The Autumn Transport Podcast

In this episode Brenton and Jenna are joined by Autumn CEO Julie Andrich and General Manager Josh Wahlin. This was a fun discussion looking back at all that happened in 2023, and forecasting where Julie and Josh see Autumn going in 2024. We talk about how social media has impacted recruiting, Autumn's recognition by the Minnesota Trucking Association for multiple safety awards, Julie's Top Women in Business Award, and Autumn being named a Top Workplace for Women in Trucking. In 2023 Autumn hit an all time high for truck count, we had 17 driver's paid off truck leases, and multiple drivers win the MTA Driver of the Month honors. Josh also announces for the first time the winner of Autumn's 2023 Driver of the Year.

Women in Trucking
Minnesota Trucking Association
Autumn's New Website

In this episode Brenton and Jenna talk with Summit Health and Fitness coach Amie Chambers. Amie is a certified L1 CrossFit coach, as well as the owner of Summit Health and Fitness, which is a business that helps individuals understand health and nutrition. Their company motto is "We help driven people DITCH the diet & DISCOVER energy and confidence they DESERVE."  Amie shares strategies drivers can implement to make better decisions about the food they eat, and she gives some great advice at what foods help us be healthy and fit, and what foods we should avoid. Plus, Jenna asks some hard hitting questions about the problems with cooking your food in a microwave.

Check Amie's company out on Facebook or Instagram by searching @summit_health_coaching.

In this episode Brenton and Jenna talk with Chris Thomas, an owner operator partner in the Pneumatic division. Chris is on fire in the trucking social media world right now and has been a guest on several recent trucking podcasts. We love Chris's mantra - "Freight friends are great friends."

During our conversation we discuss some of the trends Chris sees in the trucking industry and where he believes things are headed. We also talk about developing little habits to be physically and mentally healthy while trucking. Chris shares some great advice on playing the long game in trucking and learning how to wisely ride out the highs and lows of rates.

Make sure you give Chris a follow on LinkedIn, X, and Instagram ----> @indietrucker

While you're at it, give his friends a follow too!
#PleaseAdvise
Michael Lombard @LombardTrucking
Reed Loustalot @lostisreed
Lost FR8 @LOSTFR8_
Kevin Rutherford @lets_truck
CDL Drivers Unlimited
Truck Parking Club

Other cool things mentioned by Chris.
F3: Future of Freight Festival 2023
Mid America Truck Show
Freight Waves @FreightWaves
OOIDA
ChopFit
Jason's Law

In this episode Brenton and Jenna sit down with Tim Tetz. Tim is the Director of Public Outreach at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. In his role Tim is responsible for managing The Wall That Heals, is a 375-foot long replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, honoring the nearly eight million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam War. It bears the names of the more than 58,000 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam. The replica wall has been brought to over 700 communities through partnerships between the VVMF and truck drivers and trucking companies. Our conversation covers Tim's military service, the goals of the VVMF and some special stories related to the wall and people's interaction with it.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
The Wall That Heals

In this episode Brenton and Jenna sit down with Autumn Safety Director Chris Senty and his safety associate Char Oestreich to discuss their time at the Minnesota Trucking Association Annual Conference, and also to talk about the upcoming CVSA Brake Safety Week - August 20-26. We talk about asking the right questions of yourself and a company, gathering support and input from others to make better, decisions, and all about what to look for to successfully navigate the Brake Safety Week. Plus, Jenna learns what a Jake Brake is!

MTA Annual Conference
CVSA Brake Safety Week
10 Tips for Brake Linings and Pads 

In this episode Brenton and Jenna are joined by KAW CEO Angela Castle. KAW Services is a full service repair shop and tank wash. Angela made the trip all the way from Kansas City to the Autumn office to join our show. Angela and her family owned business have been friends of Autumn for many years. Our conversation was full of stories and lots of laughs. If you are in the KC area and in need of a trailer repair or tank wash Autumn is proud to recommend the folks at KAW. And while you're there be sure to have a #KAWDog or 2!

KAW Services

In this episode Brenton and Jenna chat with End Dump driver Jason Miles. Jason stopped by the office to do some video recording for an End Dump Training video so we grabbed him for a quick conversation before he hit the road again. Both Jason and his Dad are owner-operator partners with Autumn. Jason comes from a long family line of truckers and he talks about his success with the Autumn Ownership Program, how he maintains his trucks, his passion for service to his customers, and the great relationship he has with his dispatch team. It was a lot of fun getting to know Jason and we're sure you'll enjoy this conversation as much as we did.

In this episode Brenton and Jenna sit down with Megan Kraby and Kim Decker. Megan is a decades long family friend of Brenton and, along with Kim, owns Kraby Decker Law. Our conversation is an important one for truck drivers should a catastrophic incident occur. Having a will, a health care directive, and an estate plan is crucial for drivers and their families. Megan and Kim handle this heavy topic with wisdom and care, and there’s lot of laughs and personal anecdotes along the way. 

In this episode Brenton and Jenna are joined by Minnesota Trucking Association President John Hausladen. John has been leading the MTA since since 1996. Our discussion covers how John got into trucking, what the MTA does for drivers and companies, current issues the MTA is lobbying government to look at, and the MTA's new recruitment campaign.

