Life OTR: How Cypress Drivers Spend Their Off Time
Cypress Trucking PodcastReleased 05/20/2026
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Episode description
The miles are logged. The load is delivered. The 10 hour break has started. So what does an OTR driver actually do with that time? In Episode 20 of the Cypress Truck Lines Podcast Marcus gets three Cypress OTR drivers together for one of the most laid back and genuinely fun conversations the show has ever had. Parris McLeod, Greg Boyd, and Jeramy Richard talk about everything they get into while out on the road. Workouts in the cab and at the truck stop gym. Gaming setups that would make most people jealous. Meal prep strategies that keep them healthy and out of the Arby's drive through. Sightseeing in cities most people only see from an airplane window. Favorite places to stop. Least favorite places to stop. The 34 hour reset and what drivers actually do with all that time when the clock is running. And the little moments of life on the road that nobody tells you about before you get your CDL. This is OTR life without the filter. Light, fun, and completely real. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Subscribe now and never miss a mile.
Everybody always talks about driving. The miles. The loads. The routes. Nobody ever really talks about what happens when the truck stops. Because out here when you shut it down for the day you are not just a driver anymore. You are a person with time to fill in a place that is not your home. And what you do with that time says a lot more about you than how you handle the load.
Episode 20 of the Cypress Truck Lines Podcast is one of the most relaxed and genuinely fun conversations Marcus has had on the show. Three Cypress OTR drivers joined him to talk about everything that happens around the job. Workouts in the cab and on the truck stop parking lot. Gaming setups that would make most people jealous. Meal prep strategies that are saving money and adding years to their lives. Sightseeing in cities most people only see from a car window on the way to a delivery. Favorite truck stops. Least favorite truck stops. And the honest reality of how drivers fill a 10 hour break or a 34 hour reset when you are hundreds of miles from home with nothing on your schedule but time.
Marcus says he looked up at the clock and 57 minutes had gone by without anyone noticing. That is a good episode.
New episodes drop every Wednesday at podcast.cypresstruck.com
Episode Highlights
The real life of an OTR driver starts when the wheels stop: Marcus opens the episode with a line that sets the tone perfectly. Driving is the job. But what you do with your time off the clock is where the real character of an OTR driver shows up. Some guys are throwing kettlebells around in a parking lot. Some are deep in a 10 hour audiobook about aliens and Lord of the Rings. Some are gaming. Some are meal prepping. All of them are figuring out how to live a full life inside a job that keeps you away from home for extended stretches. This episode is their guide.
Working out on the road: Jeramy's health journey is one of the most practical and relatable threads of the episode. After nearly two decades on the road he made a decision to take his fitness seriously and the results are real. He talks about what is actually possible when you commit to moving your body during a reset, even without a gym, even in a truck stop parking lot, even when you are tired and the easiest thing would be to just sit down. Marcus notes in the outro that Jeramy is moving better and feeling better and that is not nothing after 19 years of OTR miles.
Gaming in the cab. Greg makes the case: Greg's gaming setup is practical, intentional, and something Marcus openly endorses. A good laptop, a 34 hour reset, and a game you actually care about is a legitimate way to decompress after a hard stretch. Greg makes the point that gaming during a 10 hour break is harder to pull off, you barely get into it before the alarm goes off. The 34 hour reset is where gaming earns its place in the rotation. Marcus confirms this from personal experience and the two have an immediate and genuine connection over it.
Meal prep changes everything: The food conversation in this episode is practical and honest. Truck stop food is expensive, not particularly healthy, and after enough miles it stops being exciting. The drivers who figure out meal prep early, packing food from home, using the microwave at Loves, making smarter choices at the truck stop, are the ones who feel better, spend less money, and last longer on the road. Marcus has talked about this on the show before but hearing three drivers with different experience levels all arrive at the same conclusion gives it real weight.
Uncle Traveling Matt. Marcus's favorite storytelling tangent: Marcus goes off on a brief and genuinely wonderful tangent in the intro about a driver he met who lives full time in his truck, has a P.O. box as his only address, and spends every moment of off time hiking, visiting museums, and soaking up the history of everywhere the road takes him. Marcus calls him Uncle Traveling Matt. The point of the story is simple: OTR does not have to feel like time away from your life. For the right person it can be life. Parris, Greg, and Jeramy are all somewhere on that spectrum.
19 years of perspective from Jeramy: Having a driver with 19 years at Cypress in the room gives this episode something the lighter off time conversation would not have had on its own. Jeramy is not here to be nostalgic. He is here because he is still out there doing it and doing it better than he ever has. The fact that a driver with that much tenure is actively working on his health, staying engaged with the job, and still finding things to enjoy about the road says something about Cypress and something about the kind of people the company attracts and keeps.
From The Host
“I looked up at the clock and it said 57 minutes and I will be honest with you my entire body clenched. We try to keep these around an hour and when you are at 57 minutes and have not even started wrapping up yet that is both a great sign and a logistical problem at the same time. What I loved about this conversation is that you got the full range. Parris is about a year in and everything is still a little bit new. Greg has found his rhythm and his laptop. Jeramy has been at it for 19 years and is in the best shape of his career right now. Three different places in the same journey. And they all figured out the same thing, the time between the loads is not dead time. It is life time. You just have to decide what to do with it.” — Marcus Bridges, Host
Have a story to tell or want to be a guest? Email us at podcast.cypresstruck.com
Transcript
Expand to read the full episode transcript.
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You know, everybody always talks about the driving, the miles, the loads, the routes, all of it. Nobody
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ever really talks about what happens when the truck stops. Because out here, when you shut it
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down for the day, you're not just a driver anymore. You're a guy with time to fill in a place that's
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not your home. And what do you do with that time that says a lot more about you than how you
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handle the load? In my opinion, some guys are throwing kettlebells around on a parking lot. Some
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are driving into a ten hour audio book session about aliens and Lord of the rings. Some are
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gaming on their off time and some are trying to eat better, feel better, and live a little bit
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longer. And the truth is that time off the clock, that's where the real life of a truck driver
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actually shows up. So today we're not talking about the job as much. We're talking about
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everything that happens around it.
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Count down to the Cypress Truck Lines podcast starts now.
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Your number one professional flatbed podcast here to deliver stories, safety updates and company
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news directly to your ears. Let's get down to business.
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How's the weather out there? Cypress and Sun Belt. Welcome into yet another episode of the Cypress
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Truck Lines podcast. So happy to have you here today. Thank all of you for clicking download. You
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know listens are going up. We're getting more people checking out this podcast every single
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week. And a big part of that is because you drivers are out there talking about it, man. Word
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of mouth. We love it. So tell your friends about the Cypress Truck Lines podcast, because we've got
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just a mountain of content to produce for you, and we're not slowing down right now. We are on a
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gravy train with biscuit wheels on this podcast, and I'm loving every second of it. Uh,
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podcast.cypresstruck.com is our website. That's where you need to go. That's the podcast landing page.
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Everything that you could ask for that's attached to this podcast is up there right now. All the
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episodes, all the people that we've had in, uh, what we're talking about, you can listen to them right
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there. So you don't have to have an app like Spotify or Apple Music if you don't want one. Uh,
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just bookmark the web page once again, podcast.cypresstruck.com, and there's a link up there. I
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say this every week. There's a link up there where you can do a one click email to me. You click it
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and you're right there sending something to my inbox. If you've got any recommendations for, uh,
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episodes, topics, something you want to come on and talk about, maybe you don't have any idea what you
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want to come on and talk about, but you know that it sounds fun and you want to be a part of it.
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Send me an email. I will find a spot for you. I will turn your topic suggestions into episodes. I
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will do backflips for this podcast. But those 41 year old backflips into a pool where you kind of
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land on your head. Um, I'm. Look, I'm past my peak playing days, okay? But I'm trying here, and that's
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all it matters. So once again, podcast.cypresstruck.com for all the episodes and to get in
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touch with me directly to collaborate on some content. Love to welcome you on. In fact, today
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we're welcoming on three drivers that have never joined us before. Uh, they just one day got a call
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from kind of a fast talking dude with a podcast, and all of a sudden they're on the show. We got
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some great recommendations from the Jacksonville terminal, uh, for these drivers today, because
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today's topic covers, like I said, in the cold open, everything outside of the job. Uh, and
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specifically for OTR drivers, you know, regional guys, uh, local guys, this isn't as big of a topic
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for you because you get to spend a little bit more time at home. But the drivers that are going
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to join us here in a little bit, we've got one of them that gets home pretty much every weekend, but
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the other guys are staying out for extended periods of time, and I want to know what they're
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doing to occupy their time when the wheels aren't turning. You know, a ten hour break in the scope of
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the truck driving world doesn't sound like that much, and I'm sure a lot of you drivers know
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exactly what I'm talking about. After working the job that you work, taking a ten hour break
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probably feels like one of those blink and you'll miss it moments. Um, or when you fall asleep and
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you, you're so tired and you can't wait to get to sleep. And you fall asleep, and you open your eyes,
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and the alarm's going off. Yeah, I totally understand that. Um, but I also understand that
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some days aren't like that where you're so crushed that you gotta fall asleep the minute
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that your head hits the pillow. Maybe you want to get out and move the body around a little bit.
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Maybe you want to, uh, check into some entertainment or go find yourself a nice new
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restaurant that you've never been to before. That's where I feel like the real meat lies in
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the life of an OTR truck driver. You know, in almost four years making podcasts for truck
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drivers. I've met some guys that are what I would say goes beyond just curious. They are straight up
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adventurous on the road now. Obviously they have a job to do, but that doesn't stop them. I know one
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guy who lives in his truck. He has a P.O. box, but he is literally stricken with wanderlust and he
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does not ever come home. He might go back to the yard, but he is in his truck and he's hiking and
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he's sightseeing and he's going to museums. He's just out learning about everything he can, soaking
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up the history of the country. And it was him. Uh, this guy's name is Matt, and I call him Uncle
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Traveling. Matt. He's. He's a great guy. Um, just one of the coolest people to talk to because he's
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filled his free time up with life experience. And anything that you want to talk about, you can talk
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about it from, like, a semi educated standpoint with Matt, because he's gone out there and he's
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lived it. He's seen it. Um, and and that is kind of the inspiration behind today's episode. We're all
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different, all right? We're all people. We're all fighting battles that none of us know anything
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about. We've all got weird little hobbies that we really enjoy putting time into that maybe you
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just don't know about us, you know? Or maybe we don't want to talk about it because you might
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have some opinions. Well, we're throwing all that out the window today. Opinions be damned. We're
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going to talk to three drivers just around the corner here. And we're going to get into all of
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the things they do with their off time. And granted, there will be a few tangents, a few rabbit
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holes that we dive down because that's what this podcast is great for. Why wouldn't we, uh, but we're
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going to get a real peek behind the curtain here into what OTR driving is really like. And one of
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these guys, uh, has been doing this for a very long time. So it's really good information here that
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you're about to get, uh, again, we can talk about whatever we can do a part two of this episode. You
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know, I got these three guys. They were recommended to me. I called him up. It worked out. Um, that
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doesn't mean that that's the end of talking about life, Otter. If you're listening to this and you've
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got some hobbies that you enjoy pursuing out there on the road and want to talk about them, I
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would love to have you on once again. Head on over to podcast.com and send me an email. Uh,
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because this is I, these are some of my most favorite episodes. They're kind of human interest
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episodes. What are you guys doing out there? The job is so unique and it's so demanding and it's
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so isolating that I want to know how you guys keep a level head out there. And I think that what
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you're about to hear from my three drivers, uh, is really going to give you a peek behind that
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curtain. So that's enough flapping the gums for me. Uh, let's get into this one. This interview ran a
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little bit long, so the outro is going to be kind of short here. Uh, just like the intro and cold
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open were. I want to save all the time we've got today for the meat of this episode. And that meat
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is on the grill right now. Oh.
