Stephen Henderson: A Story of Resilience

1 00:00:00,840 --> 00:00:06,239 How's the weather out there? Cypress and Sun belt. Welcome into the Cypress Truck Lines podcast. I'm 2 00:00:06,239 --> 00:00:12,160 your host, Marcus. Thank you so much for joining us today. Every single one of you that clicks that 3 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:17,959 download or listen button every single day, uh, you're the reason that we're here. And, uh, those of 4 00:00:17,959 --> 00:00:23,800 you that continue to click and enjoy the content, we greatly appreciate you. Do us a favor out there. 5 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:28,720 Just tell a friend, you can tell a friend from Cypress. You can tell a friend from Sun Belt. You 6 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:33,200 can tell a friend from outside of the company altogether. We just like it that people are 7 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:39,200 enjoying the content, and we want to bring you more content that you want to hear. So when you're 8 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:45,120 over at our website, which is podcast.cypresstruck.com, make sure you make use of that button 9 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:50,120 where you can send me a message if you want to talk about anything. And I do mean anything as 10 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:55,800 this episode that we're about to bring you will prove we can make it happen. That's what we're all 11 00:00:55,800 --> 00:01:02,600 about. Real stories, real experience. What's going on out there? What are you dealing with? Um, and 12 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:07,440 and also, sometimes we get to have a little bit of fun. We get to get a little bit outside the 13 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:13,360 trucking box on this episode or on this podcast. And that's something that this episode today is 14 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:18,480 going to do. Now, I won't say that we're in here having fun today. We're about to tell you a very 15 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:25,200 powerful story, uh, a story that will move you, especially if you can relate to any different 16 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:31,600 part of it. And let me tell you, there's a lot to it. Um, I actually, before, uh, getting on with our 17 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:37,839 driver that we're bringing on here in just a few minutes, I had no idea the layers to this story, 18 00:01:37,839 --> 00:01:43,360 and we got to peel it back like the layers of an onion. And, uh, I'll tell you right now, this intro 19 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:48,800 is going to be really short. Our conversation went over an hour. It's not necessarily something that 20 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:54,480 I tried to do here on the show. I like to keep the conversations, uh, under an hour so that we can 21 00:01:54,480 --> 00:02:00,009 have a little bit of time to take up any homework or, you know, wrap the show up at the end, but I 22 00:02:00,009 --> 00:02:05,289 don't care. We're going to run long on this one because this is such a good story. It warrants 23 00:02:05,289 --> 00:02:10,649 every single second that we spent on the phone together. And to be honest with you, I could 24 00:02:10,649 --> 00:02:17,329 probably dedicate 2 to 3 more episodes to just telling more about this story, digging in deeper. 25 00:02:17,329 --> 00:02:23,129 But as it sits right here, I just finished the interview and like I've said before, sometimes 26 00:02:23,130 --> 00:02:29,809 I'll record these segments out of order, and today is a perfect, shining example of why I 27 00:02:29,809 --> 00:02:35,449 record them out of order. I would not have been able to sell this episode to you in the intro 28 00:02:35,449 --> 00:02:42,409 without having known what the story entails, and, um, I, I don't need to sell it to you, to 29 00:02:42,449 --> 00:02:48,369 be honest with you. If you if you listen past the little musical interlude and into the intro, 30 00:02:48,410 --> 00:02:54,089 you're going to be hooked and you're going to sit here for an entire hour listening, I promise you 31 00:02:54,089 --> 00:02:59,929 that. So I don't want to give a bunch away about what's coming up. Okay. I'll tell you. I've got a 32 00:02:59,929 --> 00:03:06,129 driver. He's here to tell a story. It's a story that he experienced personally, and it's big. 33 00:03:06,169 --> 00:03:12,529 That's all I'll say. As you're listening to it, though, I want you to think about your own life. 34 00:03:12,529 --> 00:03:18,289 And I want you to think about a time when you didn't think you had control, but you really did. I 35 00:03:18,289 --> 00:03:23,369 want you to think about the time when you were at rock bottom, and you didn't think you were coming 36 00:03:23,369 --> 00:03:29,329 off rock bottom, but you did. I want you to think about a time where a loved one that meant so much 37 00:03:29,329 --> 00:03:36,088 to you was stricken with something, um, almost unthinkable, and how you would go 38 00:03:36,089 --> 00:03:41,129 about supporting that person. Maybe it's already happened to you. Maybe you already have these 39 00:03:41,130 --> 00:03:46,449 answers in your head. That's great. You're going to be able to relate to this next story better than 40 00:03:46,449 --> 00:03:52,369 most. But for those of you that haven't been through some of these things, think about how you 41 00:03:52,369 --> 00:03:57,329 would go about it. Think about what you would do in this situation, and that's where you're really 42 00:03:57,329 --> 00:04:01,409 going to get the meat of this episode. That's where you're going to be able to take something 43 00:04:01,409 --> 00:04:08,249 from it. And um, aside from that, I can just say, sit back, buckle up, man, if you've got some 44 00:04:08,250 --> 00:04:14,529 windshield time in front of you right now, you have found the best episode to listen to today, uh, 45 00:04:14,529 --> 00:04:20,209 of the Cypress Truck Lines podcast. So buckle up, strap in, make sure you got some X's in your 46 00:04:20,209 --> 00:04:25,089 straps. Make sure your corners are protected. Um, we're not going to shift the load at all here 47 00:04:25,089 --> 00:04:32,089 today. We're going right down the middle with a human interest story. All right, a true story right 48 00:04:32,089 --> 00:04:36,929 from the mouth of the guy who lived it. So let's bring him in here right now. Without any further 49 00:04:36,929 --> 00:04:43,690 ado. Count down to the 50 00:04:43,690 --> 00:04:50,569 Cypress Truck Lines podcast starts now. Your number one 51 00:04:50,570 --> 00:04:57,539 professional flatbed podcast here to deliver stories, safety updates and company news directly 52 00:04:57,540 --> 00:05:01,259 to your ears. Let's get down to business. 53 00:05:09,820 --> 00:05:15,259 All right. Welcome back into the Cypress Truck Lines podcast here. Uh, this segment is going to be 54 00:05:15,260 --> 00:05:20,620 a very special one. You heard me say in the open, we got a really cool story to tell here. And, um, 55 00:05:20,620 --> 00:05:25,939 you know, I think that this story kind of highlights that sometimes trucking just doesn't 56 00:05:25,939 --> 00:05:32,739 become a job. Sometimes it becomes the thing that catches somebody when life falls apart in one way, 57 00:05:32,739 --> 00:05:39,099 shape or form. And, uh, this next guest that we have to bring on here, I'm tripping over my tongue 58 00:05:39,100 --> 00:05:43,419 because I'm so excited to get him on to tell this story. Uh, let's welcome to the show, Stephen 59 00:05:43,420 --> 00:05:48,979 Henderson. He's a Cypress driver. Stephen, thank you so much for being here today, my friend. Thank you 60 00:05:48,980 --> 00:05:54,339 so much, Marcus. Glad to be here. Hey, I can tell. Man. And I'm so excited for you to come on and tell 61 00:05:54,339 --> 00:05:58,939 your story here real quick. I always like to get a little bit of background for my drivers when we 62 00:05:58,940 --> 00:06:04,739 have them on, so that the drivers listening can, uh, maybe put a name to a voice or, uh, maybe find 63 00:06:04,780 --> 00:06:09,379 somebody that they want to meet later on down the road. Uh, so, Stephen, how long have you been driving 64 00:06:09,379 --> 00:06:15,979 for Cypress and, uh, which lane are you in? You regional OTR? So I've been with Cypress for just 65 00:06:15,980 --> 00:06:21,219 shy of four years. September will be my four year mark and I am currently over the road. I started 66 00:06:21,219 --> 00:06:26,099 as a South East Regional driver after about a year and a half, maybe a year, year and a half went 67 00:06:26,099 --> 00:06:31,179 over the road and we are just about to turn a corner to go be a Texas regional driver. Oh wow. 68 00:06:31,179 --> 00:06:35,619 Okay. Very nice. So you've got a lot of experience out there running the different lanes. And and I 69 00:06:35,619 --> 00:06:39,619 know that's kind of par for the course with most guys that join Cypress, right. They kind of start 70 00:06:39,619 --> 00:06:46,299 out in that regional and can move to OTR later on if, if everything goes well. Right. Yeah, absolutely. 71 00:06:46,299 --> 00:06:50,659 It's kind of you, you prove yourself to make sure that you don't need a whole lot of assistance out 72 00:06:50,700 --> 00:06:56,858 on the road, because there's times that you may be in Michigan or Iowa, Ohio, and you're the only 73 00:06:56,859 --> 00:07:02,780 Cypress driver and maybe a 4 or 500 mile radius. So you've got to be able to know what you're doing 74 00:07:02,780 --> 00:07:07,779 in order to not get stuck in a precarious situation. Yeah. That's interesting. I didn't know 75 00:07:07,779 --> 00:07:11,899 that you might be the only guy for that big of a radius. I guess if I ever see any of you out here 76 00:07:11,900 --> 00:07:16,379 in Oregon, I'll assume you're the only one on this side of the Mississippi. Is actually probably the 77 00:07:16,380 --> 00:07:21,820 way I would think of it. Right. Fairly close. You know, we do have a Texas regional area where 78 00:07:21,820 --> 00:07:27,259 there's, I don't know, 2025 drivers sometimes. You know, I was out in Colorado. I think that's as of 79 00:07:27,260 --> 00:07:32,259 right now, probably the furthest west we go. Okay. Is uh, I was in southwest Colorado just a few 80 00:07:32,259 --> 00:07:37,579 months ago, and I guarantee I was the only one in Colorado or New Mexico at the time. Okay, gotcha. So 81 00:07:37,579 --> 00:07:42,379 maybe we'll say this side of the Rockies is a better way to put it. Yeah. If you find one of us 82 00:07:42,379 --> 00:07:46,179 that side of the Rockies, um, you should be giving all of us a call because we're going to be 83 00:07:46,179 --> 00:07:50,590 jealous if someone got to go out that far. I hear you, okay. All right, well, I'll keep my eyes peeled, 84 00:07:50,590 --> 00:07:55,389 man. I always do whenever I'm out on the road. I'm looking because that's going to be like a like a 85 00:07:55,390 --> 00:08:00,709 needle in the haystack moment, right? If I were to get that lucky to see a cypress truck in the wild. 86 00:08:00,749 --> 00:08:05,429 Uh, man, I'm throwing a party, and we're definitely doing an episode about it, that's for sure. So 87 00:08:06,549 --> 00:08:11,429 absolutely, a live episode in Oregon would be great. Yeah, for sure, for sure. And and listen, I 88 00:08:11,429 --> 00:08:16,190 tell I've told drivers on here before, if you are cruising up and down the I-5 corridor and you're 89 00:08:16,190 --> 00:08:22,749 going to be in the central part of Oregon on I-5 when you hit Eugene, take a 10 to 15 minute break. 90 00:08:22,750 --> 00:08:27,109 I'll come out and buy you a cup of coffee, I promise you. But again, we know that that's pretty 91 00:08:27,109 --> 00:08:32,229 rare if it ever happens. Uh, we'll try to make something happen with it, but that's not why we're 92 00:08:32,229 --> 00:08:37,468 here today. I digress, as I do, I find these tangents and rabbit holes. Steven, welcome to the 93 00:08:37,469 --> 00:08:43,109 show. Uh, that's just part of it. But we have a very focused reason for bringing you on the show today. 