more problems than one man can solve in a given-

Ryan Campbell:
Well only one man can do so much work, you know? And with as much as I do, I can go do so much, say six hours worth of work in the shop, but then that relays to four to five hours worth of paperwork. So you don't realize how much paperwork comes behind that. And I'm not only doing the paperwork, I'm doing the creating of the paperwork, doing the work, finishing the paperwork and pushing it off to where it needs to go.

Aaron Dunn:
Yeah. So tell me a little bit about, because it's a foreign thing to me pretty much. So to some there might be a technician or two or 10 listening to this podcast that's going to be like, "Yeah duh." But, then there's going to be brokers that have never had any kind of interaction with a technician or a mechanic like yourself. So tell me a little bit about what your workday looks like for you?

Ryan Campbell:
My work day, get in five, six in the morning, start with computer work basically, which computer can consist of creating POs for possibly breakdowns a day before, talking to vendors, figuring out what your parts need. I spend about two hours, my morning just doing computer work.

Ryan Campbell:
And then from there it's finding equipment I need to work on, pull it in, figure out what needs to be done to it, create the work orders, go do the work, come back in, complete it, charge all my parts out, figure out what parts going to need for my next jobs, got to order parts, got to inventory everything. And I mean it's nonstop.

Aaron Dunn:
Yeah. Yeah. And then rinse and repeat, huh?

Ryan Campbell:
Exactly. And I mean there's days where I do 100% computer work. And nowadays everything's electronic. So I mean I don't even fill out papers for inspections anymore. Everything is done electronic. So, there's days where I may work and never do any computer work. I have the work orders open, click onto them, log on to them, you go to work. And then next thing you know, you've worked for three days and now you have three days worth of computer work that you got to do.

Aaron Dunn:
Yeah. Yeah. So it's an ongoing balance between the two.

Ryan Campbell:
Yeah. And that's probably one of the hardest parts of my job is balancing what has to be done, what needs to be done, and everything else.

Aaron Dunn:
What's coming in, that kind of thing?

Ryan Campbell:
Exactly.

Aaron Dunn:
Okay. So awesome. It gives me a bit more of a perspective on it. So how did you get into the industry and how long have you been doing it overall?

Ryan Campbell:
I've been doing it for going on 11 years.

Aaron Dunn:
Okay. You've been a mechanic for 11 years.

Ryan Campbell:
Been a professional mechanic for 11 years. So, obviously I've been doing it for before that, but professionally, because everyone can say, oh, they've been a mechanic for 20 years. Oh, if you're only 25 years old, you haven't been a mechanic for since you were five, you know? And-

Aaron Dunn:
How did you find yourself in the industry?

Ryan Campbell:
So I have family that owns a company, a repair company, and it was even before that, it was go work with him, figure out if I can do this. And I went and worked with him for two years. I mean, it was every break off of school, during summer. It was do that. And then I went and opened up my own company. I mean, I just jumped off the cliff.

Aaron Dunn:
Yeah. Wow. That's exciting.

Ryan Campbell:
So it's hard.

Aaron Dunn:
Yeah.

Ryan Campbell:
It really was hard. But once you take that leap and you do it, you have to rely on yourself. So that makes you learn a lot. You know what I mean? Think about it. You go, I moved States away from anybody. I didn't have anybody, any family, no one. And I went and started a company and made it work.

Aaron Dunn:
Wow.

Ryan Campbell:
That's where I got my reliance on myself. You know, if you don't have no one, how do you get help? You can't ask anybody for help because you don't know anybody, you know? But I mean after I did that, I worked for myself for a while and then decided it wasn't the greatest being in business by myself. Especially because I'm the one that has to do everything.

Aaron Dunn:
Right.

Ryan Campbell:
Literally everything.

Aaron Dunn:
Literally everything.

Ryan Campbell:
Yeah. I mean even down to the maintenance on my service truck, you know?

Aaron Dunn:
So how long did you have your own business?

Ryan Campbell:
So I had my own business for, let's see here, seven years.

Aaron Dunn:
Oh wow.

Ryan Campbell:
Yeah.

Aaron Dunn:
Okay.

Ryan Campbell:
Two different States. I created one, sold that one and then created another one in a different state. Because, I had a contract with a different company that wanted me to do their work solely. So about seven years and then decided, you know what, I'm going to go work for somebody else. I want the vacation time. I wanted the time off. I want the weekends off and then it was down the line. And the more technicians you work with, the better you get, the more you evolve yourself, and you get to where you can go.

