Speaker 2: 0:06

hey everyone, welcome back to that's delivered. I'm your host, trucking ray, and we're the podcast where we meet people who make america great and keep it going innovators shaping the future. And I want you to listen to this great, amazing story story from Brad Little. Now listen. Trucking just isn't about gears and grit, it's about people. It's about long nights, quiet reflections and time at truck stops. So you get these wild ideas. You get sometimes a hitchy in between the miles, and today we have a guest who is proof of what happens when one of those ideas are filled with purpose and perseverance, of what happens when one of those ideas are filled with purpose and perseverance.

Speaker 2: 0:48

So behind the wheel there's a lot of drivers CDL drivers dealing with some of the toughest economic times right now. But instead of giving in or giving up, brad has created something truly special that could transform dispatching operations and even safety for drivers everywhere. He's the founder of Trucker Buddy, an AI powered assistant designed especially for truckers, and, trust me, this is not just another tech app. It's personal, it's thoughtful and something that came out of a real need. So let's go into the journey of Trucker Buddy and see what it does for a lot of people across the country. All right, welcome to the show. How you doing.

Speaker 1: 1:33

I'm doing well.

Speaker 2: 1:34

Good morning Thanks for having me Glad to have you on the show. This is amazing. Get a little time to talk with you about Trucker Buddy and learn about your journey. I mean, there's so much that we can learn from other drivers, other people in the industry, and I think you're one of them a great individual doing great things out there. Let's start with your background, kind of give us a little bit about how you got started so people understand what it's like to be you and the trucking industry.

Speaker 1: 2:02

Oh, sure, sure. So I started when I was 23, back in 2012. At that age I was in aviation school, so I was definitely interested in the trade. I grew up around the Memphis area, so FedEx is a major hub and the city, by nature, is the king of distribution Right. So we have warehouse and logistics is at the core of our city and, you know, at the pillar of that is FedEx and, of course, UPS as well. So you know, I went to aviation school for a trade. I decided after studying and learning the regulations with FAA and my personality, we didn't quite mesh on things. You know, I think I have too much of a laid back personality and those rules and guidelines I respect them highly, but for me as a person, you know, I wanted something a little bit more laid back for myself. So when I found trucking and I was like man you know cause it's a hidden gem, right, we don't hear about trucking that much.

Speaker 1: 3:16

Well, at all, honestly, you don't hear about it. So when I discovered it and I found, hey, man, you can do this in three weeks I said wow, that's amazing. And you know, so I was like man, I could travel the country and once I started learning all the benefits I'm 23, I'm single, with no kids I'm like it sounds awesome. You know, I can get paid to travel, I go see the country, you know, and do all of it at work and I could build my life up. So, like, it really started like that. And of course, I naturally have an entrepreneur mindset. So of course I get my financials together and I'm like, okay, I don't need an apartment, right, I can save on that, I can save on transportation, I can save in all these different areas. So I just kind of moved into the truck once I graduated and, at 23, was single, with no kids. I'm like you know, this is great to prepare for the future. I could change my entire economical status by moving into the truck because I don't have any overhead. And so I leveraged that to. You know, pay off debt. You know, get my debt paid off. I used it to begin building my credit. So my student loan debt was zero. Right, I finished my contract. My student loan debt was zero. I paid that off.

Speaker 1: 4:41

I began building, you know, starter credit with a few lines of secure credit. And then you know a couple of cars financed here. One car, I bought one car and just started building credit that way, you know, and started getting my financials together and started building myself up. And you know, along the way, you know, as most drivers grow, you know I was I say, when opportunity meets readiness, it was just natural for me to go into that owner operator model and of course I went from there to what is it? Lease purchase. I did that, Built a team first of like-minded people, went in. The owner operator built and scaled my business to over a seven-figure trucking company when it was done, Until COVID, of course. Then we had to that story comes later.

Speaker 2: 5:46

That's tough. I mean, you're doing great things and something changed. You said recession, and so a lot of people left the industry to try to hang on. But what was the time like for you and how did it lead to the concept of Trucker Buddy?

Speaker 1: 6:08

Yeah, the COVID era was. I will say this, it I I had. It was challenging and I've always had in my in the back of my mind, like this theory. At first I was just trying to figure out what was going on and later on I had a idea in the back of my theory, in the back of my head, that was floating. It was like you, like it was a software update. You know, I just had a hunch that it was about more than just floating and I'm still working on that theory, but it's getting stronger by the day, right, Because my thinking pattern is like this.