94 00:08:43,109 --> 00:08:49,949 And, uh, I want to let you tell this story from the word go? Um, so maybe talk to me a little bit about, 95 00:08:49,950 --> 00:08:55,629 uh, before trucking entered the picture. Uh, where were you at in life? What were you doing? And, uh. 96 00:08:55,630 --> 00:09:02,429 And what happened? Yeah. So I won't throw any names out there, but, uh, I was working for a couple of, uh, 97 00:09:02,430 --> 00:09:07,909 telecom giants. We've all heard of them. We know who they are. And, uh, I kind of know a lot of 98 00:09:07,909 --> 00:09:13,468 things in the sales background. I've been, uh, either in sales, direct sales, uh, sales management 99 00:09:13,469 --> 00:09:19,709 or general management and restaurants even kind of, uh, for the better part of about two decades. Um, 100 00:09:19,710 --> 00:09:26,669 but most recently before, um, before trucking, I was working for a telecom giant. And, uh, I'll take you 101 00:09:26,669 --> 00:09:32,830 back about four years ago this summer. Matter of fact, almost four years ago to the day, um, my wife 102 00:09:32,830 --> 00:09:36,709 and I were living in Florida and living in the Panhandle. You know, we're a stone's throw from 103 00:09:36,710 --> 00:09:42,668 both Alabama and Georgia. So it's not the typical Florida like people. Think about it. The woods. Um, 104 00:09:42,669 --> 00:09:48,520 you know, we're we're 50 to 60 miles from the beach. Um, so it's kind of the backwoods area, and 105 00:09:48,679 --> 00:09:53,039 we're living on property that we had gained from her grandparents. We were living out there to help 106 00:09:53,039 --> 00:09:58,880 them. You know, they were we were the only family members within about a six hour range from from 107 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:04,719 the grandparents. So, um, we were living in Texas at the time. We decided, hey, the job is allowing me to 108 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:08,639 transfer out there. I was able to get a promotion and get a different job. And so we're living the 109 00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:14,959 high life. We got a brand new house. Everything is going great. Um, and in the summer of 110 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:21,639 2022, my wife's grandfather passed away. And, um, it was it was really difficult, you know, 111 00:10:21,679 --> 00:10:27,918 that she'd cut her teeth on this property, so to speak. Um, grew up out there, and, um, and grandpa was 112 00:10:27,919 --> 00:10:34,359 gone. Yeah. Um, on top of all that, within just a few weeks of that happening, we 113 00:10:34,359 --> 00:10:39,479 got we got the call. Um, there was something unusual going on, so we went to the doctor to get 114 00:10:39,479 --> 00:10:45,719 it checked out. And after biopsy, my wife at 34 years old, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Oh, God. 115 00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:52,759 I can't even imagine. Man 34. That's really young for breast cancer. It is. It was she. She was a rare 116 00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:59,360 case. And, um, it it kind of hit us really hard. We went and got the biopsy results. She 117 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:05,999 actually told me after I'd come home, she wanted to tell me face to face and, um, you know, again, one 118 00:11:05,999 --> 00:11:11,320 of the, the places I was working had really good insurance, and she made me make her a promise, 119 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:18,240 Marcus. And it was to not lose my job. And, uh, within another few weeks, 120 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:22,319 you know, grandpa's funeral had passed, and we're trying to get things in line to figure out what 121 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:28,760 to do with her job. I'm sorry. With her, with her diagnosis. And then my job. 122 00:11:29,640 --> 00:11:36,439 The one thing that I promised her. I broke my promise, and I lost my job, and we're in a brand 123 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:42,719 new house. My wife is very dependent right now on me to be able to provide her insurance. And 124 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:49,999 and we lost the only income that we had didn't know what to do. And that is so 125 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:55,039 tough, man. I can't imagine those, you know, it's hard enough when it's one thing. It's hard enough 126 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:59,158 when it's grandpa. We're losing. We're losing kind of the cornerstone of the family here. Somebody 127 00:11:59,159 --> 00:12:05,799 that we've known for so long. But to pile on top of that, you know, your wife's diagnosis, which is 128 00:12:05,799 --> 00:12:12,399 just absolutely gutting. I can't imagine how you felt when you got that phone call. Uh, and then on 129 00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:18,239 top of that, we talk about a life event, like the loss of not just a job, Stephen, but a career. What 130 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:22,879 was going through your mind during all of this? I mean, how are you keeping yourself on the level? 131 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:28,359 You know, I'm going to add a little bit more fuel to this fire. Marcus. Um, at the time, I was also 132 00:12:28,359 --> 00:12:32,839 battling some addiction issues. It wasn't it wasn't, uh, drugs or alcohol. And to be sensitive to 133 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:38,439 the listeners, I was going places on the internet that a married man should go. I. Hear you. And so I 134 00:12:38,439 --> 00:12:42,770 was trying to be the one to dictate my happiness. I said, you know what? I'm in the driver's seat. I 135 00:12:42,770 --> 00:12:48,529 could do this. Well, God humbled me really, really fast and made me realize I'm not in control. And 136 00:12:48,530 --> 00:12:54,010 the second I try to control things is the second that things are really going to get messed up. So 137 00:12:54,010 --> 00:12:59,530 I was kind of just in a state of shock. You know, they say you can't go up until you're at the 138 00:12:59,530 --> 00:13:02,969 bottom of the barrel. And that's exactly what I felt like. I was at the absolute bottom of the 139 00:13:02,969 --> 00:13:08,449 barrel. I didn't know what to do or where to go. Wow. And and I'm sure, you know, you're you're 140 00:13:08,449 --> 00:13:13,049 trying to be your wife's support system. You're trying to be that rock. You know, that's why you 141 00:13:13,090 --> 00:13:17,848 marry someone. That's why you get into a long term, committed relationship with someone is because 142 00:13:17,849 --> 00:13:24,129 they offer you that emotional support that makes you a better person. You're trying to be her rock 143 00:13:24,129 --> 00:13:28,969 right now, but you're also going through some things that make it really tough to be your rock. 144 00:13:29,090 --> 00:13:33,848 Um, I assume that your wife kind of stepped up and helped you pull yourself off the bottom of the 145 00:13:33,849 --> 00:13:40,809 barrel as well. Can you talk about that a little bit? My wife is a saint. She. She 146 00:13:40,809 --> 00:13:46,809 is put up with my stuff. Um, in June 9th. I know you test everybody on the podcast, so here's here's 147 00:13:46,810 --> 00:13:51,329 the answer to your test before you even answer the question. June 9th will be 15 years married. 148 00:13:51,369 --> 00:13:56,329 Wow. And so, um, we've gone through a separation a couple of times. You know, we've been through some 149 00:13:56,330 --> 00:14:02,009 rocky spots, but at the end of the day, we hit our knees in prayer and we take everything to God. And 150 00:14:02,010 --> 00:14:07,129 God is the one that's been the glue to keep us together. So, um, she's had to put up with it. And 151 00:14:07,130 --> 00:14:11,569 and if I had to describe her in one word, she would be a saint. She's. She's an absolute miracle 152 00:14:11,570 --> 00:14:16,929 of a wine. Hey, it sounds like it, man. Well, congratulations on 15 years coming up here. Uh, you 153 00:14:16,929 --> 00:14:23,090 said June 9th. June 9th? Yes, sir. That's very cool, man. So much can happen in 15 years. And you never 154 00:14:23,090 --> 00:14:27,649 really stopped to think about it while it's happening, you always look back on it, right? Kind 155 00:14:27,650 --> 00:14:33,529 of like we are today. We're telling the story. But, uh, being in the thick of it, I can only imagine, uh, 156 00:14:33,530 --> 00:14:38,650 that you guys being able to lean on each other like that really helped out because she's got all 157 00:14:38,650 --> 00:14:44,569 that. I mean, I can't even imagine what it must be like to get that diagnosis for your wife, but then 158 00:14:44,570 --> 00:14:50,450 again, to get it for herself. Like you have to deal with what emotions you're going through, thinking 159 00:14:50,450 --> 00:14:55,488 about what she's going through. She's got to go through those same emotions about herself. It's 160 00:14:55,489 --> 00:15:00,089 just, I'm I'm starting to sweat, to be honest with you. We've only been talking here for about ten 161 00:15:00,090 --> 00:15:04,449 minutes, and I'm I'm starting to feel the pressure. This story make me sweat a little bit, and that's 162 00:15:04,450 --> 00:15:09,409 a good thing. That means that I'm feeling the feelings here. Um, but, Stephen, I just can't even 163 00:15:09,409 --> 00:15:14,929 imagine how. So how do you want to talk about how you lost the job? Or just do you want to talk 164 00:15:14,970 --> 00:15:20,890 about from losing the job forward and how you dealt with all the rest of this stuff? Because 165 00:15:20,890 --> 00:15:25,369 this is your story. I'm only wanting you to tell the parts of it that that you think you need to 166 00:15:25,369 --> 00:15:30,009 tell. So I I'm not I don't want to ask any questions that might go over a line or anything. 167 00:15:30,609 --> 00:15:37,499 No, I think it's actually a great way to tie in in in the way this all works. So I was not doing 168 00:15:37,499 --> 00:15:44,299 anything. Uh, you know, obviously, obviously I'm bad enough to get my, uh, to lose my job, but it was I 169 00:15:44,300 --> 00:15:50,979 got really tied up with busy work. I was in line for a giant promotion. Uh, the job that I was 170 00:15:50,979 --> 00:15:57,340 doing is I was a business sales rep, and I was also in charge of about 30 or 40 retail stores 171 00:15:57,340 --> 00:16:03,099 for their business sales. And I got really good at being really busy doing other things for other 172 00:16:03,099 --> 00:16:09,979 people that weren't necessarily in my line of work. Ah, so building Excel spreadsheets or, um, 173 00:16:10,059 --> 00:16:14,819 you know, they basically don't, don't get paralysis by analysis. And that man, that was my that was my 174 00:16:14,820 --> 00:16:21,258 lane. I, I'm an ops guy. I loved that kind of stuff. And that's where I thrived. But, uh, I got so busy 175 00:16:21,300 --> 00:16:25,779 doing that that I wasn't focusing in on sales targets and those things. Um, so it wasn't 176 00:16:25,780 --> 00:16:32,179 necessarily a performance related issue as much as it was. Um, I kind of just became disconnected. 177 00:16:33,219 --> 00:16:38,659 Which nobody's really surprised when that happens to somebody that goes through what you and your 178 00:16:38,659 --> 00:16:44,219 wife went through, right? I mean, I think that's a story as old as time. You can always, uh, put on a 179 00:16:44,220 --> 00:16:48,940 good face when you go to do your job. But let's face it, at the end of the day, what's at home 180 00:16:48,940 --> 00:16:55,379 comes first. And it's really hard to take yourself out of that for eight, ten, 12 hours a day each day 181 00:16:55,499 --> 00:16:59,459 just to go back and think about it for the free time that you have, and then try to take yourself 182 00:16:59,459 --> 00:17:04,659 out of it again the next day. Uh, do you think that that was part of kind of becoming disconnected, 183 00:17:04,660 --> 00:17:11,180 Steven? Oh, absolutely. And I'm also I was a big person on having 184 00:17:11,180 --> 00:17:16,698 accountability except for myself. This is a job where I was working from home. I was in a home 185 00:17:16,699 --> 00:17:23,698 office, and I squandered it. And I, uh, I just got too, too comfortable. 186 00:17:23,779 --> 00:17:28,219 That's one of the things I struggle with is complacency. Um, and it was just one of those 187 00:17:28,219 --> 00:17:33,699 things where I was caught spinning my gears, and I should have been more accountable and I wasn't, 188 00:17:33,699 --> 00:17:40,539 and I dropped the ball. So what was it like trying to balance the shock of losing the job with 189 00:17:40,540 --> 00:17:47,339 the shock of the diagnosis? Um, it was a whole lot of scrambling. 190 00:17:47,459 --> 00:17:52,778 Uh, I got the call early in the morning that the separation had happened. And later that afternoon, 191 00:17:52,779 --> 00:17:58,379 I was out on the road, feed on the street, trying to find a job. I bet in about two weeks time I put 192 00:17:58,380 --> 00:18:03,299 in no less than 100 applications. I was sleeping for very, very little amounts of time at night 193 00:18:03,300 --> 00:18:09,899 because I had to be able to get something that the insurance was gone from the subsidized cost. 194 00:18:09,900 --> 00:18:16,859 So we then had to pay out of pocket cost. And, uh, the thing that nobody ever wants to do, the 195 00:18:16,859 --> 00:18:22,259 401 had to get cashed in as well. So it was scrambling to find jobs, trying to find money to 196 00:18:22,260 --> 00:18:25,619 be able to keep the bills paid. We have a brand new house. We got to be able to pay for that on 197 00:18:25,619 --> 00:18:30,829 top of the medical stuff. So it was a lot. There was a lot of running around like a chicken 198 00:18:30,829 --> 00:18:37,349 without a head, a lot of sleepless nights and a lot of a lot of prayer. What do we do next? And I 199 00:18:37,349 --> 00:18:43,549 mean, I hear you say, like, within a couple of days you had 100 plus applications in the dedications. 