Aaron Dunn:
Yeah. Yeah. I think that story is pretty important right now because the trucking industry is really a great place for an entrepreneur because it's ripe for opportunity I think. There's a lot of demand for the type of work you do, type of work truck drivers do. But your story does showcase something important of the challenge that that is.

Aaron Dunn:
It's just, it is not an easy thing. And it highlights that even though so much in owning your own business, working for yourself essentially, that the aspiration is to say, "I want less, I want more time. I want more time to do my own thing." But it's so deceiving because it really is that much more work to keep up and when you're relying on nobody else put yourself.

Ryan Campbell:
Oh, absolutely.

Aaron Dunn:
So, that's a big challenge. So I think that's a pretty successful career though, that you sustain. I mean, a successful business career, seven years on your own, commend you for that. I can only imagine some of the challenges that you had to go through.

Ryan Campbell:
Yeah. Definitely.

Aaron Dunn:
So now you're working for another company that you're enjoying, I suspect.

Ryan Campbell:
Absolutely. Absolutely.

Aaron Dunn:
Yeah. And it's rewarding for you.

Ryan Campbell:
Yep. I mean, one of the biggest things with me moving with this company was where I got to move. Where I came from and where I got to go, state-wise, moving within the US. That was one of the biggest reasons for taking this offer, but it's been the best.

Aaron Dunn:
Awesome.

Ryan Campbell:
I don't see myself going anywhere anytime soon.

Aaron Dunn:
That's great. Well, I've got some source material for us to just kind of go through the conversation. Some stuff I wanted to ask you about. Transport Topics.com a big media outlet for our industry. Did some great journalism on, they did multiple articles on the role of a technician in the industry and a little bit of the demand and new innovations and that kind of thing.

Aaron Dunn:
So I just wanted to get your take as somebody who's been ingrained in it, owned your own business, worked for somebody else. And has made a successful career for yourself. I think your insight would be really valuable. So first thing, and we've kind of touched on a little bit is you know what the work looks like, but this particular quote stood out to me and it's from Robert Braswell, executive director of technology and maintenance council, which is a council of the American Trucking Association.

Aaron Dunn:
And he said, "Today's technician is very different than 30 years ago. There's more computer work than wrenches." Is how he put it. Now 30 years ago, you're a pretty young guy. So that's before our time. But still 11 years in the industry, I'm sure you've seen over a decade of change. So there's more computer work than wrenches is what he says. Speak to that a little bit. What's your-

Ryan Campbell:
Absolutely. Totally. I was actually just talking to one of my buddies about this. He owns his own company and we were talking about the difference between a mechanic and a technician. We are not mechanics nowadays. We are technicians. There's probably more computers in a truck than there is in an office. So there's a computer to run absolutely every part of the vehicle. I mean anywhere from the HVAC to your door locks, there's a computer that runs it.

Ryan Campbell:
And it's not just one big whopping computer. These are individual computers. So I mean the evolvement from going from a mechanical engine, and we're not talking a long time ago, a mechanical engine is from 1997 depending on models and stuff like that. But I mean 1997 we're not talking a long time.

Aaron Dunn:
Yeah, that's not too long.

Ryan Campbell:
And you went from 100% mechanical engine to where you had one wire to run the truck. To, I mean, now we're in 2019 what, 20 years later, and you got 10, 15 computers that are running a truck. They basically are driving themselves now.

Aaron Dunn:
Wow.

Ryan Campbell:
So the involvement has been astronomical. It's unreal what the differences from back in, I mean, even 20 years ago, even 10 years ago before they really started into the emissions stuff. I mean, yes, engines were electronic, but you didn't have all the other stuff for emissions wise. And the emissions has just gone crazy with as much stuff as involved in just with an exhaust system, you would think it's so easy. But in reality, you've probably got 20 sensors just in the exhaust.

Ryan Campbell:
20 sensors with three or four computers that run just exhaust system. So it definitely takes a newer breed, I would say, or one that wants to learn it. And it's hard to find those ones that want to learn it because they're so used to, it should just work like this. It don't no more. Common sense tells you, well that don't make sense. Well.

Aaron Dunn:
Right.

Ryan Campbell:
A lot of stuff don't make sense nowadays.

Aaron Dunn:
Yeah. Yeah. Or at least the traditional sense that you might be used to.

Ryan Campbell:
Yes.

