Transcript
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Welcome to Ready Set Collaborate podcast with Rhonda Pearson, where we will dive deep into the world of networking, collaboration and partnership, unlocking the secrets to a successful team working within innovation.
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Whether you're an entrepreneur, a creative professional or just someone eager to understand the power of networking and collaboration, this podcast is your go-to resource.
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Join us as we explore the stories, strategies and insights from experts, entrepreneurs and thought leaders who have experienced the magic of networking and collaboration to achieve successful results.
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Tune in to Ready.
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Set Collaborate podcast on a journey towards achieving your goals with host Wanda Pearson.
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Welcome, welcome to the Ready Set.
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Collaborate with Wanda Pearson.
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I am so excited to have oh my God, a woman truck driver commercial driver, I should say with me today and tell me how you say your name.
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I'm getting like what do?
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you call it.
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CRS Kadesha.
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Yes, kadesha, thank you so much.
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I appreciate you being on the show and I'm just so excited to have this.
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This series is going to be off the chain.
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It is a pleasure.
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Thank you for having me.
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Oh, absolutely, Absolutely no.
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I appreciate you being with me and doing it at the last minute.
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We're going to have some great stories from Kadesha and she's going to tell us about how it is on and off the road and how being a truck driver is.
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It's exciting, right?
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I'm assuming it's exciting because you're going to the stage, right?
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It's exciting, it's a dream come true for me, because I've always wanted to travel, but I've always wanted to get paid to travel.
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So I thought I was going to go into the military.
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But I ended up marrying someone that was in the military.
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Things didn't work out, but this is what I've been led to do.
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Okay, that's awesome.
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That is awesome.
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We're going to get this story shorter, but I'm just want to tell you about my sponsor.
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The sponsor is W.
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Okay, that's awesome.
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That is awesome.
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We're going to get this story started.
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But I'm just want to tell you about my sponsor.
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The sponsor is WD Pearson Associates, with our service in the legal shield that help commercial drivers with affordable legal protection on and off the road.
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We actually are here to help you with any legal matter, from trivia to traumatic.
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So, since our dedicated law firms actually are paid in advance, they're so focused on serving you rather than billing you.
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Definitely set up a consultation with me.
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I would love to get you started as far as a commercial driver, and my passion is to make sure that everybody has their legal rights protected.
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So let's get the show started.
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Kadesha, I'm going to talk about your bio, and I love the bio how you actually you spelled everything.
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That's what you're doing.
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So, kadesha, did I say it right?
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Yes ma'am.
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Okay, Pretty name, such a pretty name.
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Kadesha Caffey is a visionary entrepreneur whose journey epitomizes resilience and determination.
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Armed with a potent mix of ambition and unwavering focus, she transformed her dreams into reality through sheer hard work and perseverance.
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With a keen eye for opportunity, she navigated the complexities of the business world, overcoming challenges with grace and grit.
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Kadesha's relentless pursuit of excellence, coupled with her innovative mindset, propelled her to the summit of success.
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She stands today as a beacon of inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs everywhere.
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I love this.
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Khadijah, that is such an inspiring bio of what you're doing and how you actually your dreams and what you're doing with your dreams.
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And tell me a little bit about yourself.
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You just told me about traveling, how you got into being a commercial driver.
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Well, to start off, I went to college and I ended up dropping out because it's not what I was led to do, the passion that I have, that was born, that I was born with.
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I couldn't let it burn where I was when I went to college.
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It wasn't meant for me to be there, so I left, moved to Georgia.
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It wasn't meant for me to be there, so I left, moved to Georgia.
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And that's when everything burst for me as far as business and my pursuit to be a beacon of light for our millennials and our next generation.
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I became an educator.
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I taught kids how to code, how to create apps and things of that nature, and I saw the system.
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I saw that it was broken and a nine to five doesn't work for me.
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I want to be an inspiration of change to these broken systems in our educational system, within our government and a few other things that I aspire to do to help rebuild the generations that are lost because they are lost.
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So I thought long and hard how can I accomplish my dreams, build the foundation and the revenue that I'm going to need, legally and freely, without having to hit somebody's clock every single day?
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Nine to five?
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So I was like I thought about truck driving a couple of years ago, but I never acted on it.
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And I revisit that thought and I was like, okay, this is the way I need to go to accomplish what I need to accomplish.
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So I'm on a mission and truck driving although it's been quite challenging since I've started, it's put me in a position to be able to accomplish a lot of goals that I have set for myself.
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I love it, I love it, and you've been doing this for how long again?
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Six months actually.
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Six months.
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You can do it, people, you can do it.
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Look at Conceitia.
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I tell you I'm so proud of you as far as what you're doing and what you're saying, because it really is another avenue of doing another profession and having this and traveling.
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You say you love traveling all over the world, and that's awesome.
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That's awesome.
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I really like what you said there.
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Oh, and I forgot to tell people make sure you share and follow Ready Set.
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Collaborate with Wanda Pearson.
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I forgot that.
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I meant to tell you that in the beginning.