200 00:18:43,550 --> 00:18:48,749 Obviously there you know why you're doing this. Your reasons have kind of been laid out for you. 201 00:18:48,869 --> 00:18:53,149 Um, but was there ever a point where you thought, I don't know if I'm going to be able to get us out 202 00:18:53,150 --> 00:18:59,269 at this point? Like, I don't know if this has gone too far because you talk about medical bills, man. 203 00:18:59,270 --> 00:19:04,629 Without that subsidized health insurance, like, sometimes you can get on whatever they call it, 204 00:19:04,629 --> 00:19:09,709 Cobra or something like that after you've lost your job. And there's kind of a a bridge there. But 205 00:19:09,709 --> 00:19:14,549 that stuff, I think when it was offered to me, it was four times more expensive than what I was 206 00:19:14,550 --> 00:19:20,949 paying when I had my job. So that's not always an option either. Um, how close did it get to 207 00:19:20,990 --> 00:19:26,029 where you you guys were going to have to make a real tough decision, like sell the house or maybe 208 00:19:26,069 --> 00:19:32,069 file bankruptcy or anything like that before you. You found another opportunity. Well, we were 209 00:19:32,069 --> 00:19:37,869 blessed. We. We had a decent amount saved up for 401 K. Unfortunately, you have to pay all the 210 00:19:37,870 --> 00:19:42,829 penalties and everything for that that's associated with it. But I was offered a couple of 211 00:19:42,990 --> 00:19:48,229 smaller jobs and I was offered to work for the Florida prisons and, you know, things that would at 212 00:19:48,229 --> 00:19:53,310 least get money rolling. Um, I had a friend that I was going to be able to get a little bit of part 213 00:19:53,349 --> 00:19:57,550 time work just doing small jobs here or there, but at the end of the day, I need a place that's going 214 00:19:57,550 --> 00:20:01,549 to be able to offer insurance if that's an option that we just had to take, and it has to be a place 215 00:20:01,550 --> 00:20:06,069 that would work with my wife's doctors. Um, or there was going to be more medical bills and 216 00:20:06,069 --> 00:20:13,069 everything associated with it. So, um, yeah, it was it was it was kind of utter chaos. So I think we 217 00:20:13,069 --> 00:20:19,189 had probably about 2 to 3 months where things were going to get really, really ugly. Sure, sure. 218 00:20:19,189 --> 00:20:23,469 And and what was going through your mind when those 2 to 3 months were on the doorstep? Were you, 219 00:20:23,469 --> 00:20:29,550 uh, were you to a point where you were looking outside of your normal scope of of skills and 220 00:20:29,550 --> 00:20:35,109 experience for work? I mean, you mentioned the the prison system. That's quite a bit outside of what 221 00:20:35,109 --> 00:20:39,829 you've mentioned here. You did a lot of management. You had a lot of, uh, of retail experience and a 222 00:20:39,869 --> 00:20:45,229 lot of sales side experience. Were you ever kind of thinking, hey, man, throw this whole thing to the 223 00:20:45,229 --> 00:20:49,988 wind. If I can get a job turning wrenches or swinging hammers or anything like that, I'll take 224 00:20:49,989 --> 00:20:56,389 it. Yeah, I was I was willing to put my my name out there on anything that stuck. So, 225 00:20:56,910 --> 00:21:03,589 um, it was just a few days after it all happened. My, my wife's mom was in town, uh, from Texas. We 226 00:21:03,589 --> 00:21:08,269 were living in Florida at the time. She came in from Texas to be able to help my wife focus on 227 00:21:08,589 --> 00:21:12,109 the medical stuff. Because I was supposed to be working. I made that promise that I wasn't 228 00:21:12,109 --> 00:21:18,629 supposed to lose my job. Well, we all, uh, kind of went our separate ways that night to kind of pray 229 00:21:18,629 --> 00:21:23,439 and figure out what was the right thing that we needed to do, what's the right move. And believe it 230 00:21:23,439 --> 00:21:28,479 or not, all three of us came together within about 10 to 15 minutes of each other and we said, what 231 00:21:28,479 --> 00:21:33,239 about truck driver? What about driving a truck? We know those guys can make some money. Yes, it's a 232 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:38,638 way to be away for a long time. But look. What what's out there? Let's see. Let's see what there 233 00:21:38,639 --> 00:21:44,120 is. And so that's that's kind of how it all started, so to speak, to to shift gears to the 234 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:48,959 trucking. Um, is is all three heads come together at one time? And when you did, that was divine 235 00:21:48,959 --> 00:21:53,760 intervention that all three of us came up with the same answer at the same time. Wow. Yeah, I guess 236 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:59,078 so, man. Because, listen, I, I've been making podcasts for truck drivers. Actually, you and I share a 237 00:21:59,079 --> 00:22:03,359 little bit of an anniversary. It will be four years for me in September, making podcasts 238 00:22:03,359 --> 00:22:08,880 specifically for truck drivers. And with the amount of drivers that I've talked to in the last 239 00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:15,879 four years, um, that's one thing that is a, a just a standard thing that I ask guys, 240 00:22:15,879 --> 00:22:21,119 what did your wife think when you decided that hay trucking was the way to go? It is not often. In 241 00:22:21,120 --> 00:22:25,679 fact, this is the first time I've ever heard it that three people came into the same room from 242 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:31,719 different rooms and said, hey, how about this as an idea? But to have your wife, a person who not only 243 00:22:31,759 --> 00:22:37,479 you know, depends on you for emotional and support and all the rest of it, financial support? Uh, this 244 00:22:37,479 --> 00:22:42,919 is somebody who's going through a really wild illness that could be fatal. Uh, and of course, you 245 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:47,280 don't want to think about it that way, but talk to me a little bit about her thoughts behind it, 246 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:52,958 because, yeah, truck driving entails you being gone for significant period of time. Uh, how did she 247 00:22:52,999 --> 00:22:58,800 kind of manage that? Where the the I guess the reticence of having you gone all the time versus 248 00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:03,479 the, uh, the good news about having a solid paycheck that's going to continue roll in and 249 00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:09,078 benefits and everything like that, that had to be kind of tough on her. It was. And I think the 250 00:23:09,079 --> 00:23:16,079 reality of her, uh, of I broke a promise to her. So she has a man that's supposed to love 251 00:23:16,079 --> 00:23:20,999 her standing in front of her, breaking a promise. Now it's up to me to be able to get everything 252 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:25,280 done that needs to be done, to be able to take care of everything on the home front. So I think a 253 00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:30,280 little bit of it was a little bit of excitement that I'm going to be out of her hair for a little 254 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:36,318 while, but at the same time, a little bit of apprehension, because now everything falls on her 255 00:23:36,319 --> 00:23:42,119 shoulders and she's about to go through something very major that we haven't talked about yet. That 256 00:23:42,120 --> 00:23:48,119 is really going to change how she operates her day to day life. And do you want to get into that 257 00:23:48,119 --> 00:23:54,039 next or do you want? Actually, I have a question before we get into that big part real quick, 258 00:23:54,040 --> 00:24:00,919 because we're sort of in the finding trucking area of your story here. And I have to just 259 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:05,400 ask you this. Had you ever considered driving a truck before this at any point in time in your 260 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:11,240 professional career? Absolutely not. It was the furthest thing from my thought 261 00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:17,799 whatsoever. Um, I grew up in kind of a white collar household. Um, and 262 00:24:17,849 --> 00:24:24,289 everything was kind of you put your your Sunday best on to go to work. And not that trucks were 263 00:24:24,289 --> 00:24:28,489 necessarily looked down on but that was we weren't a blue collar family. That's not that was 264 00:24:28,490 --> 00:24:33,929 not us. We maybe had, you know, blue collar ideas. You know, we loved to be out and I we raced 265 00:24:33,930 --> 00:24:39,169 motorcycles and bicycles and all that kind of stuff. But it was never really, um, never really 266 00:24:39,170 --> 00:24:45,449 even thought of. I grew up in northwest New Mexico, and it's part of a giant oil field area, and you 267 00:24:45,489 --> 00:24:49,009 kind of have the oil field group, and then you kind of have everybody else, and unfortunately 268 00:24:49,009 --> 00:24:55,689 it's segregated that way. But, um, we were never really thinking that the rough and tough, um, way 269 00:24:55,689 --> 00:24:59,849 of life was, was ever going to be part of our family. But, uh, you know, we have to be held 270 00:24:59,849 --> 00:25:06,568 accountable to our decisions. And I looked at trucking as some apprehension. Um, but, 271 00:25:06,569 --> 00:25:11,929 uh, to maybe spoil a little bit of a surprise, I, I love what I'm doing right now. Well, we've already 272 00:25:11,930 --> 00:25:16,089 spoiled it. We know you're driving for Cypress. Otherwise, what are you even doing here? We're both 273 00:25:16,089 --> 00:25:22,329 lost if we didn't spoil that a little bit. So I you know, I get that part, but, uh, uh, okay. Well that 274 00:25:22,369 --> 00:25:28,289 that's a really, I think a really important aspect because, you know, some people that we talk to on 275 00:25:28,289 --> 00:25:33,969 this podcast and on other podcasts that I do, there's some inkling of truck driving being in 276 00:25:33,969 --> 00:25:39,530 their blood. Maybe it was grandpa was a driver. Maybe it was, you know, grandma, um, had a little bit 277 00:25:39,530 --> 00:25:45,489 of experience driving a school bus. That's one of them. Or dad worked in the shop for a trucking 278 00:25:45,490 --> 00:25:50,969 company or something like that, but that's really not the case for you. This is this is a career. Uh, 279 00:25:50,969 --> 00:25:56,849 that kind of came out of nowhere at the best possible time for you. It sounds like. Yeah, 280 00:25:56,890 --> 00:26:03,369 absolutely. We, you know, again, we we you see the trucks all over the road, but, um, the closest thing 281 00:26:03,369 --> 00:26:08,130 I ever drove to a truck was when I was racing motorcycles. I wanted to learn how to drive the 282 00:26:08,130 --> 00:26:12,809 big rig, because we had a 30 foot motorhome and a 20 foot pole behind utility trailer. Oh, wow. And I 283 00:26:12,810 --> 00:26:18,929 wanted to learn how to drive it, so I had a little bit of exposure, but never felt like a quote 284 00:26:18,930 --> 00:26:23,688 unquote trucker because that was, again, that's just not really something that we we really put a 285 00:26:23,689 --> 00:26:28,089 whole lot of attention to. Um, not necessarily looked down on, but it was, you know, again, there 286 00:26:28,089 --> 00:26:32,209 was kind of that separation of your blue collar work and your white collar work. And I, we just 287 00:26:32,209 --> 00:26:36,769 kind of fell in line with the white collar. Sure, sure. Well, and if somebody ever wanted to quiz you, 288 00:26:36,769 --> 00:26:42,170 they'd say, well, have you ever driven something that's 53ft long before you could say, I got to 50? 289 00:26:42,170 --> 00:26:45,969 And then, of course, the next question is going to be how many axles? And you're going to have to 290 00:26:46,010 --> 00:26:51,769 probably say, not nearly as many as what you guys drive, right? That's exactly right. 291 00:26:52,490 --> 00:26:58,169 Well, uh, how how did Cypress come into the picture? Was this the first company that you looked at? Had 292 00:26:58,170 --> 00:27:04,129 you looked through multiple companies? Was it something about maybe CTC, uh, that was attractive 293 00:27:04,130 --> 00:27:08,969 to you kind of talk to me about now you guys are in the room. You've decided that trucking might be 294 00:27:08,969 --> 00:27:14,859 the way to go. Where do you go from there? So my wife is a list person and everything that we do, 295 00:27:14,900 --> 00:27:21,219 she packs a list. When we go on vacation, she makes a list for her list she needs to make to do the 296 00:27:21,219 --> 00:27:26,979 things. So I love it. Everything that she's so organized, it's the way she, uh. She keeps both of 297 00:27:26,979 --> 00:27:31,620 us together. There's no doubt about it. Well, but, you know, just from personal experience, I'm sorry 298 00:27:31,620 --> 00:27:36,379 to interject here, but I. I will tell you that the reason that I have to write everything down is 299 00:27:36,380 --> 00:27:43,140 because the mind never slows down. It's ripping at 8000 rpms all the time. And, uh, you can you you 300 00:27:43,140 --> 00:27:46,939 have two options. You can be a tourist there, and you can just kind of look at everything as it 301 00:27:46,939 --> 00:27:51,419 goes by. Or you can grab little nuggets and put them down on paper, and then you get to remember 302 00:27:51,420 --> 00:27:55,699 them later. Steve. And that's the cool part about the way I go about it. So I'm sure there's some 303 00:27:55,699 --> 00:28:01,179 similarities there with your wife. Oh, absolutely. She she loves to write things down. And there's, 304 00:28:01,219 --> 00:28:07,939 there's notes for notes. So yeah, I, I, I can relate with you. Um, but yeah. So Cypress 305 00:28:07,939 --> 00:28:12,979 wasn't actually even on the radar in the initial part, which is kind of weird. You think I'm in 306 00:28:12,980 --> 00:28:18,339 Florida, I'm doing all of these internet searches. It would be something that popped up. But again, 307 00:28:18,339 --> 00:28:24,939 