Aaron Dunn:
So talk a little bit more a about that. I'm interested in the point that you made that there's more computers in a truck than there are in an office. And the perception of a mechanic, right. The layman's term that we kind of thrown around, but you're making a sharp distinction between, we're not mechanics anymore, we're really technicians and defining that. Maybe you can just define that a little bit more for us. I'd be interested in hearing how you parse the two.

Ryan Campbell:
Well, I mean I'm a mechanic, I would say has done more of the physical labor of brakes, suspension, tires. Anything mechanical would be mechanic. A technician would work on everything, not only the brakes and the tires and in the rear ends and transmissions and everything. But then it's, you think a driver comes up to you and says, "Hey, I have this problem." First thing you think is I'm going to grab my laptop and you go reaching for a laptop with a cord to plug into the truck.

Ryan Campbell:
And back in the day, mechanics didn't do that. Mechanics thought, oh it's got to be this because this works that way. And nowadays it's plug the truck in, plug it into the computer. Let me see what the computer is telling me. And the manufacturers will come out with programs to decipher and it gives you, for the most part, step by step instructions to test.

Ryan Campbell:
And you have to run through these tests to find out the problem. I mean, there might be 50 tests just to find out the very last thing is wrong or very last thing is bad. And we're not only talking, it just tells you to run over here and check this. No, we're talking your pinning ECM's, checking voltages between wires and between sensors and you're physically getting into the hearts of these trucks. And a mechanic back 30 years ago would look at us like we're nuts. They're not going to understand what we're talking about. And a technician, a good level technician is going to understand for the most part what's going on.

Ryan Campbell:
Now, obviously you don't have one person that knows absolutely everything, that's pretty common. But a good technician is going to have a good realm of the entire vehicle. And we're not only talking trucks, we're talking trailers because the industry is trailers. I mean, trailers are getting just as involved as trucks are.

Ryan Campbell:
Tankers, the new abs systems are anti rolls. So if you get too much weight on one side, it'll apply the pressure on brakes at different axles at different times to level out that load. And you think about how does that work? It's mind boggling about how this computer can tell when this shifts, you know?

Ryan Campbell:
And you don't think about that stuff. You're driving down the freeway, you think, oh, there's just another truck and trailer. But the amount of technology that's going into these things is just unreal, you know? And with that technology comes more training, more computer work, and that computer work is hooking up a laptop. I mean you have a trailer sitting there, what's wrong with it? Let me hook up my laptop to a trailer. You wouldn't think that.

Aaron Dunn:
Right. No. That's pretty interesting. And then I think a lot of times technology can be used as a... I mean it's all around us and it's always evolving, but there is that stigma to new technology so much of the time where it's like, it can be dismissed easily because something is done more efficiently or to a greater degree. But that's so silly in a lot of ways because you're using technology to help and compliment the complicated work that's necessary to be done. The thing that I kind of wanted to highlight with that is that as you're explaining this to me, it's almost as if the work is more like IT type stuff.

Ryan Campbell:
Almost, yeah.

Aaron Dunn:
Than it is what you commonly think of when you think mechanic, you know what I mean?

Ryan Campbell:
And you think about an IT guy goes in and hooks into your computer and does his thing. But now we don't only have to do that, we have to actually do the work too.

Aaron Dunn:
Exactly. So, really it's both.

Ryan Campbell:
Yes.

Aaron Dunn:
So yeah, the perception of the industry is grease and grime and always doing all kinds of different things like that. If it were me you just kind of kick it until it works, you know? But it seems like it's long gone. It's more of a logical and process focused, thinking, lots of knowledge work that goes into your line of duty as a technician.

Ryan Campbell:
Yep. Absolutely.

Aaron Dunn:
Very interesting. So to you, what makes a successful tech? Like, it seems like for you, you're well suited when you jumped in because all that was starting to build up and it was like pretty clear that that was the future, you know? But for somebody 20 years older than you going to be more difficult for them to adapt, that kind of thing.

Aaron Dunn:
So you're going to have varying degrees of competency and comfortability, that kind of thing. So given the kind of comparison that we had to an IT person, but also knowing that you have to do some of that mechanical work and understand those aspects of it too. What type of person, what type of thinking and approach does a technician need to have to be successful?

Ryan Campbell:
Hard work. I mean you just have to. You have to want it. You can't just think it's going to fix itself. You can't just kick it and make it work. You know? You actually have to work for it. A person that understands where stuff has been and where it's going to go and then the person that understands, like I said, not just the mechanical of it. You also have to kind of understand the electronics of it. You can teach a guy that knows the mechanical and you can put him with another technician and try to teach him the electronic side of it and he will grasp it. Just because he's mechanically inclined.

