Predatory Towing: What Every Truck Driver Must Know

1 00:00:01,440 --> 00:00:06,479 Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night and instantly know something's wrong? Not because 2 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:13,400 of a noise, not because of a phone call, but because the truck moved. That's 3 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:18,200 how this starts for a lot of drivers. Maybe you've been driving all day. Maybe you've been hunting 4 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:23,239 parking for two hours. Maybe you finally found a spot that looks safe enough to shut your eyes for 5 00:00:23,240 --> 00:00:30,080 a few hours before sunrise, and then suddenly you feel your truck lurch. Or worse, you walk 6 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:36,880 outside from where you're sleeping that night and the truck is just gone. Not stolen, 7 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:43,240 towed. And before you can even fully wake up somebody demanding thousands of dollars just to 8 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:50,000 put your truck back on the ground. The scary part is that this isn't rare anymore. Predatory 9 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:55,640 towing complaints are exploding across the trucking industry. Cargo theft is skyrocketing. 10 00:00:55,680 --> 00:01:00,840 Organized scams are targeting truck drivers because criminals know one thing better than 11 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:07,560 anybody. A tired driver under pressure is vulnerable. Today we're 12 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:13,599 talking to two Cypress drivers who lived through it firsthand. No internet rumors, no friend of a 13 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:20,280 friend. Stories, real experiences, real consequences, and some lessons that might save 14 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:27,040 another driver. A whole lot of money, stress and sleepless nights. This is the Cypress Truck 15 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:29,600 Lines podcast. Let's get into it. 16 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:39,240 Countdown to the Cypress Truck Lines podcast starts now. 17 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:48,480 Your number one professional flatbed podcast here to deliver stories, safety updates and company 18 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:53,240 news directly to your ears. Let's get down to business. 19 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:03,960 How's the weather out there? Cypress and Sunbelt. Welcome into another episode of the Cypress Truck 20 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:10,080 Lines podcast. I'm your host, Marcus. Thank you all so much for joining me here today. Uh, you really 21 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:16,679 do have no idea the impact that just clicking play on an episode has on me every day. 22 00:02:16,679 --> 00:02:21,560 Personally, I get to see the numbers. I get to see that you guys are listening means the absolute 23 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:27,840 world to me. So if you click download today, you're listening to this right now. Big ups to you. Hats 24 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:33,280 off to you. Thank you so much for supporting the show. That's exactly what we look for. And the 25 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:39,240 other way you can support the show is to run over to our website, podcast.cypresstruck.com. 26 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:44,000 Everything that has to do with this podcast is up there. The episodes, all the information about what 27 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:50,879 we're talking about and who we're talking to. Uh, my guy Tyler doing home run, I the hell with home 28 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:56,920 runs. He's doing grand slam type work, uh, on the website all the time and we greatly appreciate 29 00:02:56,920 --> 00:03:03,039 him for it. We appreciate all you being here today. Already said that there's one more way that you 30 00:03:03,039 --> 00:03:09,960 can support the show, and that is when you're there at the website podcast.cypresstruck.com, you click that 31 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:14,480 get in touch with me button. I'm not even sure what it says, but there's a button up there that 32 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:19,039 you can click and you can hit me right in the pocket. You can send me a direct email if you want 33 00:03:19,039 --> 00:03:22,920 to be a part of the show, or you just have something that you would like to hear about on 34 00:03:22,920 --> 00:03:27,880 the show, you, there's a lot of people that that that contribute to this show that don't actually 35 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:33,679 want to be on it. And I'm down for that type of contribution, too. I get it. Not everybody's a chin 36 00:03:33,679 --> 00:03:38,879 swagger like I am. Okay, not everybody wants to come on and talk on the record, and I totally 37 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:43,599 understand and respect that. If you've got an idea for the show, something you might want to hear an 38 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:48,399 episode about, send it to me. If you want to be involved on the show and you don't care what 39 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:53,760 we're there to talk about, just let me know and I will make sure to get you on an episode sooner 40 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:58,880 rather than later. It's a pretty streamlined deal here, and we're getting pretty good at it. And, uh, 41 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:04,439 one thing that we notice is every time we get new drivers on or new employees on from Cypress and 42 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:09,879 Sun Belt, uh, they're they're amazing. You guys are all so good at this. I'm not convinced that most 43 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:15,999 of you aren't closet broadcasters to begin with. Uh, and today's interview is no exception to that. 44 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:22,879 I mean, the the the clarity and the way that these guys talk through their situations 45 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:28,759 and let you know what's going on in their head while they were experiencing this is I mean, 46 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:33,279 listen, it's not foreign. It's not that people don't understand how to do it. It's that doing it 47 00:04:33,280 --> 00:04:38,480 in a precise way and and kind of walking through the story chronologically without finding a bunch 48 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:44,880 of tangents or finding a bunch of rabbit holes, uh, can sometimes be a sort of a practiced skill. And 49 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:49,839 one thing I noticed with you guys, you all must be talkers out there, because everybody from Cypress 50 00:04:49,840 --> 00:04:55,889 and Sun Belt that comes on this podcast delivers a great episode, just a banger of an episode. And 51 00:04:55,890 --> 00:05:01,729 we've got another one here for you today. Uh, so that's enough of the homework. Let's start to look 52 00:05:01,730 --> 00:05:08,410 forward into what we're talking about today. And it's really something that when I say the two 53 00:05:08,410 --> 00:05:13,489 words that I'm about to say, everybody in the trucking industry goes, oh, yeah, I know, I've heard 54 00:05:13,489 --> 00:05:19,329 about it, I've experienced it, I've been there. Uh, and that is those two words are, excuse me, 55 00:05:19,369 --> 00:05:26,329 predatory towing. Um, now, this is not to get confused with you parked in a fire lane, and you 56 00:05:26,329 --> 00:05:31,529 need to get towed so that those emergency services are available. This is maybe you parked 57 00:05:31,530 --> 00:05:36,849 in a spot that it's questionable as to whether or not you're allowed to park there. Maybe it's not 58 00:05:36,849 --> 00:05:43,089 listed right out in front in plain English that, hey, you can't park here. Uh, or maybe you are 59 00:05:43,089 --> 00:05:48,529 allowed to park there, but somebody has decided they are going to try to prey on a vulnerable and 60 00:05:48,529 --> 00:05:54,689 tired truck driver. It happens. In fact, some numbers that we will get to once we actually open 61 00:05:54,689 --> 00:06:01,569 the interview segment here are going to blow your mind as far as the growth of 62 00:06:01,569 --> 00:06:08,249 crime in this area. Now, of course, some of these stats that I'm going to give you both here 63 00:06:08,250 --> 00:06:15,169 and at the end of the show encompass not only predatory towing but load theft, uh, cyber scams, 64 00:06:15,170 --> 00:06:21,129 all the different types of scams, double brokering. There's so many things that that criminals try to 65 00:06:21,130 --> 00:06:26,289 do to prey on truck drivers and trucking companies out there. Uh, that it all sort of gets 66 00:06:26,289 --> 00:06:31,450 wrapped into one major thing and that's, you know, defrauding trucking companies or defrauding 67 00:06:31,489 --> 00:06:37,729 truckers. Um, but the American Transportation Research Institute estimates truck parking 68 00:06:37,730 --> 00:06:44,529 shortages cost drivers nearly 56 minutes per day, searching for safe parking. That equals 69 00:06:44,529 --> 00:06:51,489 roughly $6,800 in lost compensation annually per driver. The desperation to find parking is 70 00:06:51,489 --> 00:06:57,768 one of the biggest contributors to drivers parking in questionable areas. Fmcsa has 71 00:06:57,769 --> 00:07:03,569 estimated that there is only one truck parking space available for every 11 truck drivers 72 00:07:03,569 --> 00:07:10,529 nationwide. That statistic alone explains why drivers end up parking in risky spots late at 73 00:07:10,529 --> 00:07:17,369 night. Now, some towing companies charge storage fees by the hour instead of by the 74 00:07:17,370 --> 00:07:23,889 day. Once a commercial vehicle is impounded, causing bills to snowball extremely fast in 75 00:07:23,890 --> 00:07:29,609 several states. Towing disputes involving commercial vehicles have become so common that 76 00:07:29,609 --> 00:07:36,129 legislatures have debated predatory towing reform bills, specifically targeting heavy 77 00:07:36,170 --> 00:07:42,970 duty towing practices. Drivers have reported being charged administrative fees, gate fees after 78 00:07:43,009 --> 00:07:49,889 our release fees. Environmental cleanup fees. Hook up fees all stacked on top of one another before 79 00:07:49,889 --> 00:07:56,369 the truck even leaves the tow yard. And you're going to hear about it firsthand from a driver 80 00:07:56,410 --> 00:08:03,049 who's going to give you a number that he was quoted and what that number relates to. I can't 81 00:08:03,049 --> 00:08:09,249 spoil it for you because it's just it's in what we're talking about here. It's too good with 82 00:08:09,249 --> 00:08:15,450 respect to what we're talking about. It's really bad. Okay. It's a bad thing, but it's like you can't 83 00:08:15,450 --> 00:08:20,889 write it. You couldn't put Hollywood movie writers on this and have them come up with what one of 84 00:08:20,890 --> 00:08:26,729 our drivers it's about to join us is about to tell you, and that is just scratching the surface. 