Brent – 00:00:01:
Welcome to Freight Nation: A Trucking Podcast, where we explore the fascinating world of trucking and freight management. We dive deep into the freight industry and uncover why the trucking industry is more crucial to our country now than ever before. Stay tuned to uncover the driving forces behind successful trucking businesses and hear from the hardworking truckers and leaders who keep the world moving. Let’s hit the road. Well, hello, Freight Nation. I hope wherever you are out on the highways and byways, you’re having a great day. Thank you so much for moving the freight that goes around America and makes my life and my guest’s life a whole lot better. We appreciate the trucking industry, especially at Truckstop. This is why we started this podcast, the Freight Nation: A Trucking Podcast by truckstop.com. We’re so happy to bring this to you every single time we bring out a new episode. So far, I think we’ve done over 30, which has been a super, super fun thing for me because I do love talking to people about their journey in transportation. And we’ve got so many really cool ones that we’ve talked about all across the board. And today is going to be no exception. It’s going to be somebody who started one way in their life and went a completely different way, sort of. Still dealing, you know, because we all deal with people. So it’s going to be a great Freight Nation episode today. So thanks for joining us. Thanks for watching. And thanks for listening. We know you get a lot of opportunities to choose to do with your time. And the fact that you give this to us means a lot to us. And this is why we continue to do Freight Nation. So joining me today is the Founder and President of Next Generation in Trucking Association, Ms. Lindsey Trent. Lindsey, thank you so much for joining us on Freight Nation.
Lindsey – 00:01:32:
Hey, Brent, thank you for having me.
Brent – 00:01:35:
Well, I had to look down and say, because I wanted to make sure I got the name of the association correct. So we’re going to talk all today about Lindsey and what they do, what Next Generation does for helping those that want to find a career inside of trucking and transportation, how they would really go about doing that. Because it’s not always that easy. I know there’s not a lot of barriers to it inside of transportation, but it’s often hard sometimes to find out where you might fit. And so Lindsey’s group does a great job in doing that. And it’s something that obviously, when I said founder, that means she was the part of the group that started this. And so we’re going to find out all today a little bit about Next Gen and what goes on with them. But before we do that, as we always do at Freight Nation, we want to know a little bit about the person. So Lindsey, I love your story. So you’ve had sort of a very unique beginning into where you are in your career and how you ended up in transportation. This is a lot of the reason why we do Freight Nation, because so many people come from some way other place. I know I did. I was in fashion merchandising, believe it or not. Before I got to transportation, a lot of transportation that segment, but I was making the clothes that people wear. Now here I am in logistics and transportation. So Lindsey, tell us a little bit about where you started out and then kind of that journey along to how you got to where you are with NextGen.
Lindsey – 00:02:46:
Yeah. So I have a sales background. So I went to college selling and sales management, got out of college and did sales. And then as we just kind of talked about a little earlier, then I went to seminary school and thought I was going to work at a church forever. And I did work at a church for five years and it was great, but I wanted to get back into sales and a more nine to five job where I didn’t have to work every weekend. And that’s when I found this job for a driver staffing company. I literally knew nothing about the trucking industry, about drivers. Somebody had just told me, hey, there’s a huge driver turnover. And that was very interesting to me, but I got the job and I really started falling in love with the industry at that time. It was fun for me to be able to, one day I’d go to a granite facility where there’s these huge slabs of granite. The next day I’d go to a food distributor. And then the next day I’d go to a trucking company that hauled car parts. And so just being a part of every industry is trucking. I mean, because you have to transport all the goods plus the people, the people in trucking are down to earth. They’re, wonderful people. And for the most part, they’re all passionate about what they do. And so with that part of my job, I was like every day, we talked about the driver shortage, the workforce that’s aging, young people, not getting into the industry. They don’t know about the jobs in trucking. And then six years later, I went to work for Ryder. And Ryder, we had the same problems, but also with diesel mechanics, we needed more diesel mechanics. We had all the time. Hey, this technician, he’s worked here for 40 years and he’s retiring, but what are we doing to get more people into the workforce?