Ryan Campbell:
Now trying to take an IT guy and put him under a truck that's a little on the difference side. But a good technician is somebody that understands both sides. They have to understand the electronic side of it and they have to understand the mechanical side of it. And if you don't, I mean you're either going to have one or the other or you're going to have that center point to where that person knows enough on this side and enough on that side to what is going on with it.

Aaron Dunn:
Yeah. And then that kind of highlights the point that you made earlier of just having a strong team is really good because you'll have multiple disciplines and many more decades of experience. If you had just one other guy that had 10 years, you'd have another, 10 years to lean on. So kind of transition into the recruitment aspect, or maybe I would say you've come back to, you've got a one it and that it's really important for that to happen. What type of person should consider... Actually, let me backtrack. I want to ask you this. What's your favorite part of what you do? Like why do you love it?

Ryan Campbell:
I love it because one, I'm working with my hands. That's what I love to do. I've always been that way, but not only that, it's the challenge as stuff has evolved, I've had to learn and when you figure something out, wow, cool. I figured that out. Because there's not always that training that taught you that. No, schools are going to teach you that thing that you can learn in the field that is not there. You know? It's just weird stuff.

Aaron Dunn:
Yeah. Yeah. There's always going to be an anomaly that one thing that-

Ryan Campbell:
There always is. But as far as loving my job, I mean, I do. I absolutely love what I do.

Aaron Dunn:
Like what's the most challenging or kind of the frustrating aspect of it?

Ryan Campbell:
Managing my time.

Aaron Dunn:
Yeah.

Ryan Campbell:
The balance and management of the actual repairs and diagnostics of the vehicles along with the computer work, paperwork, whatever, however you want to display it. But I mean, like I said, in my position, I'm the mechanic, I'm the admin, I'm the dispatch for road calls. I'm the parts guy, the parts runner, the parts inventory-er. There's a ton that goes on. And like I said, there's days where I only do admin stuff. There's days where I only do shop work. And I mean, especially in my case, I'm the one that has to push the broom. I don't have somebody coming around cleaning up behind me.

Aaron Dunn:
Yeah. So it's really a lot like you're running your own shop, it sounds like.

Ryan Campbell:
Absolutely. I am the one that runs it. Yes, I have higher ups that make the final decisions, but in that exact time it's me, you know? And I think that might be why I like my job so much is it's kind of like I'm running my own company, you know? Even though I'm under a company and running it, but I'm running that shop my way, that shop is my shop.

Ryan Campbell:
If someone gets hurt in my shop, that's my problem. anything that goes on in the shop, that's on me, you know? So I think that's why I like my job so much is because it's the portraying of freedom, being able to do kind of what I want to do when I want to do it, but I have to make sure my job is done. If my job's not done, the upstairs man is going to come knocking.

Aaron Dunn:
Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, you have that degree of independence, but it's also, you have the backing and support necessary that can make, if you're doing all that plus, it's just that much more challenging.

Katie:
Hello, this is Katie from PDQ America. I wanted to invite you to join our newsletter, The Transmitter, if you'd like to receive the latest trucking news, industry insights and other valuable information every week, visit go. America.com/podcast.

That's a good creepy laugh. That was pretty good. That wasn't bad at all. I might have to hear that again.

Michael Clements
Ha ha ha ha ha ha

Aaron Dunn

So happy Halloween. This episode comes out the week of Halloween, so it's going to be in a few days. It's the week before in real time, but we wanted to have a little bit of fun with the holiday. But the fun is also counterbalanced with the serious fright of the future of freight. You just heard some segments and you know pretty much a narrative that's been being told throughout the entire year of the trucking bloodbath. People losing their jobs, truck drivers getting laid off companies going under and a lot of uncertainty in the market. So we wanted to have a brief conversation about that. And then we're going to switch into some ghost stories.

Michael Clements
I like the ghost stories.

Aaron Dunn

Ghost stories from truck drivers, which is going to be, we'll see how scary they are. But let's talk trucking stuff first. Michael, what do you think about, I mean it's October, believe it or not, it's the end of October, 2019 is almost coming to a close and we've, consistently heard these, it's a lot of bad news out there and uncertainty and that's kind of the theme for Halloween. But also it seems like the theme for freight this entire year. What are your thoughts on that? Is it for good reason or do you think it's just these pesky kids?