without naming too many names, um, I was offered um and had orientation date 308 00:28:24,939 --> 00:28:31,539 set for the Swifts of the world. And, and, you know, some of the other, um, truck companies out in Texas 309 00:28:31,579 --> 00:28:37,659 because, you know, they, they're, they're hiring by the masses. And so I had orientations date set. I 310 00:28:37,660 --> 00:28:43,700 actually had one ready to go. I was, um, about ready to get details, to get a bus ticket, to get out to 311 00:28:43,739 --> 00:28:50,658 a company out in the Midwest somewhere. And that night I found Cypress, and I don't even know 312 00:28:50,659 --> 00:28:54,779 how I can't cross it again. I'm putting in applications left and right because on top of all 313 00:28:54,780 --> 00:28:59,659 these trucking applications, I'm still trying to put in these other lanes that I'm familiar with. 314 00:28:59,660 --> 00:29:03,939 I've been doing sales for, again, almost two decades. I know that really well. I'm really good 315 00:29:03,939 --> 00:29:10,470 at it. But, um, I, I don't I don't even know how it came up, but it did And 316 00:29:10,789 --> 00:29:17,029 again, I put all these things on paper and I. I had the two top companies on the list. One, I was going 317 00:29:17,029 --> 00:29:21,509 to be out for three weeks at a time. But Cypress, they they were the only ones that said I could be 318 00:29:21,509 --> 00:29:26,310 home on the weekends, but still make the amount of money that I needed to make and even more than I 319 00:29:26,310 --> 00:29:32,189 was making in my previous sales position. So I told my I told my wife we did a pros and cons, and 320 00:29:32,189 --> 00:29:38,749 at the end of the day, Cypress is the one that won out because of the schooling was paid for at CTC, 321 00:29:38,789 --> 00:29:44,309 which I didn't have a CDL, so I needed to get my CDL right. Um, so not only was the schooling paid 322 00:29:44,309 --> 00:29:50,868 for with a year long commitment, but um, they offered a marginal difference, more of not 323 00:29:50,869 --> 00:29:56,829 necessarily just the dollars, but being able to be there for my wife. Um, such an important thing with 324 00:29:56,830 --> 00:30:02,229 what you're going through. I'm sure that home every week thing, uh, in your mind is like, hey, 325 00:30:02,670 --> 00:30:08,469 that's so much better checking in after five days out rather than having to do 15 days out and 326 00:30:08,470 --> 00:30:14,269 getting to check in only on the phone. Uh, you need to see your wife and make sure that. Because, 327 00:30:14,269 --> 00:30:19,509 listen, if your wife's anything like mine, uh, it might take a couple of really well thought out 328 00:30:19,509 --> 00:30:24,309 questions to actually get to what might be bothering her. She would rather not put it on my 329 00:30:24,310 --> 00:30:29,790 plate. Uh, sometimes she would rather figure it out on her own. And I can only imagine that the life 330 00:30:29,790 --> 00:30:35,109 of a truck driver being gone for a long stretch. Maybe it's three weeks. Maybe it's three months. 331 00:30:35,109 --> 00:30:41,269 Who knows? Um, that that, you know, face to face connection is one thing that you really start to 332 00:30:41,310 --> 00:30:47,468 lose. And I'm sure for you, during this diagnosis, that was a very important part of it. 333 00:30:48,189 --> 00:30:52,750 Yeah, it absolutely was. Again, my wife's mom was in town to be able to help out with some of the 334 00:30:52,750 --> 00:30:59,588 essential things, but we're living on property that needs the grass. Cut it. It's a brand new 335 00:30:59,630 --> 00:31:03,909 house and I don't care if it's a new house or a 60 year old house. There's regular maintenance 336 00:31:03,909 --> 00:31:08,869 things that need to be taken care of. So I saw this as a golden opportunity for me to be able to 337 00:31:08,909 --> 00:31:14,990 get a job that I can go out. Um, you know, Sunday through Friday or Monday through Friday, dependent 338 00:31:14,990 --> 00:31:19,389 upon how things work out, and be home on the weekends to take care of the chores that need to 339 00:31:19,390 --> 00:31:23,629 be taken care of, as well as anything for her, whether it be cooking groceries, anything like 340 00:31:23,629 --> 00:31:30,549 that to be able to help out and, um. Yeah. Cypress. Cypress just clicked. It just worked. So here's a 341 00:31:30,549 --> 00:31:37,549 big question for you. How long was it from the loss of the job that you'd had for a while and 342 00:31:37,550 --> 00:31:42,629 you were secure in, and it was going to provide what you needed in terms of insurance and income? 343 00:31:42,670 --> 00:31:48,349 How long was it from losing that job to where it clicked that Cypress was going to be the place? Uh, 344 00:31:48,349 --> 00:31:55,268 and you went off to to try to make that happen. From the time that the job was lost. That was on 345 00:31:55,269 --> 00:32:01,629 August 8th, I want to say early early August of the first 3rd of August. And I was in um, 346 00:32:02,110 --> 00:32:09,040 CTC orientation On August 22nd to 23rd. So less than 20 days. Wow. 347 00:32:09,080 --> 00:32:14,400 That's amazing. And I just wanted to I wanted to ask that for very specific reason, Steven, is you'd 348 00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:18,599 already told us that you were beating the pavement, which is something that you know of when 349 00:32:18,599 --> 00:32:23,559 somebody describes themselves as beating the pavement. That's a little bit, uh, that's a degree 350 00:32:23,599 --> 00:32:28,679 more than I'm out there hitting the road. That's that means that you are really doubling down. 351 00:32:28,719 --> 00:32:32,559 You're not sleeping. You've already told us that. You're not getting a lot of rest. You're just 352 00:32:32,560 --> 00:32:39,478 focused on this. That dedication paid off for you in very quick order. And I just want to 353 00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:44,599 pause the whole thing and say, I hope that you pat yourself on the back for that, because given the 354 00:32:44,599 --> 00:32:51,199 situation, given all of these things happening at once, the the loss of, of grandpa, your wife's 355 00:32:51,200 --> 00:32:57,759 diagnosis, the loss of the job, battling with the addiction, you were a prime example of somebody 356 00:32:57,759 --> 00:33:04,319 who can just, uh, throw it all to the wind and let life take them over and lose it all. Stephen. And 357 00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:10,959 you very clearly have been on the exact opposite end of of that coin, and I think that you owe 358 00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:17,159 yourself a pat on the back for that before we even go any further. Man, that timeline blows my 359 00:33:17,160 --> 00:33:22,400 mind. You ever get you ever get your mind blown by it just by looking back at it? Now that you're all 360 00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:29,320 these years removed from this. You know, I try not to think about it too much just because, um, there 361 00:33:29,400 --> 00:33:33,719 another thing that I sometimes struggle with are not sometimes all the time is pride. I'm a very, 362 00:33:33,719 --> 00:33:38,719 very prideful person, so much to the point where it's a little bit detrimental. I looked at the 363 00:33:38,719 --> 00:33:45,439 whole situation of something I had to do. I had I had the option to roll over and just give up, or I 364 00:33:45,439 --> 00:33:51,040 had the opportunity to dig my heel in and I was already at the bottom of the barrel. You couldn't 365 00:33:51,040 --> 00:33:57,359 go any further lower than what? I was. Right? And I put my, my, my knuckles in the dirt and I said, 366 00:33:57,399 --> 00:34:01,959 forward, the only way to go. And and I bet you've been doing that your whole life. That sounds like 367 00:34:01,960 --> 00:34:08,718 a personality trait to me. Um, a little bit there. There's been some high times in some old times, 368 00:34:08,719 --> 00:34:13,439 but, uh, there's been a lot of adversity. Um, you know, another podcast, another day to maybe get 369 00:34:13,439 --> 00:34:19,759 into some of those details. But at that moment, I had to provide for someone who desperately needed 370 00:34:19,760 --> 00:34:25,719 my help because I'd already let them down. And it was time to really prove that. That I was, uh, I was 371 00:34:25,719 --> 00:34:31,478 the husband that I had promised her to be 15 years ago. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So now we're sitting in 372 00:34:31,479 --> 00:34:37,999 day one, CTC, the big one. That's. I mean, listen, when you talk about trucking in Florida, 373 00:34:37,999 --> 00:34:43,999 everybody knows Cypress. It's a well-established name. It's been doing it for so long, it's grown to 374 00:34:44,040 --> 00:34:49,999 such a size that if you knew how it started under a bridge with just a few trucks to where it is 375 00:34:49,999 --> 00:34:56,479 today, that in and of itself is sort of mind blowing. What was going through your mind, uh, the 376 00:34:56,480 --> 00:35:03,409 first time that, uh, class started there at CTC. Was, was can your guy back then. Yeah, 377 00:35:03,450 --> 00:35:10,290 absolutely. So. So day one, week one in CTC school you actually spend the first half of the day with 378 00:35:10,290 --> 00:35:15,769 Blaine and Randy, and you go through some of the, the legal stuff. You got to go down and get your, 379 00:35:15,810 --> 00:35:21,408 your either dot follicle test or those that hadn't gotten their physicals done, get all that 380 00:35:21,409 --> 00:35:26,769 stuff completed. So, you know, we were with 7 or 8 other men who were there in the same boat. We all 381 00:35:26,769 --> 00:35:30,408 wherever, you know, you could see a lot of fear and trepidation on a lot of people. You could see 382 00:35:30,450 --> 00:35:35,408 maybe some some cockiness in some others. And I feel like I said just a little bit somewhere in 383 00:35:35,409 --> 00:35:41,289 the middle where I was intimidated. But at the same time, I've got to make this work. I don't have 384 00:35:41,290 --> 00:35:46,289 a choice that pride has no place here, and even today, pride has no place. That's how you're going 385 00:35:46,290 --> 00:35:52,329 to end up upside down in a ditch, right? So absolutely, I, I put this on with a probably the 386 00:35:52,330 --> 00:35:57,969 most level head that I had ever been in any other job, because everything was about to get real 387 00:35:57,970 --> 00:36:04,089 crazy. I've got to make this work. So, um. Yeah, Blaine and Randy, uh, the first half of day one, and 388 00:36:04,090 --> 00:36:08,649 then Ken and Lawrence on the second half of day one. And then you're in the truck moving that 389 00:36:08,649 --> 00:36:15,649 sucker. Day two, week one. Wow, wow. So the, uh, the, um, a little bit of of, uh, 390 00:36:15,649 --> 00:36:20,489 fear in people's eyes, a little bit of the, uh, the unknown, maybe not just understanding exactly 391 00:36:20,490 --> 00:36:25,370 what's going to happen. You know, we spend a lot of time on this show, uh, giving the flowers to the 392 00:36:25,370 --> 00:36:31,009 people that deserve them in these roles. We just had Randy and Blaine on a few weeks ago. We've had 393 00:36:31,009 --> 00:36:37,129 Ken on before. Um, you know, Lawrence no longer with, uh, with the company. But Lawrence came on before, 394 00:36:37,169 --> 00:36:42,128 of course, Cecil Clark and load security. And there's a reason we wanted to talk to those guys 395 00:36:42,129 --> 00:36:49,089 because they do a really good job, which that translates to really good drivers. So before we go 396 00:36:49,090 --> 00:36:54,728 any further here, let's talk about those first couple of days. How did those guys impact this 397 00:36:54,729 --> 00:37:01,610 process that you were going on. Uh, Stephen? Well, I Kenneth Lawrence. You know, 398 00:37:01,649 --> 00:37:06,928 they were. They were definitely the characters. I definitely saw them as no BS guys. Yep. They've got 399 00:37:06,929 --> 00:37:11,769 to teach someone who's, you know, I had a guy in my class. The only thing he'd ever driven his whole 400 00:37:11,770 --> 00:37:18,569 life was a Honda Fit. And so when we're going backwards in these trucks. Yeah. If you don't know 401 00:37:18,570 --> 00:37:23,249 what a Honda Fit is, you gotta just go and Google it, because it's the smallest thing Honda ever 402 00:37:23,249 --> 00:37:28,969 made. And Honda makes some small cars. That's why I'm laughing. That's a Honda Fit. Literally takes 403 00:37:28,970 --> 00:37:33,929 up half a parking spot. You know how many Honda fits I've seen? I thought I had a parking spot and 404 00:37:33,929 --> 00:37:40,649 there's a dang Honda Fit in. It happens all the time. Stephen. So that's funny. Yeah. Um, you know, 405 00:37:40,689 --> 00:37:45,569 in the concept of of a truck, if you're thinking about it logistically to make the trailer, when 406 00:37:45,570 --> 00:37:49,249 you're going backwards to go left, you gotta turn right. Right. You got to go left. It's completely 407 00:37:49,249 --> 00:37:54,499 opposite. And your whole first week in CTC, we're doing straight backs. You pull forward, you go 408 00:37:54,499 --> 00:37:59,699 straight back, you pull forward, you go straight back to get those basic, um, you know, easy, easy 409 00:37:59,699 --> 00:38:02,579 maneuvers out of the way before you start stepping up to a little bit more difficult 410 00:38:02,580 --> 00:38:08,138 maneuvers. And this, this kid love him to death. Um, we're trying to go straight backwards, and we're 411 00:38:08,139 --> 00:38:12,739 facing 90 