85 00:08:26,730 --> 00:08:33,529 Okay. These bills line up like you cannot believe, and sometimes it's not even a toll. 86 00:08:33,530 --> 00:08:38,849 Sometimes it's somebody that got Ahold of a boot that's big enough to put it on a semi truck, and 87 00:08:38,849 --> 00:08:43,288 they just take it upon themselves to say, this person's not supposed to be parked here. I might 88 00:08:43,289 --> 00:08:48,889 not be the enforcement arm of this parking lot, but I have a boot in the back of my van, and I'm 89 00:08:48,890 --> 00:08:54,969 going to put it on this truck, and he's gonna pay me the driver. He she they they're going to pay me 90 00:08:54,969 --> 00:09:00,488 to get this thing off of there. That's predatory towing in a nutshell. Right there. They didn't take 91 00:09:00,489 --> 00:09:06,049 your truck anywhere. They just bled you or the company dry of however many thousands of dollars 92 00:09:06,049 --> 00:09:12,449 they decided to ask for and turn the key on a lock. It's not. It's not novel. It's not something 93 00:09:12,449 --> 00:09:19,129 that any, uh, any average Joe couldn't do. It's just that most people aren't giant dirtbags. Most 94 00:09:19,130 --> 00:09:25,289 people don't prey on the very people that it takes to make our world run here in the United 95 00:09:25,289 --> 00:09:32,249 States. And most people aren't going to go out and look at that number one parking spot for every 96 00:09:32,289 --> 00:09:38,689 11 drivers and see an opportunity. Most people like myself and like everybody that joins me on 97 00:09:38,689 --> 00:09:44,209 this show are going to see a huge problem there and then kind of connect the dots as to why 98 00:09:44,449 --> 00:09:49,409 drivers might end up parking in places that are a little bit sketchy. Okay. And we haven't even 99 00:09:49,409 --> 00:09:53,329 really talked about load theft yet, and we're not going to get into it a lot on this podcast today 100 00:09:53,330 --> 00:09:59,288 we're mostly talking about towing. Uh, but let's face it, places out there, uh, in the, in the Midwest 101 00:09:59,289 --> 00:10:05,530 and, um, headed out east a little bit, you know, Memphis is a hot spot for it right now. And, uh, you 102 00:10:05,530 --> 00:10:10,729 guys aren't going to believe these stories, man. They're kind of crazy. Uh, but we look back at them 103 00:10:10,729 --> 00:10:16,049 and the lessons that were learned from these two drivers that are about to join us. This is a huge 104 00:10:16,049 --> 00:10:22,809 episode, especially for drivers that don't have a ton of trucking experience. If you're new to the 105 00:10:22,810 --> 00:10:28,330 gig. This episode is really going to open your eyes to some things that you should be watching 106 00:10:28,330 --> 00:10:34,608 out for. You gotta trust your instincts and you gotta know dispatch is on your side. Uh, so 107 00:10:35,169 --> 00:10:40,249 I don't want to spoil anything further out of this interview because it's such a good one. Uh, 108 00:10:40,289 --> 00:10:45,769 got to get our drivers in here right now. I'm done flapping my gums. It's time to listen to some real 109 00:10:45,770 --> 00:10:48,929 stories and get some real lessons on the back end of it. 110 00:10:56,729 --> 00:11:01,929 All right. Welcome back into the Cypress Truck Lines podcast. Very excited to get our next couple 111 00:11:01,969 --> 00:11:08,009 of drivers in here for today's show. Uh, talking about a problem within the industry that if 112 00:11:08,010 --> 00:11:13,489 you're a driver, it hasn't happened to you. You probably know somebody, that it has happened to 113 00:11:13,489 --> 00:11:18,009 you. Let me hit you with a couple of stats before we bring these guys in here, just to set this up. 114 00:11:18,130 --> 00:11:24,089 Um, the National Insurance Crime Bureau reports that predatory towing claims increased 115 00:11:24,090 --> 00:11:30,809 89% nationwide between 2022 and 2024. That is a 116 00:11:30,810 --> 00:11:37,289 wild number. Cargo theft has increased 1,500% since 117 00:11:37,450 --> 00:11:44,169 2021, and cargo theft is now estimated to cost the supply chain up to $35 118 00:11:44,169 --> 00:11:50,049 billion annually. These are big problems across the transportation industry, and we've got a 119 00:11:50,049 --> 00:11:55,209 couple of guys here joining us today that have experience with it, and we're going to talk about 120 00:11:55,210 --> 00:12:00,449 it. So let's welcome them in here first. Uh, joining us today we've got Devon Sonson on the phone. 121 00:12:00,449 --> 00:12:05,690 Devon, thank you so much for being here man. Of course man. Thanks for having me. Now, how long have 122 00:12:05,690 --> 00:12:12,330 you been driving for Cypress? Um, Cypress is actually my first job in my trucking career, so 123 00:12:12,330 --> 00:12:16,849 I've been with them for about a year now. Okay. And how are you liking it so far? Is the first job in 124 00:12:16,849 --> 00:12:22,929 your trucking career? I love it, I love it, I love the physical aspect. Um, driving wasn't really cut 125 00:12:22,929 --> 00:12:27,650 out for me, so I'm really glad I took the flatbed route. Um, I've learned a lot with you guys, so I 126 00:12:27,650 --> 00:12:32,609 really helped out. That's awesome. Well, we got some great trainers here at this company, so it makes 127 00:12:32,609 --> 00:12:37,889 sense that you learn a lot. Uh, I'm sure that your experience at Orientation with Randy and the guys 128 00:12:37,889 --> 00:12:43,408 was, uh, was a real eye opener. Did you go through CTC or did you already have your, uh, your CDL 129 00:12:43,450 --> 00:12:49,650 before you got here? I got my CDL before I came to you guys. Okay. All right. So you got a little bit 130 00:12:49,650 --> 00:12:56,129 of the CTC taste, but not the not the full meal deal. Exactly. Got it, got it. Well, Ken runs a tight 131 00:12:56,129 --> 00:13:01,889 ship out there, man. Uh, I I, I understand how it's possible to kind of soak it all up in that first 132 00:13:01,889 --> 00:13:07,249 year and learn so much. Uh, Devon, thank you so much for being here today. Let's welcome our other 133 00:13:07,250 --> 00:13:12,848 driver in here. We've got D'onte Pittman joining us today. D'onte, thank you for the time my friend. 134 00:13:12,849 --> 00:13:17,929 How are you doing out there. Thank you. Thank you. It's a pleasure I'm doing well. Great. Great. Now, uh, 135 00:13:17,929 --> 00:13:23,129 actually, one question that I forgot to ask you. Devon, before we get into it, before I let you 136 00:13:23,130 --> 00:13:29,209 go here. What, uh, what terminal are you based out of? That's very important here. I'm based out of 137 00:13:29,210 --> 00:13:33,529 the Jacksonville terminal. Based out of the Jacksonville terminal. Okay. And, uh, D'onte, now 138 00:13:33,530 --> 00:13:38,809 getting on to you. How long have you been driving for Cypress? I've been driving for Cypress for two 139 00:13:38,810 --> 00:13:45,649 years now. Trucking has been a part of me for 12 years, since 2013. But getting into the flatbed 140 00:13:45,650 --> 00:13:51,169 game, uh, I've been a part of the Cypress team for two years now. Okay. I'm also a trainer for Cypress 141 00:13:51,169 --> 00:13:55,489 as well. Oh, perfect. Awesome. Well, there you go. We gave you some flowers. Already mentioned how many 142 00:13:55,489 --> 00:14:00,330 great trainers we've got out there. You're one of them. There it is. I appreciate that. Of course. Man. 143 00:14:00,330 --> 00:14:05,809 Now. Uh, were you in the. You. You said the flat betting game is something that you got into when 144 00:14:05,810 --> 00:14:11,210 you got with Cypress. So you weren't a flat bettor before? Absolutely. So this is, uh. It was new to me. 145 00:14:11,210 --> 00:14:15,969 Yeah. I wasn't doing flat bed before. I was just doing a regular drive in, um, during food service, 146 00:14:15,969 --> 00:14:21,049 mostly to the metro Atlanta area. I'm coming from, uh, actually, I'm coming out of the Smyrna sermon, 147 00:14:21,210 --> 00:14:25,569 and, um, like I said, I was dealing with driving before I switched over and came to the flat bed 148 00:14:25,569 --> 00:14:31,569 game. Okay. Gotcha, gotcha. Uh, you like the physical aspect of the the flat betting? Absolutely. Yeah, 149 00:14:31,609 --> 00:14:35,899 absolutely. Keep it. Keep you on your feet. I tell guys all the time. It's your permit, the gym, every 150 00:14:35,940 --> 00:14:41,618 day. Especially if you give it the dedication that you have to give. Mhm. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I you know, I 151 00:14:41,619 --> 00:14:45,899 noticed that you flatbed drivers are in pretty good shape when you start to really look at you 152 00:14:45,899 --> 00:14:51,619 as a group you think man. Right. These guys got some shoulders on them man. Yeah absolutely. Yeah. 153 00:14:51,659 --> 00:14:56,179 And I definitely get those triceps and things of that nature together. Yes, absolutely. Well that's 154 00:14:56,180 --> 00:15:02,098 awesome. Uh, glad to hear that. You're you're liking it so far. Um, and and, fellas, I know that this 155 00:15:02,099 --> 00:15:07,499 probably isn't the most fun topic to talk about here, but this predatory towing thing that's kind 156 00:15:07,500 --> 00:15:13,139 of plaguing the industry. You heard the stats that I opened the segment with. It's pretty wild out 157 00:15:13,140 --> 00:15:18,579 there, and I know that both of you guys have a story to tell. So I just kind of want to jump in 158 00:15:18,580 --> 00:15:24,660 and let you tell your story. Uh, Devon will start with you. Uh, walk me through that day, man. 159 00:15:24,660 --> 00:15:30,300 What happened? I know the truck got towed, but talk to me about all the circumstances that that built 160 00:15:30,300 --> 00:15:36,979 that story. Oh, man. Okay. It's funny. It's funny. Now, it was the question at the time. Yeah, 161 00:15:37,179 --> 00:15:42,419 I had I just got a load to pick up out of Mount Holly. Um, I used to service up there a lot, for 162 00:15:42,419 --> 00:15:49,299 whatever reason. And, um, I wasn't aware because I was new that you can sleep at Mount Holly. You 163 00:15:49,300 --> 00:15:54,539 stay there overnight. So by the time I got down to secure my load, uh, I was trying to find the 164 00:15:54,539 --> 00:16:01,539 nearest lugs. And at that point, it was, I want to say, at least 45 minutes away 165 00:16:01,580 --> 00:16:07,099 to an hour. Probably tops from the direction that I had to go in. Uh, so. And I already was close on 166 00:16:07,100 --> 00:16:13,219 time for running out of time. So I made it to the first love I got there. They had zero parking 167 00:16:13,219 --> 00:16:17,859 because by the time I got done, securing that load was around 6:00 in the afternoon. Yeah, you got no 168 00:16:17,859 --> 00:16:22,699 chance. You got no chance. That one. I already knew I was pushing it. I already knew I was pushing it. 169 00:16:22,700 --> 00:16:27,500 I've serviced Georgia, Georgia and North Carolina to me are one of those things where you get if 170 00:16:27,539 --> 00:16:34,340 you're trying to get parking after 4 p.m. your it's a tough one for you. But anyway, I 171 00:16:34,659 --> 00:16:38,659 was getting to that Lowe's. They had no parking so I had to go to the next one which is 30 minutes 172 00:16:38,659 --> 00:16:44,938 away. I got to that one. That one didn't have parking as well, but then right in front of the 173 00:16:44,939 --> 00:16:51,659 actual entrance of that love, there was a line of semi-trucks parked up along the edge. It 174 00:16:51,659 --> 00:16:58,619 occurred. Now this is where this is 100% on me. And I took and I've always taken full responsibility 175 00:16:58,620 --> 00:17:03,819 for this, where my parents always told me, don't follow people like that's something you don't 176 00:17:03,819 --> 00:17:09,019 want to do, especially if you don't know. So what I did was I saw a line of trucks. I thought it was 177 00:17:09,020 --> 00:17:13,899 allowed because I thought over, like when it's overflowed. This is typically what the the setup 178 00:17:13,900 --> 00:17:19,339 is. Some loves will allow you to do it. I've seen it at other locations. They don't care. But what 179 00:17:19,339 --> 00:17:24,699 happened was in my specific situation, there was a long line of trucks that flowed into an 180 00:17:24,699 --> 00:17:29,300 industrial commerce center. So there was a lot of I think there was a UPS warehouse back there, 181 00:17:29,300 --> 00:17:35,979 everything. The road that I was parked on. Apparently there was a sign about 182 00:17:35,979 --> 00:17:42,979 30 to 40ft on the left hand side that started the private property of that area 183 00:17:42,979 --> 00:17:48,499 that I was parking, and I wasn't aware of that. Um, so I had parked up behind another trailer. Not 184 00:17:48,499 --> 00:17:54,139 even an hour later, my lights were still on. I was my I had everything running. Still, not even an 185 00:17:54,140 --> 00:17:59,818 hour later, I was sleeping and literally about an hour into it and I feel my truck buckled. So I'm 186 00:17:59,819 --> 00:18:06,219 like, what's going on? You know? So I opened up my curtains and I see that there's a tow truck in 187 00:18:06,219 --> 00:18:12,539 front of me. So I get out, he knocks on the door and I get out, and he was like, hey, you can't park 188 00:18:12,540 --> 00:18:17,739 here. Pretty much. Um, we gotta tell you. And I was confused. Um, I was really confused because there 189 00:18:17,739 --> 00:18:22,619 was a whole lot of trucks. And then by the time I looked out, all of the trucks were gone. Oh, it was 190 00:18:22,619 --> 00:18:27,380 probably one other truck in front of me. And then there was one other truck behind me. But either 191 00:18:27,380 --> 00:18:34,219 they got them before they got me, or they were fully aware of how that area runs. So literally he 192 00:18:34,219 --> 00:18:38,619 told me, hey, if you want us to drop you, we have you hooked up right now, but if you want us to 193 00:18:38,619 --> 00:18:45,539 drop you your $3,500. $3,500 to put you back on the ground. Just to put me 194 00:18:45,540 --> 00:18:48,619 back on the ground, not even to tell me just to drop me from off there thing they said. 195 00:18:48,620 --> 00:18:53,379 Technically, they hooked up to me. Now they have to told me, and mind you, when they hooked up to me, 196 00:18:53,379 --> 00:18:57,219 they don't secure anything down. They literally just lift your truck up so you can't move. So they 197 00:18:57,260 --> 00:19:00,739 still, even if they were and told me they still have to go through the whole process of towing. So 198 00:19:00,739 --> 00:19:06,258 they have. Told. They haven't earned that $3,500. They just want it from you, is what you're saying? 