Brent – 00:04:49:
Yeah, most people don’t know that we have a truck driver shortage. A lot of people know that, but they don’t realize we have a mechanic shortage. We have a dock worker shortage. We have all our shortages across the board inside of transportation.
Lindsey – 00:05:00:
That’s right. And the jobs pay well. And the jobs also take you to a career path where you can grow, own your own business. You can be a manager. So with that being said, I helped a community college start their CDL program during that time. I helped a high school start their diesel mechanic program. I serve on the board of the Kentucky Trucking Association. And so just got very involved in what I was doing for my career and my job, but also what are we doing to develop our future workforce? And after having probably 1 million conversations, it was… Hey, okay, we talk about the problem, but what are we doing to solve the problem?
Brent – 00:05:45:
Don’t jump into Next Gen yet because I want you to talk about NextGen and say, I want to back up just a second, okay? This is what I love about the Freight Nation people that I’m on is like. Okay, that little pathway looks like this, okay? So it’s like, I love the fact that you started out in sales, or you started out in college and you had some sales. You went to seminary, all right? So most people don’t know that people that work at churches don’t just work one day a week, all right? So there’s a lot more that goes on. It’s a little bit like logistics, okay? It’s a little bit like logistics. So, I’m going to make a little parallel here, all right? When you work in logistics, everybody knows. That’s 24-7, all right? So moving freight is a 24-7 job. Just drive up and down the highways. People see trucks moving all the time. And docks in many places are open 24-7 because it’s at a manufacturing facility. Working at a church is the same way. It’s like a 24-7 job. So you kind of went from semi-parallel shift from one aspect to another. But you did say something that I thought was unique. You said you needed a little bit more balance in your life because you got married and you became a mom. And the things that you’re trying to balance out in your life were very important to you. Talk a little bit about that. And then we can jump into Next Gen.
Lindsey – 00:06:51:
Yeah. So I worked six days a week and I had young kids and at a church, you don’t make very much money. So it was, hey, do I continue to work at this pace with my kids and feel like I was at the church all the time? Or do I take a step back, get back into sales that I love because I love people and move church to more of a volunteering role. And that’s what I did and got into the trucking industry that way. But my job with the church was all about people and making connections and supporting volunteers. And so I feel like that also prepared me for this industry and what we’re doing now and serving people.
Brent – 00:07:38:
Yeah, for sure, for sure. And I agree with you 100%. So you talked about being in sales. You’ve used a couple of words a couple of times, problem solver, problem solver. So salespeople are problem solvers. And so you move forward where you had experience. I thought this was really cool. So you talked about when you worked for Ryder doing a certain couple of things where you learned that there’s not just driver shortage, there’s a mechanic shortage. And then we even did have some experience with a community college and then a high school. How did that come about? Because that’s unique too.
Lindsey – 00:08:07:
Yeah. So in Louisville, they have an academies model and they were starting a diesel mechanic program at a specific high school. This high school already had a heavy equipment operating program. This is a four-year program. You start as a freshman and all of your classes, even your math class, it focuses on math and mechanics and how every class that you take focuses on your pathway and what you’re learning. It’s called the academies model. So that’s what we have here in Louisville. And when they wanted to start a diesel mechanic program, we got together the industry in the area with the dealers and trucking companies, and we helped them start their program. Today, it’s an amazing program. We actually did the ribbon cutting on the Wednesday when the world shut down for COVID on Thursday.
Brent – 00:09:06:
No way. Great timing.
Lindsey – 00:09:08:
Yeah, great timing. We got in just in time. But the program has been really successful. And the fun thing about it is walking with the students and learning about them as a freshman and continuing with them each year as they develop and grow into their career and their path in life. And they’re serious about what they want to do.