Speaker 1: 6:40

It's like well, what happens when you have a software update? You know you have to shut your phone down in order to get the new update, to get the new features and the new everything. Your phone has to shut down to get that update. And, as I'm looking at it, as we came back online, we came back online different, with these new features and now the AI and now the robotics and now all of this stuff. So part of me felt like and it's still a working theory, I can't I'm not here to, you know create conspiracy, but it just felt like that and that's the hunch that I had.

Speaker 1: 7:22

So when I seen the opportunity come available, you know I took a leap of faith and you know that that's that's what went in the trucker buddy the COVID era was. It was a nightmare and it became impossible to do business. And if we're looking at the number of trucking companies that are closing their doors, there's no discrimination. You have corporations as large as yellow and as small as you know mom and pop, one truck operation so there's no rhyme or reason with the companies and it's still going. And I think 2023 had the largest number of trucking business closures record history, if I'm not mistaken.

Speaker 2: 8:11

Wow, yeah, that's, that's crazy. Yeah, and a lot of people are hurting. So a lot of people are hurting. Yeah, I'm glad you're staying after it. There's a lot of people that can say, hey, this is the time to go do something else, but you're sticking with it, and that's a that's a lot to be said there. So you, you, you shared your idea of Trucker Buddy. It came while you're managing multiple parts in a solo operation. I believe what was the moment that you realized we need this tech? I believe.

Speaker 1: 8:44

What was the moment that you realized we need this tech? The moment I realized we needed it, I was sitting down with my accountants and, for the first time in our 10 year long relationship, we didn't have an answer and so they couldn't help me because they didn't have the cost of doing business.

Speaker 1: 9:03

So as we were working on the numbers and we were updating the spreadsheets and the P&Ls and everything else like that, trying to figure out, well, how much does this stuff cost? Right, what is the total cost and what are my expenses. So I had this period where I'm just studying my overhead and it's most people already know, right, driver wages, fuel, stuff like that are your highest expenses. But this time was particularly interesting, right, you know shippers control the rates. You can't control that. Right, you've got the diesel. You don't control that price. The OEMs control equipment costs and you don't really want to downgrade the quality of your equipment because you know now we live in an era where the cheapest truck on the market is a manual speed, right. But if you get a manual transmission you lose access to the majority of drivers because we now have a larger pool of drivers with automatic restrictions on their license or they have half a decade of experience, but only with an automatic transmission. So it's really really hard.

Speaker 1: 10:19

So you really can't cut costs too much by going with cheaper equipment without sacrificing the quality of driver and access to driver, so that that could turn around and bite you in the butt. You know what I mean. So we're looking at all of these costs and we're trying to manage it right. We're trying to bring these costs down and manage our overhead and, in particular, it got to a point where I'm like well, you know, 93, four or five ish percent of all of the costs or expenses are of doing business are out of our control. It's not, it's not something I could control Right. And so I look and I'm just at this point, I'm just like man, I have no choice. You know what I mean.

Speaker 1: 11:06

I've got to get rid of everybody for the most part and I'm going to be honest with you I need to automate everything. If only I could use my TMS or find a TMS that could do all of this stuff Right. So I'm looking for a TMS. All of the TMSs are like well, you need this, you're going to need people to do this and do this. We can help you downsize, but we can't completely automate it right, so we can't help you cut that cost. So that was the point where I decided, you know this was a tech solution. This is a tech problem because the cost of doing business is ridiculous and the only thing that I could have a strong influence over is, you know, my driver wages and my back office wages and how I manage those two right there wages and my back office wages and how I manage those two right there.

Speaker 1: 12:08

But at the time there was nothing available in the market for me to make that pivot or adjustment, and what I've told people was that you know, in this case and where we are now, you know it would have been simply just to automate for a period of time until the market recovers a little bit and then maybe bring back people. But in this particular case it's like we're not replacing jobs because the business is closed. The jobs don't exist anyway. You see what I'm saying.

Speaker 1: 12:37

If I lose, the business there's no job for you there either. You know what I mean. So I just say that to people who are worried about AI replacing their jobs A lot of these jobs people don't want to do, or the business closes and you're not going to have the job. So it was just. That was the moment when I realized, like you know, something had to be done about this. And in 2024, an opportunity I've always wanted to build in technology. But it wasn't until recently in 2024, where the cost of building something like this has been significantly reduced. So the barrier to enter is in my favor now, so I can make an easier transition into technology, because it doesn't cost $250,000 to build an MVP anymore, so you could get in at a reasonable cost.