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All right. Welcome back in here to the Cypress Truck Lines podcast. Now, I don't talk about this
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very often here on the show, but one of the more exciting times for me, doing the job that I do is
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when I get new drivers on the air, guys that have never done the podcast before, taking a chance and
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coming in here to talk to a guy that most of them have never met either. So, uh, today is definitely
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one of those days, and I want to welcome my drivers in right now because we got three of them
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joining us here for the topic today. First and foremost, let's welcome Parris McLeod to the show.
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Parris, thank you so much for joining us today, my friend. Thank you for having me I appreciate it.
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Now, you are the unique one in the group because I actually met you. I interrupted a kettlebell
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workout of yours when I was down in Tampa. Beautiful weather. You were outside working out
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and I saw you standing outside that cypress truck and I just couldn't help myself. I had to come
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over and give you a pair of gloves and introduce myself, man. So, uh, thanks for not running away from
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me the opposite direction when you, when you were doing your work out there. Oh good I appreciate it
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I appreciate it it does. Good, man. Good. I hope that we've gotten some really good feedback on those
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gloves. So I hope that they're working out for you guys and at least lasted a week because I know
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you guys are gonna go through them, so. All right, man. Well, welcome to the show. We're we're grateful
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to have you here. And we'll be talking a little bit about those kettlebell workouts here in a few
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minutes. Uh, let's bring in our next driver here, joining us as well. We've got Greg Boyd on the
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phone. Greg, thank you so much for being here, man. Not a problem. Happy to talk. Hey, I appreciate you
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taking the chance again. Uh, it can be a little intimidating coming in here with a fast talking
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guy you've never met, but I promise to make it fun. Okay? Yeah, we'll see how it goes. All right. And
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finally joining us, we've got Jeramy Richard on the show. Jeramy, we're glad to have you here as
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well, my friend. Thanks for being here. Yeah, it's a pleasure. So, fellas, let's find out just a little
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bit about your guys's, uh, careers with Cypress. I want to know sort of how long you've been driving
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for him and if you've ever done anything other than OTR. Uh, for Cypress. Parris. I'll start with you.
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Um, I'm going to assume I'm probably the newest of the bytes. Like, I, uh, I actually just got my CDL
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last April and first job with Cypress, and, uh, I'm about to hit a year, I guess,
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sometime this month, so I'm fresh to it. I don't have any other experience. Cypress is just all I
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know. That's awesome. And you know what? We give applause for that first year and any milestone
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that you hit on this podcast. So, uh, congratulations to you on One Year In, man. Um, so
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you've just been doing OTR for that year. Um, was that an adjustment at all? The lifestyle of OTR is
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pretty demanding. Uh, how did you take to it when you first started out? You know, honestly, I mean,
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obviously it's it's definitely like a culture shock because you just have to, like, just deal
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with the reality of, like, what it actually is when you're out there, like, I have to get a shout out
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to my trainer, Trevor Runyon, because he really just, like, set the tone for me of like, what
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everything was going to be like. But I will say, like, as far as, like what I got when I was in
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school because I didn't go to CTC. Um, literally every recruiter that ever came into the school
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told us we were going to be out for just guaranteed 3 to 4 weeks, at least at a time. And so
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to be able to run into Cypress, where you know, they do out, they offer a little more home time
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because, you know, I'm home, you know, at least for 34 in the weekend. So like, as far as I'm concerned,
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like that's just entirely a blessing compared to the way that everybody else is telling you. Sure,
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sure. Well, you know, if you listen to our episode that came out last week, uh, actually, you guys
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can't do that because we're recording this episode in advance like we do all of them. But the
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episode that will release, I believe, on the 13th of May, uh, is all about Cypress and the
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operations and how they get you guys more home time. Uh, I, I imagine that had to be super
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refreshing to find out that it wasn't going to be a month out on the road. Just right off the bat,
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right? Oh, yeah. I mean, because, you know, because it's just a reality. You don't actually know where
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it is you get yourself into until you're actually doing it. Yeah. So sometimes it's cool to just the
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idea of like, all right, I get a little reset break instead of just God knows how long this has to go
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on. If it doesn't go as well as you might like it to right off the bat. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Well, that's
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great stuff there. Thank you for that. Parrish. Uh, Parris. Um, Greg, gonna go to you real quick here. How
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long have you been working with Cypress? And have you been over the road the whole time? Uh, started
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in September of 23 with Cypress. Did the, I guess, the usual thing of. They keep you for about six
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months to. And the southeast region. But as soon as I could, uh, hop out the OTR, I did, because I was
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already. I didn't have any other commitments, so I was already out for two weeks at a time, and I
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knew two weeks was the minimum for OTR. So I figured we would take the pay bump and go see
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something else other than, Alabama and Georgia. There you go. There you go. And did you have any.
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OTR experience before Cypress? No. It was all mostly local stuff that I did. Okay. All
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right. Well, uh, now that you've been at it for what? We're going on three years here. How what's what's
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your assessment? How do you like it? Uh, it's pretty much exactly what I wanted and what I was looking
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for. And, uh, my trainer was an OTR guy as well, so he set me up pretty well as far as expectations.
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That's great, man. That's great. Well, shout out to the trainers. Uh, we need to shout out Parris's
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trainer. Uh, Trevor, was it Trevor Parris? Is that what you said? Yes, sir. Okay. Shout out to Trevor.
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And what was your trainer's name? Greg. Christopher Sandifer, Christopher Sandifer. Shout out to a man.
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We love the trainers on this show, and I always want to give him their flowers. So far, it sounds
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like they gave you guys a really good representation of what you what you were up
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against. And, uh, that doesn't surprise me at all, man. We've gotten a lot of high marks for trainers
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on this podcast from drivers. So, uh, it just it's got to make you feel good to know that there's no,
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uh, weird expectations or things coming out of left field when you finally get in that truck by
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yourself the first time, right? Well, it's the best way to go about it is set their expectations
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appropriately. Absolutely, absolutely. And, Jeramy, how long have you been working for Cypress?
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June makes 19 years. Wow. Uh, we're going to give you an early applause for that one, because June's
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just a few weeks away. But that's okay, man. That is a hell of a career already. And I would assume
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after that long you're not going anywhere. No, I don't plan on it. You know, I I'm thinking probably
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25 years, and we'll figure something out. Figure something out for sure, man. Well, what about it has
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kept you at Cypress for that long? Because trucking is a high turnover industry. And, uh, guys
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that have been 20 years at one company are few and far between. So what is it about Cypress? Why
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have you stayed? I've always respected the pendants from your divi. The old man that started
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the place. Um. They were just good people. You know, they, um. They work. You
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know, it's easy to work for someone who's going to work for themselves, you know, and all the boys. And.
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And he worked seven days a week back in, you know, years ago.
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Um, and Aaron will call you on the weekends until they all work. They put in a time. And there
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was that sign. Matt spoke about it a little while back in an infinity training video where, uh, there
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was a sign on the wall said, use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without. And that sign kind of
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resonated with me. And, um, you know, I've always just enjoyed it. They treated me fair. They, they
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they've done everything I could ask for them or of them. They're good people. They really are. They
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really are, man. It's, you know, there's there's only a few times in your life when you get to walk
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into a group of people, like the group of people that make up Cypress, and I'm talking from top to
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bottom, uh, front to back. It's everybody that I met there. And when I first got in there, I felt it. I
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could feel that people were happy to be where they were. I feel like people took pride in their
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work, and more than anything, I feel like everybody had everybody else's. Back at Cypress when I was
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there. I've been there two times. I've visited a few of the terminals and that goes for everybody,
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man. It's it's really an impressive group of people. And I'm glad you brought that up today. Uh,
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Jeramy, because, uh, you know, it's it's something that needs to be said more often. This is an
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awesome company and there's a lot of people working at it. 500 drivers. That's crazy. That
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doesn't even touch all the office staff. And it's all good people. So I'm glad you brought that up,
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man. That makes sense. And I'm glad that you've been with us for 19 years. You've seen a lot in
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this company over 19 years, haven't you? Yes. It's changed quite a bit. You know, when I got here, we
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were all still running paper. We had 70 plus mile an hour trucks and you know.
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The. Deregulation. Yes, sir. Yep. Yep. Well, they've been doing nothing but tying you up in
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red tape for the last 19 years, but, uh, that's you and every other driver, right? Yeah, sure. It's, uh.
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Yeah. Wasn't for attorneys or wasn't he lawyers? Amen to that. Amen to that, man. Well that's awesome,
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fellas. Well, listen, you guys all know why you're here today, but I haven't said anything about it
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since we started, uh, recording. And. And really, what we're here to talk about is life. Oh, tr I mean,
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obviously, it's an isolating job. You're out there by yourself sometimes. It's out there for a really
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long time. Uh, fortunately, with a company like Cypress, we don't always have to worry about
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staying out for 4 to 6 weeks. Like, uh, Parris was saying, uh, but I know that you guys get involved
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in some things out there just to keep your head straight, just to pass the time. Uh, we got tens on
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the road. We got 30 fours on the road. These are long times. the long time frames that you guys can
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find something to do. If you're not just going to be sleeping and catching up on sleep. Uh, and I
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happen to know that firsthand because like I already said, I totally took like ten minutes of
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Parris's time from him. Uh, during a break when he was doing a kettlebell workout. Parris, I want to
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talk to you about that, man. How often are you working out on the road? Because I saw your
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shoulders. And I would say it's every day, maybe twice a day. Dude, you got I mean, I, you know,
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nothing weird here, but you looked good, man. Uh, not that serious. I, I honestly,
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I try and get, like, three, uh, three times at least. And it doesn't always happen, because sometimes,
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you know, your workday just doesn't work out where you can get it. But that's definitely my aim is
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about three times a week. And and honestly, you're not like somebody said something about it today
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when I was, uh, when I was delivering. So you're not the only one. Yeah. Well, I'll see you. I'm telling
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you, man, I got I got some bunnies with shoulders like yours, and I'm. I'm asking them every time I'm
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in the same room. Hey, what are you doing? What are you eating? Like, what are you lifting? And
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obviously, whatever it is, you guys have got it figured out, man. And, uh, does that help you with
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the job, staying in shape like that? Because three times a week is. That's a good pace, man. You're
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you're working out, you know, almost most of the days of the week. And the job that you're doing is
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pretty physically demanding. You find that staying in shape kind of helps you from getting sore from
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tarpon loads or anything like that. So honestly, like I did one of those people where, like I've
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worked out for, uh, the majority of my life and I didn't want truck driving to be the thing to stop
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it, and I, I mean, maybe I'm wrong about this, but I kind of feel like for how hard, like, a lot of us
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work when it comes time to, like, even if you don't have to tarp the load when we deliver it and
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we're trying to untie it as fast as we can so those tires back up on the truck, like it's kind
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of a shock to your body if like, it just does that, you know, once a day, sometimes twice a day. And
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that's the only action you get because, you know, your body's not really prepared for it per se. So
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I just find that, at least for me. I mean, I haven't done it with not work out, but at least for me, I
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feel better when like I'm just staying in shape and I'm primed for it. You know, I have no problem
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going over and helping another driver with his cars and stuff like that, just because I want to
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be active. And I mean, that's part of the reason that honestly, I'm so glad that I'm doing fly
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baiting as opposed to banned. Yeah. Yeah. Those guys bumping docs don't get a lot of work in, do they?