Brent – 00:09:28:
Well, that’s cool. So Freight Nation, this is a good quick takeaway. So whatever city that you’re in, if you have a son or a daughter that’s interested in a career, look for vocational type schools that they can go to that are going to train them in exactly what they’re going to go forward in. Look, I’m all for people that want to go to universities, but those are generalistic degrees. Typically, if you look back over the pantheon of time, most people, most young adults would line up under somebody who’s a master at something and they would learn from them, but they would learn specifically about what’s in that trade or what’s in that business. And so it happened all the time. It’s interesting how we’ve gone from being specific in something to being general in this educational aspect. And then you go to work for somebody and then they have to retrain you. So super great. I have a son that’s just graduated high school and he’s going into one of those trade schools, he’s going to figure out whether he wants to be a plumber, HVAC guy, electrician. He looks like he’s going to probably be an electrician. So he loves that. So love it. Absolutely love it. So actually, we’re looking at that aspect. And so you’re a problem solver. It’s one thing I love about that phrase, problem solver. So you started looking at going, okay, well, what am I going to do about it? I got you to what you thought about this association thing. Like I got to do something about it. All right. So tell the Freight Nation watchers and listeners how this came about.
Lindsey – 00:10:41:
I was at a conference and somebody mentioned to me, hey, there’s this guy, he started a high school trucking program. And I’m like, hey, there’s a solution. There’s an answer. And so I called this guy, his name’s Dave Dein, and he’s at Patterson High School in Patterson, California. And we started talking and dreaming up this idea about creating Next Gen and focusing on bridging the gap between industry and education and getting young people opportunities across the country to be trained in the trucking industry. And what we focus on now is four verticals. So supply chain management, diesel mechanics, driving and warehousing and logistics. And we’re helping schools start those programs and get young people interested in careers and just educating them about careers in the trucking industry. Interestingly, from 2022 to 23, there was a 16% increase in skilled trades training. So students aren’t going to compete. They’re not going to college for your college. They’re going to community college to get a skilled trade. And so right now is the time. We’ve got to be in there as an industry influencing educators, influencing students and saying, we want you in our industry. We have a great industry. And that’s what we did. So I’m a trucking person. I got thrown into education and workforce and just learning about all the opportunities that we have as an industry to work in our own communities, our backyard, to have influence on young people. It’s amazing. It’s so fun every day to hear stories. And just connect with young people and follow their hopes and dreams. And I feel like with careers in trucking, we can really do that and develop people and help them get on to the right path of success.
Brent – 00:12:38:
Yeah, I love it. I love it. You’ve had a heart for people since the beginning is what it sounds like. And for their betterment. That’s a fantastic thing. So, all right. So I want to shift into you’ve developed your association or you’ve established your association. And my guess is it was so super easy and everything was just rainbows. And as they say on Barney, lollipops and fairy tales. And it was just so easy. Yeah, probably not. So I love to talk about business owners. And so an association is an association, but in a sense, it operates like a business because it has to have a growth model to it and those sort of things. So Lindsey, talk to the Freight Nation watchers and listeners a little bit about specifically what’s it like to establish your own business and some of the challenges and the good parts and the challenging parts, but also then shift a little bit. How different is it when you start an association? So I’ll talk business and then association.
Lindsey – 00:13:27:
Got you. So in terms of business, we walk the fine line of we have to get members to support the mission and to support us financially with what we’re doing. And we have to work on the mission. So it’s that fine line of not spending too much time on just getting members and then not working on the mission. Because the main thing what we do is the mission. And so it’s walking that fine line of making sure that we have enough income and revenue coming in to support the mission. And that’s what we are all about. We are all about these young people. And so I literally went to the library and checked out a book, How Do You Start a Nonprofit Trade Association?
Brent – 00:14:15:
Wait a minute. There’s still libraries? I thought the internet replaced all the libraries. What are you talking about?
Lindsey – 00:14:19:
There are. There are.
Brent – 00:14:20:
Where are those places?
Lindsey – 00:14:22:
I know. They’re around. So I went and literally checked that out and then followed the steps. I mean, we kind of talked about having a balance of work-life balance, right? For a while, I did not have work-life balance because I worked full time. And I had to work every single Saturday to get the association off the ground.
Brent – 00:14:43:
Well, when you start a business, I hear you saying there’s a lot of effort when you start anything.