199 00:19:06,300 --> 00:19:12,979 Exactly, exactly. So that's how that went down. I went through a whole spiel, 200 00:19:13,380 --> 00:19:18,019 um, with night dispatch at that time, trying to get everything situated. We had to go back and forth, 201 00:19:18,060 --> 00:19:23,938 but at that point, it was the middle of the winter, too. It was freezing. The whole process, I want to 202 00:19:23,939 --> 00:19:29,619 say took about a little over an hour. Just going back and forth. Um, he had to wake up the big boss 203 00:19:29,619 --> 00:19:34,579 at the time. So at that point I put everyone in an inconvenience. So it was just a matter for my 204 00:19:34,579 --> 00:19:40,099 situation. It was really just a matter of not being aware of my surroundings. But at the end of 205 00:19:40,099 --> 00:19:46,698 the day, for you to say you're charged me $3,500 just to put my truck down when I was already in 206 00:19:46,699 --> 00:19:52,619 the truck. Yeah, that that kind of seems like that's the, uh, you know, the predatory part of this 207 00:19:52,620 --> 00:19:58,179 whole thing. And I hear a lot about that, uh, Devon from a lot of other drivers where it's 208 00:19:58,180 --> 00:20:03,419 like, look, it's not necessarily the fact that I'm getting towed or that they want to tow me. I 209 00:20:03,420 --> 00:20:10,338 understand if I broke a rule that that's that's on me, but these crazy fees that you're trying to 210 00:20:10,379 --> 00:20:15,539 charge people. I mean, that's a, you know, that's a if you that comes out of your pocket, that's a 211 00:20:15,540 --> 00:20:21,299 huge chunk of the monthly income. Uh, I would imagine more than you can swing, more than most 212 00:20:21,339 --> 00:20:28,060 people can swing, right? Exactly. Exactly. So how did, uh how did dispatch handle it? Because you said, 213 00:20:28,099 --> 00:20:32,458 obviously, you you know, in these situations, the first call that a driver is going to make is 214 00:20:32,459 --> 00:20:37,779 almost always to dispatch, right? Correct. And and how did dispatch handle it? I know it's the middle 215 00:20:37,780 --> 00:20:44,338 of the night in the winter. Um, but obviously they're there for you. Exactly. So, I mean, dispatch 216 00:20:44,339 --> 00:20:49,819 did a great job handling it. Um, of course, it was a stressful situation for everyone involved. Um, 217 00:20:49,900 --> 00:20:54,939 minus the towing company. I feel like dispatch did everything they could have done correctly. It was 218 00:20:54,939 --> 00:20:58,899 a smooth process. I was able to get in contact with him right away. He was able to. He was pretty 219 00:20:58,900 --> 00:21:02,819 much the mediator, the situation. So he was delegating with the big boss. Then he'll get in 220 00:21:02,819 --> 00:21:08,060 contact with me. He'll tell me what I need to do. Um, he made sure to make the process smooth 221 00:21:08,060 --> 00:21:12,219 because he was weird. Like it was a terrible situation to be a part of regardless, you know? So 222 00:21:12,259 --> 00:21:17,099 he wasn't also trying to beat on me about it because he knew as well that it was on me, you 223 00:21:17,099 --> 00:21:22,019 know, just my lack of awareness in that situation. but he made sure to not pretty much say, hey, like 224 00:21:22,060 --> 00:21:25,699 you messed up, blah blah blah. He was very understanding of the situation and like, he 225 00:21:25,699 --> 00:21:29,819 understood. Okay. Like, right now I'm in this state of mind. So let me just make sure everything is 226 00:21:29,819 --> 00:21:34,380 handled smoothly. We can get you at least back to sleep. Um, he told me to go back to Mount Holly. He. 227 00:21:34,380 --> 00:21:38,219 That's when he informed me that you can sleep in Mount Holly. So then he told me to go back there 228 00:21:38,219 --> 00:21:42,139 when I was done. But the whole process that he did everything with, he handled everything very 229 00:21:42,140 --> 00:21:47,300 smoothly. So at the end of the night, were you able to. Did they actually tow your truck, or were you 230 00:21:47,300 --> 00:21:51,619 able to get back in your truck and get it on the ground so that you could get back to Mount Holly 231 00:21:51,619 --> 00:21:56,579 and get back to sleep? Because that's a very important part of this whole story, too. They woke 232 00:21:56,619 --> 00:22:02,659 you up during your federally mandated break, and, uh, you got to get back on that break to get that 233 00:22:02,660 --> 00:22:09,579 clock reset, right? Correct. Yep. So, yeah, I had to, um, I had to, uh, wake up and 234 00:22:09,579 --> 00:22:14,339 they pretty much told me I had to go go back to Mount Holly. So I think I had to drive another 45 235 00:22:14,339 --> 00:22:20,059 minutes back to where I came from, in the opposite direction. Um, just to say I'm going to speak for 236 00:22:20,060 --> 00:22:26,259 that night. Wow. And so how did they handle. But they never told. They never told you? Okay, so. They 237 00:22:26,259 --> 00:22:31,899 never told me? No. How did, uh, when you when you got in touch with dispatch and everything was, did 238 00:22:31,900 --> 00:22:36,099 they end up having to pay that 3500 bucks to put you back down on the ground, or was there any 239 00:22:36,099 --> 00:22:41,300 negotiation? Did you feel like you had any options at all, or that was just cut and dry, how it was 240 00:22:41,300 --> 00:22:46,259 going to be? So with the tone company, it was cut and dry like I knew there was going to be a fee 241 00:22:46,260 --> 00:22:52,219 no matter what. Just based on the demeanor of and the way the conversation was going. But the 242 00:22:52,300 --> 00:22:57,299 snipers actually took care of the bill. They put into $3,400 upfront so I can get the truck down. 243 00:22:57,499 --> 00:23:02,500 Um, and then we worked out, actually, they were able to work with me because at that time I was Uber. I 244 00:23:02,500 --> 00:23:07,139 think I only had about five months experience at that time. It worked with me actually, to reduce 245 00:23:07,300 --> 00:23:13,099 that bill, so I didn't even have to pay the $3,500. Um, so they allowed me to pay a minimum of $50 a 246 00:23:13,099 --> 00:23:18,509 month to actually say that I'm paying. I think they allowed me to pay $1,000 tops, which was like 247 00:23:18,509 --> 00:23:22,550 I said, I was never going to fight that because at the end of the day, it was my fault. And I actually 248 00:23:22,550 --> 00:23:27,389 expected to pay $1,500 just to go on a payment plan or something. But they negotiated with me. 249 00:23:27,390 --> 00:23:33,029 They talked to me, I talked to safety. Uh, they they worked their magic, and they they tried to get the 250 00:23:33,029 --> 00:23:36,469 numbers down and helped me out as best as possible. So they did their due diligence as far 251 00:23:36,470 --> 00:23:42,749 as making sure that I was, of course, still being held responsible for my actions, but not giving me 252 00:23:42,750 --> 00:23:49,389 the full brunt of the consequences. So I do greatly appreciate that. But yeah, so they pretty 253 00:23:49,390 --> 00:23:54,709 much had me on a plan. Um, they made me pay about a thousand bucks for the whole thing, and they were 254 00:23:54,709 --> 00:24:00,309 taking it out of my check automatically. Uh, every, every check is so. So it worked out in the long 255 00:24:00,310 --> 00:24:06,909 run. They did a great job as far as communicating what to do, what not to do. Um, for future reference. 256 00:24:06,910 --> 00:24:12,709 And just making sure the whole process overall was smooth. That's great man. I love to hear that 257 00:24:12,709 --> 00:24:17,749 because, look, it's a lesson that you got to learn. And it turned out to be an expensive one, but not 258 00:24:17,750 --> 00:24:23,629 as expensive as it could have been. Right. Uh, correct. And to to hear that, you know, they're 259 00:24:23,630 --> 00:24:27,949 willing to work with you, a driver that's only been there for five months. You're just getting 260 00:24:27,949 --> 00:24:33,109 started. This is your first job in trucking. You're starting to learn the ropes and do really well. At 261 00:24:33,150 --> 00:24:37,989 that point, I imagine starting to really kind of hit your stride. And then a speed bump like this 262 00:24:37,989 --> 00:24:42,589 comes in. There's two different ways a company can take it. They can really berate you and they can 263 00:24:42,590 --> 00:24:48,189 get all over you for making the mistake, or they can work with you to rectify it. And, uh, based on 264 00:24:48,189 --> 00:24:53,150 what I've heard just in the short, you know, 20 some episodes we've done for this podcast, it 265 00:24:53,150 --> 00:24:56,709 seems like Cypress is always on the side of the coin where they're going to work with you and try 266 00:24:56,749 --> 00:25:01,469 to figure this out. They're not going to jump all over you and make you feel bad for making a 267 00:25:01,470 --> 00:25:06,909 mistake. Correct? I agree, that's that's exactly how I felt through the whole situation. That's great 268 00:25:06,910 --> 00:25:11,469 man. So now I gotta ask you on the back end of this whole thing, how sharp are your senses when 269 00:25:11,469 --> 00:25:18,230 it comes to finding an unconventional parking spot these days. Oh, man. Listen, I check every 270 00:25:18,230 --> 00:25:24,269 single sign. I make sure I go out within a 30 foot radius around me. I no longer follow people. If I 271 00:25:24,269 --> 00:25:30,749 need to know if I can stay at a specific, um, shipper, I call ahead first just to make sure, like, 272 00:25:30,749 --> 00:25:36,829 hey, can we stay here? Is this okay? Blah blah blah blah if it is cool. But ever since then, I cross my 273 00:25:36,829 --> 00:25:42,030 T's and out of my eyes. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. It's one of those lumps that, uh, a lot of drivers have 274 00:25:42,030 --> 00:25:47,269 taken in their first year or their first couple of years. Just figuring out the ropes here. And, um, 275 00:25:47,310 --> 00:25:52,029 you know, my you said you said that your parents told you that never to follow people. What my mom 276 00:25:52,030 --> 00:25:56,670 would have said in that situation is if that driver jumped off a bridge, would you jump off a 277 00:25:56,670 --> 00:26:03,029 bridge, too? Exactly right. We've all heard that one growing up, right? Yes, sir. Absolutely, 278 00:26:03,069 --> 00:26:07,989 absolutely. Well, uh, D'onte, you've been sitting here. Uh, thank you for your patience. You've just 279 00:26:07,989 --> 00:26:13,709 been listening to Devon's story there. How similar was your story? Because you've got one to tell. Two 280 00:26:13,749 --> 00:26:18,789 here, and I imagine there's some similarities there. Absolutely. Just to piggyback. Off of Devon. 281 00:26:18,829 --> 00:26:23,069 Um, it's a situation that I can look back and laugh at at the moment, but it's definitely was a 282 00:26:23,069 --> 00:26:27,310 learning experience. Um, so mine was kind of different. Um, like I said, I'd say in the Atlanta 283 00:26:27,310 --> 00:26:32,829 metro area, and we all know how Atlanta metro area could be busy and there's a lot of less parks for 284 00:26:32,829 --> 00:26:37,709 trucks. Yeah. But this particular afternoon when I was coming in and I actually have a terminal in 285 00:26:37,709 --> 00:26:44,069 my, um, area, but I was just trying to bend time and get around traffic, and I bypassed my 286 00:26:44,069 --> 00:26:48,749 terminal, and I actually wanted to park closer to home to take a ten hour break just to regroup, 287 00:26:48,790 --> 00:26:55,389 shower, laundry, things of that, um, etc., things of that nature. So like I said, I had a long work day, 288 00:26:55,790 --> 00:27:01,349 and it's an industrial and industrial spot that's located next to my home, and that's a lot of 289 00:27:01,349 --> 00:27:05,269 trucks that's always parked there. They're busy, they're in and out. People are waiting for loads. 