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Not for the looks of it, because I see a lot of them, you know, you have the loves you're fueling
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up. You see dudes waddling back and forth to the pump, and it's just not a good look for me, to be
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honest. Hey, I totally understand, man. And something. There's a stat that I can share with you here. Uh,
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the the average life expectancy of a truck driver is only, like, 61 years old. And obviously, it's one
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of those jobs where you're sitting a lot. And, you know, it's funny. I'm. I'll date myself here. I'm 41
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years old, so I'm not in my athletic prime anymore. Uh, but just last week, I was sitting up here for,
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like, six hours in the same spot, recording shows and sending emails and doing everything that I do
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during the day. And I decided, you know what? I'm going to go down and get the rowing machine out
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and get a good workout in. And I was 15 minutes from standing up. I was down there on the thing
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rowing and within like seven minutes, I was totally burnt out and I couldn't figure out why I
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was in such terrible shape that day until it occurred to me like, do you just spent almost
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seven hours sitting in the same spot? Anything physical is going to be a shock to the system
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after sitting for that long, and that's something that your job demands that you do. So I think your
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mind sets right where it should be, man. If you want to stay in shape, you don't want to have a
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shock to the system. Keep throwing those kettlebells around. Man. That's definitely the plan.
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I mean, you know, like I said, something I've been doing for the majority of my life, and I don't
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want this to be the thing that, you know, curves me in the wrong direction. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Uh, Greg,
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let's move over to you here, man. Uh, what is the first hour look like for you? What type of stuff
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are you getting into when you shut down? Is it all catching up on sleep? Do you have hobbies that you
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pursue? Are you working out like Parris? What's it look like out there? Uh, well, my hobby, for the most
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part, is, uh, computer based. It's games and, uh, reading electronic books and stuff like that. Oh,
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man. So for me, my personal whole thing about that is I don't like to do it for, you know, 30, 45
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minutes. I like longer sessions. So unfortunately, most days I end up, uh, just kind of reading
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something or catching up on sleep because I just don't have enough time in between shutting down
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and getting back on the road to really get into it. But on my 30 fours, I definitely spend a solid
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chunk of that. And are you are you console gaming? Are you PC gaming? What's what's your setup look
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like in the cab and what are you playing? Uh, overall it's a little bit of both. The while I'm
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on the road, it's just easier to take with you. Um, last couple of years, I've been into, uh,
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Aldersgate three and hell divers two. Are hell divers is a lot of fun. I haven't picked up
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Baldur's Gate three yet. Uh, I, I really think I'm going to, because I just found a turn based combat
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game that I'm really enjoying called War Tales right now. And so I hear some really, really good
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things about Baldur's Gate three. And, uh, hell divers two provided some of the funniest moments
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I've had in gaming since, like, the early Halo days. So it's it's the bugs and glitches that make it
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fun. Yeah, I really am blowing your friends up every now and then. It's always a good laugh too,
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right? Oh yeah. Well that's awesome man. And so you you do do some, uh, do you like, put together? You
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say you're reading books, obviously educating yourself about it. Do you build your PCs or are
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you, uh, one of those guys that likes to take them all apart and upgrade them and make them run like
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a jet? What's what are the books that you're reading and and what's the what's the purpose
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behind that besides just education? Uh, most of the books I read are fantasy, sci fi kind of thing. So
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not super educational, just something to keep my, you know, hour for an hour or two a day. Yes. Um, as
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far as building PCs, back when I was, uh, home every night. Every other night. Um, yeah, I had a tower PC
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that I, uh, put together, and I upgraded every now and then. But with being on the road, just can't
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take that with you. So now I've got a dedicated, uh, game and a laptop. Okay. Awesome. Very cool. I love
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to hear it, man. Well, uh, I actually, before I go away from it, let me ask you any books that you'd
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like to recommend, because, listen, there's a lot more fantasy and sci fi fans out there than would
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ever admit it. And I'm sure they're listening to this going, man, I wonder what he's reading, if he's
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able to occupy his time and actually get something out of it. So any books that you'd
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recommend? Uh, well, for the most part, I do audiobooks just because I can keep doing it while
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I'm driving. Um, you really need to kill time over a couple of weeks. One of the best series you can
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do is the Lord of the rings series. The Rob Engels version is the one I prefer. Okay. And
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then, uh, if you like Star Wars, but not new Star Wars. Some of the, uh,
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the ones I like are the original Braun trilogy. So I would recommend listening to those. Okay. You
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know, uh, my wife is a gigantic Lord of the rings fan. Uh, nerd, even I could say. And and she would be
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totally happy to hear me say that, but she has a three foot Balrog, uh, action figure in her room, up
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on the wall. So she's really into it. And she was just going back through and listening to the Lord
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of the rings trilogy. You're not kidding about killing two weeks, man. She listened to that only
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in the mornings when she would get ready for work. And I'm telling you, it took her, like, eight, ten
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weeks to get through the book series. Only listening that long, you know, maybe an hour or two
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each day. It's crazy how long those books are. Oh, yeah. I mean, even driving, you know, nine, 11 hours a
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day, it'll still take you the better part of two weeks to get through it. That's wild. That's wild,
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and it is. I mean, they're great books, man. It's they are a hard read. I will say that though. If
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you were going to sit down and flip through the pages, it's a little bit of a slog, but coming
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through on audiobook it's even more entertaining, I feel like. Mhm. Awesome. Well thanks for that Greg.
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Jeramy. Thanks for being patient, man. Your turn. What are some of the hobbies that you're pursuing
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out there on the road when you've got time to pursue them? Go do a lot of reading. I haven't got
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as much of that. Um, lately, um, I've discovered audiobooks, though. Like, he, like he has. And it
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does help now I don't I try to read more finished chaos book about the Manson family.
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Uh, you know. Yeah, that's a good one. Yeah. A lot of the Erich Von Daniken stuff. The alien stuff, I, I
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don't know, I like it. So the, uh, recent release of all the UFO or UAPs? Yeah, the footage from the
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government I got that's been pretty interesting. You got to call up Gibby and talk to Gibby about
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some of that stuff, man. He's, uh, he's really into it, and, uh, he he did a great episode with us where
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he talked about an experience he had. Um, but, you know, look, it's something I find I've been making
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podcasts for truck drivers for almost four years now, and I feel like there's a lot of truck
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drivers that are at least at the very outside, curious about all of this unknown kind of
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paranormal stuff. And, uh, does that do you think, Jeramy, that comes from just you've got all this
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time on the road where you're by yourself and you're just thinking about this stuff? I think so.
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You know, you get out on some of these back roads where you can see the stars and, uh, you just
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wonder, how are we the other ones here? Yeah. Yep. Have you ever had any weird experiences out on
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the road? Yeah, I swear that I was I was in Colorado way back years ago, and I know
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I saw two aircraft that were not man made, just the way they moved, you know? And everyone I tell
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about it, they all think I'm insane. But they weren't. They weren't man made. You know, we had a
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customer out there where we would load a lot of rocks at, and it's in a valley between a bunch of,
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you know, a bunch of huge mountains. And there's no way these legs were man made and they weren't
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stationary. So, um, I don't know, it was pretty wild. It was interesting to sit there and watch them. I
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bet, man, I bet. Well, listen, you've always got a friend here on this show. I'm never going to tell
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you that you're insane. I feel like anybody that thinks that they've got it, that figured out at
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this point in time is the scariest person in the room. If you want my honest opinion, because
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there's enough proof of it out there. Now, look, we don't know what, but something I mean, that's I see
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I feel like that's very easy to say, especially when you got, like, fighter jet pilots and things
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like that, showing you radar of weird shapes zipping through the sky, like, look, I'm not
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surprised at this point if it is little green men, okay? I'm just going to say that that might make
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everybody think I'm insane. But, uh, it's I mean, this is one of the reasons that I think we don't
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know as much yet as we probably should. Jeramy, is they say that about only 10% of
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experiences that people have with weird crafts or seeing apparitions or whatever. Only about 10% of
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those ever go reported. So it's like almost everybody's having these experiences, but nobody's
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talking about it, which is kind of weird to me. Yeah, I agree. Like, they, uh, I think people are
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afraid of the other friends judging them or something. And, you know, I'm not I'm not really
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worried about that. Good. Yeah. Don't. Y'all don't want to believe it. Y'all don't have to. Yeah,
320
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exactly. Not I'm not I'm not up here stumping, trying to get a bunch of people on my side. I just,
321
00:28:45,239 --> 00:28:49,958
uh, you know, I'm curious, but anything else that you get into, obviously the audiobooks and
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00:28:49,959 --> 00:28:55,120
everything. But are you. Do you do anything you get out of the truck? Do you hike, fish, anything like
323
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that? And you got a 34? I do, I um, I recently, you know, heard that podcast you had with the, with the
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00:29:01,959 --> 00:29:08,919
doctor, you know, the average age of 61. And I just turned 45. So I decided I don't I'd
325
00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:14,249
like to be around a little bit longer. I started eating healthier and losing weight about about 40
326
00:29:14,250 --> 00:29:21,209
pounds, you know, and, um, exercising a little more. Again, it's not always easy to do, but
327
00:29:21,650 --> 00:29:28,369
I don't want to be around for only another 15 years. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
328
00:29:28,410 --> 00:29:34,849
That's great man. Congratulations on dropping 40 pounds. That's no small feat. No, no, it's not like
329
00:29:34,850 --> 00:29:41,530
it's not easy. Do I cut out a lot of the the breads, the sugars and the sugary drinks? And,
330
00:29:42,089 --> 00:29:48,049
you know, my body is still craving the sugar, but it's it's, you know, do what I can. It's difficult
331
00:29:48,050 --> 00:29:54,010
to do on the road. Every time you stop to eat. There's French fries or cheeseburgers that you
332
00:29:54,010 --> 00:30:00,290
smell at. Yes, sir. So do. You. Hard to do. Are you cooking food in the truck, or are you meal
333
00:30:00,290 --> 00:30:05,050
prepping before you go out, or are you still eating out and just, uh, staying away from the bad
334
00:30:05,050 --> 00:30:10,499
stuff? Normally I cook, I'm an a a loner truck right now, but normally I cook like if I. If I'm
335
00:30:10,499 --> 00:30:16,938
off on a 34. I will spend one of those days. You're going to a grocery store buying some food and and
336
00:30:16,939 --> 00:30:23,779
cooking and, you know, just meal prep for the week. Yeah. I'm gonna I like it because it's better food,
337
00:30:23,780 --> 00:30:29,139
you know? It tastes better. Absolutely. Absolutely. And so much better for you. And you're gonna feel
338
00:30:29,180 --> 00:30:33,978
better, uh, after you eat that better food for you, you're not going to feel like you just got hit by
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00:30:33,979 --> 00:30:40,979
a truck. Which, man? After a couple of donuts in the soda and a thing of fries at 41, I really do feel
340
00:30:40,979 --> 00:30:47,859
it now. It never was the case. In my 30s, I can eat like a trash compactor. Uh, but now. Wow. It really
341
00:30:47,860 --> 00:30:53,179
does have an effect on you. And I imagine, especially for the type of job you do. Jeramy. Yes,
342
00:30:53,180 --> 00:30:59,499
yes, it, um, I'm like, you know, back when I was 20 years old, I could eat pizza. Knocking the whole
343
00:30:59,500 --> 00:31:06,500
pizza. Yeah, right. Yeah. $5 hot. And Redis from Little Caesars were a one person meal for me for
344
00:31:06,500 --> 00:31:13,419
like ten years. You know. That's it. You know, help you survive college? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. That and
345
00:31:13,420 --> 00:31:19,579
Top Ramen, man. Just bags of that stuff. So I totally get it. I'm happy that you're, uh, on the on
346
00:31:19,580 --> 00:31:24,339
the turn there, man. And I'm glad that that episode actually resonated with you, because doctor Mark
347
00:31:24,340 --> 00:31:30,378
has dedicated a lot of his life to working, uh, to make truck drivers healthier and, you know, having
348
00:31:30,379 --> 00:31:34,939
free apps and everything like that and just coming on podcasts like this one to talk about
349
00:31:34,939 --> 00:31:40,779
different ways that drivers can help themselves, uh, become more healthy. And I love this man. We got
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00:31:40,779 --> 00:31:45,219
two of the three. You guys talking about your health habits out there on the road, and, uh, I'm.