Lindsey – 00:14:48:
That is right. It’s a big focus. But you know that there’s an end in sight. I mean, you have to make that end in sight, right? You have to find balance. Otherwise, your family is not going to appreciate what you’re doing, right? And we talked about that. That’s one of the most important things is your family. And so now I try to have balance. It’s still hard, but it was focusing on creating this organization, getting buy-in from people, which means a ton of networking, a ton of storytelling and getting people on our side to say, yeah, this is a problem. This is something we need to work on. And then partnering with us to do that.
Brent – 00:15:31:
Okay, so co means it was somebody or some other group involved. What’s it like working with a co-founding partner? And are they directly involved? Are they sitting on the outside? And this is something for you, Freight Nation. I mean, you start your own business and you’ve got a partner. A co-founder is your partner. And so first, I’ll define it. What’s your definition of co-founder? How are they involved in the business? And then what is your communication with them? And how repetitive is it? And how open and honest is it? How open and honest do you need to be with them? So talk a little bit about that because this is super important. Freight Nation, when you start any business, if it’s anybody besides yourself, it’s pretty important for the communication aspect.
Lindsey – 00:16:08:
That is absolutely right. And I think you have to have the same values that align with that person, both business-wise and not. Right. And you have to have a ton of communication. And so Dave, he’s the co-founder. He’s a high school teacher.
Brent – 00:16:24:
Oh, the guy you met. Okay, yeah.
Lindsey – 00:16:26:
So he just finished his seventh year teaching this high school CDL program.
Brent – 00:16:29:
Okay, okay.
Lindsey – 00:16:30:
And he is just as passionate about this mission and getting it out to schools across the country. So Dave and I work together very closely. We talk daily. And the funny thing is, is because it was during COVID, we talked every day for two years before we met in person.
Brent – 00:16:49:
No way.
Lindsey – 00:16:50:
Yeah. Yeah. So it was like, oh my gosh, I can’t believe we’re going to get to actually meet here pretty soon in real life. And so, I mean, having that partner that just aligns with your values and mission and is just as passionate about what you want to do and what you want to accomplish is so important. And then we pulled in a board of directors that was also passionate about this mission and people who had supported Dave with his program and getting it up and running. So people that I knew that were super passionate about bringing on the next generation of professionals. And I mean, forming that board, like we launched. And we were all volunteers. So for six months, we launched and were just working hard on the mission before I was able to go full time with the association. But before that, we had at least two years in the works of getting it up and running.
Brent – 00:17:47:
My goodness, that’s a lot of work. You’re working a full-time job and working another full-time job. Lindsey, thank you for explaining that. Because any time you start anything, Freight Nation, it takes a tremendous amount of your effort, your focus, and most importantly, your determination. Some people call it grit these days. I just like to call it determination because as my dad used to say to me, you can’t beat a person that won’t give up. One thing I love about people that start associations, Lindsey, is that they typically are so passionate about it. They’re just not going to give up. Do you feel like that’s something that you and Dave, that’s something like you’re not giving up on this no matter what?
Lindsey – 00:18:22:
Oh, absolutely. And I think that aligns really closely with the sales mindset too. You’re going to get a ton of no’s and you just have to move on, right? Not everybody’s going to be a great fit for what you’re trying to do. I had conversations with the trucking company owner and he’s like, hey, I need 30 drivers tomorrow. And I’m like, step back. That’s not what I do. We’re trying to plant the seed. So in five, 10 years, you aren’t going to have this problem, but I’m not an overnight solution. I’m how can we invest in the next generation to build up that workforce and to solve the problem at the core, right? That’s what we’re trying to do is solve it at the core. We’re not an overnight fix. And so being okay to say, hey, we’re not a good fit for you and hearing no’s and getting disappointed, but waking up the next day and saying, that’s okay. You know, moving on to the next, I had a former boss that really taught me that he just would look at me and he’d say next, because you can’t dwell on that. You have to just move on. And then hopefully around the corner, you never knew who’s going to be your best supporter. And likely it could be somebody who you almost wrote off, right? You’re like, oh, they’re not going to support what I’m doing. And then that person tends to be an amazing supporter. So it’s just really having that determination grit and not getting down in the weeds when you get the no’s.