degrees to the left sometimes and 90 degrees to the right. And we're in there trying to 412 00:38:12,780 --> 00:38:17,619 coach him as much as possible. But at the end of the day, you got to put up or shut up, because when 413 00:38:17,620 --> 00:38:22,499 that that state examiner comes by to give you that test to be able to get that CDL, you are the 414 00:38:22,500 --> 00:38:28,739 one that's responsible for it. Nobody's going to be there coaching. Right. So, um, kin kin tells us, uh, 415 00:38:28,739 --> 00:38:32,659 you know, as the weeks go on or the days go on throughout the week, hey, make sure you guys are 416 00:38:32,659 --> 00:38:36,059 backing off a little bit. He's got to be able to get this. He's got to be able to get this. And you 417 00:38:36,060 --> 00:38:39,539 know, he made it through. He was and ended up getting his license. But yeah, there was there was 418 00:38:39,540 --> 00:38:46,339 a lot of um, timidity but yet respect for what I was doing at the same time. Sure. Um, you know, 419 00:38:46,379 --> 00:38:52,659 I, I wanted to learn how to pull trailers when I was 16 years old and when dad wasn't around to be 420 00:38:52,659 --> 00:38:57,179 able to pull stuff around. I'd be on the lawn mower with the lawn tractor behind it, trying to 421 00:38:57,179 --> 00:39:02,540 figure out how, you know, to back a single axle lawn trailer just to get the basics down. So I 422 00:39:02,540 --> 00:39:08,859 already kind of had the the basics down, but I was in for a real treat as I went on through the rest 423 00:39:08,860 --> 00:39:14,139 of it, because it was not as easy as backing up a lawn mower with a garden trailer behind it. Yeah, 424 00:39:14,179 --> 00:39:19,699 absolutely. And listen, that's no treat either. Okay. A single axle trailer that pivots super quick 425 00:39:19,699 --> 00:39:24,419 like that. Those would make you pull your hair out fast, too. You just can't do quite as much damage 426 00:39:24,419 --> 00:39:29,459 with them if you back it into something that you shouldn't have. Right. So that's exactly. Right. 427 00:39:29,460 --> 00:39:34,859 That's a good that's a really good way to learn. Um, I want to ask you something just to kind of 428 00:39:34,899 --> 00:39:40,820 tie this into other podcasts that we've had, most notably the last time that Ken joined us. Ken is 429 00:39:40,820 --> 00:39:47,019 so big. On one statement, Ken says trust the process. How did that how did that touch you 430 00:39:47,060 --> 00:39:53,679 during the process? You know that every day at 1115. For 45 431 00:39:53,679 --> 00:39:58,979 minutes, we are required to lower the landing gears. Check the glide hands, look at your fifth 432 00:39:58,979 --> 00:40:04,299 wheel kingpins and I. The whole time I'm like, why in the world are we doing this 45 minutes a day 433 00:40:04,299 --> 00:40:09,820 for four weeks straight, right before lunch, too. You're you're wearing yourself out. But at the end 434 00:40:09,820 --> 00:40:14,099 of the day, I've been doing this for four years now. I've never had an issue with dropping a 435 00:40:14,100 --> 00:40:18,299 trailer. I've never had an issue with lowering or raising the landing gears. Never had an issue with 436 00:40:18,300 --> 00:40:24,859 my airline. Because you go through these rudimentary what seems to be ridiculous steps, but 437 00:40:24,860 --> 00:40:31,739 it just works. You trust the process. And when it's 7:00 and, you know, in the wintertime and it's 438 00:40:31,739 --> 00:40:38,138 dark and there's only one spot left at the truck stop and you've got a very, very tight, uh, 439 00:40:38,499 --> 00:40:43,659 parking spot to get into, you have to go back to some of the rudimentary steps that you were 440 00:40:43,659 --> 00:40:49,509 taught in school. Um, so I can trust the process four years later because it was drilled into you 441 00:40:49,509 --> 00:40:56,429 at such an early age that it just works. Yep, yep, it really does. And, uh, we've 442 00:40:56,429 --> 00:41:01,908 got those, uh, those numbers to back it up. Right. They've got a really, really high, in fact, better 443 00:41:01,909 --> 00:41:07,989 than the state required, uh, benchmark that they keep their CTC. And, uh, I don't know, this is 444 00:41:07,989 --> 00:41:14,429 probably the 20th time we've mentioned it here on the show. And what, we're 20 episodes in ish 21. So, 445 00:41:14,590 --> 00:41:18,989 um, you know, hats off to those guys out there. Stephen, you might know a better than any of us 446 00:41:18,989 --> 00:41:23,309 that are that have come on this show. Um, those guys can take somebody that's used to sitting 447 00:41:23,309 --> 00:41:28,870 behind a desk and turned them into a successful truck driver. If that person that's making that 448 00:41:28,870 --> 00:41:35,550 transition can dedicate themselves to the process. Yeah, exactly. I, I started with, I believe eight 449 00:41:35,550 --> 00:41:41,349 people and a few, uh, were weeded out for one reason or another. And I think there were four of 450 00:41:41,350 --> 00:41:48,029 us that went into, uh, day one orientation. So, uh, about 50% of the people that started there, 451 00:41:48,029 --> 00:41:53,429 but those that made it to the CDL test. Every single one of them passed, I bet. I bet so. Were you 452 00:41:53,470 --> 00:41:59,869 nervous when that, uh, state, uh, test proctor came in and put that test down in front of you? I was, 453 00:41:59,870 --> 00:42:05,988 because, again, I had to make this work. This is my one shot. It. Mind you, I'm in this class for four 454 00:42:05,989 --> 00:42:11,989 weeks with no paycheck, right? We have a per diem that's coming in. Sure. And it's basically covering 455 00:42:11,989 --> 00:42:16,949 my fuel back and forth because I lived about 3.5 hours from Jacksonville, so it covered my fuel to 456 00:42:16,949 --> 00:42:23,069 get back and forth from home for four weeks. But I had one shot. You know, to quote Eminem, this is my 457 00:42:23,070 --> 00:42:30,029 one opportunity. I didn't have anything else that was going to work. Yeah. So, um, I, I'm 458 00:42:30,030 --> 00:42:36,829 pretty sure I filled my boots with sweat because I was just so nervous, but, uh, it came, uh, to test 459 00:42:36,830 --> 00:42:41,509 day, and I passed with flying colors. I was able to call my wife, and we were able to rejoice at the 460 00:42:41,509 --> 00:42:48,029 CDL. Um, license was acquired, and orientation was just a few days later. What was that phone call 461 00:42:48,030 --> 00:42:52,829 like? Can you talk me through that? I mean, how did your wife react when you called her and said, I am 462 00:42:52,830 --> 00:42:59,830 an official, uh, federal CDL license holder? Well, to be completely honest, I sent her a text 463 00:42:59,830 --> 00:43:04,469 message that apparently was a little bit cryptic, and she called me in a friendly because I thought 464 00:43:04,469 --> 00:43:08,149 that my text message, uh, because she. I don't want to wake her up when she was sleeping because I 465 00:43:08,189 --> 00:43:11,748 tested fairly early in the morning, and I'm an hour ahead of time because we live in Central 466 00:43:11,790 --> 00:43:16,989 Time in Florida. And so apparently my text message was a little bit cryptic. So she called me 467 00:43:17,030 --> 00:43:23,629 panicked. And I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, no, I've got the license. I'm heading home. So, um, there was a 468 00:43:23,629 --> 00:43:29,789 I'm sure several skipped heartbeats on her end. Um, but after that there was, uh, it was excitement 469 00:43:29,789 --> 00:43:35,109 that, hey, this is this is finally about to start going. Um, but the next chapter in holding this 470 00:43:35,110 --> 00:43:40,789 story is orientation was on Thursday, and my wife was scheduled for a double mastectomy on 471 00:43:40,789 --> 00:43:47,520 Wednesday. Oh my goodness, that is such a big surgery. I know multiple people that have gone 472 00:43:47,520 --> 00:43:54,198 through double mastectomies and listen, notwithstanding what it does to you as a woman. 473 00:43:54,240 --> 00:43:59,159 Okay. Because that's something I can't speak to. I can only call on the experience of my friends and 474 00:43:59,159 --> 00:44:04,999 loved ones that have been through this. Um, but the women going through that are 475 00:44:05,360 --> 00:44:12,279 emotionally just beat to a pulp by the time they even get to that surgery. What was going 476 00:44:12,280 --> 00:44:16,119 through your mind? How did you think what what am I going to do here? I've got to be there for that 477 00:44:16,120 --> 00:44:22,479 double mastectomy. Can I even. I mean, how mentally would you even be able to start on Thursday 478 00:44:22,480 --> 00:44:27,719 morning first thing when your wife's probably still in recovery at this point? Uh, probably still 479 00:44:27,719 --> 00:44:34,478 at the hospital. Stephen. What? Walk me through it, man. Yeah. So, uh, again, I got this job by 480 00:44:34,479 --> 00:44:39,159 divine intervention, and my wife was not going to try to schedule that surgery in any other time 481 00:44:39,160 --> 00:44:43,439 than what the doctors could do, because she was ready to get the cancer out. It's ready. She's 482 00:44:43,439 --> 00:44:47,199 ready to be done with it. Right. And so whenever it's scheduled for whether I'm there or not, it's 483 00:44:47,200 --> 00:44:53,919 coming out. So, um, again, I passed the CDL test on Friday. Um, we knew what 484 00:44:53,919 --> 00:44:57,800 the dates were going to be. A couple of weeks ahead of time, you know, so she can go in for a 485 00:44:57,800 --> 00:45:04,519 pre-op stuff and all these kind of things. And, um, I, I knew that God was looking out for us 486 00:45:04,519 --> 00:45:09,639 because I was able to be there for the surgery. And believe it or not, she was out of a hospital 487 00:45:09,679 --> 00:45:14,878 about two hours after surgery and back home in bed, and I was able to make sure that she got home 488 00:45:14,879 --> 00:45:20,678 in bed and I this was probably about 6 or 7:00 at night, and I drove straight to Jacksonville, was 489 00:45:20,679 --> 00:45:25,759 there at midnight and in orientation class a little bit before 8:00 on Thursday morning. So, um, 490 00:45:25,800 --> 00:45:30,999 I knew that, uh, she was going to be better. The doctor said that everything went well on the 491 00:45:31,000 --> 00:45:36,839 surgery. Her mom was there to take care of her in the immediate. And, um, the one thing that we had 492 00:45:36,840 --> 00:45:42,159 said before the surgery happened is the fastest I can start making real boy money instead of the 493 00:45:42,159 --> 00:45:47,519 money that I'm making through training. Just let it happen. And so I was in orientation on Thursday 494 00:45:47,520 --> 00:45:52,718 and Friday. I went back home that weekend, and two days later I was out on the road for a month 495 00:45:52,760 --> 00:45:57,719 straight with my trainer so I could get my own truck and start turning my own miles. Wow. What an 496 00:45:57,720 --> 00:46:04,399 amazing, uh, just an amazing week. I mean, the you stack up all the emotion, all of 497 00:46:04,399 --> 00:46:11,399 the worry, all of the excitement, everything that goes into starting a new job, especially one that 498 00:46:11,399 --> 00:46:17,879 entails so much detail, like hauling flatbed. Uh, and then you're going to mix into that cocktail. 499 00:46:17,919 --> 00:46:23,919 All of the fear, all of the emotion, all of the stress that comes from such a huge diagnosis that 500 00:46:23,919 --> 00:46:30,839 your wife is going through, um, to be able to even focus for that drive. I, I would like to ask you, 501 00:46:30,879 --> 00:46:37,280 do you remember the drive after you left your wife home recovering from a successful operation? 502 00:46:37,319 --> 00:46:42,689 Uh, and then between there and Jacksonville, I would imagine that's just a blur. I would say if 503 00:46:42,689 --> 00:46:48,168 you could take heavy metal and the fastest punk rock that you could ever imagine and slam them 504 00:46:48,169 --> 00:46:53,529 together, that's what would be going through my head. Just chaos. Stephen, what was it like for you 505 00:46:53,530 --> 00:47:00,009 on that drive? If I if I could remember, I would tell you you're exactly right. Um, I 506 00:47:00,209 --> 00:47:06,289 remember getting her to bed and making sure that she was okay and talking to her mom. Um, you know, 507 00:47:06,570 --> 00:47:09,729 telling her kind of what the schedule was supposed to look like. And I was going to be 508 00:47:09,729 --> 00:47:15,209 communicating with her mom, because obviously, my wife is, uh, definitely under heavy anesthesia. Um, 509 00:47:15,210 --> 00:47:21,289 and I don't even. I don't remember the hotel. I don't remember that night. I remember getting in 510 00:47:21,290 --> 00:47:26,329 the car to go to orientation to be on time because it's first day at a new job. It's time to, 511 00:47:26,570 --> 00:47:31,970 um, you know, start making money. And I, I barely remember showing up, but I was there. You were 512 00:47:31,970 --> 00:47:38,009 there? Yeah. Yeah. That was. That's all I could have given was my presence at that moment. Absolutely. 513 00:47:38,010 --> 00:47:43,409 And and and you did, man. And you're you deserve a huge pat on the back for that, because there's a 514 00:47:43,409 --> 00:47:48,089 lot of people that wouldn't be able to just handle all of that. And that's a big part of it. 515 00:47:48,129 --> 00:47:53,749 You know, the mind works in mysterious ways, and sometimes just blocking things out for three 516 00:47:53,749 --> 00:47:59,649 hours and giving your mind a second to try to catch up, um, is probably what it was doing there. 