Michael Clements
Well, I pulled out my, my magic, my magic ball and I've looked at the future. Okay, and so I'm here to tell you whether it's trick or treat today. So the freight future itself for 2020 does not look too bad. For the remainder of this year, not looking that great. I think it really just depends on what type of trucking you're in and what sector, and also where you're located at. All these factors play into it obviously, but going into next year, I think we're going to be looking at more of a treat for trucking companies that are able to get through this year, but for the remainder this year, it may just be a bunch of tricks.

So what we're looking at is throughout the remainder of this year, obviously weather is going to be a factor in the Northeast and in other areas. And so what you're going to see is you're going to see the rates start to go down in the South. Going into the fall, you're going to have a lot more trucks coming down and speaking a lot more trucks, something else. We have had a lot more trucks hit the road this year. Truck orders were way up in 2018 and in 2019 truck orders have been way down. That is going to affect the markets next year directly. Traditionally, whenever trucking truck sales have been up, it creates a downward year the following year. And that is exactly what happened after the great year that everyone had in 2018, but also what it does is it creates slower orders throughout the next year. Now this year, truck orders necessarily haven't been as far down, but you have to look at the deliveries. You have a lot of companies right now that are taking deliveries of those orders that they may have even placed it late last year.

And so as these orders start to taper off and things, what you're going to do is you're going to see less trucks on the road, but something else that's also a factor in this is the tariffs, and those things have really, they really kicked in after September 1st and what we've seen is the market slowing down a lot. The markets were really, really heavy going in before September, right there between July and going in between July and September. But that's because we were trying to allocate a lot of materials and do a lot of things to get ahead of the tariffs that were going to be kicking in on both ends between the United States and China. So as we have both of those countries still squaring off and still in the middle of a trade battle, this is going to affect rates and going to affect the markets ,even into 2020, so although it does sound like there could be treats on the other side, there still could be some tricks there.

Aaron Dunn
Yeah, I think that's a great way to put it. One thing I was reading on an article was how the tariffs influenced so much of the shipping volumes throughout the country. So whereas like we're getting into peak retail season with the holidays coming up, Thanksgiving, Christmas, that stuff, so a lot of orders are going to be happening and freight is going to be moving across the country. Well, a lot of that freight moved across the country prior to the tariffs kicking in because they wanted to guard, they wanted to hedge a little bit and say, "well let's just go ahead and move this stuff" cause we know we're going to move it eventually. So it just kind of moved the peak, it kind of stretched it out. So it's not peaking at the end of the year, it's just kind of more leveling often and flattening out. So that's just another thing that's happened that it, it might not be to doom and gloom. From my perspective, it's just a change in when things happen. It's a change in the timeline essentially.

Michael Clements
You know and learning, I followed the oil and gas markets for years and there's a lot of different factors that come into the price of oil and the price of gas. But it's really interesting in transportation because really a lot of your numbers, like new truck orders are running way below the replacement demand. And so you're not, they're not replacing a lot of the trucks that are leaving the road right now. But also truck orders have been negative on a year over year end basis for 10 straight months. So that means that truck orders are not, they're not replacing a lot of the trucks that are leaving. And I don't know what that has more to do with, I don't know if fleets are just getting older and they're allowing their trucks to get older. If you have a lot of smaller trucking companies that are having to make their trucks last longer, or if it's just trucks are just more expensive and so you're trying to figure out other ways to utilize the equipment that you already have and make the money. Cause I mean an investment of $150,000 in a brand new semi truck- that's a heck of an investment.

And so as companies are weighing their odds and "what are we going to do?" And as people are saying, we don't know if the markets are going to get better in 2020 or if what's going to happen there for trucking. I think it's also causing some people not to want to go out and replace trucks that may be traditionally, if they, if we were looking at a broader market right now, maybe we would. But economists are still hot on the economy in America, and I think if you get too wrapped up in the political conversation and hearing what's going on with impeachments and everything in Washington D.C. it really clouds the economy, but the economy really hasn't been hurting. I think the media tries to hurt the economy, but we as a whole, America I don't think is doing as bad as the news really portrays it to be. And I think as long as the economy can keep up with what it's doing, there's still the opportunity in 2020 for a very good year, but the remainder of 2019 we could still see some, probably whatever you got right now is probably what it's going to be for the rest of the year.

Aaron Dunn
Excellent. Well you want to switch into a little of these? Is it time to get spooky?