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00:31:45,219 --> 00:31:50,258
I'm just assuming. Greg, uh, how's things going for you out there as far as kind of keeping your body
352
00:31:50,259 --> 00:31:54,939
in shape, staying healthy. Um, is that anything that you get into out there on the road? Do you
353
00:31:54,940 --> 00:32:01,099
exercise or anything like that, or are you meal prepping? Uh, I do a little bit of meal prepping.
354
00:32:01,099 --> 00:32:06,909
I'll take, uh, stuff I make at home with me sometimes. uh, otherwise, for the most part, like you
355
00:32:06,909 --> 00:32:11,828
stop at a club or a pilot line and they'll have a subway in addition to whatever, you know,
356
00:32:11,990 --> 00:32:16,549
traditional fast food restaurant they've got. And at least that's a little better for you because
357
00:32:16,550 --> 00:32:21,030
you can't take vegetables. Yeah. There you go. You cannot fake vegetables. I know I used to work at
358
00:32:21,030 --> 00:32:25,229
subway. I was a sandwich artist. I threw a green pepper at the wall one time. It completely
359
00:32:25,229 --> 00:32:32,109
disintegrated. That was a real vegetable, I promise. Now, uh, Parris, going back to you, man.
360
00:32:32,109 --> 00:32:36,589
Uh, since we were kind of on the topic of people getting a little bit healthier out there, maybe
361
00:32:36,629 --> 00:32:41,270
working out a little bit, I have already brought it up. You had a kettlebell with you when I saw
362
00:32:41,270 --> 00:32:46,429
you. What is your workout setup look like? Is it just kettlebells? Do you have bands? Uh, what? What
363
00:32:46,430 --> 00:32:51,868
are you using and bringing with you on the truck? Because I know space is limited. So how do you
364
00:32:51,869 --> 00:32:56,949
maximize the workout that you get with the little amount of space that you've got to bring gear? So,
365
00:32:56,989 --> 00:33:02,800
you know, I'm, I'm fortunate that like, during like, uh, like all the days I picked up kettlebells This
366
00:33:02,800 --> 00:33:09,759
is like you don't need a lot to do a lot. So I actually bring 240 kg kettlebells with
367
00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:15,999
me, which are 88 pounds a piece. And with those two things, like I do so much stuff, whether it's like
368
00:33:16,039 --> 00:33:22,719
doing cleans, like there's swings, like squats, presses and you can do like any
369
00:33:22,760 --> 00:33:28,039
endless number of things, you can change things together and, and I can get a really good workout
370
00:33:28,040 --> 00:33:33,279
with two things that just don't take up a lot of space at all. And honestly, like, I don't know, I'm
371
00:33:33,280 --> 00:33:37,279
sure you guys are familiar with like the Peterbilt, they got a little extra space in it. So
372
00:33:37,280 --> 00:33:42,439
those things go right in my little storage compartment and it's perfect. Honestly. That's
373
00:33:42,439 --> 00:33:46,799
amazing. I don't know about you, Greg and Jeramy, but when he said that those kettlebells weigh 88
374
00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:51,879
pounds apiece, I was wondering if I could even pick one of them up with both hands and all my
375
00:33:51,879 --> 00:33:58,838
might. But, uh, that's that's heavy, man. That's crazy. But so what about your, uh, your your meals and
376
00:33:58,839 --> 00:34:03,890
stuff like that? Parris. To be in as good a shape as you are, I imagine you have to eat, uh, relatively
377
00:34:03,890 --> 00:34:08,330
clean. How are you doing that out there on the road? Are you mostly making meals for yourself? Do
378
00:34:08,330 --> 00:34:14,249
you meal prep? What's it look like? So, you know, what I did is I. And this is something I just I
379
00:34:14,290 --> 00:34:18,809
kind of like, thought, like, you know what? I think I want to bite the bullet and do this, uh, when I was
380
00:34:18,809 --> 00:34:23,009
getting into trucking. Because when I first started, I was surviving off of making sandwiches,
381
00:34:23,009 --> 00:34:29,969
and they got old pretty quickly. Um, so a friend of mine actually does meal prep, like, he's an MMA
382
00:34:29,969 --> 00:34:36,369
fighter and, like, that's his. Yeah, he's not quite UFC level yet, so that's what he does to make
383
00:34:36,370 --> 00:34:43,209
money in between fights. And, uh, and so I, I bite the bullet $125 a week, gets me
384
00:34:43,210 --> 00:34:48,849
ten meals. And still, for the sake of my having to send, you know, a little bit of time off, I have
385
00:34:48,889 --> 00:34:54,529
cooking like it's perfect for me. I have, you know, I got ten meals that I throw in the microwave and
386
00:34:54,649 --> 00:34:58,648
and then, you know, for breakfast, like, I'll have, like a little protein shake and sort of sets me
387
00:34:58,649 --> 00:35:04,489
up, but that's that's pretty much just what I do to try and keep me out of, you know, the ten pages
388
00:35:04,489 --> 00:35:09,329
of the law has been, I'm not going to lie. I'm not perfect. Like, every once in a while, that Bojangles
389
00:35:09,330 --> 00:35:15,489
looks a little too good. Or the Hardee's like. I have no idea why I like parties as much as I do,
390
00:35:15,489 --> 00:35:21,609
but like, sometimes it just gets me. Hey man, I, I can understand that. We call him Carl's Jr out
391
00:35:21,610 --> 00:35:27,329
here. I think that's the same place, right? Yeah. Uh, yeah. Dude, there's something about Vegas. There's
392
00:35:27,330 --> 00:35:31,768
something about a Western bacon cheeseburger. That's, uh. It's very special in my heart. I know
393
00:35:31,769 --> 00:35:38,570
that it's gonna hurt, but I do it anyway. Yeah. No, definitely. Definitely. So
394
00:35:38,570 --> 00:35:43,929
that. That's really cool. So, uh, is is this guy just in case there's other drivers listening that are
395
00:35:43,929 --> 00:35:49,249
going, hey, for 125 bucks a week, getting ten meals sounds like a really good deal. Uh, is this is this
396
00:35:49,250 --> 00:35:53,969
guy, does he do this as, like, a business, or is this something that just because he's your friend you
397
00:35:53,969 --> 00:35:59,699
got hooked up with? No, he does it as a business. Like if you happen to be in the Tampa Bay area, uh,
398
00:35:59,739 --> 00:36:05,539
handyman cook, like, he will hook it up and and really, it's for the ten meals. It's $100 a week
399
00:36:05,540 --> 00:36:11,459
where I ask for extra protein. Oh. Gotcha. Which is smart, because you need it. Those kettlebells are
400
00:36:11,459 --> 00:36:17,739
heavy. A little bit a little bit. Very cool. And and you said candy man cooks.
401
00:36:18,379 --> 00:36:24,259
Yeah. Candy man. Like I said, he's a he's a MMA fighter. So like it's awesome. Like, if anybody you
402
00:36:24,259 --> 00:36:28,659
know wants to catch him, check him out because he's, uh, he's trying to get on the, uh, Contender
403
00:36:28,659 --> 00:36:33,859
Series right now. Very cool man. Well, that's an awesome side gig. And, uh, if you're in the Tampa
404
00:36:33,860 --> 00:36:38,418
Bay area, look him up. If you're looking to stack that fridge a little bit, man, everybody wants to
405
00:36:38,460 --> 00:36:43,659
save a little bit of time for the other hobbies that we get into. And and Parris. That's something I
406
00:36:43,659 --> 00:36:48,539
didn't really ask you much about. Obviously, the workouts don't take up all of your time. Uh, what
407
00:36:48,579 --> 00:36:54,299
other hobbies do you run into out there on the road? I'm not going to lie, they do take up a lot
408
00:36:54,300 --> 00:37:00,389
of my time just because of the fact that I do try and, uh, make the most of my time as far as, like,
409
00:37:00,429 --> 00:37:05,470
hey, let me take my pen off and be right back to work. But for the most part, like, you know, like, I'm
410
00:37:05,470 --> 00:37:12,228
not a TV guy. I'm not out here watching series or anything. Like, I will, sadly. Probably. Like, I'll
411
00:37:12,229 --> 00:37:18,908
work out, clean up a little, uh, like, I'll. I'll eat dinner and hit a little. Crawl it.
412
00:37:18,909 --> 00:37:23,388
Usually it's time for me to go to sleep and and that's, you know, outside of that, you know, I talked
413
00:37:23,389 --> 00:37:27,789
to my girlfriend when I can, when our schedules sort of align, and I'm not going to bed before she
414
00:37:27,789 --> 00:37:32,869
gets off work, you know? Yep, yep. I know that one, man. The schedule is out there tough. And
415
00:37:32,870 --> 00:37:37,709
especially if you guys end up in different time zones, uh, that can be even harder to manage. So I'm
416
00:37:37,709 --> 00:37:42,429
glad to hear that. It sounds like you guys are able to, uh, at least keep in touch a steady amount
417
00:37:42,470 --> 00:37:49,229
out there while you're on the road. Yeah, I am super fortunate, honestly, because, like I just say,
418
00:37:49,230 --> 00:37:55,189
good about past relationships I've had, like, this would never work in a million years. But she's
419
00:37:55,189 --> 00:38:00,109
been awesome about the whole thing and really just working with me as far as you know, what time
420
00:38:00,110 --> 00:38:04,830
we do and don't have, and being able to make sure that we can still communicate and stuff like that.
421
00:38:04,870 --> 00:38:09,429
That's great man. It's a big part of it, right? A big part of doing this job is being able to beat
422
00:38:09,429 --> 00:38:14,869
that isolation feeling and keeping in touch with the people you love is is the best way to do that.
423
00:38:14,909 --> 00:38:20,389
Greg, I wonder about that aspect for you. Do you have a wife, girlfriend or anything like that that
424
00:38:20,389 --> 00:38:25,709
you keep in touch with back home kids or anything? Yeah, I've got a wife and a stepfather back in
425
00:38:25,709 --> 00:38:32,389
Texas. Awesome. And how often do you get to talk to them when you're out on the road? Oh, wife and I
426
00:38:32,389 --> 00:38:37,429
are constantly communication. Um, anything she needs, she knows she can call me pretty much any
427
00:38:37,429 --> 00:38:44,350
time. Uh, when we met, one of the first things I told her was, you know, I'm a truck driver, OTR, so
428
00:38:44,749 --> 00:38:48,549
we just got to get that out of the way. And if that's not going to work for you, then we'll have
429
00:38:48,549 --> 00:38:54,999
to move on. And she's a she married me, so. She's a trooper. That's awesome man. Well, congratulations.
430
00:38:54,999 --> 00:39:01,198
How long you've been married? Uh, we have been married a little over a year now. Very cool.
431
00:39:01,199 --> 00:39:06,319
Congratulations. I only ask that question when people tell me that they're married. Because I'm
432
00:39:06,360 --> 00:39:11,639
giving them a chance to prove to their wife that they know how long on record. Okay, that's why I
433
00:39:11,639 --> 00:39:18,320
asked. So, uh, good job on that one. That one that was easy for us because we got married. Uh, what?
434
00:39:18,360 --> 00:39:24,199
Valentine's day, the 15th. So 14th February. Very cool. That's awesome. Man. How about you, Jeramy? You
435
00:39:24,199 --> 00:39:30,679
got a wife, kids, girlfriend at home? All the above. I'm just kidding. Uh,
436
00:39:32,560 --> 00:39:39,479
as long as they don't find out about each other. So. No. I've got a
437
00:39:39,480 --> 00:39:45,599
wife of, uh, 22 years, and, you know, some kids got a the oldest is 22. My youngest is
438
00:39:45,600 --> 00:39:52,409
15. That's awesome. Man. Congratulations on a 22 year long partnership. How often do you guys get
439
00:39:52,409 --> 00:39:57,409
to keep in touch when you're out there on the road? We don't talk nearly as often as we used to.