517 00:47:59,649 --> 00:48:05,089 And how awesome that just a few short days later you were out for a month with your trainer. 518 00:48:05,129 --> 00:48:10,409 Something that we always do on this podcast. Whenever somebody mentions a trainer, I always say, 519 00:48:10,449 --> 00:48:15,849 you gotta call out your trainer, because I know we've got some fantastic trainers here at Cypress, 520 00:48:15,850 --> 00:48:21,569 and everybody that I talk to is always more than happy to give their trainers some flowers, because 521 00:48:21,570 --> 00:48:28,290 it normally goes very well. So who was your guy? My, my trainer was Nathan Desmarais. He's a Texas 522 00:48:28,290 --> 00:48:33,610 driver. He was over the road for a while. He left and came back. So we're we're also glad to welcome 523 00:48:33,610 --> 00:48:39,699 him back with open arms. Awesome. Well. Big shout out to Nathan for that first month that you spent. 524 00:48:39,699 --> 00:48:44,699 And I know you're going to walk us through that here. And, uh, as you do kind of talk to me about 525 00:48:44,699 --> 00:48:51,259 the the experience itself, you know, figuring out what this job's all about. You've got the CDL now, 526 00:48:51,300 --> 00:48:56,019 you've gone through the training. You are confident in the fact that you can do the job, but 527 00:48:56,019 --> 00:49:00,539 now you're really going to get kicked into the deep end of the pool, because these trainers are 528 00:49:00,540 --> 00:49:06,699 out there to make sure that you can handle it on your own. So, uh, how did that first month go? 529 00:49:07,580 --> 00:49:13,819 Well, I'll tell you about the first day. So, um, it's, I believe a Tuesday or Wednesday morning. We're in 530 00:49:13,820 --> 00:49:19,939 low, secure, um, class. And at the time, Cecil was not doing it, so it was, uh, Randy and Blaine or or 531 00:49:20,060 --> 00:49:25,260 whomever they could have gotten their hands on to be able to help teach these lots of classes. And, 532 00:49:25,659 --> 00:49:31,899 um, my trainer gets out of his train, the trainer class because he wants to become a trainer. And 533 00:49:32,300 --> 00:49:36,179 Randy comes over and says, hey, this is the guy that we want you to train with. We know everything 534 00:49:36,180 --> 00:49:39,938 that's going on with your wife. Are you okay with going out for a month? And I said, I am. We've 535 00:49:39,939 --> 00:49:46,779 already talked about it. Let's go. And so he is one that likes to get up at midnight on 536 00:49:46,780 --> 00:49:53,659 2:00. And at the time, man, I'm doing cushy sales jobs. I like to get up at 6 or 7:00 in the morning, 537 00:49:53,700 --> 00:49:59,859 have some coffee. Stretch my legs. You know, all these things. And I said, wait, like midnight is in, 538 00:50:00,220 --> 00:50:07,179 like after 11:59 p.m.. What are we talking about? And so I left that day to go catch some 539 00:50:07,179 --> 00:50:11,729 sleep in the hotel room and get the last of my things. And I meet him at the yard around 10 or 540 00:50:11,730 --> 00:50:17,539 11:00 that night, and he tosses me the keys and he says, let's drive to Texas. And I said, wait, wait, 541 00:50:17,580 --> 00:50:24,260 hold on. I mean, I have to drive this thing out there. I don't get a crash course first, and I'm 542 00:50:25,300 --> 00:50:29,819 trial by fire, so to speak. I'm glad that he did that, because I was able to work the nerves out 543 00:50:29,860 --> 00:50:35,860 early in the morning. There was no traffic out on the road. Um, and it was it was a great experience 544 00:50:35,860 --> 00:50:42,658 because, um, my goal when I was going through CTC was to never have Ken 545 00:50:42,659 --> 00:50:47,178 raise his voice at me because, you know, you do stuff wrong sometimes. We're we're men. We're we're 546 00:50:47,179 --> 00:50:50,939 we're a little bit thick headed, and we need things drilled into our head a little bit. Well, I 547 00:50:50,940 --> 00:50:56,100 went through the whole four week process, um, getting nothing but praise in minor corrections. 548 00:50:56,100 --> 00:51:00,619 Never, never a. Hey, what do you think you're doing? Um, you know, you need to go stand in the corner 549 00:51:00,620 --> 00:51:04,779 and think about your thoughts before you think this is a job for you or not. So I was I was very, 550 00:51:04,779 --> 00:51:10,218 very bound and determined to never let that happen. Um, so a lot of that kind of already gotten 551 00:51:10,219 --> 00:51:16,059 worked out. Um, but then when I, you know, realized, hey, we've got 50,000 pounds worth of product that 552 00:51:16,060 --> 00:51:21,100 we're about to be hauling halfway across the country. Um, I'm glad that it happened the way it 553 00:51:21,100 --> 00:51:27,179 did, because from that day forward, um, it's it's far from easy. This job is is nothing in the realm 554 00:51:27,179 --> 00:51:34,030 of easy. But, um, it was able to let allow me to, uh, put myself to the test because, 555 00:51:34,030 --> 00:51:39,989 again, I've got the license. This job has to work. And so just made it work. And after that first 556 00:51:39,990 --> 00:51:45,469 trip to Texas, when you first pull in there to Texas, uh, did you kind of know is that when it 557 00:51:45,470 --> 00:51:49,830 clicked for you? Is that when you thought, man, once you've shaken off the nerves a little bit, you you 558 00:51:49,830 --> 00:51:54,549 understand that this is something that you can do. You've got a really experienced guy in the seat 559 00:51:54,590 --> 00:51:59,229 right there next to you that's helping you along the way. Uh, is that when you knew that this was 560 00:51:59,229 --> 00:52:05,948 going to work out and your one shot was one that you completed? Uh, for the most part, um, you know, 561 00:52:05,989 --> 00:52:11,229 the the whole process with your trainer is a totally different experience with them than CTC. 562 00:52:11,429 --> 00:52:16,029 Because though you're being judged every day, you know, I've listened to the show several times and 563 00:52:16,030 --> 00:52:20,869 you're you're living with this person, so you're building a relationship with them. You're you're 564 00:52:20,870 --> 00:52:26,589 going through, um, the whole processes. And so life out on the road, though hard because it's 565 00:52:26,590 --> 00:52:30,829 something that I've never done before. Um, it really just kind of started to click and I was 566 00:52:30,829 --> 00:52:35,388 under. Understanding the process, you know. When I first started, I was going to be a Southeast 567 00:52:35,389 --> 00:52:41,469 Regional driver. So I was kind of getting my bearings. Um, but it, it, I don't know, it was, it was 568 00:52:41,469 --> 00:52:47,389 kind of just it just made sense. You know, there wasn't anything about it that was daunting, other 569 00:52:47,389 --> 00:52:53,790 than, I've got to fold and roll these tarps by myself. Yeah, I'll tell you, those things are 570 00:52:53,790 --> 00:52:58,029 intimidating to look at, man. I when I first saw one of them sitting on the back of the truck, I 571 00:52:58,030 --> 00:53:02,589 thought, wait, this is something you guys will do by yourself. That's wild. How could I even squat 572 00:53:02,590 --> 00:53:08,869 that thing up there on the back of the truck? So, uh, that I. I totally understand that, but, uh, it all 573 00:53:08,870 --> 00:53:15,469 starts to kind of fall into place after just a few days. A few weeks, I assume. Yeah, absolutely. Um, 574 00:53:15,470 --> 00:53:20,829 again, we were we were out on the road for a month straight, so there wasn't a whole lot of, um, time 575 00:53:20,830 --> 00:53:25,909 to really contemplate, um, how things work. Because it's just time to put your head down and go to 576 00:53:25,949 --> 00:53:30,790 work, you know? I've been doing this for four years. And it's not that I don't want to make friends, 577 00:53:30,790 --> 00:53:34,988 but I've just put my head down and I've gone to work. A lot of guys like to congregate around and 578 00:53:34,989 --> 00:53:38,990 talk, and I just want to get to bed so I can get up earlier than they do the next day to get the 579 00:53:38,990 --> 00:53:43,549 miles, get down the road. Ever since I've been here for the last four years, I've been in the top ten 580 00:53:43,590 --> 00:53:50,509 on the top dog list. Wow. I just want to go to work. I don't want to to play games again. I've got 581 00:53:50,510 --> 00:53:56,229 to make this work. So I'm going to. That's amazing man. Now you've mentioned some of the names that 582 00:53:56,229 --> 00:54:00,789 Cypress who kind of helped you pull through your trainer Nathan. We've talked about Ken, of course, 583 00:54:00,790 --> 00:54:06,110 Randy and Blaine and orientation. Uh, one thing I want to ask you is, from a personal standpoint 584 00:54:06,110 --> 00:54:12,469 here, Steven. Um, did did trucking restore your confidence in yourself after everything you had 585 00:54:12,469 --> 00:54:17,149 gone through? We talked about you kind of being at the bottom of the barrel. Um, how did you start 586 00:54:17,149 --> 00:54:22,829 feeling about Stephen once you really started to get your feet wet in that first month out on the 587 00:54:22,829 --> 00:54:28,799 road, start to really understand the job. When did that confidence in yourself and confidence in 588 00:54:28,800 --> 00:54:35,320 your situation start to turn around for you? Um, so I want to say probably around the 6 to 9 month 589 00:54:35,320 --> 00:54:40,519 mark. So, um, I had talked to somebody about trucking before I got in with the works for a 590 00:54:40,519 --> 00:54:44,999 completely different company, and he said that you're going to have this kind of puff your chest 591 00:54:45,040 --> 00:54:50,799 out moment like I just did a man's job type deal. Um, when you get home at the end of the week and 592 00:54:50,800 --> 00:54:53,918 I'm like, yeah, okay, sure. Whatever. This guy's blowing smoke. He has no idea what he's talking 593 00:54:53,919 --> 00:55:00,398 about. And in that 6 to 9 month mark, I became a trainer and I got the brand new truck. So I had 594 00:55:00,399 --> 00:55:05,559 proven myself to the company because I'm a nobody. They have no idea who I am. You know, from the 595 00:55:05,560 --> 00:55:11,999 outside, of course they do now. But at that time, I'm just as a young, young guy who's trying to 596 00:55:12,040 --> 00:55:18,839 make a name for himself in the company. Um, and I had proven to, uh, somebody who a company who knows 597 00:55:18,840 --> 00:55:23,279 what they're doing, they've been doing this for multiple, multiple decades that, hey, this guy kind 598 00:55:23,279 --> 00:55:29,559 of knows what he's doing. So at that point, there was, um, uh, the puff your chest out, mama. Not so 599 00:55:29,559 --> 00:55:33,599 much as the chip on the shoulder, so to speak, because, again, I, uh, pride is something I've long 600 00:55:33,600 --> 00:55:39,439 dealt with, but I could stand confidently at the end of the day and say I put in a hard day's work. 601 00:55:39,439 --> 00:55:44,839 I'd done what I'm supposed to do that day, everything within my capability. And I'm proud and 602 00:55:44,840 --> 00:55:50,759 accomplishing what I did. Yeah. You know, it brings me back to, uh. And I know that this is such a 603 00:55:50,760 --> 00:55:56,479 funny place to pull an inspirational quote from, but it's a quote from the office. Uh, when when the 604 00:55:56,479 --> 00:56:01,360 Michael Scott Paper Company breaks away and is trying to hire new salespeople and steal all of 605 00:56:01,360 --> 00:56:07,239 the business from Dunder Mifflin and one of their prospective employees says confidence is the food 606 00:56:07,240 --> 00:56:12,878 of the wise man, but the liquor of the fool. And that's always really stuck to me. And I wonder, I 607 00:56:12,879 --> 00:56:17,199 wonder how you take that statement, because there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. 608 00:56:17,199 --> 00:56:24,079 There's a fine line between being prideful and being Overly prideful. Um, and it sounds to me 609 00:56:24,080 --> 00:56:30,758 like you kind of toed that line just perfectly over this transition. Stephen. Yeah. So I worked for 610 00:56:30,759 --> 00:56:35,158 a company, and I'm not going to do it, quote unquote, because we trademarked it. I don't think 611 00:56:35,159 --> 00:56:40,678 we have the money to pay for those trademarks on this podcast. So, um, but I'm going to do everything 612 00:56:40,679 --> 00:56:45,719 that I do, and I'm going to do it better than anybody else. So again, I told you, I'm going to be 613 00:56:45,719 --> 00:56:50,319 in some of these places, that I'm the only person within hundreds of miles. Right? So I'm going to 614 00:56:50,319 --> 00:56:55,320 act with integrity. I define integrity as doing the right thing, even when people aren't looking. 615 00:56:55,320 --> 00:56:59,479 That's a good. Way. So I'm going to throw that pork strap. I'm going to throw that extra out. I'm going 616 00:56:59,480 --> 00:57:05,479 to do what I'm supposed to do. Because though this company, they want us to be as perfect as we can, 617 00:57:05,799 --> 00:57:09,999 the family of four that's on their way to Disneyland, it's in the car next to you. They know. 618 00:57:10,000 --> 00:57:15,120 They don't know it. They need you to be perfect. Yep. Absolutely. So you've got that obligation to 619 00:57:15,120 --> 00:57:20,969 the motoring public, right? That's exactly right. It's something that I have to. I have to have 620 00:57:20,970 --> 00:57:27,889 pride in what I do and be confident in what I do. But yeah, the arrogance. Arrogance has no 621 00:57:27,889 --> 00:57:32,289 place in this industry. If you're going to be an arrogant, cocky driver, you might as well just stay 622 00:57:32,289 --> 00:57:37,929 in bed that day. Yeah, because. Super truckers, right? Those super truckers, nobody likes them out there. 