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So let's get back to it.
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Let's get back to it.
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Listen, I forgot that.
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I meant to tell you that in the beginning.
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So let's get back to it.
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Let's get back to that.
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So we were talking about you being married and you're going on a long trip.
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What are some effective strategies for how do commercial drivers stay connected with loved ones while on the road?
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Now, how I stay connected with my family is through group messages, and I'm a part of a lot of them.
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It gets a bit tiring sometimes.
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Messages, and I'm a part of a lot of them.
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It gets a bit tiring sometimes Always keeping that open communication with, like my mom, my brothers and my husband, of course, my uncles, because I have family members that are truckers as well and have their own trucking companies businesses.
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So I turn on my location so they can always know where I am, because it's also a safety thing.
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It can't get dangerous out here.
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I am a black woman, a woman in general as a truck driver and the way I operate this thing.
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They don't expect a woman to get out of this truck.
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Um, it's a lot of the guys by surprise when I step on out and I'm handling business, so it can be a little bit dangerous.
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Just a little story I'm out delivering the load but I have to stop to get fuel and there's another trucker behind me that's talking this horn because he wants me to pull up out of the fuel pump.
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Well, I got to get fuel.
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Pull up out of the fuel pump.
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Well, I gotta get fuel.
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So I go in the store to pay for the fuel and to grab a bite to eat to bring back to the truck.
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Now I guess he got upset.
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So what he did was he pulled the release handle, which is like a lock that holds the trailer in place on the back of my truck.
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Now, if I was to pull off, the trailer would have hit the ground yeah, and I could not have been able to pick that up.
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I would have had to call roadside assistance.
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Or let's say, I get on the road and I start driving.
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Maybe it didn't detach right then, but what happens if I start driving and go into a curve on the highway?
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I'll be flipped over, and I drive in the mountains.
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That's extremely dangerous.
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So safety is a big thing and people will do stuff like that.
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So always, no matter where you are, anytime you stop, make sure you check your truck before you pull off, because if I had not checked it, I would have been liable and I probably wouldn't be here on this podcast talking to you today yes, so how did you handle that guy?
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that that he did do you know he did it.
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So how did you handle that?
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he approached me in the gas station and asked him did you get fuel?
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Okay, I understand why you're talking to me.
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What about my day.
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I checked my truck to ensure that everything was okay, and that's how I found that the release handle was full released on my my sis wheel.
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That's what we call it, Cause it sits on a plate the trailer so it happens.
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That's why I check.
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That's a blessing.
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No, that's a blessing.
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That's a blessing that you checked that, because if you didn't just in a hurry to get out of there, that could have happened.
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I am glad you did.
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I'm glad you're here with me on my podcast to tell that story and tell people how to make sure they check their gear before they take off.
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Yeah, it can be fun, but it can be a little dangerous as well.
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Pay attention to your surroundings and you get paid to travel.
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Have fun sometimes, it's okay.
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Absolutely, absolutely.
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I love it.
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I love it.
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So what are some effective strategies for managing fatigue during long hauls?
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I know you said you were on a break it, so what are some effective strategies for managing fatigue during long hauls?
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I know you say you're on a break now, so what are some of the strategies?
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I always try to take 15, 20 minute breaks in between the time that I'm driving long hauls, especially when I'm driving more than 1500 miles at one time, hundred miles at one time.
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So I'll take that 15, 20 minutes every three, maybe four hours.
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Um, because walk around.
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I have my dog with me so I take him out for a walk around the truck stop or a rest area that I have stopped at.
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Just go for a walk.
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That's how I keep myself awake, I keep energized, I eat fruit.
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I try to stay healthy, because being on the truck is nothing but fast food open at late nights.
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That's good because that was my next question is how do you maintain a healthy lifestyle?
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Having my little dog.
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I call him my son as well.
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He thinks he's human, but having him, it forces me to get out of the truck to be active because he needs to be walked.
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He has to use the restroom because god forbid if he goes in my truck, but yeah, stopping periodically getting that walk in.
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Do a little jogging.
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Eat you some fresh fruit I have apples, I love apples and watermelon Eat water.
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Stay hydrated, so it'll help with the fatigue over time.
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Yeah, that's awesome and I appreciate that you're telling me that, and I'm glad you have your dog with you, because your dog's your friend too, right?
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Hey, buddy, you want to say hello, yes this is me oh, such a cutie pie hello, you don't know, he's on the camera, the cutie pie.
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That is awesome.
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And he obeys too, right.
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Yeah.
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But so what are some of the latest regulations impacting commercial drivers and how can they stay compliant?
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I know there's different regulations that you have, especially on the road.
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Now I don't know all of them, but if I ever have any questions I just reach out to my dispatch and a lot of times they'll send the new rules and regulations and new laws on our tablet.
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They will communicate that with us as drivers, because I work for a major company, so that's how I stay up to date.
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Now, if it was anyone else, there are certain things that you would have to go through to be able to get all of that paperwork and stuff, because you have to keep that stuff on your truck yeah let's say you gotta, you get pulled over and have to get an inspection, a dlt inspection.