440
00:39:57,450 --> 00:40:02,529
Yeah, it's been married a long time. She calls me with something's broke or reminded me to pay a
441
00:40:02,530 --> 00:40:09,329
bill. Oh, yeah. We don't. We don't talk as much as we used to. I mean, it's, you know,
442
00:40:09,769 --> 00:40:16,609
just doing our own things. Part of it schedule, I guess. Yeah, she works too. And, uh. Well,
443
00:40:16,929 --> 00:40:23,729
I see with the kids taxis across the town. Sure, sure. For another year, at least. Yeah, yeah. She'll
444
00:40:23,770 --> 00:40:29,209
be 16 here at the beginning of next school year. Okay. All right, well. That's good. Should we start
445
00:40:29,290 --> 00:40:32,929
starting driving? Are you nervous at all about having another licensed driver out there on the
446
00:40:32,929 --> 00:40:39,889
road in the family? No, she's, uh. She's pretty good. You know, they, um. I said that I've looked forward
447
00:40:39,889 --> 00:40:44,809
to, you know, from the moment they were all born. And I was teaching them to drive. And, you know,
448
00:40:45,129 --> 00:40:50,979
again, I think I'm pretty experienced at it. You know, I've got the qualifications to teach them?
449
00:40:51,019 --> 00:40:55,099
Yeah, I guess you could say that. I mean, if you want to really split hairs. Yeah, I guess you got
450
00:40:55,100 --> 00:41:01,378
em. But. So what about the 22 year old? You know, that's kind of that, that mid college age right
451
00:41:01,379 --> 00:41:05,379
there. Uh, do you get to keep in touch with them or are they still living at home. Have they moved on
452
00:41:05,379 --> 00:41:10,898
and are out doing their own thing now? Well, she graduated early. She graduated got her bachelor's
453
00:41:10,899 --> 00:41:17,899
in December. And, uh, she's got her own place over in, like, the villages area in Ocala, Florida,
454
00:41:17,939 --> 00:41:24,459
basically. Um, she's got a pretty decent job. She, you know, makes decent money. Yeah, she got her own
455
00:41:24,459 --> 00:41:30,898
place, and I schedule visits. You know, that's what you have to do, I guess. Yep. That's absolutely
456
00:41:30,899 --> 00:41:36,739
right, man. I, I totally get it. I, I, I moved seven hours away from my parents when I, uh, when I went
457
00:41:36,739 --> 00:41:42,060
to college, and I've, I've stayed in that same city ever since in Eugene, Oregon here and, uh, you know,
458
00:41:42,100 --> 00:41:46,259
it's I'm going back to see my parents actually, this this week, and I, I can't wait to get there
459
00:41:46,260 --> 00:41:50,699
and see everybody that I want to see. But man, that seven hour drive in between me and there's no
460
00:41:50,699 --> 00:41:55,539
peach. And, uh, it gets harder to make that trip every single time when you, as you start to get
461
00:41:55,539 --> 00:42:00,698
older and life starts to happen. So I'm sure that your daughter really appreciates that you
462
00:42:00,740 --> 00:42:07,099
schedule those visits, man. Yeah, that's something else as a truck driver, too. Like when I'm home, I
463
00:42:07,100 --> 00:42:12,579
don't really want to go anywhere. You know, like, I've got my parents all around the Houston area,
464
00:42:12,580 --> 00:42:18,339
and, like, y'all can come see me, like, I'll pay for you a ticket, but I'm not loading the family up
465
00:42:18,340 --> 00:42:23,219
driving there. Yeah. And especially when we're talking about Texas, man, that Texas is different
466
00:42:23,219 --> 00:42:29,859
when it comes to interstate driving than every other state besides Alaska, in my opinion. Yes, it
467
00:42:29,860 --> 00:42:36,499
certainly is. It's, uh, I mean, that's where I grew up, so you know it. You did. Everything's faster.
468
00:42:36,499 --> 00:42:40,939
Everybody's in a hurry out there because it's so big. You're not doing 90. You're gonna get run over.
469
00:42:40,979 --> 00:42:46,589
Right, right. That's what I hear, man. And, you know, I it's basically a small drive or short drive in
470
00:42:46,590 --> 00:42:52,069
Texas is like 3 to 4 hours, right? That's kind of what you're thinking. That's it. Nothing's close.
471
00:42:52,110 --> 00:42:57,109
That's wild, man. That's absolutely wild. Well, thanks, fellas, I appreciate it. I didn't really
472
00:42:57,110 --> 00:43:01,550
expect to get a peek behind the curtain into our partnerships, but I think it's a very important
473
00:43:01,550 --> 00:43:08,549
thing. Obviously, you guys know that if things are going wild, you know, just one, one sentence from
474
00:43:08,550 --> 00:43:15,429
one person that knows you better than anybody else can sometimes quiet the fire that is boiling
475
00:43:15,429 --> 00:43:21,949
up between your ears, right? I know that my wife is great at calming me down. Um, fortunately, it's not
476
00:43:21,950 --> 00:43:26,309
the road rage that I'm sure, uh, sometimes pops up that you guys are dealing with out there and all
477
00:43:26,309 --> 00:43:31,709
the crazy four wheelers that make your life hard. But, um, I think it's awesome that you guys all
478
00:43:31,709 --> 00:43:37,029
keep in good touch, man. I think it's great for the mental health side of things, and, uh, I you know
479
00:43:37,030 --> 00:43:42,749
what? I'm just looking here. Excuse me for a second as I'm pulling down through my list of different
480
00:43:42,749 --> 00:43:49,479
things. Here's one that I wonder, uh, do you guys ever plan a trip just to get out to a spot that
481
00:43:49,480 --> 00:43:55,718
maybe you haven't seen before? Or a spot that you really like to go? Um. And if so, where's that spot?
482
00:43:55,760 --> 00:44:00,519
Like, where's your favorite place to be if you got to get out of the truck for a break? Uh, Parris. I'll.
483
00:44:00,519 --> 00:44:05,198
I'll start with you, man. You ever plan any trips to any place specific, or try to get somewhere so
484
00:44:05,199 --> 00:44:12,159
that you can go do something fun? You can do that. Well, I don't know if
485
00:44:12,160 --> 00:44:18,398
you could do it every time. I don't want to set ops up to get run over here, but, uh. Honestly, like,
486
00:44:18,439 --> 00:44:23,759
I'm just. I'm just so new to the game, just getting my feet wet that I don't even really think about
487
00:44:23,760 --> 00:44:29,239
stuff like that. Like, I know people do it and stuff, but I'm just trying to, you know, find my
488
00:44:29,239 --> 00:44:34,279
bearings. Still, even though I'm about a year end, it's still a little bit of, you know, figuring some
489
00:44:34,280 --> 00:44:39,039
of this stuff out. I like, I, I think it's so interesting between like how sometimes it will
490
00:44:39,040 --> 00:44:44,199
feel like, oh, okay. I think this is what I do now. Like, I like I always go to Palatka or something
491
00:44:44,199 --> 00:44:47,999
like that, and then all of a sudden it changes. And like you, those people like it for like three
492
00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:54,079
months, you know. So that being said, like I, I just kind of do whatever they have me set up for and I
493
00:44:54,080 --> 00:44:58,759
don't even think about, oh, where I would like to go or anything like that. Oh that makes you easy
494
00:44:58,759 --> 00:45:02,959
for option. I'm sure they love that. They just think, man, just twist the twist the little crank
495
00:45:02,999 --> 00:45:07,800
in his back and point him in the direction and he's going to go do the work. I mean, that's kind
496
00:45:07,800 --> 00:45:13,878
of how it is. Like, you know, I'm I the only the only time I think I've like said no to something
497
00:45:13,879 --> 00:45:19,879
was because, uh, they raised me. They, they tried to route me to, uh, Missouri, which I've never been to.
498
00:45:19,879 --> 00:45:24,079
And I would have been cool going to Missouri, but, like, it just so happened I put it for time off
499
00:45:24,080 --> 00:45:28,919
because I had to go to a wedding that weekend. So I was like, hey, uh, remember I said I need those
500
00:45:28,919 --> 00:45:34,239
days off? But other than that, man, I was kind of whatever that they need to do. That's great. I'm
501
00:45:34,239 --> 00:45:39,559
sure ops loves you, man. How about you, Greg? Is there ever a time where you're trying to, uh,
502
00:45:39,639 --> 00:45:46,489
organize the trip to get to someplace to either sightsee or go have some fun. Well, it's, uh,
503
00:45:46,610 --> 00:45:53,009
still the trucker issue. Uh, you see a lot of stuff, but it does wave out of this drive by because, you
504
00:45:53,010 --> 00:45:58,769
know, you're working the whole time. Right. But, um, Otsego, Michigan, where we pull paper out of is, uh,
505
00:45:58,770 --> 00:46:04,449
they have a nice little downtown. And anytime I'm shut down up there, I'm able to, you know, walk from
506
00:46:04,449 --> 00:46:09,889
the the little truck yard for the paper rolls over into their little downtown area and get a
507
00:46:09,889 --> 00:46:15,009
bite to eat or just wander around for a little bit. That sounds nice. Uh, especially being able to
508
00:46:15,010 --> 00:46:19,129
just walk from where the truck is over to the spot. That means that you've got a place to park
509
00:46:19,169 --> 00:46:25,689
your truck. Which downtowns in any given town are never really good for truck parking, right? Yeah,
510
00:46:25,729 --> 00:46:31,209
definitely. That's awesome. And can you say the name of the city one more time? I never know if
511
00:46:31,209 --> 00:46:37,928
I'm pronouncing the name of places right. I say Otsego. And how's it spelled. O t s e g o?
512
00:46:38,169 --> 00:46:42,819
Yeah, it's some about you guys out there in the Midwest and and not not you guys. I know you guys
513
00:46:42,820 --> 00:46:48,899
are more Florida, but man, as I, I did some traveling through Nebraska and Iowa and Ohio. Um,
514
00:46:48,899 --> 00:46:53,698
they have some very strange name cities out there. And I'm right with you, Greg. I don't know if I'm
515
00:46:53,699 --> 00:46:59,019
saying any of them. Right. Uh, it's one of the things that my wife finds amusing is I'll make up
516
00:46:59,019 --> 00:47:04,219
names, funny pronunciations for places as we drive by. And it. She gets a kick out of that? Yeah, I
517
00:47:04,220 --> 00:47:10,339
imagine so. I imagine so, uh. Well that's awesome. Thanks for sharing that, Greg. Uh, Jeramy, 19 years
518
00:47:10,340 --> 00:47:15,939
out there, man, uh, you've waived it a lot of sites as you drive by him, I'm sure. Uh, is there any any
519
00:47:15,939 --> 00:47:21,100
trips that you ever try to organize to get to someplace specific for a specific reason. Other
520
00:47:21,100 --> 00:47:26,539
than your goal in the Texas? So I can see family and the food. The barbecue is second to none in
521
00:47:26,539 --> 00:47:33,378
Texas. And, um, but other than that, the customer we had in Colorado is getting here to
522
00:47:33,940 --> 00:47:40,899
the Valley. And I grew up in flat Areas and I live in Florida now. It's flat, so mountains
523
00:47:40,939 --> 00:47:46,579
are new to me. Still there. Mesmerizing. You get out there. It looks like a Coors Light commercial or
524
00:47:46,580 --> 00:47:53,539
something because, yeah, everything's snow capped and I just I never saw it until
525
00:47:53,539 --> 00:48:00,539
I had gone out there. And it's beautiful, you know, now like that, that customer. And in
526
00:48:00,540 --> 00:48:04,898
the valley, it's all right. The migratory paths for all the different animals, you know, you can get up
527
00:48:04,899 --> 00:48:11,739
in the morning and see just stuff you don't see in the South that's cool. Down the South was very.