290 00:27:05,270 --> 00:27:10,629 People are staying overnight. Um, it's kind of like in a cul de sac area. So you have like a Coca-Cola 291 00:27:10,629 --> 00:27:16,349 distribution, you have a sales distribution, you have, um, what is that Costco distribution? So long 292 00:27:16,349 --> 00:27:21,829 story short, I was parked in spot. Um, it looked normal to be, uh, a normal place to shut down for a 293 00:27:21,829 --> 00:27:28,629 bit. Uh, nothing really seen by the ordinary. Once I arrived, I had the mindset that I'd be safe, and I 294 00:27:28,629 --> 00:27:33,349 wasn't really familiar, but I just knew it was close to where I lived. So when I came back to the 295 00:27:33,349 --> 00:27:38,309 truck and I realized that my truck had been torn, at first I was frustrated, but I didn't think that 296 00:27:38,310 --> 00:27:43,909 I was doing anything wrong. But after I calmed down and looked into it, I understood that even in 297 00:27:43,909 --> 00:27:48,629 industrial areas, there are strict rules. In some spots like parking were actually restricted or 298 00:27:48,630 --> 00:27:53,429 monitored. So it doesn't mean. So what I learned from it, it doesn't really matter how close that I 299 00:27:53,430 --> 00:27:59,629 was from home and safe that it feels the signs and local rules still apply. Yes, sir. So what 300 00:27:59,630 --> 00:28:04,309 really stood out to me is how quickly something that small choosing the wrong parking spot can 301 00:28:04,310 --> 00:28:09,189 turn into a bigger issue this week on the behalf of lost time stress, the inconvenience that I. That 302 00:28:09,189 --> 00:28:13,469 could have been avoided. And it definitely taught me how to slow down and just pay closer attention 303 00:28:13,470 --> 00:28:18,469 and never assume a spot is okay. Just the part because other people may be parked there, or it's 304 00:28:18,469 --> 00:28:23,149 just a familiar territory that I have passed numerous times and seen commercial vehicles 305 00:28:23,310 --> 00:28:27,869 clustered in that area. Um, and just like I said, just to piggyback off of divine. Once again, man, I 306 00:28:27,870 --> 00:28:33,310 just double check everything before I shut down signs restrictions, even before I'm 100% sure. You 307 00:28:33,310 --> 00:28:38,430 know, I just, uh, being more responsible and staying ahead of problems before they happen. Once I 308 00:28:38,430 --> 00:28:43,069 arrived back, I just. First thing I thought, hey, somebody stole my truck. Um, I call home, got on the 309 00:28:43,069 --> 00:28:47,390 phone with my fiancee at the time, and I'm just like, hey, somebody stole the truck. I mean, I got a 310 00:28:47,390 --> 00:28:52,069 full load on my back, and she's like, what? Uh, this is probably. I'm leaving out three wee hours in 311 00:28:52,069 --> 00:28:57,869 the morning, so I'm already just lost, like, okay, it's 3:00 in the morning. Where is the truck? I 312 00:28:58,270 --> 00:29:03,190 actually left a note in the door. This is the funny part. I left a note in the window explaining 313 00:29:03,190 --> 00:29:07,149 that I was on a ten hour break. I stay in the neighborhood across the street. If there's any 314 00:29:07,150 --> 00:29:12,789 conveyance that I need to move, please feel. Please feel free to call me. So they're choking on that. 315 00:29:12,870 --> 00:29:18,468 For the record, called me three times. I was sleeping that hard. I missed all three phone calls. 316 00:29:18,630 --> 00:29:23,549 So when I got up that next morning and I checked my phone after I stopped all the. Oh, somebody 317 00:29:23,550 --> 00:29:26,949 stole the truck. Somebody stole the truck. Something told me to check my call lock, and I 318 00:29:26,949 --> 00:29:31,310 checked it. So of course, when I tried to call the guy back, I never got a phone call back. I never 319 00:29:31,350 --> 00:29:35,950 got an answer. So at that time, I had to call my local police department. Um, I ended up having to 320 00:29:35,950 --> 00:29:40,189 give him the tag, uh, all the registration number like that. And the lady was like, oh, yeah, that 321 00:29:40,190 --> 00:29:45,789 truck is sold, and it's that stuff. But we need this information in order to get the truck. So 322 00:29:45,790 --> 00:29:50,829 that's of course, when I had to call, um, my night dispatch and get all that information processing 323 00:29:50,829 --> 00:29:55,708 to him and just like to say, man, everybody was helpful, but it just was an inconvenience. Um, one 324 00:29:55,709 --> 00:30:00,429 of my, one of the minor things that happened by being told they end up tearing the oil pan gasket 325 00:30:00,469 --> 00:30:06,069 up underneath my truck. So that caused more damage while getting cold. So my truck had to sit down in 326 00:30:06,069 --> 00:30:10,389 their shop to get repaired for an additional three days. So now I'm at the house fitting for 327 00:30:10,390 --> 00:30:15,189 about two days. Um, another driver had to recover the load. He had to go down there and get the load, 328 00:30:15,189 --> 00:30:19,349 and that's probably like 40, 50 minutes away from where I was towed from. So it's just a big 329 00:30:19,350 --> 00:30:24,869 inconvenience for everybody. But, um, the job definitely still by my side put me on a payment 330 00:30:24,869 --> 00:30:29,549 plan, and it was just a lesson learned. And, um, one thing that my mom always told me and my parents, 331 00:30:29,550 --> 00:30:33,829 if you're wrong, you're wrong and confessed. So just slap out the gate when I got on the phone 332 00:30:33,829 --> 00:30:37,789 with the dispatcher. Hey, I'm wrong, I'm wrong. I knew I wasn't supposed to be here, and that's how 333 00:30:37,790 --> 00:30:42,989 I started my conversation off and we went from that point. That type of humility is, uh, is a very 334 00:30:42,990 --> 00:30:49,789 good thing for a truck driver to have, especially in a situation like this. Uh, D'onte and I will say, 335 00:30:49,829 --> 00:30:54,068 hats off to both of you guys, because the one thing that neither one of you has said was, well, 336 00:30:54,069 --> 00:30:58,629 this wasn't placed right, or this sign was kind of obscured. No, both of you guys have taken this one 337 00:30:58,630 --> 00:31:05,270 right on the chin and said, look, I made the mistake and I want to rectify it. So hats off to 338 00:31:05,270 --> 00:31:10,829 you there for that mindset, because that's a big part of just being a positive person and being a 339 00:31:10,829 --> 00:31:17,349 good person, you know, taking responsibility. I do have to ask you though. Take me through what was 340 00:31:17,349 --> 00:31:23,269 going through your mind when you walk out there and you're expecting to see this huge truck with 341 00:31:23,269 --> 00:31:28,109 a flatbed fully loaded and you're getting ready for the day, and there's just nothing but air 342 00:31:28,229 --> 00:31:33,029 where it used to be. You told me you thought the thing got stolen. What? What was going on in your 343 00:31:33,030 --> 00:31:38,069 head? You ever heard that terminology that your heart goes down to your stomach? Yeah, that's 344 00:31:38,070 --> 00:31:43,390 exactly what. I. Told myself. I said I'm screwed. That was the first thing that came to my mind. 345 00:31:43,390 --> 00:31:48,909 Like, man, you screwed up big time. And like, the whole time, I never thought the truck was told it 346 00:31:48,910 --> 00:31:53,910 was still another truck out there. Maybe it has got in there after all this half this commotion 347 00:31:53,910 --> 00:32:00,229 has occurred, but it was just like, man, I just got this truck stolen. What am I going to say? That was 348 00:32:00,229 --> 00:32:05,749 my main thing going in my mind. Like, how can I present this to them? And um, man, I was devastated, 349 00:32:05,749 --> 00:32:12,429 man. Um, I take 100% pride in, you know, my work ethic. Uh, higher operate with Cypress and it. And I 350 00:32:12,430 --> 00:32:17,509 felt like I let myself down and to call that in, I was going to be letting the company down, but it 351 00:32:17,509 --> 00:32:23,429 was very understandable. Like I said, I stood up, took 100% the blame on it. And I'm just luckily, 352 00:32:23,430 --> 00:32:28,789 I'm glad the truck wasn't stolen. Yeah, yeah, well. And look, you'd have to be a pretty industrious 353 00:32:28,789 --> 00:32:35,789 thief with a really long list of of, uh, experience to be able to pull that off. But, hey, it's not 354 00:32:35,790 --> 00:32:41,669 something we don't see. We see a lot of load theft in the industry, right? Especially with Flatbeds. So, 355 00:32:41,950 --> 00:32:48,790 uh, it's not completely out of the question there, but man, I, I totally get that. I you think what? I 356 00:32:48,790 --> 00:32:52,069 think you said there was another truck parked there, I bet. And that guy was parked around the 357 00:32:52,069 --> 00:32:55,430 corner watching them tow you. And he said, well, they're not going to be back until they can deal 358 00:32:55,430 --> 00:33:00,959 with that. So I'm gonna go park. The same thing. I was doing the same thing and I'm just like, when I 359 00:33:00,959 --> 00:33:07,119 park. I know for a fact it was three different trucks there in that location. And, um, when I came 360 00:33:07,119 --> 00:33:11,880 back, I was like the only one pinpointed out there to remind you I had a at that time, I was in a 361 00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:16,439 bright orange truck when I own this truck that we have on the fleet. So it just spilled out. So, you 362 00:33:16,439 --> 00:33:21,760 know, when I turned the corner, I'm like, oh, man, where's the truck? Where's that big orange, uh, ray 363 00:33:21,760 --> 00:33:26,598 of sunlight, right. Oh, that's it, that's it. That's what I used to call I used to call a big orange. 364 00:33:26,640 --> 00:33:32,359 Yeah. When I hit the corner there this year, I was devastated, man. I bet I bet, you know, I, I have to 365 00:33:32,359 --> 00:33:36,039 say this before I forget. There's something that you said right off the beginning of telling your 366 00:33:36,040 --> 00:33:41,838 story here, D'onte, where you said everybody knows that Atlanta metro can have some traffic. That is 367 00:33:41,839 --> 00:33:48,079 the lightest, most respectful way I've ever heard a truck driver talk about traffic in Atlanta. Um, 368 00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:53,679 you know what? I tell a lot of guys that I train or who I speak with, they're just so angry about 369 00:33:53,679 --> 00:33:58,959 traffic. But, uh, I've been in Atlanta for over 35 years now, and it's just like it's the norm to me. 370 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:05,159 Yeah, so this is an everyday thing to me. So traffic I'm already expecting a 25 mile radius 371 00:34:05,160 --> 00:34:10,238 trip is the hour and 15 minutes to get up the street. So it's like I'm so used to it, man. Traffic 372 00:34:10,239 --> 00:34:15,799 is like secondary in Atlanta now. Oh, man, I, I think there's a lot of drivers listening to this that 373 00:34:15,800 --> 00:34:20,719 would love to get to where you're at in your head when it comes to traffic in Atlanta. I'm one of. 374 00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:26,959 Them. Yeah. Time and patience. Time and. Patience. Right. We don't get you there. We can tell you this. 375 00:34:26,959 --> 00:34:31,520 Devon, uh, check back with us in 34 years, and we'll let you know if you've developed the time 376 00:34:31,520 --> 00:34:38,399 and the patience for the Atlanta traffic. Okay. There it is, man. Uh, you know, uh, D'onte, one 377 00:34:38,399 --> 00:34:43,559 thing we didn't get from you. What was the number? You obviously didn't get to talk to the Wrecking 378 00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:50,439 Driver. Uh, like like Devon did, but what's, uh. So. Yeah. Go ahead. Invoice field. Invoice field that 379 00:34:50,439 --> 00:34:54,559 I was predicted. Um. And then I have to get. And I had to get back to safety. I think it was like 380 00:34:54,560 --> 00:35:00,039 $1,600 at the time, but they shaved half of that off and I think it dropped down to like 1200 381 00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:05,759 because they did do damage to our vehicle as well. So from them doing the damage by towing the truck, 382 00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:10,840 they repaired that. And I guess that's how that went. I'm not 100% for sure, so I don't want to be 383 00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:16,120 quoted on that. But um, it was 16 at first and then it came down to me and it was 1200 and then, um, 384 00:35:16,159 --> 00:35:20,439 payroll they got with me and they put me on a payment plan, um, a respectful payment plan, 385 00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:25,079 something that I can handle. And I seemed like, uh, divine. It was like $50 every pay period. And once 386 00:35:25,080 --> 00:35:30,520 I got that taken care of, it was off my back. Very good. I will say this, um, when that incident 387 00:35:30,520 --> 00:35:37,279 occurred with me, one thing safety informed me of was North Carolina, at least on the East Coast, is 388 00:35:37,280 --> 00:35:42,159 probably one of the worst places to get towed. Because if you just listening to what D'onte was 389 00:35:42,159 --> 00:35:48,559 speaking on with his mouth, he actually got towed. And his the $1,600, I just got picked up and I was 390 00:35:48,560 --> 00:35:54,639 $3,500 just to drop that line, so they inform you that if you're in North Carolina, be extremely 391 00:35:54,639 --> 00:35:59,239 careful, be extremely diligent, and take your time because they that's one of the ways that they've 392 00:35:59,239 --> 00:36:03,519 actually been a problem. And it's a more common issue in North Carolina to do that. A lot of 393 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:08,839 companies would intentionally do that. Absolutely. Yeah. And then another thing just to fall back on 394 00:36:08,839 --> 00:36:14,559 him. Um, when you get to these shippers or you out of town, don't I mean, out of time. Don't panic. Just 395 00:36:14,560 --> 00:36:18,398 call in with dispatch. Make sure you can stay at the ship or. Or make sure you can stay at this 396 00:36:18,399 --> 00:36:21,959 receiver, because there's a lot of shipper and receiver that does have