623 00:57:38,449 --> 00:57:45,449 That's exactly right. Um, I can't stress enough. You know, when I was a trainer, I'm not a trainer 624 00:57:45,449 --> 00:57:51,129 anymore. I stopped after a couple of years. Um, my, my, that was my biggest stress is we could be 625 00:57:51,129 --> 00:57:56,488 friends at the end of the day. But right now, my job is to make sure that you, me and everybody 626 00:57:56,489 --> 00:58:03,370 around us get home safely. Yes, sir. So, um, there has to be a respect for what we do. 627 00:58:03,609 --> 00:58:08,089 Um. And, yeah, you could be prideful after you pull those breaks. Right. You can boast all you want to 628 00:58:08,129 --> 00:58:14,969 after you pull those breaks. Until then, let's be confident and, um, and proud of what we do 629 00:58:15,170 --> 00:58:20,928 in a in a proud sort of way. Not a pride. Way. Absolutely. Chinh wagon is for after the truck is 630 00:58:20,929 --> 00:58:26,249 shut down. Right. That's when you can go out there and talk about your exploits. That's exactly right. 631 00:58:27,009 --> 00:58:33,488 You know, Steven, when we left your wife, uh, she had just been, uh, put down to bed after a 632 00:58:33,489 --> 00:58:39,568 successful operation. Uh, you're off for a month with your trainer. Her mom's at home helping out. 633 00:58:39,610 --> 00:58:44,849 Um, talk to me about the recovery. Obviously, we're telling this story here because we got some good 634 00:58:44,850 --> 00:58:51,449 news. Um, how did the whole thing end up for your wife? Uh, we're we're way down the road now, so talk 635 00:58:51,449 --> 00:58:56,009 to me a little bit about the process in her recovery. Being without you for that month. How did 636 00:58:56,010 --> 00:59:01,768 that affect her? How did it affect you? And and how did you guys, uh, extend that recovery through and 637 00:59:01,769 --> 00:59:08,129 make it as successful as it was? So the biggest thing is the type of cancer and really any type 638 00:59:08,129 --> 00:59:12,729 of cancer, but specifically the type of cancer that my wife had. Thankfully, she was stage one. Um, 639 00:59:12,729 --> 00:59:19,530 but it fed on, uh, on sugar. Uh, cancer loves sugar. So, uh, it was also a 640 00:59:19,530 --> 00:59:25,649 complete diet change for her. Um, my my wife has always been a very, very petite, uh, very petite 641 00:59:25,649 --> 00:59:31,049 woman. And so she went on a complete diet change where no sugar, no carbs, went on a ketogenic diet. 642 00:59:31,330 --> 00:59:38,329 Um, and it was, it was kind of kind of crazy that literally one day, out 643 00:59:38,329 --> 00:59:43,089 of the blue, you're diagnosed with cancer. Um, you know, you have to have this life altering surgery, 644 00:59:43,090 --> 00:59:49,688 and now you got to change your comfort foods. Yeah. So it was it was a little bit of a culture 645 00:59:49,689 --> 00:59:55,529 shock, but, um, you know, we're three and a half, almost four years down the road now. Um, and with 646 00:59:55,529 --> 01:00:01,849 no chemo and no radiation, I am glad and proud to say that she's still cancer free. We're going to 647 01:00:01,849 --> 01:00:07,049 give that a round of applause here on the Cypress Truck Lines podcast. That's amazing. That is 648 01:00:07,050 --> 01:00:13,209 amazing. It's an absolute blessing. A miracle really, if you if you want to look at it, there are 649 01:00:13,209 --> 01:00:19,499 there are so many stories of this not turning out that way. Um, and I'm so glad that we get to tell 650 01:00:19,540 --> 01:00:25,379 one of the one of the good stories, the success stories here on the show. Um, your wife is is 651 01:00:25,379 --> 01:00:30,819 living a normal life now. Aside from the diet changes and things like that, everything is back 652 01:00:30,820 --> 01:00:36,979 to normal for her. I assume at this point. Yeah, 100%. So, uh, along with the surgery, there was some 653 01:00:36,980 --> 01:00:42,899 reconstructive stuff, but my wife is a horseman, and at 120 pounds, she can throw a 75 pound saddle 654 01:00:42,939 --> 01:00:49,499 on the back of a horse. Um, and life is just normal. And you would have never thought that anything 655 01:00:49,499 --> 01:00:55,419 like that had ever happened to her. Um, she she looks great. She feels great. Um. Or, you know, faith 656 01:00:55,419 --> 01:01:00,659 brought us through, and faith will continue to guide us. And, um, I tell you, she's a saint. She's 657 01:01:00,659 --> 01:01:07,579 the strongest woman I know. Um, and she has to put up with me, so God bless her. Wise enough 658 01:01:07,580 --> 01:01:11,739 to say, because, you know, she might she might listen to this podcast. And I always give guys a 659 01:01:11,740 --> 01:01:16,259 second to, uh, mention their wives, call them out, let them know how much they mean to him here on 660 01:01:16,259 --> 01:01:22,219 the show. And you've obviously done that just there, Stephen. And what a fantastic story. I'm so 661 01:01:22,220 --> 01:01:28,418 happy for her. Please give her all of our best from the Cypress Truck Lines podcast. Um, the next 662 01:01:28,419 --> 01:01:33,698 time you talk to her. But, uh, one part of this story that you mentioned a little bit, you touched 663 01:01:33,699 --> 01:01:38,899 on it. But, uh, now that we're kind of fast forwarded here towards where we are today, uh, 664 01:01:38,899 --> 01:01:43,060 there's one thing that stuck out to me when we were putting this episode together, I was talking 665 01:01:43,060 --> 01:01:48,698 to some of the guys in management about doing this episode, and one of them spoke up and told me, 666 01:01:48,699 --> 01:01:55,340 he said, that guy loves trucking. And he was very, very sincere about it. 667 01:01:55,340 --> 01:02:00,418 And I just wanted to put that out in front of you because you've already told me in this podcast, I 668 01:02:00,419 --> 01:02:06,539 love trucking, but talk to me a little bit about that. When did that love really bubble up and when 669 01:02:06,539 --> 01:02:12,699 did you know that, hey, this isn't just a stopgap to get my wife back to 100% and make the money we 670 01:02:12,699 --> 01:02:18,299 need to make. When did you know that this was a career that you had fallen in love with? Stephen. I 671 01:02:18,300 --> 01:02:23,820 would say fairly early on, um, what's what's great about this job is, uh, though I had an issue with 672 01:02:23,820 --> 01:02:29,899 accountability before I said I had to make this job work. And, you know, though, I've got to get the 673 01:02:29,899 --> 01:02:34,219 load delivered on time. You know, mommy is not going to be calling me at 730 to make sure that 674 01:02:34,219 --> 01:02:39,459 I'm up and doing my job. I have to take sole responsibility for that. But what's great is I 675 01:02:39,459 --> 01:02:45,019 kind of get to be my own boss out here. Um, but at the end of the day, I've also got an answer to my 676 01:02:45,019 --> 01:02:49,099 boss, who was my wife. Um, when I bring the paycheck home to her and say, hey, this is this is the 677 01:02:49,100 --> 01:02:55,859 fruits of my labor over the last seven days. What do you think? Um, so it's that 678 01:02:55,859 --> 01:03:02,739 that chest puffing out moment, like I said earlier, that, um, I get to look and say, okay, I, I did what I 679 01:03:02,739 --> 01:03:08,339 did this week. I'm losing weight. You know, I've lost probably 50 plus pounds since I started this 680 01:03:08,340 --> 01:03:12,549 job, 40 of those pounds being since January of this year. Because I also went on the ketogenic 681 01:03:12,549 --> 01:03:16,989 diet, I was having some health issues that, you know, nothing major, anything close to what my life 682 01:03:16,989 --> 01:03:23,269 was. Um, but I just loved it because I get to go out, I get to see the open road. I've been to 683 01:03:23,310 --> 01:03:30,228 29 states, plus Washington, D.C., since I started this job. Wow. Um, and I get to 684 01:03:30,229 --> 01:03:36,710 see, um, you know, the wildlife and and nature and get to stay active. Flat betting is 685 01:03:36,710 --> 01:03:43,549 no. No joke. Um, it definitely keeps you active. Um, and I, I just get to go out and be 686 01:03:43,550 --> 01:03:49,549 proud of what I do in a way that can support my family and and do the best for a company that I 687 01:03:49,590 --> 01:03:56,590 absolutely love. That's so well said, man. So well said. You know, it's so strange to me sometimes how 688 01:03:56,590 --> 01:04:03,349 life can completely fall apart. And it's not necessarily the end of the story. It's the it's 689 01:04:03,350 --> 01:04:10,148 the brand new opening of not just a new chapter, but maybe even a new book. Um, it's 690 01:04:10,149 --> 01:04:15,349 it's amazing to me that it can almost completely fall apart and still end up somewhere good, if not 691 01:04:15,350 --> 01:04:20,789 even better than where it was before. Do you feel better off now that your wife's made the full 692 01:04:20,790 --> 01:04:26,428 recovery, and you're where you are today versus where you were just four short years ago? Stephen? 693 01:04:27,190 --> 01:04:33,510 Uh, without a doubt. There's no question in my mind on that. Um, I had a sales manager one time. Tell me 694 01:04:33,510 --> 01:04:40,508 if you think the grass is greener on the other side, then water your own grass. And so I came 695 01:04:40,509 --> 01:04:44,949 to a company that's that's got good family, Christian based values to it. And I said, I'm going 696 01:04:44,949 --> 01:04:48,869 to give it my all. I'm going to water my own grass while I'm here. I was only supposed to be here for 697 01:04:48,870 --> 01:04:54,989 a year, and here I am four years later, and I can honestly say that I love Cypress lines. I love 698 01:04:54,990 --> 01:04:59,509 everything they stand for. I love everything that they're about. And I am without a doubt. And we are 699 01:04:59,509 --> 01:05:04,388 without a doubt. And she is without a doubt in a better position because of it. That's amazing. 700 01:05:04,389 --> 01:05:08,589 That's amazing. Stephen Henderson I can't thank you enough for coming on here and telling the 701 01:05:08,589 --> 01:05:14,469 story today, man, you wouldn't believe it if I told you, but the clock just clicked over one hour. 702 01:05:14,469 --> 01:05:18,510 We've been sitting here talking. It feels like it's been ten minutes to me. And I know that 703 01:05:18,510 --> 01:05:23,869 there's probably so much more to this story. And. And that's because you're still writing this 704 01:05:23,870 --> 01:05:30,109 story. This story is so far from finished. Um, but I want to thank you not only for just coming on and 705 01:05:30,109 --> 01:05:35,749 and being as open as you have been here. Um, but a lot of times, this type of tragedy when it strikes, 706 01:05:35,750 --> 01:05:41,869 especially when it hits so close to home and especially when it hits, uh, 3 or 4 times over, so 707 01:05:41,869 --> 01:05:47,549 close to home, it's very hard for a lot of people to ever get back and and talk about it from a 708 01:05:47,549 --> 01:05:53,668 standpoint of success. And I can tell that, um, you have you have talked to yourself about this, 709 01:05:53,709 --> 01:05:58,789 you've talked to your wife about this. You know, that where you're at is better now. And it's just 710 01:05:58,790 --> 01:06:03,749 a it's an absolute miracle to know that everything turned out as good as it did for you 711 01:06:03,790 --> 01:06:09,880 through all your hard work and dedication, man. Um, congratulations on this, Stephen. I know that 712 01:06:09,880 --> 01:06:14,880 there's for every story like yours out there, there's probably ten stories where it didn't work 713 01:06:14,880 --> 01:06:21,639 out as good or even at all for somebody. And, um, I think that you are the proof that 714 01:06:21,640 --> 01:06:27,319 you are in control of that as the person that's going through these things, whatever you're going 715 01:06:27,320 --> 01:06:34,320 through out there. And listen, um, while I've been fortunate and I haven't had, um, a lot of health 716 01:06:34,320 --> 01:06:39,399 problems myself, I do have a lot of family members and friends and loved ones that have been 717 01:06:39,399 --> 01:06:44,879 stricken with cancer. Um, I've got a lot of friends that have dealt with addiction. Um, my wife has 718 01:06:44,879 --> 01:06:50,399 dealt with addiction. None of those things are easy. And when you add to it, a cornerstone of the 719 01:06:50,399 --> 01:06:57,158 family, uh, passing away, it it just twists you into all different directions. And I 720 01:06:57,159 --> 01:07:03,079 can't believe how much success you found, man, I would put you up against anybody to do anything. 