528
00:48:11,780 --> 00:48:16,499
Yeah. That's really cool man. You know I that's it's different for me from the opposite side of
529
00:48:16,499 --> 00:48:21,699
the coin Jeramy, because I grew up in the mountains and when I got out to the Midwest is
530
00:48:21,699 --> 00:48:27,739
where I noticed it the most, uh, standing in Omaha, Nebraska, and looking around 360 degrees. There was
531
00:48:27,739 --> 00:48:33,299
not a mountain in sight. And I've never been in a place like that. Every place I've ever been. You
532
00:48:33,300 --> 00:48:39,029
can turn 360 degrees and at least see a mountain somewhere in the distance. So it really is a bit
533
00:48:39,029 --> 00:48:43,470
of a culture shock. It was a culture shock for me to get out there and see, like what you guys I
534
00:48:43,509 --> 00:48:47,509
hear about hiking and like outdoor activity in the Midwest. What are you guys just walking in a
535
00:48:47,509 --> 00:48:52,989
field? Where where's the hike happen? You know, like I'm used to a stream or a waterfall or, you know,
536
00:48:53,030 --> 00:48:58,069
maybe there's an elk over there or something that I can see. So, uh, I get it, man. I love the mountains.
537
00:48:58,070 --> 00:49:03,709
There's something. Something that makes you feel so small about standing next to mountain ranges
538
00:49:03,710 --> 00:49:09,030
like you're talking about in Colorado. It it is. And I don't know. I mean, there's really no good
539
00:49:09,030 --> 00:49:15,949
way to describe it. It just. I'm in awe when I get there. Well, I grew up again on the
540
00:49:15,990 --> 00:49:22,909
beach and flat and desert and stuff like that out here. Yeah, out there. It really is,
541
00:49:22,910 --> 00:49:27,189
man. Well, listen, I know you guys don't make it out to my neck of the woods very often, but something
542
00:49:27,189 --> 00:49:32,449
that I always say, if you're ever coming through Eugene, Oregon, and you even have as much as a 30
543
00:49:32,449 --> 00:49:37,799
minute break, you get in touch with me and we'll go have coffee. We'll buy. I'll buy you lunch. Um,
544
00:49:37,840 --> 00:49:43,599
you know, I love to welcome people to the city and in the area out here, I feel like a lot of you
545
00:49:43,600 --> 00:49:48,999
Florida drivers are deprived of what the Pacific Northwest really does bring. And you're getting
546
00:49:49,000 --> 00:49:53,199
dang close to it out there in Colorado. But if you ever make it out further west, ma'am, we got a lot
547
00:49:53,199 --> 00:50:00,040
of really cool stuff to look at out here, too. Yeah, I'm sure there is. Yeah. I'm. Yeah. I've never been
548
00:50:00,040 --> 00:50:06,919
out to Oregon. Um, I think, I guess the coldest. That's kind of flat out there.
549
00:50:06,919 --> 00:50:12,639
Too cold. It can be. So one thing about Oregon that's interesting is we've got basically four
550
00:50:12,639 --> 00:50:17,919
distinct climates in Oregon. We've got like an alpine area in the eastern part of the state
551
00:50:17,919 --> 00:50:24,120
where the Cascades run through, and there's a bunch of mountain ranges out there. Um, we've got
552
00:50:24,159 --> 00:50:29,039
kind of a like a lush rainforest, which is where I live, which is the Willamette Valley. It's one of
553
00:50:29,040 --> 00:50:34,569
the best places in the world to grow things like grass and certain grapes for certain wines. And
554
00:50:34,570 --> 00:50:40,489
then if you go obviously over to the coast, we've got some really gray, really rainy, really gross
555
00:50:40,490 --> 00:50:47,249
weather and just incredibly rugged coastline like beaches. There's beaches, but most of them you kind
556
00:50:47,249 --> 00:50:52,329
of want to stay off. And then the Great Basin Range, which is just like a desert, essentially
557
00:50:52,329 --> 00:50:58,049
reaches into the south part of Oregon. So it's really you can take a day's drive in Oregon and
558
00:50:58,050 --> 00:51:03,610
see four distinctly different climates, which I like, but at the same time, it's like, make up your
559
00:51:03,610 --> 00:51:08,729
mind. You know what I'm saying. About Texas is Texas has got, I mean, not the same mountains, but
560
00:51:08,729 --> 00:51:15,369
they've got mountains and desert and beach and, you know, tornadoes. Tornadoes. Yes, sir. And heat, man,
561
00:51:15,370 --> 00:51:22,289
heat like nobody's business. Yes, yes. It gets pretty warm out there. Yeah. It's not so bad
562
00:51:22,289 --> 00:51:29,128
in East Texas. Yeah. I'm feeling that comment dripping with sarcasm, but I'm not
563
00:51:29,129 --> 00:51:34,689
sure, am I? Oh, no, I live there, and. It's, uh. I live right. On the border with. Louisiana. It's not so
564
00:51:34,689 --> 00:51:40,169
bad. Okay. Gotcha, gotcha. So, fellas, I got some kind of some lightning round questions here that I
565
00:51:40,169 --> 00:51:45,409
want to just throw out there and have you each answer for me. Um, and, and maybe this applies, and
566
00:51:45,409 --> 00:51:50,329
maybe you don't have an answer. It's totally fine if you don't have one. Uh, but let's start. I'm
567
00:51:50,330 --> 00:51:54,929
going to go the same order we've been going. Parris will answer first, then Greg, then Jeramy. Uh,
568
00:51:54,929 --> 00:52:00,289
question number one. What's your favorite truck stop? There's got to be one of them that you
569
00:52:00,289 --> 00:52:07,248
always want to get to if you can. Parris. What one is that one for you. I, I. Like a specific,
570
00:52:07,290 --> 00:52:13,089
like location of one or. Yeah. Like is there one, one that you've stopped at many times. It's like,
571
00:52:13,129 --> 00:52:17,809
hey man, there's always a parking spot. The facilities are clean. Uh, there's there's not a
572
00:52:17,810 --> 00:52:22,250
bunch of crazy people running around the parking lot stealing stuff off of trailers, like just
573
00:52:22,250 --> 00:52:27,849
something like that, where you. You're not at all. Not at all. I am not particular at all. I mean, I'm
574
00:52:27,850 --> 00:52:32,939
not gonna lie, Like, because I don't really, uh, like document like, oh, like, this is the one I want to
575
00:52:32,940 --> 00:52:37,179
go to. This is the one I don't want to go through. So I can definitely pull it in for where I'm like,
576
00:52:37,219 --> 00:52:43,979
ah, man, it's this one. But I'm, I'm always looking at like, hey, which one is going to be the best
577
00:52:43,979 --> 00:52:49,299
bang for my buck with my time? Like that's the that's my only concern. Like whether it's the
578
00:52:49,340 --> 00:52:54,699
charts up or rester or whatever it is that I can hit, that's going to make the best of my time. Like,
579
00:52:54,739 --> 00:52:59,099
that's like what I'm going for. So like that being said, I don't have anything that I'm like, oh, let
580
00:52:59,100 --> 00:53:04,498
me get here instead. This is whatever is going to be the best for my time. We're just all all about
581
00:53:04,499 --> 00:53:08,979
efficiency, man. I like to hear that. I'm sure that there's a lot of people that will like to hear
582
00:53:08,979 --> 00:53:14,179
that you're all about the efficiency out there. Uh, Greg, how about for you, man? You got a you got a
583
00:53:14,179 --> 00:53:19,580
favorite truck stop that sticks out in your mind? Well, I've got a I've got two, so I guess I can
584
00:53:19,580 --> 00:53:26,459
make up for Mr. Parrish there. Um, I appreciate it. I enjoy the, uh. The Jasper love is up in
585
00:53:26,470 --> 00:53:30,549
Tennessee. You know, 15 minutes away from our South Pit terminal. But you never have to worry about
586
00:53:30,550 --> 00:53:37,269
parking there. And then, uh, anytime I'm able to stop at the Kenley 95 over in North Carolina.
587
00:53:37,310 --> 00:53:42,148
That's, uh, always a treat. I've heard quite a bit about that one. That one kind of gets mentioned in
588
00:53:42,149 --> 00:53:48,749
the same breath with, like, uh, the, the Iowa 90, right, or the I-90 truck stop out there in Iowa. Uh,
589
00:53:48,750 --> 00:53:54,709
one that 80. Iowa 80. Sorry. Iowa 80. Um, what what's cool about that one out there in North Carolina?
590
00:53:54,709 --> 00:53:59,629
What do you like about it? Uh, the showroom is always fun to look at, especially when they swap
591
00:53:59,629 --> 00:54:05,429
the truck out in the, uh, on the big platform, but, uh, no, it's just a big truck stop. Lots of options
592
00:54:05,429 --> 00:54:09,990
for food. Never have to worry about parking. And you get out and do a couple of laps around there.
593
00:54:10,029 --> 00:54:14,749
Big. A little parking lot. Very cool. I'm gonna have to check that out next time I'm out in North
594
00:54:14,750 --> 00:54:19,188
Carolina, for sure. Uh, how about for you, Jeramy? You've been doing this a long time, man. You've
595
00:54:19,189 --> 00:54:25,668
probably seen them all. I've seen a few. Uh, I prefer the more mom and pop kind of things, or the
596
00:54:25,669 --> 00:54:31,428
tar and Petro because they're just usually typically a bigger parking lot. But if I, if I had
597
00:54:31,429 --> 00:54:37,509
to pick one I wanted to go to, it's a one in Bowie, Texas out on 287. My fat boy at heart loves the
598
00:54:37,510 --> 00:54:44,510
cheeseburgers at the deli. And, uh, I don't know, they got a really
599
00:54:44,510 --> 00:54:51,269
good cheeseburgers. And I will stop there twice a day if I could. That's awesome man. Do you
600
00:54:51,269 --> 00:54:55,629
find that the, uh, the kind of the mom and pop truck stops are sort of going by the wayside with
601
00:54:55,629 --> 00:55:00,668
all the big ones that are going in all over the place? Sadly, they are, you know, and even the big
602
00:55:00,669 --> 00:55:06,069
ones are getting rid of their sit down restaurants and putting fast food in. And they
603
00:55:06,190 --> 00:55:11,589
just did. Tell me what your money and send you out the door. Yep, yep. You know, I, I heard about a truck
604
00:55:11,589 --> 00:55:16,989
stop. I believe it was somewhere down in Texas that had a actually a drive thru that was large
605
00:55:16,989 --> 00:55:21,949
enough that trucks could go through it. Uh, do you. Does that ring any bells to you in your 19 years?