Brent – 00:19:49:
Yeah, no doubt. Here’s one way to look at it. All right. This is something I was taught in sales. You can lose the battle because you can’t win every battle. Just don’t lose the war. All right. So you got to make sure you win the war, but you can lose a battle. It’s okay to lose a battle. And sales happens all the time. All right. So, Lindsey, let’s transition into Next Gen. And just in general, the focus, the mission of Next Gen and the opportunities that are out there in the market. So not just that Next Gen brings forward, but the opportunities in this industry, because we love for Freight Nation to be educational. That’s part of the purpose of it, not just tell the story, but the purpose of it. So in other words, to be educational as well, in other words, learning something through the process. So, all right. So let’s think about, so we got this giant marketplace. And so your job is to help the industry or the nation know more about the opportunities that are in the four pillars. So talk about the four pillars again, and then just some anecdotal application into those where you see the opportunities and some of the challenges in all four of the segments.
Lindsey – 00:20:44:
And I say those four segments because that’s a huge focus of ours for high schools. But I mean, there’s also engineers and data scientists and people who build trucks, right? So it’s a real big focus on everything. But what we’ve learned is that there’s this whole area of education called Career Technical Education. And every industry is involved in it, right? Construction and cosmetology and welding and woodworking. Well, the trucking industry has got to be in career technical education as well. So what we’re doing is helping schools develop programs in whatever makes the most sense in their community, whether it is, you know, it’s a port city. So they want to create a trucking program that’s got supply chain and logistics and trucking or in a community where, hey, we need diesel mechanics and helping a high school start this program to build up the workforce. And so, getting in this whole education world and workforce development is what we’ve done. But then it’s also, you know, working with student organizations like Future Farmers of America or SkillsUSA and promoting trucking as a positive career choice. Most fun events every year is the FFA National Convention. They had last year was 72,000 students.
Brent – 00:22:05:
My goodness. I’ve always wanted to go to that event. Is it as fun as it sounds?
Lindsey – 00:22:09:
It is. Come. You can come. You can come and be at our booth. So we have a large booth. We’ve got a driver simulator in our booth. We’ve got VR headsets where you can change the oil in a truck or change the tire in a truck.
Brent – 00:22:21:
Where’d you get a driver simulator?
Lindsey – 00:22:22:
So one of our partners, Marvin Johnson, is an insurance broker. And they’re amazing. They believe in safety. And so they have a driver simulator for their customers. And we partner with them. And they bring the driver simulator every year. We’ve got the National Tank Truck Carriers. Their grand champion driver comes and works our booth every year, as well as a few other of their finalists. And then some of our members will come and talk to students. We had a student last year. He was 15. And he had just rebuilt a Peterbilt on his farm. I mean, these people are incredible. So it’s so fun to engage with them and to promote careers in trucking. We’ll always have an owner-operator there. And we have students that say, I want to be an owner-operator. I want to call Swine and just be able to talk to them about the opportunities. So that’s what we do too, right? Is, hey, there’s a career fair. Let’s talk to these students about careers in the trucking industry and just different opportunities that they have.
Brent – 00:23:21:
Yeah, no doubt. All right. So in the four segments, let’s say the four segments again, because I want to make sure the Freight Nation watchers and listeners can put this in their mind, because the scope is really big. Just freight transportation in the United States is over a trillion dollars. All right. So it’s a trillion dollar part of the United States, what we do in our country economically every year. It’s giant. That’s just transportation of freight. That’s not mechanics. That’s not supply chain. It’s not everything else. So talk a little bit about the four and then anything else that you might want to add that’s kind of unique about those.
Lindsey – 00:23:50:
So within the career technical education, there’s 16 career clusters and we fall under transportation, distribution, and logistics. Within that, there’s diesel mechanics, there’s warehousing and logistics. So that’s kind of the forklift operating and then supply chain and logistics included in that. And then there’s CDL driving, getting your CDL, becoming a professional driver. And then there’s another segment, supply chain management. That might fall under that career cluster, but it also might fall under business and marketing.