Michael Clements
Let's get spooky, man.

Aaron Dunn
Ghouls and goblins and things. We found this article, it's from Thought Catalog. It's 20 scary stories from truckers and here's one called, "An Invisible Person Starting Shaking the Truck".

"My brother was a truck driver in the nineties early 2000s. He just told me this story a few months ago. He was driving through Pennsylvania on the way back to New Jersey. He pulled over to the side of the road behind two other trailers. In the early morning, he heard someone bang on his right door. He quickly jumps up from the sleeping compartment and grabs his bat. As he looks out the window, there's no one there, but now there's a bang on the left side. Freaked out. He looks out that window and there's nothing but silence now, nothing. He's trying to figure out what the F is going on. Seconds later, banging on both doors simultaneously. He said the banging was so loud and heavy, the truck was shaking. Both curtains open, he can see there's no one out there. He quickly jumps in the driver's seat and starts the truck. He sees the other two trucks ahead of him do the same. He said he felt as if they all had experienced the same thing.

Michael Clements
Dude, be careful in those sleepers. What's going on out there?

Aaron Dunn
Oh jeepers creepers.

Michael Clements
I need to find out what's happening. Where was that at so I can remember not to sleep at that place?

Aaron Dunn
New Jersey, New Jersey period. Just don't sleep there.

Michael Clements
I'm staying out of Jersey.

All right, so the next story we have is called "Found a Dollar", and this is from off a Reddit post. So it says Kent, Texas is another one. There's an old Chevron station, I think it is. Seems like FedEx drivers like stopping in there in droves. I'm guessing it's a popular drop and hook point for them or something. But I stopped one day and I need to take a pee. I don't know why I didn't stop in Van Horn, so I pull off and I roll up to the empty lot across the street. Kent is an abandoned town. I walk up to the bush line and notice a makeshift fire pit. The wood is somewhat burned, but not all the way. The weird thing is that there's an unscathed dollar bill stuck in the wood. For a second, I was like, "Ooh, piece of candy", but then this sudden feeling of "nope", came over me, so I left it alone and peed in the bush.

As I'm walking back, I look over at it and get a real negative feeling. I look to the ground in front of me and bam, there's a rattlesnake looking right at me. I stopped dead in my tracks and walked carefully around it, and it keeps staring at me. I ran as fast as I could back to my truck, feeling like somebody was behind me. I kicked up a lot of dust getting out of there and have never stopped in Kent since. Kent, Texas.

Aaron Dunn
Little spooky.

Michael Clements
Little spooky. I'm not going after the dollar bill in the wood in the fire pit.

Aaron Dunn
Yeah, that sounds more like a snake story than it is ghost story though-scary anyway.

Michael Clements
I guess he thought, see he thought someone was trying to get him to hesitate is what it sounded like.

Aaron Dunn
Spooky stuff.

Michael Clements
That is spooky stuff. I looked up where Kent is and I'm not going to be traveling to there anytime soon.

Aaron Dunn
Where is it?

Michael Clements
It's like where I-20 and I-10 meet out in West Texas. It's a long way from here.

Aaron Dunn
Yeah. So it'd be quiet and all. Yeah. If you see a piece of candy out there, you're going to be kind of excited.

Michael Clements
Trick or treat!

Aaron Dunn
Alright, well anything else that we got today?

Michael Clements
No, I think they just, we, we've got an exciting end of the year coming up. You know, we have Thanksgiving and the holidays coming around the corner and so just as you're preparing for those, continue to push your years forward, and finish the year strong and the trucking industry. It's been a lot of fun getting our show off the ground in the last couple of months, and we got some really good things happening at PDQ right now. So just a really neat time to be in the industry, I think is even with slow downs and things, there's still opportunity there for those that are looking forward, especially for smaller businesses and smaller trucking companies that are out there. I think the opportunity is still there, so I just want to encourage everybody finish the year strong as we continue this fourth quarter.

Aaron Dunn
That's great. Yeah, we really appreciate the consistent listenership. It's growing, the show's growing.

We're getting some good feedback as well, so encourage you to leave a review on iTunes if you can. We really appreciate that. Even if it's not five star, if it's four star, we'll take it, and let us know what you think and what you'd like us to cover and we'll see you next week.

Katie
Hello, this is Katie from PDQ America. I wanted to invite you to join our newsletter, "The Transmitter". If you'd like to receive the latest trucking news, industry insights, and other valuable information every week, visit go.PDQ america.com/podcast.