606
00:55:21,950 --> 00:55:27,320
Jeramy? I had an old buddy that retired, uh, probably 4 or 5 years ago after ten years in the
607
00:55:27,320 --> 00:55:33,759
truck. And he is from Galveston, Texas, I believe. Um, and born as were you. So do you know what truck
608
00:55:33,760 --> 00:55:38,879
stop I'm talking about? Uh, that's got the drive thru in it. I've heard about it, but I've never
609
00:55:38,879 --> 00:55:42,759
seen it. I don't. I think I've got some friends that have been. I've got some friends that pull
610
00:55:42,759 --> 00:55:49,119
for Fedex and one that pulls for Amazon. And, uh, I've never been to it, but I've heard about it. So
611
00:55:49,120 --> 00:55:53,719
it's like the stuff of legends. It's like, is it really there or is it just a mirage that some
612
00:55:53,720 --> 00:56:00,599
people believe in? Right. Yes, sir. Awesome stuff. Okay. Next, next rapid fire for you
613
00:56:00,600 --> 00:56:07,039
guys. Worst place you've ever had to stop and and spend a ten or a 34? And the reason I asked you
614
00:56:07,040 --> 00:56:11,199
this is again, we got drivers listening to this that are going to learn something from it and
615
00:56:11,199 --> 00:56:16,120
maybe stay away from certain places. Now, I know that your guys's routes take you all over the
616
00:56:16,120 --> 00:56:21,849
place. In my experience, one thing I've heard a lot is that Memphis is a pretty bad place from start
617
00:56:21,850 --> 00:56:26,968
to finish to stop. But I want your guys's opinions on it. Parris. Where's the worst place you've ever
618
00:56:26,969 --> 00:56:33,369
had to spend a 10 or 34? Oh, I don't I don't. Really I mean, unfortunately, I have never gotten like
619
00:56:33,409 --> 00:56:39,449
stuck out for 34, but, like, I can't think of any place that, like, has been like horrific. Like I
620
00:56:39,450 --> 00:56:44,529
won't say though, like I've not appreciated a couple of times. Like having to stop at, like one
621
00:56:44,530 --> 00:56:50,449
of the, uh, the truck only spots that doesn't have any facilities. Oh, you know, I'll tell you, like, at
622
00:56:50,450 --> 00:56:56,970
a certain point that might not be your friend. So. Yes, sir. Man, especially after 11 hours on the road.
623
00:56:57,129 --> 00:57:02,210
Uh, that's. A good point. You're out of time. It's it's just, you know, it's not a not literally the
624
00:57:02,210 --> 00:57:06,450
greatest look in the world. Yeah, I imagine so. How about for you, Greg? Worst place you've had to
625
00:57:06,450 --> 00:57:12,370
spend a 10 or 34? Uh, well, you hate to throw the company under the bus, but if I can do anything in
626
00:57:12,370 --> 00:57:18,009
my power to not stop at the Smyrna terminal, I will. Oh. Oh, that's too bad, I have. I had a good
627
00:57:18,009 --> 00:57:22,810
time at the Smyrna terminal. Those guys are nice out there. Oh it's nothing. I get that the guys
628
00:57:22,810 --> 00:57:28,129
work there. It's just the, uh, you know, it's just a bit of a pain to do anything on a 34. I get you, I
629
00:57:28,129 --> 00:57:33,928
get you totally understand that. Uh, how about for you, Jeramy? I'm with you. I'm going to avoid
630
00:57:33,929 --> 00:57:40,369
Memphis and West Memphis as well. They're not much different. They're both terrible. I don't know the
631
00:57:40,490 --> 00:57:44,729
people. There's the employee of the month. She's always, always walking up and down the road, Lamar
632
00:57:44,729 --> 00:57:51,449
Avenue. We've all been down that road. She might be one of the, uh, of the reptile
633
00:57:51,450 --> 00:57:56,729
variety, if I'm understanding you correctly. Oh, they're out there. Morning, noon or night? Rain,
634
00:57:56,729 --> 00:58:01,928
sleet or snow. Yeah. Well, it's that's another demanding job that takes a lot of commitment, I'll
635
00:58:01,929 --> 00:58:08,810
tell you that much right now. You know. All right. You know, but yeah, they're out there. Yeah. And I've
636
00:58:08,810 --> 00:58:13,849
heard the, uh, really, one of the things that's making Memphis such a bad place is they're maybe
637
00:58:13,849 --> 00:58:18,209
not something you guys deal with as much because of what you're hauling, but there's a lot of load
638
00:58:18,260 --> 00:58:24,499
theft that goes on out there in Memphis that I've heard of. Jeramy. Yes, yes. And I've heard too.
639
00:58:24,660 --> 00:58:28,300
There's some areas of Houston where you don't want to leave your tarp. So guys will put their
640
00:58:28,300 --> 00:58:34,179
tarp on the ground and back over them. Oh, interesting. Keep people from stealing, right? Yeah,
641
00:58:34,220 --> 00:58:40,860
because they, like, they'll steal them. I've had two tarps get stolen from me in Dallas. In fact, I was
642
00:58:40,860 --> 00:58:46,379
I was on tarp, and they beat me in tarp on the street. I had ceiling tile. There was no room on
643
00:58:46,379 --> 00:58:53,259
the trailer to put the tarps. And I pulled in, got unloaded, and the tarps are gone. They
644
00:58:53,259 --> 00:58:59,139
they were they were gone. But they pulled up cameras and said we couldn't find anyone. It's
645
00:58:59,139 --> 00:59:05,859
happened a few times with that customer for Tarp, so we'll get stolen. Well, I feel like this is a
646
00:59:05,860 --> 00:59:10,540
good time for us to mention that there is a bounty offered on any cypress tarps that aren't
647
00:59:10,579 --> 00:59:15,740
on cypress trucks, right? The company will pay you if you find one and bring it back. Yes they do.
648
00:59:15,780 --> 00:59:22,708
I've never found one, but they do offer a reward if you can, you know. Bring back a talk. We heard
649
00:59:22,709 --> 00:59:27,429
a story when I was out there in Jacksonville. I think Matt Penland told us that at one point in
650
00:59:27,430 --> 00:59:31,709
time, a driver was driving down the road and drove by a bunch of hay that was tasked with the
651
00:59:31,709 --> 00:59:36,829
cypress tarp. Uh, it's got to be that's got to be just a real mind blower when you drive by and see
652
00:59:36,829 --> 00:59:41,228
that. But, uh, hey, a couple hundred bucks or so in your pocket. I think the, uh, bounty is somewhere
653
00:59:41,229 --> 00:59:45,709
around that 100, 200 bucks. So that's that's awesome. If you see them out there, keep your eyes
654
00:59:45,710 --> 00:59:52,189
peeled. You might be able to make a little extra scratch. Yes, definitely. I mean, because people are
655
00:59:52,189 --> 00:59:56,909
paying over the name, but the tarps have a stamp on them too. You know, it stamps to let people know
656
00:59:56,909 --> 01:00:02,229
that it it's cypress. It's got the name phone number. I'll stamp down like the theme of it.
657
01:00:02,910 --> 01:00:06,550
Interesting. That's good to know. So you can look for that, even if people are going to paint over
658
01:00:06,550 --> 01:00:12,069
it like a bunch of jerks. Okay, this is great info, fellas, and actually, I'm running out of time here
659
01:00:12,069 --> 01:00:16,039
and I want to let you guys get back to what you're doing. So I'm going to scrap the rest of
660
01:00:16,040 --> 01:00:22,399
these, uh, questions with the exception of one. Now, um, we talked a little bit with Tony Miller
661
01:00:22,400 --> 01:00:28,759
and, uh, Adolf Metzger and Kevin Barrett, I believe, about the life 360 app
662
01:00:28,759 --> 01:00:35,439
and what it made me think is, hey, I should ask drivers if there's one app on their phone or on
663
01:00:35,440 --> 01:00:40,199
their laptop or tablet, whatever that you can't live without when you're out there on the road.
664
01:00:40,240 --> 01:00:44,959
Now, Parris, I'm going to start with you. You seem so laid back and easygoing that I wouldn't be
665
01:00:44,959 --> 01:00:49,879
surprised if you just said, yeah, it's just my text messaging app. I like that one. But I'm going to
666
01:00:49,919 --> 01:00:54,599
ask you the question anyway, my friend. Uh, is there an app that you have on your phone or your tablet
667
01:00:54,600 --> 01:00:59,359
that you can't live without out there on the road? I mean, of course, my Cypress app. I mean, without my
668
01:00:59,360 --> 01:01:04,359
Cypress app, what would I do? I mean, like, that's like the best app ever, man. I'm just trying to
669
01:01:04,360 --> 01:01:10,840
score some brownie points here. You hear them, fellas? But honestly, like for me, like, I mean, you
670
01:01:10,840 --> 01:01:15,399
hit the nail on the head like I am such a simple person because I know a lot of people use trucker
671
01:01:15,399 --> 01:01:21,639
paths and stuff like that, and I just use the GPS that, uh, that they gave us didn't work out for me
672
01:01:21,640 --> 01:01:27,998
because, like, I mean, my, my trainer used it and I'm one of those people were like, once you learned
673
01:01:27,999 --> 01:01:33,559
ups and like where the distances are and stuff like that, you just kind of get hooked to it. But I
674
01:01:33,560 --> 01:01:38,079
will say, like, the big thing that really is important to me is, uh, Google Maps and being able
675
01:01:38,080 --> 01:01:42,998
to get a good look at, like, the customer before I go there if I haven't been there before. Yeah, yeah,
676
01:01:42,999 --> 01:01:46,639
the street view is really helpful for stuff like that, isn't it? I mean, you never know what a tight
677
01:01:46,639 --> 01:01:50,799
corner looks like if you're just looking at a digital representation of a map. But if you can
678
01:01:50,799 --> 01:01:55,760
zoom in and actually look at a picture of it, that's got to be huge for a truck driver. Yeah.
679
01:01:55,760 --> 01:01:59,679
Because a lot of times it's really about trying to figure out, hey, which way do I need to go in
680
01:01:59,680 --> 01:02:04,998
this place? So just give you a much better idea as opposed to like running up and holding up traffic
681
01:02:04,999 --> 01:02:10,399
and stuff like that. So. Sure, sure. Well, that's a good one, man. It's good answer. Google Maps I like
682
01:02:10,400 --> 01:02:16,609
it. Uh, Greg. One app that you can't live without OTR. The Garmin Diesel app
683
01:02:17,850 --> 01:02:22,488
would not be as successful as I am if I didn't have that Garmin. I've heard a lot of truck
684
01:02:22,489 --> 01:02:28,530
drivers swear by their Garmin. Now, I'll be honest with you, my my dad's got a Garmin rangefinder for
685
01:02:28,530 --> 01:02:35,168
his golf cart, and we've used Garmin scopes and spotting scopes before. It's all good stuff. I mean,
686
01:02:35,490 --> 01:02:40,609
talk to me a little bit about it. Why do you like it so much? Uh, well, compared. To the app that
687
01:02:40,610 --> 01:02:45,129
Cypress wants us to use the copilot app, Garmin's never put me on a street that I couldn't get down.
688
01:02:45,490 --> 01:02:50,969
Oh, okay. So you've had that happen before with, uh, with some other apps? Yeah. I go back and forth
689
01:02:50,970 --> 01:02:57,089
with the, uh, the management a little bit about the, uh, how good that copilot app is. Well, it's a good
690
01:02:57,089 --> 01:03:02,329
thing that you got something that you can trust as a backup there, right? Absolutely. That's great.
691
01:03:02,329 --> 01:03:07,129
Okay, so Garmin, we're getting some good answers here. Uh, Jeramy, you're the last one, my friend.