rules and regulations 397 00:36:21,959 --> 00:36:27,599 that they don't want commercial vehicles on their property, but 85% we can't stay there. And that's 398 00:36:27,600 --> 00:36:30,999 kind of ridiculous too. So we definitely appreciate the companies that let us do that on 399 00:36:30,999 --> 00:36:36,279 their yard. For sure. I mean, truck parking is is a whole problem that we could spend an entire 400 00:36:36,280 --> 00:36:41,559 episode talking about and telling the stories of you guys just, uh, you know, getting run ragged, 401 00:36:41,600 --> 00:36:46,119 trying to find spots. And and I know it's tough out there, man. It's something that every driver I 402 00:36:46,120 --> 00:36:52,438 talked to mentions at some point in time and, uh, you know to your point there, Devon. The North 403 00:36:52,439 --> 00:36:58,079 Carolina issue was made very apparent to me while we were planning this episode. Um, that was 404 00:36:58,080 --> 00:37:02,840 actually Charlotte was kind of eyed as like, hey, we need to get some drivers that are up in that 405 00:37:02,840 --> 00:37:08,840 area because that's where they're really dealing with it. And listen, I've, I've had some I had one 406 00:37:08,840 --> 00:37:13,919 driver on a different podcast tell me a story where, uh, he was parked at a Walmart, which, you 407 00:37:13,919 --> 00:37:19,479 know, they're kind of notoriously okay with, uh, their big, huge parking spots. Most of the Walmarts 408 00:37:19,480 --> 00:37:25,480 around my area out here in Oregon are just fine with trucks parking there. But when this guy woke 409 00:37:25,480 --> 00:37:31,919 up, he had a clam shell on his windshield. You guys know what those are? Those big suction cups. And he 410 00:37:31,919 --> 00:37:38,158 looked out the window and there was a guy holding a sign and the guy's face was obscured. Now, this 411 00:37:38,159 --> 00:37:44,079 is the crazy part. The guy was armed, had a gun on his hip that you could clearly see. And on the 412 00:37:44,080 --> 00:37:50,119 sign it said to remove this clam shell, call this number. And of course the driver called it and 413 00:37:50,120 --> 00:37:56,239 they wanted, I think it was $5,000 to take that thing off. And if you try to take those things off 414 00:37:56,280 --> 00:38:01,559 yourself, it will break the windshield and that'll put you out of service. So you're you're sitting 415 00:38:01,560 --> 00:38:07,479 here thinking, what am I going to do? This this particular incident was in Indiana, and he called 416 00:38:07,480 --> 00:38:11,519 the local. The dispatch told him, hey, get in touch with the local police, see if there's anything 417 00:38:11,520 --> 00:38:16,120 they can do. And the local police came out and stood right next to the guy who'd put the 418 00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:21,759 clamshell on the window and, you know, looked at his busted up minivan and said, look, there's not 419 00:38:21,760 --> 00:38:26,439 anything we can do about this right now because we don't know if he's contracted by somebody. We 420 00:38:26,439 --> 00:38:32,279 don't know who this guy is. Um, he's escalating the situation by even being here and holding a sign 421 00:38:32,280 --> 00:38:38,799 and being armed. So, uh, unfortunately, this driver had to call a different wrecker that they trusted 422 00:38:38,800 --> 00:38:43,398 and have his rig towed so that they could get this clamshell off. And they did end up breaking 423 00:38:43,399 --> 00:38:48,839 the windshield just to get this thing off. But what's crazy, fellas, is you can buy those 424 00:38:48,839 --> 00:38:55,679 clamshells online. You can just be a regular Tom, Dick and Harry and go on to your whatever, 425 00:38:55,840 --> 00:39:01,519 uh, you know, fly by night website it is, and buy one of those, and suddenly you are the predatory 426 00:39:01,560 --> 00:39:08,398 tour. Um, this is this is something that, like I said, I don't use the term plaguing the industry 427 00:39:08,399 --> 00:39:14,198 lightly. Um, but these are the these are the way that these tactics are employed, and it's really 428 00:39:14,199 --> 00:39:18,959 just looked at as trucking companies have a lot of money and these are big rigs and there's a lot 429 00:39:18,959 --> 00:39:23,359 of money changing hands. We're just going to come in and steal a large chunk of it and 430 00:39:23,360 --> 00:39:29,999 inconvenience the driver. And yeah, you know, it's it really sticks in my craw, fellas, is the way 431 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:34,839 I'll put it. I, I hate that you guys have to deal with all the things that you have to deal with 432 00:39:34,879 --> 00:39:40,119 that the job entails on a good day. And then this is something that you guys have to look for at 433 00:39:40,120 --> 00:39:46,879 night. Uh um, you know Deontay being a trainer I wonder what type of of information you're giving 434 00:39:46,879 --> 00:39:53,120 to your trainees about this problem, and how are you kind of shaping them to watch out for it and 435 00:39:53,120 --> 00:39:59,600 protect themselves? Uh, for the, um. Hands off. Hands down. For the most part, I definitely identify the 436 00:39:59,600 --> 00:40:05,198 areas that we can park that far. As far as, uh, plants, uh, things that I have already been 437 00:40:05,199 --> 00:40:10,519 accustomed to and already know. So I give them that information hands down. Um, like I say, I tell 438 00:40:10,519 --> 00:40:14,239 them to do further research. Uh, Google the number. If you have to Google the numbers, see if you 439 00:40:14,239 --> 00:40:19,759 could park. Uh, let's as we pre-trip our trip planning. I mean, excuse me, not free trip. We do 440 00:40:19,800 --> 00:40:25,280 trip planning throughout the day. Before we start our journey, let's see what the parking area is 441 00:40:25,280 --> 00:40:28,878 around. If you're no, you're not going to be able to make it to a truck stop. And they can't take 442 00:40:28,879 --> 00:40:32,479 you at the time that you're trying to arrive. Let's see if this place has additional parking 443 00:40:32,480 --> 00:40:38,520 for commercial vehicles before you arrive. So you already know that at hand state. Um, so things of 444 00:40:38,560 --> 00:40:42,519 that nature. I just try to be up blunt and personal with them. Um, try trying not to scare 445 00:40:42,519 --> 00:40:46,959 them off because like I said, with the situation that I was in, I wouldn't want another one of my 446 00:40:46,960 --> 00:40:50,479 fellow travelers that happened to deal with that. Because like I say, it's it's time consuming and 447 00:40:50,479 --> 00:40:54,600 it's an inconvenience at the end of the day. Um, and then absolutely, you have to come up off the 448 00:40:54,600 --> 00:41:00,919 money, unfortunately. Right, right. And, and in your case, uh, the truck got damaged. The worst possible 449 00:41:00,920 --> 00:41:06,159 scenario there. Goddamnit. So I'm really reporting two things at one time. Hey, the truck is damaged 450 00:41:06,159 --> 00:41:10,039 and is towed, so I don't know which one I want to give. Do I want to say the truck is damaged, or do 451 00:41:10,039 --> 00:41:14,759 I want to say the old car first? So you know what I mean? I got two bad stories. No good story. So, 452 00:41:14,759 --> 00:41:20,199 yeah, that's how that last with me. Well, you know, it's one thing about it is I. I feel like we 453 00:41:20,199 --> 00:41:24,719 wouldn't be looking back on these stories and kind of laughing a little bit about it. Obviously 454 00:41:24,720 --> 00:41:30,119 it's a serious situation, but if if the company didn't handle it like they did, we probably 455 00:41:30,120 --> 00:41:34,479 wouldn't even be having this conversation because you guys would. You would have the more of the 456 00:41:34,479 --> 00:41:38,999 mindset of a whipped dog, like, why on earth would I want to bring that up again? Like, that was 457 00:41:38,999 --> 00:41:44,969 terrible. But we came to a positive outcome here. And that's one thing that, you know, the purpose of 458 00:41:44,970 --> 00:41:50,329 this episode is just to help other drivers if they ever see something like this or they deal 459 00:41:50,330 --> 00:41:54,729 with something like this, understand that first and foremost, you got to make that call to 460 00:41:54,729 --> 00:41:59,369 dispatch. You know, you both mentioned getting on the phone with your dispatcher even in the wee 461 00:41:59,370 --> 00:42:06,290 hours of the morning. And I think that that's a very important thing, would you say, and I'll go to 462 00:42:06,330 --> 00:42:11,369 you first. The most important thing you can do when something like this happens is get in touch 463 00:42:11,370 --> 00:42:17,169 with dispatch as soon as possible. Don't sign anything. Don't talk to anybody. Get in touch with 464 00:42:17,169 --> 00:42:23,329 dispatch. Is that accurate? I agree, I feel like I. You want it to me, you want to treat it like how 465 00:42:23,330 --> 00:42:27,689 they tell you to treat anything where it's legally involved. Um, where they say if you go to 466 00:42:27,689 --> 00:42:31,409 speak to a lawyer, just keep your mouth shut until you have a lawyer present. I feel like treated 467 00:42:31,409 --> 00:42:36,529 with that same regard. Where because anything you say can kind of incriminate you. Yeah. Um, if you 468 00:42:36,530 --> 00:42:40,289 say I didn't know about you Until now, the tow truck driver that you did something, you weren't 469 00:42:40,289 --> 00:42:44,769 supposed to borrow a block. So the first thing that you want to do is contact this person. They 470 00:42:44,769 --> 00:42:50,409 would walk you through what you can and shouldn't say what you can and shouldn't do, and they would 471 00:42:50,409 --> 00:42:54,449 just make sure the guy is going to right pastor that nothing further comes out of the predicament 472 00:42:54,449 --> 00:43:00,610 you're already in. Yeah, good advice there, D'onte. From your side, I do understand why you called 473 00:43:00,610 --> 00:43:05,449 your fiancee first, because you were looking at a load of sailboat fuel that was a fully loaded 474 00:43:05,449 --> 00:43:10,929 flatbed before you went to bed that night, so I get that part of it. But the next call, I. You know, 475 00:43:10,970 --> 00:43:16,169 there wasn't anybody out there for you to talk to. It was just you and and and the world. So, uh, 476 00:43:16,169 --> 00:43:20,289 you're called to dispatch came after that call to the fiancee, but it kind of sounds like that call 477 00:43:20,290 --> 00:43:25,369 to the fiancee might have calmed you down just a little bit. Absolutely, absolutely. So. And that's 478 00:43:25,370 --> 00:43:29,530 definitely what that call was mainly for. And, um, like I said, man, I got in touch with dispatch. 479 00:43:29,569 --> 00:43:33,769 Shout out to dispatch. Uh, by the way, awesome team work that they do down there. Yeah. Um, especially 480 00:43:33,770 --> 00:43:40,609 my dispatcher, Miss Katie. Uh, she's awesome, but, um, I called dispatch and they walked me through the 481 00:43:40,610 --> 00:43:45,449 process very thoroughly. Uh, told me what I needed to do. What was my first bet? What is my second 482 00:43:45,449 --> 00:43:49,850 step? And, um, like I said, it was a lift off my shoulder, because at the whole time, I just thought 483 00:43:49,850 --> 00:43:55,089 that I let everybody down. And, um, you know, I was told things like this happen, this what comes with 484 00:43:55,090 --> 00:43:59,649 trucking. So, you know, it was an eye opening for me. But like I said, they gave me everything that I 485 00:43:59,649 --> 00:44:04,449 needed to say, what not to say, how to contact, what information to grab for the truck. As far as 486 00:44:04,490 --> 00:44:09,409 numbers that the tow truck was handling, um, who they needed to talk to for my job to get all that 487 00:44:09,409 --> 00:44:13,729 information. So they definitely walked me through the process and it was very smooth sailing from 488 00:44:13,769 --> 00:44:18,329 that point. Well, shout out to Miss Katie. She joined the podcast here just a couple of weeks 489 00:44:18,330 --> 00:44:23,810 ago. Uh, absolutely. I told Dan she's awesome, man, hands down. She's so great. And let me tell you, we 490 00:44:23,810 --> 00:44:28,369 made a big fan out of her here on the podcast. She's coming back. She's going to be a regular for 491 00:44:28,370 --> 00:44:35,249 us for sure, so you'll get to hear from her again. But that's just one of an entire team across 492 00:44:35,249 --> 00:44:42,128 multiple terminals of great dispatchers that. That we have here at Cypress and I don't know. Devon, 493 00:44:42,129 --> 00:44:45,769 do you want to shout out your dispatcher too? I feel like we ought to give them their flowers as 494 00:44:45,769 --> 00:44:51,409 well. I want to shout out both of them. Um, because initially I was regional when I got hired on and 495 00:44:51,409 --> 00:44:56,849 I switched to local when I was regional, Scott did amazing with me. Um, he delegated with me. He helped 496 00:44:56,850 --> 00:45:01,049 me get the most mileage that I wanted when I had a certain schedule that I wanted to keep. He was 497 00:45:01,050 --> 00:45:06,449 