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You have to keep all of that paperwork and stuff on your truck, so you have to go through certain avenues to be able to get all of those updates.
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And for me, I get it on my tablet okay, that's awesome.
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That's awesome, especially you have a company that actually keeps you updated on what's going on, especially in the different states that you're going through.
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You don't know what state has this regulation, that regulation, so laws are different per state because we go to.
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I've been to canada and I've been to mexico okay so country as well yeah, that, and it's so true.
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So now, how can, commercial drivers, you navigate through challenging weather conditions?
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I know what happened in Baltimore with the guy with the bridge falling, and then they had the earthquake in New Jersey.
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So it was a lot of things.
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So how can you navigate through those challenging conditions?
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Things like that is is unpredicted, so you can't ever be prepared for events of those magnitudes.
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However, anytime that you are stopped before you leave from whatever location that you are whether you're picking up a load or dropping off a load always do a thought out mapping plan.
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That's what.
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I do.
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I see the layout of where I'm going, whatever address I'm given to take the load, I look it up.
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I look at their weather.
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I look up on Google.
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I use Google satellite maps to look at the area that I'm going into.
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So I know, cause you never know what street is blocked.
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You don't know, what you're running to.
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Once you get to that location or within that area, always look on your Google Maps Earth, whatever the case may be, whatever app you use, Always check in there and always look at the satellite view of where you're going, so in case you have to take a different route that the GPS isn't going to pick up on.
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So thanks for telling me that, because the satellite so there's Google satellite.
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Is that what it is?
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Ok, ok.
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Look at a clear view like what we would see with our eyes a clear view of all the streets in that surrounding area.
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So you know OK that's good to know, thank you.
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Thank you for teaching me that.
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Okay, that's good to know, thank you.
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Thank you for teaching me that I use Google maps, I use Waze, but sometimes you don't see what's ahead of when you're traveling here.
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But I usually actually I fly a lot.
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I miss it.
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I have my share of.
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I had my share of driving because I'm from Chicago.
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We used to drive when we moved from New Jersey.
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We drive to Chicago and and I said, okay and I, no more driving like that for me.
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So I really give you kudos yeah do that, do that.
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So let me ask you something too.
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So what are some career advancement opportunities available to commercial drivers?
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That I really don't know.
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I haven't made it that far just yet because I wasn't really looking into staying a driver for a long time, because I want to start my own company drivers.
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I see what's out here and how these companies treat the drivers I'm going to do something different.
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I'm going to treat my drivers better.
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That's awesome.
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So I really don't know all of the opportunities that they have.
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I haven't really looked into it because it's not a goal of mine.
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And that's great, and that's what I tell people.
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Get your own passion.
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You're learning the ropes, you're learning as far as what you need to do and you're seeing what's going on, how people are being treated.
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I was in corporate for 36 years and I said, OK, that's it.
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I'm so proud that you're doing that, especially as and then.
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What I love what you said in the beginning is how you want to teach young people that this is available as far as with a lot of things that's happening in this world today, the youth and I do mentoring.
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What you're doing.
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I really admire what you're going to be doing, then.
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That that that is awesome.
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That is awesome.
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So let me ask you something again.
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So how do commercial drivers cope with stress and isolation during extended trips?
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what I do.
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I keep myself busy so I don't have to focus on the stress of whatever's going back home and family life while I'm out because it can be distracting while you're driving and you focus on other things and not on the road, so I keep myself.
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So what I did was I got registered back into school.
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Okay, I do online courses.
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So I'm always in a business meeting strategizing how I can be a better version of myself and how I can help others.
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So I keep myself busy.
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That's awesome.
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I love it.
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I love it.
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And you mentioned you're going to have your own podcast too.
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So here, listen, I'm so honored that you actually joined me on this podcast to really tell your story as far as how you started and what you're doing.
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So we're getting, we're at the end.
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So I want you to tell us a little bit more.
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Give us a what you about, what you, how, what you're going to be doing in your future plans.
00:18:19.557 --> 00:18:30.351
You said you're going to have your own company, but tell us a little bit more about how you can get into this field and then your other business You're creating your own once you get out of this.
00:18:30.351 --> 00:18:33.130
I have a couple this is different avenues.
00:18:33.932 --> 00:18:34.334
Yeah.
00:18:34.894 --> 00:18:39.134
Starters, if you want to get into trucking, do your research.
00:18:39.134 --> 00:18:40.390
That's what I'm going to say.
00:18:40.390 --> 00:18:41.308
Do your research.
00:18:41.308 --> 00:18:42.056
That's what I'm going to say.
00:18:42.056 --> 00:18:50.338
Do your research, check out the different schools, because everybody has some type of contract that's going to get you stuck.
00:18:50.338 --> 00:19:04.490
So please read the fine print and be careful, be vigilant in the information that you obtain and go from there, make your decision based off of the information and comparing the different schools.
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I went to Roadmaster, which is through Warner, so Warner pays my tuition.