Brent – 00:24:27:
Yeah, well, it has every aspect in it.
Lindsey – 00:24:29:
Yeah, those students are going to go to college a lot of times and get that four-year supply chain management degree, which, by the way, is a very valuable degree. I read an article just published like a month ago, and it talked about the 20 majors in college where you’re not making any money 10 years later. And I’m like, you can get a job in trucking and make that right out of high school or go to college and not make as much money as you can make right out of high school in trucking.
Brent – 00:24:58:
Yeah, for sure. And have no debt in the process. So to kind of give you an idea, because I am locked into a lot of supply chain schools at universities, the employment rate as a supply chain major is over 90%. If you study mathematics on economics of employment, you want a career that has a 90% employment in the segment that you’re going into, because if it has a 90% employment, you have an opportunity to be very financially sound in it and to grow your career. If it has anything less than 90, struggles happen. So I know a lot of people want to be in this industry. A lot of young adults, and I got five of them, want to be like gamers. Well, you want to know where there’s almost no opportunity? It’s in the gaming industry, even though it’s super fascinating. And I get it. Or I want to be, lo and behold, a social media influencer. Not many people make money being a social media. I realize it’s super cool. I heard somebody say, take your passion into your career. Don’t just follow your passion, but take your passion into your career. What do you think about that?
Lindsey – 00:25:56:
I mean, I love that. Absolutely. And we hope that we’re building up a generation of passionate people. So the supply chain attracts young people because young people, they want to give back. They want to make a difference. If we don’t have trucks and the supply chain, we’re not going to get any of our goods. And so being able to sell that if you’re in a career that supports the supply chain, then you have a huge impact on our country. That’s what these young people need to hear and they want to hear. And that there’s lots of jobs and those jobs can start out entry level, but there is so much room for growth. Where do you know of more business owners than being a professional driver? These owner operators, and then they can buy more trucks. This generation is one of the most entrepreneurial generations that we’ve seen. And so we’ve got it also sell the fact that, hey, you want to be your own business owner, come into trucking and you can be successful.
Brent – 00:27:01:
I love the way you put that. This generation is more entrepreneurial than ever before. I got to write that down and start to focus on that. That’s super cool. And so what’s next for you as far as what’s the next sort of part you’re building out? And then I want to ask you kind of a funny question right at the end, because I think everybody wants to know the answer to this. What’s next for NextGen and Lindsey Trent?
Lindsey – 00:27:19:
Yeah, just to continue to grow the association and focus on the mission. We are trying to get a list of all the career fairs across the country. And what we want to do is connect our members to be able to go, hey, there’s a school 10 miles down the road from you. They’re having a career fair. There’s going to be 2000 students there. And can you take a truck? Can you promote jobs that you have? We also want to get more programs in high schools and make more connections with the community colleges. Our goal is to bridge the gap between industry and education. And we want more industry to start getting involved in education. All of these programs that I’m mentioning have an advisory board. And so they have to have two meetings a year. And it’s a fun time to go get connected with students and to advise their program and to hopefully maybe even get employees. We’re also trying to help companies see that there are work-based learning opportunities for them to get a 16-year-old, 17-year-old to come and work for them. And so we have so much on the horizon and so much work continuing to do. It’s fun. I love waking up every day and meeting with schools and meeting with companies and trying to help them get involved in workforce development. And really, it’s about creating your workforce, investing in them and educating them to be that employee you want them to be. And how can you build that workforce? And I really think we need to start getting these young people interested in our careers. Let’s not let them go and be a welder or a HVAC worker. Let’s introduce them to trucking. And let’s get them on a career path in our industry and start them young, right? Let’s get their attention while they’re young.
Brent – 00:29:13:
Yeah, no doubt. I love that. So let me ask you, so associations a lot of times work with other associations. Are you guys connected to any other associations in the industry?