Minnesota Trucking Association
Drive the Difference Campaign 

In this episode Brenton sits down with former Autumn Transport Operations Manager Drew Koppen. Drew is currently the Director of Operations at Driver Driven Transportation, based in Lakeland, MN. It was a fantastic conversation centered on company culture, leadership, a commitment to drivers, and how to build a fantastic team. Both Driver Driven Transportation and Autumn Transport are companies founded, and internally guided, by a strong commitment to values and culture. Drew is well read and leads out of humility, wisdom and empathy. There's a lot to take in and process in this conversation, and we hope it will make you better today!

Autumn Transport
Driver Driven Transportation
Patrick Lencioni: The Ideal Team Player
Gino Wickman: Traction

In this episode Brenton and Autumn CEO Julie Andrich chat with MN State Patrol Captain Jon Olsen. Captain Olsen has been serving the state of Minnesota and the drivers on its highways for over 20 years. A small town kid who wanted to be a farmer, Captain Olsen explains to us what troopers are doing to keep our roads safe for truck drivers and passenger vehicle drivers alike. He tells us about new technology inspection officers are using, shares some stories of the excuses he's heard from people trying to get out of tickets, and he warns drivers about how Minnesota's recent legalization of cannabis effect them. Hint: you still can't touch the stuff and keep trucking! Captain Olsen also details the goals of Operation Safe Driver Week, happening July 9-15.

Operation Safe Driver

In this episode Brenton talks with DAT Principal Analyst and Sleep Expert Dean Croke. Dean spent  over 20 years as a driver and trucking company owner in Australia before coming to the US as a consultant, analyst and sleep expert. Sadly, two drivers at Dean's trucking company passed away in crashes due to falling asleep behind the wheel. These tragedies led Dean to devoting his life to studying sleep and he is passionate about passing along this information to anyone in the trucking industry who will listen. Brenton and Dean talk about how sleep cycles work, what prevents good sleep, why it is important that spouses and families understand why a driver needs to sleep, and what drivers can do to improve their sleep. Dean still drives from time to time and has a super cool Peterbilt he calls "The Grumpy Pete."

Connect with Dean on LinkedIn: Dean Croke
DAT Freight & Analytics
YouTube: The Grumpy Pete
Send us question for Dean: social@autumntransport.com

In this episode Brenton sits down with Hopper driver Gary Ruth and Liquid Tank driver Todd Moody to discuss their involvement in the Minnesota Trucking Association's 2023 Truck Driving Championships. They also discuss how they first found Autumn Transport, their success with Autumn's Lease Ownership Program, and some of the challenges owner-operators face while out on the road. Gary tells us about his involvement in a really cool organization he's leads called Help For Our Vets, and you don't want to miss Todd's story about how he reunited with his first with after 30 years apart!

Minnesota Trucking Association
2023 MN Truck Driving Championship

In this episode, Brenton and Jenna are joined by Hopper driver Ray Boire. Ray has partnered with Autumn Transport for around three years. Ray was at the Autumn office showing The Wall That Heals to our dispatch and operations staff. During our conversation Ray talks with us about his service in the Army, his experience as a bouncer at concerts and clubs, how he got into trucking, and why volunteering as a driver to pull The Wall That Heals trailer means so much to him. Thank you, Ray, for your service to our country, and for donating your time and money to be involved with The Wall That Heals. 

The Autumn Ownership Program
The Wall That Heals
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund

In this episode Brenton and Jenna sit down with Liquid Tanks driver Chuck Haviland. We learn about the time Chuck handed the keys of the gas station he worked at to a police officer and quit the job, some of Chuck's favorite karaoke songs, and why he thinks Autumn is such a special place to work. There's also a great story about a recent medical bill Chuck had to pay for his dog, and some audio of Jenna singing Elvis Presley. 

Other topics include driver referrals, why you should have a maintenance account, and Jenna's (not) love of Taylor Swift.

In this episode Brenton and Jenna sit down with Autumn Safety Director Chris Senty from Senty Transportation Services, LLC. We preview the MTA Trucking Driving Championship coming up June 10-11 in Roseville, MN. Then we deep dive into the 2023  CVSA International Roadcheck coming up May 16-18th.

Topics discussed: TDC (Truck Driving Championship), The Blitz, Brakes, Lights, Low hanging fruit, Keeping your trailer clean, Level 1 inspections, and the time Chris got put out of service

Autumn Transport
Senty Transportation Services, LLC
CVSA International Roadcheck
MTA Truck Driving Championships

In this episode Brenton and Jenna sit down with Liquid Tank driver Nick Wadsworth. Nick is an owner operator from Louisiana and has been partnering with Autumn Transport for about a year. During our conversation you'll hear about how Nick found Autumn, how he got the nickname Slim, and you'll even get a little sample of Jenna's singing voice. 

In this episode Brenton and Jenna sat down with Founder Bev Rieks and her daughter, CEO Julie Andrich to discuss the beginning of Autumn Transport. We learned how the company was started by Bev and her late husband Lowell, and how it grew from a small grain hauling operation called Autumn Grain to the company it is today. 

In this episode Brenton and Jenna sit down with Liquid Tank driver Wayne Ebert. Wayne started with Autumn in February 2022 and partnered with them for almost 9 months before being let go due to anger and unsafe driving. In this episode Wayne shares the challenges he faced dealing with loss in his life and how that affected his metal state behind the wheel. He also shares the process he went though to face though challenges, find healing and the journey of personal growth that opened the door for him to return to Autumn.

In this podcast we're talking vehicle maintenance with Autumn Safety Director Chris Senty from Senty Transportation. We discuss CSA scores, DOT inspection practices, and why vehicle maintenance is such an important thing for owner-operators to pay attention to.