able to tweak it and make sure that I. I ran what I wanted to run. Um, so he was there. Shout out to 498 00:45:06,450 --> 00:45:12,729 Scott. And then when I went local, uh, he paired me up with Jim. Jim is amazing. Real cool, eclectic guy. 499 00:45:12,850 --> 00:45:19,289 He knows the industry. He knows the game. And he did his very best to make sure my needs were met. 500 00:45:19,810 --> 00:45:25,849 That's awesome man. Shout out Jim. Shout out Scott. Shout out Miss Katie. Uh I love a good shout out 501 00:45:25,850 --> 00:45:30,289 on this podcast. In fact, if we did every single one of them that we could, we would just spend an 502 00:45:30,289 --> 00:45:36,610 hour doing shout outs. That's how good the team is here. Uh, so I love it, guys. Thank you for that 503 00:45:36,610 --> 00:45:42,929 because they deserve that recognition without, um, you know, we we like to say it. It takes a village 504 00:45:43,050 --> 00:45:48,929 to, to make this company run as such a well-oiled machine. And when you start to really talk to the 505 00:45:48,929 --> 00:45:54,929 actual people that are responsible for that, like yourselves, like the dispatchers, what you see is a 506 00:45:54,929 --> 00:46:00,530 lot of dedication to this company. And you don't get that by treating your employees like they're 507 00:46:00,530 --> 00:46:05,449 screw ups. You get that by having a lot of understanding, which it seems like in both your 508 00:46:05,450 --> 00:46:11,969 guys's situations, that was the order of the of the day, correct? Absolutely. Fellas, I wonder, um, 509 00:46:12,009 --> 00:46:17,809 have you ever experienced anything or seen or known a driver that has experienced any cargo 510 00:46:17,850 --> 00:46:22,649 theft? Obviously, uh, Deontay, we were real worried that the whole kit and caboodle was gone. 511 00:46:22,649 --> 00:46:29,009 Fortunately it wasn't. But, uh, do you guys hear or see anything about cargo theft out there on the 512 00:46:29,010 --> 00:46:35,729 road? Reason I ask is, uh, I mean, costing the the transportation industry $35 billion a year. 513 00:46:35,729 --> 00:46:42,329 That seems pretty prevalent to me. Uh, so, Devon, I'll start with you here. Uh, any anything that 514 00:46:42,330 --> 00:46:47,489 you've seen out there on the road that maybe you could caution drivers to look out for, or anything 515 00:46:47,489 --> 00:46:54,489 that just looks sketchy to you in your travels? So I personally haven't experienced it or seen 516 00:46:54,490 --> 00:46:59,849 it. However, there are things that I noticed when I used to park up that some other drivers for 517 00:46:59,850 --> 00:47:05,489 different companies of course would do. And I just think be very mindful of all the things you have, 518 00:47:05,529 --> 00:47:09,249 like a truck, keep a count of the stuff you have because some some drivers will keep things on the 519 00:47:09,249 --> 00:47:15,649 outside, probably like zip tie to it or secure with some bunches or something. And that opens up 520 00:47:15,649 --> 00:47:22,129 theft, the possibility of theft. Um, but one thing that a lot of my trainer shout out, Andy, he really 521 00:47:22,129 --> 00:47:28,369 let me know what areas. I know he said a lot of the Midwest, uh, Memphis, stuff like that. Uh, they 522 00:47:28,410 --> 00:47:34,169 typically have higher thefts than the areas like our Southeast Regionals. So a lot of that I didn't 523 00:47:34,170 --> 00:47:38,489 get to experience is based on the places that I would go. And luckily. But that's also why I tell 524 00:47:38,529 --> 00:47:43,249 people, even today, with me being a year in, I have a little bit more knowledge to give. People who 525 00:47:43,250 --> 00:47:50,129 are newer is try to park in places that are larger corporate backed 526 00:47:50,170 --> 00:47:55,689 places, if that makes sense. So like I would always make sure Love's pilot will be my go to if 527 00:47:55,689 --> 00:48:02,570 anything, parking at places that aren't as sanctioned in a sense, for lack of better words to 528 00:48:02,610 --> 00:48:07,928 me is a little bit more risky, and it opens up more room for less security, which means more 529 00:48:07,969 --> 00:48:14,209 theft, possibly. So just to cover your butt, always make sure you park in places that have more 530 00:48:14,210 --> 00:48:20,969 security and it's more known to be a safer spot. Good advice there. Deontay do you have any 531 00:48:20,969 --> 00:48:27,489 thoughts on that? Yes. Um, just to piggyback off him, once again, let's park in the areas that we know 532 00:48:27,489 --> 00:48:33,569 are safe. Are these rural different areas that mean, I know these guys get to get to a time and 533 00:48:33,569 --> 00:48:37,409 they're tired and all, I'm gonna just shack up here or I'm gonna just shack here for the night. 534 00:48:37,449 --> 00:48:44,089 But just let's really be mindful about parking in this area. Um, the loves, the pilots, the PTAs, the 535 00:48:44,090 --> 00:48:49,329 patrols, the the things that we're welcome to. Let's have the commercial vehicles in that 536 00:48:49,330 --> 00:48:54,729 presence. I think that's the best way to park. And, um, just know if you are parking in something 537 00:48:54,729 --> 00:48:59,889 besides that. Um, I know back when I was going through orientation with, um, Cypress, they always 538 00:48:59,889 --> 00:49:03,570 said, if you're parking that somewhere and you're paying physically for it, just always have 539 00:49:03,570 --> 00:49:08,529 documentation saying that you're eligible to park here, you know, something to cover yourself. And 540 00:49:08,529 --> 00:49:12,489 like you said, man, protect your equipment. Uh, equipment is definitely not cheap. So the 541 00:49:12,489 --> 00:49:17,008 equipment that we really, really need and we use on a daily basis, let's keep it locked up and just 542 00:49:17,009 --> 00:49:21,729 check your surroundings. I mean, um, even at the club, the loves or the pilots, etc.. I'm always 543 00:49:21,729 --> 00:49:26,849 looking at my surroundings. Um, I'm the type of guy I eat, shower, get right back in my safe zone. So, 544 00:49:27,249 --> 00:49:32,369 you know, just keep it safe and keep trucking. Yeah. Keep your head on a swivel. It's. I mean, it really 545 00:49:32,370 --> 00:49:38,649 is so important for drivers on outside of the predatory towing, outside of the load theft, you 546 00:49:38,649 --> 00:49:44,529 still want to be in a safe area, right? The safest area that you can get to. Um, you know, you 547 00:49:44,530 --> 00:49:50,529 mentioned Memphis there. Uh, Devon, that's one of the absolute hot spots. In fact, I just saw a 548 00:49:50,529 --> 00:49:57,370 dedicated, uh, like five hour or five, five minute long news hit just the other day of load 549 00:49:57,409 --> 00:50:04,128 theft in Memphis in particular. Um, are there any places that you guys particularly avoid, 550 00:50:04,449 --> 00:50:10,769 uh, due to the sketchy ness of the situation? Worried about being a victim of predatory towing? 551 00:50:10,849 --> 00:50:15,289 Um, I'll start with you there. Uh, in any places that you're just straight up not going, or you 552 00:50:15,290 --> 00:50:21,810 would rather not if you can keep from it. Um, not as far as city was. Not from where I've been. No, um, 553 00:50:21,810 --> 00:50:28,689 but one thing I made sure to do or to not do as much was, uh, park at the, um, more mom 554 00:50:28,689 --> 00:50:34,009 and pop shops about truck stops because there were a ton of those, um, like, I think when I was in, 555 00:50:34,129 --> 00:50:39,169 I want to say it was North Carolina as well. There's a specific road where you don't have a 556 00:50:39,169 --> 00:50:43,809 gas station for miles, but there's a truck stop like a mom and pop truck stop, and you will only 557 00:50:43,810 --> 00:50:48,889 see about two trucks there. It's literally in the middle of nowhere. So those are the type of places 558 00:50:48,889 --> 00:50:54,569 that I typically would advise people from parking at. And that could be anywhere. Whether it's in 559 00:50:54,570 --> 00:51:00,209 Georgia, whether it's in Florida, it could be Alabama, just mainly because of the fact that it's 560 00:51:00,209 --> 00:51:05,209 not it's no shame on those businesses because I don't know those businesses at all. But just the 561 00:51:05,210 --> 00:51:09,408 unknown is the part. That's that's strong right there. You don't know anything about this company. 562 00:51:09,409 --> 00:51:13,729 You've never heard of it. You don't know the area. You don't know anything. So why put yourself in a 563 00:51:13,729 --> 00:51:18,729 position where something could potentially happen? Just cover your butt like Beyonce was saying, 564 00:51:18,729 --> 00:51:24,460 cover your butt and just go where you know it's safer. Absolutely. Absolutely. And Deontay, the guy 565 00:51:24,499 --> 00:51:30,459 that faces down Atlanta traffic with a smile on his face every day. Any place out there that 566 00:51:30,460 --> 00:51:36,699 you're avoiding. Uh like the plague. Most definitely the industrial areas where you see a 567 00:51:36,699 --> 00:51:41,259 lot of warehousing. You think it's safe? Trust me, a lesson learned. Do not park in those areas. Let's 568 00:51:41,259 --> 00:51:45,860 get it up to a truck stop and be safe. Uh, just like Davon said, man. Rural areas in the middle of 569 00:51:45,860 --> 00:51:51,179 nowhere. It looks kind of sketchy. Only two trucks there. I wouldn't, uh, guy myself. I wouldn't try to 570 00:51:51,179 --> 00:51:55,979 park there. Um, but normally, traveling up these highways, I've been doing it for the last 13, 12 571 00:51:55,979 --> 00:52:02,579 years. I have go to spots and, um, just like that, uh, that situation that I had was just a 572 00:52:02,580 --> 00:52:07,259 laziness part of me. I knew better, and I knew I shouldn't have parked there. So now I just go to 573 00:52:07,259 --> 00:52:12,019 my spots that I know that's safe and comfortable. But once these guys are like Davon himself, when 574 00:52:12,100 --> 00:52:16,379 he gets back over the road, or he ever gets back out there to do southeast, uh, regional, I'm quite 575 00:52:16,379 --> 00:52:19,739 sure he has different trucks. Not where hey, I don't get here numerous of times. I'm going to 576 00:52:19,740 --> 00:52:25,419 stop here for the night. I'll stay. Here. So when guys get in that comfort zone and have they go to 577 00:52:25,459 --> 00:52:29,339 spots, that's the best thing to do. Go with your first mind and then go to the go to spot your 578 00:52:29,340 --> 00:52:34,579 safe trucks. Safe and quick and safe. Good night. Rest. There you go. D'onte, your advice for drivers 579 00:52:34,580 --> 00:52:40,219 that pull into a spot and just don't feel right? Something about it. Maybe they can't even place it. 580 00:52:40,259 --> 00:52:47,138 Doesn't feel right. What's your advice? My advice is for drivers. That doesn't feel right. Um, my 581 00:52:47,139 --> 00:52:51,938 my type of guy that I go with gut feeling. If it doesn't feel right, I wouldn't park there. Um, if 582 00:52:51,939 --> 00:52:56,178 you're out of time, let's get with dispatch. Just get with the log. Like I said, they work with us 583 00:52:56,179 --> 00:53:01,619 around the clock, 24 over seven. We have late night dispatch. We have late night safety. So if you're 584 00:53:01,620 --> 00:53:05,820 not comfortable, let's get those concerns into those particular people, and they'll give you 585 00:53:05,820 --> 00:53:11,459 advice on what you need to do. Um, I know a lot of guys be, uh, pressed on time. So the main reason why 586 00:53:11,460 --> 00:53:15,499 they'll shut down. I don't have any time. Let's not worry about it too much at the time. The job will 587 00:53:15,499 --> 00:53:19,218 take care of us. What we need. If you follow the correct procedures and let them know that this 588 00:53:19,219 --> 00:53:23,939 does not say da da da da da da. They'll get you to a safe point and you can have a safe night's rest. 589 00:53:24,060 --> 00:53:29,339 Right, right. You've got some of that, uh, just a precious little bit, but some of that PC time that 590 00:53:29,340 --> 00:53:34,939 you can use to get to a safe spot. Right? Absolutely. And a lot of guys, you know, utilize 591 00:53:34,939 --> 00:53:39,379 that if you need to get to a safe spot. I mean, I'm quite sure that's what they'll tell us to utilize. 