Lindsey – 00:29:21:
We are. So we’re connected with all of the state associations, PCA, ATA, NTTC, Women In Trucking. We are very involved with a lot of different associations. I’m passionate. I’ve served on the board of the Kentucky Trucking Association for seven years. And I just think associations, we care about our communities. We want to make things better. And so we’re very involved in a lot of associations, as well as like education, you know, Association of Career Technical Education, American School Counselors Association. We have a presence and a booth and speak at all of these conferences to promote trucking. Because if you’re a school counselor, you need to know and be educated about the jobs that you’re educating your students about. So we make sure to have a presence at all of these conferences and have all these conversations so that when a school counselor is talking to a student, they can talk to them about the trucking industry and opportunities.
Brent – 00:30:19:
Yeah, fantastic. So I love your mission. I love what you’re doing this. And I really appreciate you coming on today and then opening up the mind of this industry. Because a lot of times, the main carrier that works as a Truckstop customer is a small owner operator, one to two trucks. But those things change. Sometimes they decide they don’t want to continue to follow that career. And then what’s next for them? So knowing that there’s an association they can go to for options is super important. So thank you so much for bringing this great opportunity and just opening up the minds today of this industry to what the opportunities are out there. So all right. So I had a very important question. Here’s what it is. How do you actually say the name of the city that you live in? Can you give me all the ways that it’s said?
Lindsey – 00:31:01:
Well, you know, it’s one of those things if you start thinking about it, I’m like, wait, am I saying it right? So Louisville. Louisville. Louisville.
Brent – 00:31:10:
Louisville?
Lindsey – 00:31:11:
Louisville.
Brent – 00:31:12:
Not Louisville.
Lindsey – 00:31:13:
Not Louisville.
Brent – 00:31:14:
Because that’s in Mississippi.
Lindsey – 00:31:15:
Right.
Brent – 00:31:16:
It’s where my grandmother was born, believe it or not. I love the t-shirts when you go up into Kentucky. It’s got like seven different ways you say it. Louisville, Louisville, Louisville, Louisville.
Lindsey – 00:31:26:
Right.
Brent – 00:31:27:
I just thought it’d be funny for us to actually try to actually pronounce it. But no, what a great city. Get to go there every year for the Mid-America Trucking Show. We love it. I’ve been going there since 98. Only years I didn’t go is when they didn’t have the show, when the pandemic shut it down.
Lindsey – 00:31:40:
Such a fun show. It’s one of our favorites too.
Brent – 00:31:43:
Well, hey. Thank you again for coming on, Freight Nation. Thank you again for continuing to be a siren for the message out there that there’s great opportunity inside of transportation for those that want to take that opportunity. Some would say that’s an unconventional path. I’d say it’s a conventional path. It’s just another opportunity for people to grow their life and something that they want to do, their work that’s meaningful.
Lindsey – 00:32:04:
And that matters.
Brent – 00:32:05:
Work that matters. Absolutely. So that’s one of the best things about my job. I love it. I wake up every day knowing, man, I’m out there helping some people today. That, in the end, is really what makes me feel so passionate about what I do. So, Lindsey, thank you so much for coming on Freight Nation today. Really appreciate you being a part of it.
Lindsey – 00:32:20:
Brent, thank you for having me.
Brent – 00:32:21:
Oh, man, you’re welcome, anytime. All right, Freight Nation, I hope you took a lot of takeaways from this, that there continues to be growing opportunity inside transportation for you and your career. So pay attention. Reach out to the Next Gen and Trucking Association. And Lindsey, I know that they can help you. And as we like to say, we like to close with Freight Nation every time. Don’t forget. To work hard, to be kind, and to stay humble. All right, Freight Nation, that’s a wrap. We’ll see you on the next one. Thanks a lot for watching and listening. On behalf of the Truckstop team, thanks for listening to this episode of Freight Nation. To find out more about the show, head to truckstop.com/podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you hit subscribe so you don’t miss any future episodes. Until then, keep on trucking and exploring the open roads with Freight Nation, a trucking podcast.
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