692
01:03:07,130 --> 01:03:11,179
What's an app that you can't live without out there on the road. I'm going to be a little
693
01:03:11,179 --> 01:03:18,139
different. I don't really use a lot of GPS. Um, I like my my books. So Spotify. So I
694
01:03:18,139 --> 01:03:25,139
can listen to podcast and audible for the books. And specifically the The Cypress Truck Lines
695
01:03:25,139 --> 01:03:30,659
podcast. Right. That's it. That's it. I do listen to it. That's awesome. Oh
696
01:03:31,819 --> 01:03:38,098
yeah, a lot of sports talk shows too. Yeah. Oh, yeah. I mean, it's it's what it's all about, man. Spotify
697
01:03:38,099 --> 01:03:42,619
is just a chin wag, an app. That's all it is, right? Yeah. You can listen to music, but that's just a
698
01:03:42,620 --> 01:03:49,179
bunch of us on there flapping our gums, man. That's it. That type of stuff passes the time. Well, fellas,
699
01:03:49,180 --> 01:03:53,419
listen, I am really grateful that you guys came on here and spent so much time with me today. I'm
700
01:03:53,419 --> 01:03:58,539
gonna get off here and let you go. But since this is your first time, I. I offer everyone the chance
701
01:03:58,540 --> 01:04:03,500
to give us their final thoughts after they join us for a podcast segment. And important thing
702
01:04:03,500 --> 01:04:07,259
about this one, fellas, it can be anything you want. If you want to shout out the wife or the
703
01:04:07,260 --> 01:04:11,898
girlfriend or the kids. You want to shout out the company, you want to shout out other drivers, or
704
01:04:11,899 --> 01:04:17,460
you just want to deliver a message. It literally is your time to shine. You can say whatever you
705
01:04:17,460 --> 01:04:22,499
want. Take as much time as you need. Uh, Parris McLeod, thank you so much for your time today, my
706
01:04:22,500 --> 01:04:27,339
friend. You're a year in out there. Things seemed like they're going well. You got some of the best
707
01:04:27,339 --> 01:04:32,779
shoulders on the staff. Uh, final thoughts from you. And thank you so much for joining us today. Parris.
708
01:04:34,020 --> 01:04:38,938
I got a lot that felt like a lot of pressure. I mean, like, I feel like I need to thank my mom, my
709
01:04:38,939 --> 01:04:45,939
girlfriend, my dog, uh, like the list to just go on and on until you play the music off, like a, like
710
01:04:45,980 --> 01:04:50,619
an Oscar speech or something. Yep, yep. I don't have any Oscars music, but I do have a little football
711
01:04:50,620 --> 01:04:55,299
music I could play you off with. If you hear this, it's gone on too long. Okay.
712
01:04:57,500 --> 01:05:02,540
Well, unfortunately, I don't have anything like, great to say, but I just appreciate you having me
713
01:05:02,540 --> 01:05:07,069
on. I mean, you know, I'm. I'm the new guy to the little team and everything, So it's not I don't
714
01:05:07,069 --> 01:05:12,910
have, you know, it's tenured. Information to give is these wonderful gentlemen do. So I appreciate you
715
01:05:12,910 --> 01:05:18,309
having me on and letting me share my experience so far. Absolutely, man. You're welcome back anytime.
716
01:05:18,310 --> 01:05:23,469
And let me tell you something very smart of you to say to thank the girlfriend and thank grandma
717
01:05:23,469 --> 01:05:27,748
and everything, because, hey, you never know, she might hear it. And that could buy you some very
718
01:05:27,749 --> 01:05:34,189
good grace on the other end. Okay. Thank you so much. Prayers. Yeah, you might need it. You never
719
01:05:34,189 --> 01:05:39,509
know, man. We'll get you back in here soon. Uh, thanks for the time, Greg Boyd. Uh, you did awesome
720
01:05:39,509 --> 01:05:45,229
in here as well. Man. We really appreciate you. Um, final thoughts from you before we let you go, Greg.
721
01:05:46,029 --> 01:05:50,349
Oh, well, I'll give a give the wife a shout out. The life would be a little more difficult if I didn't
722
01:05:50,349 --> 01:05:55,709
have her. And I'll just leave everybody else with the traditional trucker. Farewell of Harborside.
723
01:05:55,709 --> 01:06:00,709
Down. Shiny side up. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. That's a good way to end it. Greg, thank you so much for being
724
01:06:00,709 --> 01:06:07,600
here, man. You two, welcome back. Anytime. All right. Sounds good. Finally. Jeramy. Richard. Thank
725
01:06:07,600 --> 01:06:12,759
you so much, man. 19 years with Cypress. That's a long time. This has been very informative, having
726
01:06:12,759 --> 01:06:17,599
you three on here. Uh, really getting, uh, basically to run the gamut from somebody that's just
727
01:06:17,600 --> 01:06:21,879
getting started out with Cypress all the way to somebody that's been there for almost two decades.
728
01:06:21,879 --> 01:06:26,120
Man, thanks for the time today, Jeramy. Final thoughts from you before we let you get back to
729
01:06:26,160 --> 01:06:33,159
work. Uh, well, I listen to everybody talk about their sports team. So I think the last podcast. So
730
01:06:33,199 --> 01:06:39,519
I've got to talk about the Longhorns and the Cowboys. Mother's day was just yesterday, so I have
731
01:06:39,519 --> 01:06:45,719
to thank them. I got that out of the way. Um, yeah
732
01:06:47,240 --> 01:06:52,120
got it man. Well, let me tell you something. Your Longhorns and my Oregon Ducks keep getting
733
01:06:52,120 --> 01:06:57,280
mentioned in national title hope talks, so we might have to come on and have a podcast only
734
01:06:57,280 --> 01:07:04,199
about college football later on in the fall. Yeah for sure. Cuz I yeah, am not dumb enough to let you
735
01:07:04,199 --> 01:07:11,039
talk about the Cowboys on this podcast, that's for sure. I know we've had a rough couple
736
01:07:11,279 --> 01:07:16,559
years. Well, I'm a 40 Niner fan here, so even though you and I used to hate each other in the 90s,
737
01:07:16,600 --> 01:07:21,999
things have been kind of similar for us as of late. So, uh. Uh, no hardware for either one of us. We
738
01:07:21,999 --> 01:07:27,159
can talk about that sometime in the future as well. All right. Jeramy. Sounds good. All right,
739
01:07:27,160 --> 01:07:31,718
fellas, uh, Parris, Greg and Jeramy, you guys did awesome today. We'll get you all back on here
740
01:07:31,719 --> 01:07:36,799
again soon. Keep the shiny side up from my side of the table as well. Fellas, thanks for being here.
741
01:07:37,239 --> 01:07:43,439
Thank you. Appreciate it. Oh.
742
01:07:46,639 --> 01:07:51,480
Man, what an awesome conversation. Whenever you look up doing my job, you look up at the clock and
743
01:07:51,480 --> 01:07:56,679
you go, oh, my God, we've been talking for 45 minutes. That's a real good and a real bad thing
744
01:07:56,679 --> 01:08:01,729
at the same time. It's real good because if a conversation goes that well, it just flows. You
745
01:08:01,729 --> 01:08:05,768
don't really ever look at the clock because you don't care, man. We're just having fun chopping it
746
01:08:05,769 --> 01:08:11,729
up. Uh, however, we do try to keep these episodes around an hour long. So once I look up at the
747
01:08:11,729 --> 01:08:16,489
clock and it says 57 minutes, well, I'll be honest with you, I get a little bit clenched in the seat
748
01:08:16,490 --> 01:08:22,209
here. So, uh, I want to thank Parris McLeod, Greg Boyd, and Jeramy Richard for coming on the show. Man,
749
01:08:22,209 --> 01:08:28,329
great stuff from them and really sort of a comprehensive look. As I said there in the intro,
750
01:08:28,369 --> 01:08:32,369
you got to think about a guy who's kind of just getting started just getting his feet wet in
751
01:08:32,370 --> 01:08:37,569
Parris. Been here about a year, which is great, but it's just the it's just the beginning all the way
752
01:08:37,569 --> 01:08:42,369
to a guy like Jeramy, who's been doing this for almost two decades, uh, you know, taking care of his
753
01:08:42,370 --> 01:08:47,129
health out there now, losing some weight, uh, feeling like he's moving around better out there.
754
01:08:47,490 --> 01:08:54,169
We got Greg playing games in the cab. I love that, man. I am a huge gamer. Um, and I've, you know, I've
755
01:08:54,169 --> 01:08:59,939
seen pictures of guys that have actually had their passenger seat removed so that they can fit
756
01:08:59,979 --> 01:09:06,539
a racing simulator or a driving simulator in that passenger seat in a big rig. It's pretty crazy
757
01:09:06,660 --> 01:09:10,979
what you can get into out there, and I love to hear that. Greg's got a nice a nice laptop that
758
01:09:10,979 --> 01:09:15,859
he's, uh, that he's gaming on, um, and keeping himself occupied for those 34 hours. Because I
759
01:09:15,859 --> 01:09:21,339
totally get what Greg said. I don't if I'm in a game. I'm serious about it. I don't want to sit
760
01:09:21,339 --> 01:09:26,580
down for 45 minutes. I'm going to be here for four hours. And, uh, that can be complicated when you've
761
01:09:26,580 --> 01:09:31,699
only got a ten hour break. So you gotta look for a 34 for that. Uh, but just want to thank Parris, Greg
762
01:09:31,700 --> 01:09:35,739
and Jeramy once again. Man, they did great. You guys don't have to come on this show. So when you come
763
01:09:35,740 --> 01:09:40,700
on and you're so generous with your time, and also just with the conversation and playing ball with
764
01:09:40,700 --> 01:09:47,378
me, man, it makes my job in my life easy. So big thanks to those guys. Um, we can do again. I already
765
01:09:47,379 --> 01:09:52,538
said this once. I'm more than happy to do a part two here. I'll do a part eight if we need to. I
766
01:09:52,539 --> 01:09:57,499
want to hear about what you guys get into in your off time. This can be, uh, if you're a regional or a
767
01:09:57,509 --> 01:10:02,669
local driver doesn't have to be what you do. OTR we wanted to focus on that today, but we'll focus
768
01:10:02,670 --> 01:10:08,188
on just off time hobbies whenever you guys want. Have you got a unique one? Let me know. Man, I
769
01:10:08,470 --> 01:10:14,589
there's never a surprise with how unique the set of hobbies are for truck drivers. And when you're
770
01:10:14,589 --> 01:10:19,389
talking about a company the size of Cypress, it's got 500 of them. I think you might be a little bit,
771
01:10:19,389 --> 01:10:23,628
uh, blown away by the uniqueness of some of the things that drivers get into out there on the
772
01:10:23,629 --> 01:10:28,989
road. So just give me a call. One thing I can guarantee you or send me an email, I guess if you
773
01:10:28,990 --> 01:10:33,628
don't have my phone number yet, uh, one thing I can guarantee you I will never walk up to you in the
774
01:10:33,629 --> 01:10:39,028
middle of your hobby and interrupt you like I did Parris that day out in Tampa. Uh, but he was, again,
775
01:10:39,029 --> 01:10:43,630
so gracious with his time. And, uh, you know, I was packing gifts, too, so it's easier to interrupt
776
01:10:43,630 --> 01:10:47,789
somebody when you could give him a present. Uh, hooked him up with a set of gloves, some stickers,
777
01:10:47,830 --> 01:10:52,309
you know, a calendar, that type of thing. So, uh, same thing I gave every one of you guys that I got to
778
01:10:52,350 --> 01:10:56,949
meet out there, uh, when we were there for the podcast launch. So I won't interrupt your hobby.
779
01:10:56,950 --> 01:11:02,469
But please come on the podcast and tell me about it. We can have a fun conversation. Uh. That's it.
780
01:11:02,470 --> 01:11:07,949
Today we are so out of time. We we ran out of time before I even cracked the mic on this outro, so
781
01:11:07,950 --> 01:11:11,869
I'm not going to dilly dally here. I'm going to let you guys get back to listening to your Lord
782
01:11:11,869 --> 01:11:18,429
of the rings books, your talk shows, or just your good old fashioned favorite playlist. Man, this has
783
01:11:18,430 --> 01:11:23,389
been a great episode. I really appreciate once again, Parris, Greg and Jeramy for coming on. We will
784
01:11:23,389 --> 01:11:29,429
be back here next week with another episode Wednesday at 5 a.m. local time. Until then, be safe
785
01:11:29,430 --> 01:11:34,349
out there Cypress. And hey, it's getting to that time. I got to tell you guys down in Florida, apply
786
01:11:34,390 --> 01:11:35,629
some sunscreen.