592 00:53:39,419 --> 00:53:43,779 I mean, you know, get to a safe spot. Man, that's the best. I mean, at the end of the day, we want to do 593 00:53:43,779 --> 00:53:47,459 everything safely. And that's the most important part. We want to get back home to our families. Yes, 594 00:53:47,459 --> 00:53:53,299 sir. Yes, sir. Devon. Any advice for a driver who gets parked and just doesn't feel right? Kind of 595 00:53:53,340 --> 00:53:59,418 the same thing there or any. Anything to. Add? Yeah, I can't, I can't even, I can't even, I can't even 596 00:53:59,460 --> 00:54:02,860 add more to that. To be honest. I feel like trusting your gut is probably the most important 597 00:54:02,860 --> 00:54:07,779 thing. What doesn't feel right and most of the time isn't right. Um, but other than that, I would 598 00:54:07,780 --> 00:54:13,539 just say do your due diligence. One thing I would probably push that I wish people, of course they 599 00:54:13,540 --> 00:54:16,620 would never know that I'm not thinking like this, but I wish people would have told me a little bit 600 00:54:16,620 --> 00:54:23,540 more. With the trucking industry is take your time there. That is 601 00:54:23,540 --> 00:54:28,019 probably the most important thing that I've learned in the last year of trucking is. And even 602 00:54:28,020 --> 00:54:32,418 when you're local, you see it a little bit more. I see a lot of I have a lot of buddies of mine that 603 00:54:32,419 --> 00:54:36,859 probably that do LTL. They do a lot of local stuff like that. And the things they have to do, they do 604 00:54:36,899 --> 00:54:42,579 fuel delivery and they there's traffic. There's if you if you are always working in a state of mind 605 00:54:42,580 --> 00:54:47,739 where you feel like you have pressure on you, that will affect your decision making in any aspect of 606 00:54:47,779 --> 00:54:52,979 this, of this career, whether it's with parking, whether it's with making turn, just not supposed 607 00:54:52,980 --> 00:54:57,620 to make, whether it's driving down the road you want to take your time. That is probably the most 608 00:54:57,620 --> 00:55:02,459 crucial advice I can give any driver that's listening to this. Um, just from my parking 609 00:55:02,460 --> 00:55:08,419 experience, me wanting to do what I wanted to do and not taking the time to go out and, like, read 610 00:55:08,419 --> 00:55:12,179 all the signs and make sure that I wasn't supposed to park here. That could have saved me. 611 00:55:12,219 --> 00:55:17,619 Even though it was $300. I could've have saved the company $3,500, but it could have saved me $1,000. 612 00:55:17,659 --> 00:55:24,460 Absolutely no. And after a few seconds, how do your day save you so much? Absolutely. And I got to say 613 00:55:24,460 --> 00:55:28,579 that, Devon, I do have to throw the famous sand in there. And the famous word of Matt filling it. 614 00:55:28,780 --> 00:55:34,258 We're not hauling body parts. Take your time. Yeah. Yes, sir. The Lord will get there and everybody 615 00:55:34,259 --> 00:55:37,939 will be safe. Safety is the number one priority while we're out there on the road. We're 616 00:55:37,939 --> 00:55:42,179 definitely not hauling body parts. It's building material. We can get it there. It can't get 617 00:55:42,179 --> 00:55:46,299 rescheduled. And that's something that I had to learn. Because as a driver, your main focus is to 618 00:55:46,300 --> 00:55:51,620 get there safe and have an early delivery. None of us wants to be late. You know, that's not in our in 619 00:55:51,620 --> 00:55:55,259 our category. We don't want to be like so always let's get the load there. Let's get the load there. 620 00:55:55,260 --> 00:56:01,139 But take your time. That's a good, uh, quote there. Um, Devon, take your time, man. Yeah, absolutely. And 621 00:56:01,139 --> 00:56:04,500 and, you know, that's something that I've heard from a lot of the driver trainers. That's 622 00:56:04,500 --> 00:56:08,899 something that, uh, Randy said when he was on here. That's something that Ken said when he was on 623 00:56:08,899 --> 00:56:15,859 here. Uh, it's a big theme. Is that that rush feeling that you want to get. Is going to 624 00:56:15,860 --> 00:56:21,899 affect you, your decision making, your instincts, all of it. And what are we, if not our our decision 625 00:56:21,940 --> 00:56:26,819 making and our instincts when we're out there driving these trucks? Right. And, you know, we talk 626 00:56:26,860 --> 00:56:31,219 about another thing that management loves to say is you've got an obligation to the motoring 627 00:56:31,219 --> 00:56:36,539 public to do your job safely. And we want you home safely, and we want everybody out there on the 628 00:56:36,540 --> 00:56:41,698 road around you, home safely. And if you're out there rushing, trying to get things done, little 629 00:56:41,699 --> 00:56:46,779 things are what are going to go by the wayside first. And when you start to pile up, not doing the 630 00:56:46,780 --> 00:56:52,899 little things right, that's when big problems hit. Right, fellas? Absolutely, absolutely. Well, fellas, 631 00:56:52,899 --> 00:56:57,379 this has been awesome. I think that's a great place to get to. Our final segment here, which is 632 00:56:57,379 --> 00:57:02,819 our final thoughts now. Uh, huge thanks to you guys for making your first appearance here on the 633 00:57:02,820 --> 00:57:08,539 Cypress Truck Lines podcast. I hope you enjoyed it. Hey, I definitely enjoyed having you. This has been 634 00:57:08,540 --> 00:57:15,340 very informative And I think that the main takeaway here is that you can this this can 635 00:57:15,340 --> 00:57:20,419 be it's a negative thing that happens. Right. But it doesn't have to all be negative if you go 636 00:57:20,420 --> 00:57:25,779 about it. If you do the standard operating procedure, you call your dispatcher, you've got 637 00:57:25,820 --> 00:57:31,099 help and they're there to help you. They're not there to to to flog you and make you feel bad for 638 00:57:31,099 --> 00:57:36,020 a mistake that you made. Um, even if you can sit here on the podcast and tell me, hey, it was 639 00:57:36,020 --> 00:57:42,299 totally a mistake, I shouldn't have done that. That really speaks to the quality of employees that 640 00:57:42,300 --> 00:57:47,340 Cypress has and the quality of work that they're doing. We're sitting here not far removed from 641 00:57:47,340 --> 00:57:51,979 this, uh, and we're kind of we're looking back at it and, and looking at it as a lesson that we 642 00:57:51,980 --> 00:57:57,979 learned. And it's not something that ended our career or was a huge speed bump. So, gentlemen, just 643 00:57:58,020 --> 00:58:04,139 the the conversation alone is huge. But we do, uh, this thing on this podcast where everybody that 644 00:58:04,139 --> 00:58:10,620 joins us gets their own little mini segment. We call it Final Thoughts, and this segment is for 645 00:58:10,620 --> 00:58:16,619 you guys to totally have the floor if you want to bring up anything that we didn't talk about. Now's 646 00:58:16,620 --> 00:58:21,859 the time to do it. If you want to give shout outs to anybody that you work with or maybe the family 647 00:58:21,860 --> 00:58:27,938 back home, you can use the time for that. It's totally up to you. The floor is yours. Uh, Devon 648 00:58:27,939 --> 00:58:32,459 Sonson, we're going to you first, man. Greatly appreciate the time here today. Can't wait to get 649 00:58:32,460 --> 00:58:37,619 you back on again. Final thoughts from you before we let you go today. Thank you for having me. It 650 00:58:37,620 --> 00:58:42,539 was a pleasure. Um, even just to be able to think back and reflect on this and just, you know, just 651 00:58:42,539 --> 00:58:47,019 see how far I've even come from just the beginning. But I will say, uh, for anyone looking to 652 00:58:47,059 --> 00:58:52,179 get into trucking, I think that bridge is a great company to start off with. Um, I feel like there's 653 00:58:52,179 --> 00:58:58,979 a good balance between good management and just overall communication. I would 654 00:58:58,980 --> 00:59:04,580 say, like, once again, I'll reiterate this. Take your time. Um, there's no need to rush for anything. Kind 655 00:59:04,580 --> 00:59:10,899 of what D'onte was saying. He was like, if you were not hauling body parts, you know. So 656 00:59:11,340 --> 00:59:16,899 once I was that thought set in, then it really helped me kind of put my mind at ease. And that's 657 00:59:16,900 --> 00:59:21,179 really what you're going to need to even get through it. He's successful in his career. Um, you 658 00:59:21,179 --> 00:59:26,099 can take this with any industry you get into, whether it's flatbed, whether it's drive in reefer, 659 00:59:26,419 --> 00:59:33,379 um, any you're going to need that mindset in every single aspect of driving. So be mindful. And then 660 00:59:33,379 --> 00:59:40,379 also be mindful that your, your, your CDL extends further than driving trucks. So you 661 00:59:40,379 --> 00:59:45,580 know like I'm a car guy. So I have to always constantly remind myself like, dude, I can't make 662 00:59:45,580 --> 00:59:50,659 any rash decisions on the road because that affects my career. It's not just your license, 663 00:59:50,660 --> 00:59:55,939 that's your career. Your license is now officially your career. So be mindful that you're also 664 00:59:55,939 --> 01:00:01,459 technically working outside of work. So really good. Advice. Yeah, really good advice there. That's 665 01:00:01,460 --> 01:00:07,109 very unique advice. And I listen uh, the trucking industry. Devon is something that sort of lends 666 01:00:07,110 --> 01:00:12,230 itself to car guys, right? Like, hey, uh, I like driving. Might as well get in a big rig and drive 667 01:00:12,230 --> 01:00:18,069 around and get paid for it. So that's very poignant advice there, because, listen, I've been 668 01:00:18,070 --> 01:00:23,029 behind the wheel of a mustang. I understand what that gas pedal does to you. It's it's something 669 01:00:23,429 --> 01:00:28,149 it's it's a connection with your heart. And there's nothing you can do. But if you're mindful, 670 01:00:28,149 --> 01:00:32,709 you can protect yourself out there and not end up with a huge mark on your record that might affect 671 01:00:32,710 --> 01:00:38,709 your career. Man, that. Is. Super unique advice and I greatly appreciate it. Devon, thank you so much 672 01:00:38,750 --> 01:00:43,590 once again for joining us here today. You're welcome back anytime, my friend. Thank you man. 673 01:00:43,590 --> 01:00:48,830 Thank you for having me. Of course. Uh, Deontay, let's get to your final thoughts, man. Uh, a guy 674 01:00:48,830 --> 01:00:54,509 that, uh the Atlanta traffic doesn't even faze him anymore. That really does say something. There's a 675 01:00:54,510 --> 01:01:00,029 reason I keep hammering that home, man. But you've given some great advice here today to, uh. Final 676 01:01:00,029 --> 01:01:05,669 thoughts from you, Deontay, before we let you go. Final thoughts man. First off, I want to thank 677 01:01:05,669 --> 01:01:10,149 everybody for having me. Thank you. Cypress. Thank you for the podcast team for having me. Um, just 678 01:01:10,149 --> 01:01:16,510 leave you with some food of thought. Patience is a virtue. Take your time. Take your time. Be safe. Uh, 679 01:01:16,510 --> 01:01:20,989 like divine. And, um, we just mentioned you want to get back to your family and want other family 680 01:01:20,990 --> 01:01:25,670 members to get back to their family. Just take your time. Um, your license is your career. This is 681 01:01:25,670 --> 01:01:30,149 your bread and butter. Um, I know some of us have other plans. Oh, I'm just going to do this for a 682 01:01:30,149 --> 01:01:35,989 minute to do that. But why are you doing it? Just take your time and be safe. And, um, shout out to 683 01:01:35,989 --> 01:01:39,709 Cypress. Most definitely. Man. It's been a pleasure since I've been here for the past two years. 684 01:01:39,790 --> 01:01:45,509 Looking to grow more years with them. And, um, I enjoy what I do. Um, I wake up every day motivated 685 01:01:45,509 --> 01:01:50,509 to get the job done safely and get back home to my family. And, uh, PS if you ever do Atlanta, you 686 01:01:50,509 --> 01:01:55,069 need a shortcut. Hit me up. I'll get you through that. No problem. I'll be. I'll be on the phone, man. 687 01:01:55,069 --> 01:01:59,749 I got to go out there to the Smyrna terminal when we did our launch. And let's just say, uh, when we 688 01:01:59,750 --> 01:02:05,389 pulled out of there to drive up to Wilmington. I was very glad that I was not behind the wheel. 689 01:02:07,869 --> 01:02:13,830 Yes, yes, I definitely understand. Devon and D'onte be safe out there. You guys got a great 690 01:02:13,830 --> 01:02:17,948 mind for that, you can tell. Thank you both so much for your time today. Thank you so much for having. 691 01:02:17,949 --> 01:02:22,388 The trucking man to stay down. You too ma'am. Thank you. Absolutely. Thank you again. 692 01:02:30,710 --> 01:02:36,790 Huge thanks to Devon and D'onte for bringing their stories to the Cypress Truck Lines podcast. 