721 01:07:03,080 --> 01:07:08,759 It sounds to me like you have found your home, and, uh, we're going to have to pry that steering wheel 722 01:07:08,760 --> 01:07:12,919 out of your fingers if we ever want to take it from you. Because you're in love with this company, 723 01:07:12,919 --> 01:07:16,560 you're in love with this gig, and it kind of sounds like you're in love with the road, too, man. 724 01:07:17,360 --> 01:07:20,959 Yeah, absolutely. You know, I want to get back regional to be able to see the wife a little bit 725 01:07:20,960 --> 01:07:26,158 more on the weekends and help her out with some stuff out in Texas. But, uh, yeah, this is this is 726 01:07:26,159 --> 01:07:31,800 definitely a what I didn't think was going to turn into a career now is. That's amazing. Well, 727 01:07:31,800 --> 01:07:37,879 listen, we always give an area for whoever joins us on this show to share their final thoughts 728 01:07:37,879 --> 01:07:43,399 with us. And this segment is meant to wrap up the entire segment. If there's anything that you 729 01:07:43,399 --> 01:07:48,038 didn't get to talk about, that is part of the story that you want to tell, please, now's the time. 730 01:07:48,039 --> 01:07:52,719 If you want to give a shout out to say that awesome wife of yours or any of the people that 731 01:07:52,719 --> 01:07:58,239 helped you along the way, you can do that too. Or, uh, we can just wrap it up here, Stephen. But the 732 01:07:58,240 --> 01:08:04,010 point is, the floor is yours for these last couple of minutes. And again, I just want to say thank you 733 01:08:04,010 --> 01:08:10,409 for coming on and telling this story. This is a powerful story and a gravitational one that, again, 734 01:08:10,449 --> 01:08:17,089 I think shows that you are in control of your situation. Sometimes you just have to work very, 735 01:08:17,089 --> 01:08:22,289 very hard to pull yourself up off the bottom. You're a shining example of doing that. My friend 736 01:08:22,290 --> 01:08:27,529 Stephen Henderson, thank you so much for joining us today here on the Cypress Truck Lines podcast. 737 01:08:27,529 --> 01:08:33,490 Final thoughts from you, my friend. Before we let you go today. Yes, say it with confidence. Don't say 738 01:08:33,490 --> 01:08:39,168 it with pride that whether you think you can or you think you can't. You're absolutely right. I 739 01:08:39,329 --> 01:08:44,129 believed in myself. And I got to where I am. And, Marcus, I'd have to ask you to not put this thing 740 01:08:44,129 --> 01:08:48,450 on the show if I didn't say. Samantha. I love you, sweetheart. To the moon and back times. Infinity 741 01:08:48,450 --> 01:08:53,369 and cancer. You kicked his butt. And I'm so proud of you. And I love. You. I'm so proud of her, too. I 742 01:08:53,409 --> 01:08:59,689 think she deserves a round of applause once again. Uh, full recovery. Uh. Doesn't matter. Stature does 743 01:08:59,689 --> 01:09:04,049 not matter. You mentioned she's petite. She's as strong as anyone you've ever met. Would be my 744 01:09:04,089 --> 01:09:10,289 guess. Without a doubt. That's amazing. Well, Samantha, from all of us here at the Cypress Truck 745 01:09:10,330 --> 01:09:17,049 Lines podcast, congratulations on your recovery and congratulations to you, Stephen, on finding 746 01:09:17,049 --> 01:09:22,369 this career. Um, I can't wait to have you back on this podcast again. Man, I feel like an hour and 747 01:09:22,369 --> 01:09:26,609 five minutes in. We've still only kind of scratched the surface. You're welcome back here 748 01:09:26,609 --> 01:09:32,369 any time, for any reason. Come join us again. This has been a fantastic conversation, Steve, and I 749 01:09:32,410 --> 01:09:36,369 greatly appreciate the time. We'll do. Thank you so much, Marcus. It's been great. 750 01:09:44,009 --> 01:09:50,129 Hats off to Stephen Henderson. What a fantastic interview. That's the longest one we've done here 751 01:09:50,129 --> 01:09:56,410 on the Cypress Truck Lines podcast and for very good reason. Okay, that one deserved. Like I said in 752 01:09:56,410 --> 01:10:02,528 the intro, every single second, and probably could even deserve more seconds. But you know what? 753 01:10:02,569 --> 01:10:07,689 Stephen was so gracious with his time today when we got off the the actual record with him, and I 754 01:10:07,690 --> 01:10:12,889 was just chatting with him on the phone, he's game. He's going to come back on this podcast at some 755 01:10:12,890 --> 01:10:18,489 point in time. In fact, we happened to find something in common. We're both drummers, okay? We 756 01:10:18,490 --> 01:10:24,329 are both animal from the Muppets. We both like to just get behind the set with a couple of sticks 757 01:10:24,330 --> 01:10:29,970 or weapons, if that's what you want to call them, and just hit stuff. And let me tell you, if we got 758 01:10:29,970 --> 01:10:34,969 other musicians out there, I would love to focus some content on the music that you love, the music 759 01:10:34,970 --> 01:10:39,608 that you play, the music that you make doesn't matter. We can get to that another time, and I'm 760 01:10:39,609 --> 01:10:46,089 sure that Stephen will join us for that. Uh, but I digress from that point, uh, because what a 761 01:10:46,089 --> 01:10:51,369 phenomenal interview we just had. It's not easy to come on here and tell all those stories. You know, 762 01:10:51,370 --> 01:10:56,339 there's one thing that really stuck out to me, Stephen said multiple times in that interview 763 01:10:56,339 --> 01:11:02,419 that he struggles with pride. He struggles with being too proud of a person. And I gotta be honest 764 01:11:02,420 --> 01:11:09,019 with you, if that guy struggles with pride, then I need to have a long conversation in a mirror with 765 01:11:09,019 --> 01:11:15,819 myself, okay? Because, uh, he he came off to me as humble. He came off to me as, um, 766 01:11:15,900 --> 01:11:22,739 as as a success story for one. Um, but as somebody who knew that he had control of his situation 767 01:11:22,740 --> 01:11:28,740 and he had to make things work, and so he did that. And listen, I'm no, I'm not the person. I'm not the 768 01:11:28,740 --> 01:11:33,339 authority here. But I'll tell you, if you're allowed to be proud of something, I would say you 769 01:11:33,339 --> 01:11:39,099 get to be proud of this story right here. Stephen Henderson. And, uh, we are so proud here on the 770 01:11:39,100 --> 01:11:43,619 Cypress Truck Lines podcast to have him be willing to jump on and share that story with us. 771 01:11:43,620 --> 01:11:48,819 As I said, it's not always easy to talk about this stuff. And when you're a guy that struggles with 772 01:11:48,819 --> 01:11:55,579 pride to say multiple times I was at the bottom. I was as far down as I could get to be able 773 01:11:55,580 --> 01:12:01,259 to admit to the fact that he was struggling with some addiction issues. You know, being somebody 774 01:12:01,259 --> 01:12:06,779 that has had loved ones struggle with addiction issues, what I can tell you is there is no helping 775 01:12:06,779 --> 01:12:12,579 yourself with addiction until you decide that you want to help yourself. And you can tell Stephen 776 01:12:12,580 --> 01:12:17,459 made that decision, just like the decision he made that he asked to provide for his wife. Just like 777 01:12:17,460 --> 01:12:23,299 the decision he made that he's got one shot, one opportunity, and he's not going to let it slip. Uh, 778 01:12:23,299 --> 01:12:28,859 just to reference Eminem again there, we have to since it got brought up. But, uh, I can't say thanks 779 01:12:28,860 --> 01:12:33,499 enough. And listen, maybe you're listening to this right now as somebody that's never come on the 780 01:12:33,499 --> 01:12:39,059 show, you're out there driving for Cypress or Sunbelt and you go, you know what? Um, that story 781 01:12:39,059 --> 01:12:44,220 inspires me, and I'm going to make some changes in my life, or I'm going to do things a different way. 782 01:12:44,379 --> 01:12:49,019 Uh, maybe you have a story similar to Stephen's that you would like to come on here and tell. 783 01:12:49,060 --> 01:12:54,859 That's what this podcast is for real stories talking about real things, how people deal with 784 01:12:54,859 --> 01:13:00,339 those real things. We're all just humans, man. And I was talking to somebody that I knew at a young 785 01:13:00,379 --> 01:13:07,060 age and I hadn't talked to him for, I don't know, probably 20 years, um, maybe 15, 20 years. And this 786 01:13:07,060 --> 01:13:13,899 is just recently, maybe a few weeks ago. And what we got to in the conversation was that, hey, you 787 01:13:13,900 --> 01:13:19,179 know, we all when we were kids, we thought that a lot of these adults that we looked up to, they had 788 01:13:19,180 --> 01:13:23,460 it figured out, man, they knew what was going on. They were marching to the beat of their own drum. 789 01:13:23,460 --> 01:13:29,619 They were kicking ass and taking names. And now that I am in my 40s and I look back at that young, 790 01:13:29,620 --> 01:13:35,699 fresh faced Marcus that thought all these adults had it figured out. What you realize is everybody 791 01:13:35,700 --> 01:13:41,459 is getting through it in the best way that they know how. And to a young, impressionable kid that 792 01:13:41,459 --> 01:13:46,979 looks like you've got it figured out. But to an adult, you're same age, or maybe you're senior, uh, 793 01:13:47,019 --> 01:13:52,069 it'll look very similar to them as something that listen, this is a road that you have to navigate 794 01:13:52,069 --> 01:13:57,709 and there's probably a ton of potholes in it. There's probably construction. You might be 795 01:13:57,710 --> 01:14:03,190 stopped for a while before you ever get to move forward again. You might not stop moving forward 796 01:14:03,190 --> 01:14:09,789 for years at a time. The point is, it's about how we navigate these things. It's about the reasons 797 01:14:09,789 --> 01:14:15,750 that we have to continue moving forward, whether that be your significant other at home like it 798 01:14:15,750 --> 01:14:20,910 was in Stephen's case, dealing with an illness, whether that be a bunch of kids that you want to 799 01:14:20,910 --> 01:14:25,989 put through college. You know, we talked to Randy about his kids and all the college that he's paid 800 01:14:25,990 --> 01:14:32,829 for through his work with Cypress. Um, these stories continue to go. And that's because we're 801 01:14:32,829 --> 01:14:37,949 all working for a company here. Uh, that that really takes pride in these stories and takes 802 01:14:37,950 --> 01:14:44,349 pride in having the ability to help out somebody so that they can tell these stories. And I'm sure 803 01:14:44,349 --> 01:14:48,069 that some of you are listening to these stories going, well when, you know, when my significant 804 01:14:48,069 --> 01:14:53,430 other was sick. Cypress, let me go home and be there for them and be at doctor's appointments 805 01:14:53,430 --> 01:14:58,269 and all that. That's great. Those are the stories we want to tell here. This one was a little bit 806 01:14:58,270 --> 01:15:04,309 different. Cypress was there as an opportunity for Stephen before they ever even knew what he was 807 01:15:04,310 --> 01:15:10,629 dealing with in his personal life, and still things worked out as good as they did. So that's 808 01:15:10,629 --> 01:15:15,469 why we're here. Okay. And let me tell you, I told Steven this off the air, but I feel like this 809 01:15:15,470 --> 01:15:20,629 deserves to be said on the air. I don't think you guys understand how much it means to me as the 810 01:15:20,629 --> 01:15:26,029 host of this show, uh, that you guys will come on here and open up like that, and and, you know, 811 01:15:26,069 --> 01:15:30,709 Steven told me, he said you got a way of breaking down walls. You're you're good at that part of it. 812 01:15:30,710 --> 01:15:36,709 And I don't know if that's the case. I will tell you. Thank you to Steven for those kind words. I 813 01:15:36,750 --> 01:15:42,148 greatly appreciate any time that anybody tells me that, but I will tell you that it comes from a 814 01:15:42,350 --> 01:15:47,869 place of privilege. In my heart. I feel so privileged that I get to be the one that sits 815 01:15:47,870 --> 01:15:53,069 here with you while you tell these stories and ask the questions. I'll be honest with you, it just 816 01:15:53,069 --> 01:16:00,029 comes from the curiosity and the sort of student of human nature that I am. That, and I'm a 817 01:16:00,029 --> 01:16:06,108 gum flapper who loves conversation. All right. But all jokes aside, thank you. Not just to Stephen 818 01:16:06,109 --> 01:16:11,990 today, but for all of you Cypress drivers and employees that have come on this show and given 819 01:16:11,990 --> 01:16:17,789 me your time. Been so generous with your time, told your stories. This is I mean, we're still just 820 01:16:17,789 --> 01:16:23,029 scratching the surface here. We've just passed the 20 episode mark. We got a lot more of these to 821 01:16:23,029 --> 01:16:29,949 come every week. We'll do at least an hour. Hey, in today's US, in today's sense, I think 822 01:16:29,950 --> 01:16:35,109 we did what, like hour and ten hour and 15, I don't know, there's probably a lot of ums and us that my, 823 01:16:35,150 --> 01:16:40,549 my audio ninja might can slice out, because I was pretty engrossed in that story. And when I get 824 01:16:40,549 --> 01:16:46,239 engrossed in a story, the broadcast chops just kind of fly out the window. I'm just a storyteller. 825 01:16:46,279 --> 01:16:53,159 Or better yet, a story listener at that point. So we'll be back for you. Next week, we want to talk 826 01:16:53,160 --> 01:16:59,680 to you. Head on over to the website podcast.com. That is where you can get in touch with me. If 827 01:16:59,680 --> 01:17:03,959 this story inspired you and you want to talk about it. Let's talk about it. If you've got a 828 01:17:03,960 --> 01:17:08,479 story of your own that you want to tell, let's talk about it. That's why we're here on the 829 01:17:08,480 --> 01:17:14,399 Cypress Truck Lines podcast. Stay safe out there, drivers. Keep the shiny side up. And until next 830 01:17:14,399 --> 01:17:19,519 week. Uh, yeah. Just, uh, just keep those wheels rolling. I, I think I messed that up. I'm supposed 831 01:17:19,519 --> 01:17:24,599 to say, until next week. Stay safe. Keep the shiny side up. This has been the Cypress Truck Lines 832 01:17:24,600 --> 01:17:25,279 podcast.