693 01:02:36,829 --> 01:02:41,509 Uh, before I get into some more stats and info here about what we're talking about today, I just 694 01:02:41,509 --> 01:02:46,869 want to say that, um, that that's a big deal for those guys to come on and tell the story, and 695 01:02:46,870 --> 01:02:52,870 especially to have the attitudes that they do. Um, you know, just not very long down the line. I mean, 696 01:02:52,909 --> 01:02:57,669 you heard Devon say it. This happened when he was about five months in. That means it's only been, 697 01:02:57,710 --> 01:03:02,229 you know, maybe about seven months ago that this happened to him. And you heard the way he 698 01:03:02,230 --> 01:03:09,149 recounted that story. A took responsibility right on the chin, right from the word go. B can 699 01:03:09,149 --> 01:03:15,309 now look back at that story as a positive learning experience that keeps him safe 700 01:03:15,790 --> 01:03:22,109 from, from then on. And and look, there's never a something that you can do that's going to 100% 701 01:03:22,150 --> 01:03:27,949 prevent something like this from happening. These scumbags will find you. That's what they do. That's 702 01:03:27,950 --> 01:03:34,628 their whole M.O. is to go out and find drivers to take advantage of. But if you listen to what 703 01:03:34,629 --> 01:03:39,870 Davon and D'onte said, the way that they go about their day, the things that they're looking for, the 704 01:03:39,870 --> 01:03:45,269 instincts that they're listening to. Now, what you find is that, hey, we can all learn something from 705 01:03:45,269 --> 01:03:52,269 this. Um, truck parking is a problem, and it's going to remain a problem until they, I don't 706 01:03:52,270 --> 01:03:58,268 know, ten x the amount of spots that there are. And my guess is that type of infrastructure building 707 01:03:58,269 --> 01:04:04,189 is going to take God knows how long, decades, probably, and especially if there's legislation or 708 01:04:04,189 --> 01:04:08,749 permitting involved. Uh, at that point, you put it in the government's hands and we can just turn 709 01:04:08,749 --> 01:04:14,589 everything down to a snail's pace and wait patiently until we hear from him again. So the 710 01:04:14,589 --> 01:04:21,469 parking problem is not going away. And what you heard there, those stats that I read off the top, 711 01:04:21,510 --> 01:04:28,189 would suggest that the crime that is associated with the parking problem is only going to keep 712 01:04:28,189 --> 01:04:34,509 being more prevalent. Okay. Uh, and now, as I said, we didn't talk a lot about load theft there because 713 01:04:34,510 --> 01:04:40,309 these two guys were here to tell us stories about being towed. Um, but I do have some more stats and 714 01:04:40,309 --> 01:04:46,589 info that I want to bring you guys just to really put a bow on this. This is not a small problem. In 715 01:04:46,589 --> 01:04:53,189 fact, uh, Atari will tell you over probably the past 4 or 5 years their top ten 716 01:04:53,229 --> 01:04:59,590 issues in trucking where they pull drivers and ask them, what are you concerned about? Uh, cargo 717 01:04:59,590 --> 01:05:05,389 theft and predatory towing have been on those lists, uh, frequently across the last few years, and 718 01:05:05,389 --> 01:05:11,389 they move around on the list. Yes, but there's still a problem. And I've got some stats and info 719 01:05:11,390 --> 01:05:16,669 here for you that'll really illustrate it even further than we already have. Uh, Cargo Net has 720 01:05:16,669 --> 01:05:21,949 reported that food and beverage loads are among the most frequently targeted freight categories 721 01:05:21,949 --> 01:05:27,229 because they're easy to resell quickly with little traceability. We're not hauling food here. 722 01:05:27,230 --> 01:05:33,149 That's just something to know. This next bullet point is where it really starts to, uh, make sense 723 01:05:33,150 --> 01:05:38,789 for us here at Cypress and Sunbelt Electronics, copper, automotive parts and 724 01:05:39,790 --> 01:05:46,349 construction materials are also heavily targeted because thieves can move them quickly 725 01:05:46,350 --> 01:05:53,029 through secondary markets. According to cargo security analysts. The average time it 726 01:05:53,070 --> 01:05:59,689 takes stolen freight to disappear in secondary markets can be as little as 48 727 01:05:59,690 --> 01:06:06,148 hours. That's crazy. That means that on your on your 34, 728 01:06:06,629 --> 01:06:11,830 that largely if you got something stolen from you, that by the time you reset your clock and you're 729 01:06:11,830 --> 01:06:18,389 ready to go back to work, that stuff could already have disappeared in the secondary market and you 730 01:06:18,389 --> 01:06:25,228 might never find it. And that's that's a big deal and a big cost for everybody involved. A large 731 01:06:25,229 --> 01:06:30,829 percentage of cargo theft now actually happens through what they call strategic theft rather 732 01:06:30,829 --> 01:06:37,189 than traditional hijacking. That means fake dispatchers, fake carriers, fake broker identities, 733 01:06:37,190 --> 01:06:43,669 or fraudulent paperwork instead of somebody physically taking the load from you. And that is 734 01:06:43,670 --> 01:06:48,269 important because there's a lot of communication that happens in the transportation industry. 735 01:06:48,269 --> 01:06:53,749 You're constantly in touch with your dispatcher. You're making calls. Maybe you're calling the, uh, 736 01:06:53,830 --> 01:06:58,710 the the the shipper or the receiver. Uh, maybe somebody walks up to you and is talking to you 737 01:06:58,710 --> 01:07:04,790 and asking you to sign something. You have to vet all of these people all the time. And that's where 738 01:07:04,829 --> 01:07:10,389 dispatch really comes in. If you could take anything from Devon and D'onte stories there, 739 01:07:10,389 --> 01:07:15,749 what you can take from it is that dispatch is there to help. They are not there to hinder. Uh, 740 01:07:15,749 --> 01:07:21,628 that's why that first call when something like this happens is so crucially important. Get the 741 01:07:21,629 --> 01:07:26,069 right people on the phone. Devon even said treat it like it's a criminal proceeding, and 742 01:07:26,070 --> 01:07:33,070 anything that you say or do can incriminate you. Clam up and get dispatch on the phone. They 743 01:07:33,070 --> 01:07:39,709 are your biggest advocate here for sure. Getting back into some of these stats. Many cargo thieves 744 01:07:39,749 --> 01:07:44,549 specifically target weekends and holiday periods because loads end up sitting longer and 745 01:07:44,550 --> 01:07:50,229 communication can slow down. Theft crews have been known to follow trucks leaving distribution 746 01:07:50,230 --> 01:07:55,989 centers and wait for drivers to stop within the first 200 miles of a trip, knowing that the load 747 01:07:55,989 --> 01:08:02,149 is likely at its fullest value at that point. This is crazy. Some organized cargo thefts rings use 748 01:08:02,189 --> 01:08:09,189 GPS jammers and signal blockers to temporarily disable tracking systems on trailers. Heavy duty 749 01:08:09,230 --> 01:08:16,029 tow bills. Now we're getting back into the towing thing here. Um, you heard it. $3,500 just to set 750 01:08:16,029 --> 01:08:22,269 your truck down. That's uncalled for. I mean, that's criminal when you really think about it. You 751 01:08:22,270 --> 01:08:27,349 lifted it up. You haven't even strapped it down. If you got into your wrecker and took off. Right now, 752 01:08:27,350 --> 01:08:31,309 that truck's hitting the ground whether you want it to or not, because the job that you're charging 753 01:08:31,310 --> 01:08:38,149 for has not been done. But here's some things that can really make, uh, tow bills climb 754 01:08:38,149 --> 01:08:44,789 up into the five figure range very quickly. Those things are multiple axles being involved, recovery 755 01:08:44,789 --> 01:08:51,669 equipment being used, storage fees that can accumulate. Or law enforcement requesting special 756 01:08:51,670 --> 01:08:57,508 handling. Um, a towing bill can skyrocket immediate. I mean, it's that's probably pretty common sense 757 01:08:57,509 --> 01:09:03,909 hearing that they want 3500 bucks just to set the thing on the ground. Um, and a few other takeaways 758 01:09:03,910 --> 01:09:10,829 real quick that get independent of our stats here. But they really, really spoke to me when we were 759 01:09:10,829 --> 01:09:15,869 recording that interview. I've just got some lines here that I want to repeat that were, uh, that were 760 01:09:15,870 --> 01:09:20,149 said by either Devon or D'onte during our interview, and I really want them to stick with 761 01:09:20,149 --> 01:09:26,829 you, so I'm saving them for the very end of this episode. Your license is now officially your 762 01:09:26,830 --> 01:09:32,829 career. That was very, very well said and well put. And, uh, look, I know there's more than one of you 763 01:09:32,829 --> 01:09:37,470 guys out there that are NASCAR fans. I know there's a bunch of gearheads on the staff. I know 764 01:09:37,470 --> 01:09:41,950 you guys like to wrench on your own project cars in your off time. You like to have something 765 01:09:41,950 --> 01:09:47,799 that's really nice to drive around. As a daily driver, you always have to be mindful that license 766 01:09:47,799 --> 01:09:52,159 that you carry, that allows you to drive your Mustang or your Camaro, is also the one that 767 01:09:52,160 --> 01:09:57,439 allows you to work and make a living for your family. So you gotta be mindful of that every 768 01:09:57,439 --> 01:10:04,119 single day. Sage advice there. Um, one that we hear frequently on this podcast that I love and I will 769 01:10:04,120 --> 01:10:08,919 always repeat whenever I hear it. We're not hauling body parts here at Cypress and Sun Belt. 770 01:10:08,959 --> 01:10:14,759 Alright, we've got a load on the back. We've got a driver in that seat. That is the main focus. 771 01:10:14,759 --> 01:10:20,359 Getting there safely. Getting home safely. Your obligation to the motoring public. You're not 772 01:10:20,400 --> 01:10:25,438 hauling body parts. I'm so glad that got brought up, because it's something that I heard the very 773 01:10:25,439 --> 01:10:30,720 first time in the very first meeting that I ever had with management at Cypress, before this 774 01:10:30,720 --> 01:10:37,720 podcast ever was born. And you know that it runs through the bloodlines of Cypress Trucking. A 775 01:10:37,839 --> 01:10:44,759 tired driver under pressure is vulnerable. This is just a fact of the matter. This is what we 776 01:10:44,759 --> 01:10:50,439 do. This is your job. It's a pressure filled job. It's a high stakes job. There's a lot at stake. 777 01:10:50,440 --> 01:10:56,319 Every time you get behind that wheel, you are hauling giant amounts of weight that nobody on 778 01:10:56,319 --> 01:11:02,880 the road has any respect for. And that, along with all of the other things, your delivery dates, the 779 01:11:02,880 --> 01:11:08,719 traffic accidents, construction, you name it, these things all put pressure on you. And if you're 780 01:11:08,720 --> 01:11:14,519 under pressure, you're more vulnerable. So listen to the things that Devon and D'onte said. Keep 781 01:11:14,520 --> 01:11:20,439 your eyes up, keep your head on a swivel, be aware of your surroundings and trust your instincts. If 782 01:11:20,440 --> 01:11:25,839 it doesn't feel right, don't park there. That's another quote that came out of that interview 783 01:11:25,839 --> 01:11:30,479 from both of the guys. They piggybacked off one another for that one. You got to trust your 784 01:11:30,480 --> 01:11:35,319 instincts, and even if you don't feel like you have them yet, even if you're a real new driver, 785 01:11:35,399 --> 01:11:40,239 they will come. And you can build those instincts by listening to some of these stories that we 786 01:11:40,240 --> 01:11:46,479 tell here on the podcast. That's the whole purpose behind it. And finally, and maybe most importantly, 787 01:11:46,560 --> 01:11:52,079 uh, Devon really, really hit the nail on the head when he said, take your time, slow down. You've 788 01:11:52,079 --> 01:11:57,959 heard it so many times on this podcast. Um, you know, we talked to the Tony Millers of the world, 789 01:11:57,959 --> 01:12:02,199 the Angel escudos of the world, these other driver trainers that we've had here on the show. And they 790 01:12:02,200 --> 01:12:09,038 will tell you, you have to slow down, Ken from CTC will tell you, you gotta slow down. 791 01:12:09,039 --> 01:12:16,039 Randy, over at orientation, you gotta slow down, take your time, do this job the right way, 792 01:12:16,080 --> 01:12:22,959 the safe way, and we'll be able to make all of this cargo theft and predatory towing and all 793 01:12:22,960 --> 01:12:29,600 the BS that comes along with it. A smaller problem, as long as everybody slows down, does the job 794 01:12:29,600 --> 01:12:34,999 right, takes their time, and is aware of their surroundings. What a fantastic episode today here 795 01:12:34,999 --> 01:12:41,679 on the Cypress Truck Lines podcast. Again, huge thanks to Devon Sonson and D'onte Pitmon. I 796 01:12:41,680 --> 01:12:46,399 can't thank those guys enough. I was just a random dude trying to get in touch with them last week. 797 01:12:46,399 --> 01:12:51,279 And here they were on the podcast with me delivering an absolute Grand Slam performance. 798 01:12:51,279 --> 01:12:56,839 Thank you fellas. We greatly appreciate the time and you're welcome back anytime, as are the rest 799 01:12:56,839 --> 01:13:03,119 of you Cypress drivers listening. You want to be on this podcast? Hit me up. podcast.cypresstruck.com. 800 01:13:03,200 --> 01:13:08,399 That's it for today. Be safe out there. Remember your obligation to the motoring public. Remember 801 01:13:08,440 --> 01:13:14,439 take your time. Slow down a little bit. And like we always say at the end of these things, be safe out 802 01:13:14,439 --> 01:13:19,640 there. Cypress and Sunbelt. We'll talk to you again next week Wednesday, 5 a.m. local time.