Speaker 2: 13:34

That's a break right there and you know the industry so you know what to build into it versus someone that comes from the tech world, very savvy in that area. They may not understand all the ins and outs that's needed and you can respect those things that are necessary to run a trucking company, and I think Trucker Buddy encompasses a lot of that. So you know in your words what is Trucker Buddy. What can it do right now for drivers who are tired under pressure or just trying to stay organized?

Speaker 1: 14:04

now for drivers who are tired, under pressure or just trying to stay organized. Oh, trucker Buddy, as it is right now, is an AI assistant and what it does is I'll give this analogy If you're a fleet owner, it's like being on the phone or talking to your TMS. It's a TMS that works for you. So, even if you're not tech savvy, you don't necessarily know how to use the tech or you don't have the manpower to employ everyone to use the tech you could just talk to Trucker Buddy, as we're having a conversation right now, and trucker buddy can execute things within that tms for you. Like, hey, trucker buddy, I need you to assign this load to this driver, and that will get done and the driver will get dispatched. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1: 15:03

Stuff like or this load just canceled, remove it from the tms, it will cancel the load. Um, you know hours of service. If it's a broker that's doing a check call, or you know whoever they could do the check call. That way, and even if it wants to, if the driver wants to check on a pre-plan and say, hey, trucker buddy, do I have a pre-plan for tomorrow morning, it'll check the tms and you know it's. So it's literally like having a conversation with your tms and things being done in real time during your, when you're driving and maybe you're only driving if you're in the back office or anything like that.

Speaker 1: 15:43

And on the driver owner operator side, yeah, especially on the owner operator model, right, because a lot of owner operators, we build teams and sometimes, or a lot of times, there's multiple owner operators under one owner operators authority, and so the operator with the authority, who's responsible? Who's the carrier responsible for safety and compliance? Well, this is the one that's responsible for managing the documents and responsible for preparing the documentation for the audits. So having something like Trucker Buddy keeps him organized while he. So I have one truck and I've got, let's say, my MCS 150 says I have eight trucks and only two of those trucks are actually mine and the other six are owner operators that are signed on to my DLT number. Right, you organize all of that and Trucker Buddy helps to keep that part of your operation organized. You can dispatch those drivers, keep, keep everything organized so that if you're audited by the DOT, you're good to go and you don't have to worry about that headache.

Speaker 1: 16:58

And I like to point out that in my career, you know when I first started building my company, in my career, you know when I first started building my company, you know I was a driver.

Speaker 1: 17:12

I was driving and, like most owner operators, I was on the road and the tool that I used then was a Galaxy, a Samsung Galaxy phone right Back I think it was like an S16 or S20 or something like that right, and that's what I was working with and everything was manual.

Speaker 1: 17:24

And I'm looking at it here in 2025, where, if, if you have something like this as an owner operator, where you're just talking to it and it's doing things for you, that makes it even better because you don't even have to stop your truck. You know, back then we were like, oh, texting and driving was a big thing, distracted driving you can eliminate all of that hands-free talking to Trucker Buddy, and Trucker Buddy is executing tasks on your behalf. Even if you're looking like buying a truck, looking for another job, you want a local job and you want to compete and reach out to a recruiter and get, get that job. But you're driving, you could talk to trucker buddy. It will go into the tms and find that job if anybody's posted in there and help you compete for that local job, even though you may be in california somewhere driving, wow that's amazing.

Speaker 1: 18:23

The list of benefits goes on.

Speaker 2: 18:25

Man, this thing is amazing I, uh, I like the idea too that you know it's a dog and when you're out there trucking you see a lot of truck drivers with their, their best friend. So what a great concept to show that and the system can be just like that and help you, you know, get through the day, you know you're not alone out there, so not alone out there.

Speaker 1: 18:45

So not alone. You have that companionship. And the concept as well with the dog is fetch. You know, for a lot of users that don't particularly know how to use this type of technology or are beginning to learn how to use it, it's very simple. You're playing fetch with a dog, just like. You take that ball and you throw it and the dog goes and fetch it and brings it back to you. That's that's all you're doing with Trucker Buddy. That's all this is. You know, the ball is a job. Go fetch me a job, trucker Buddy, and it goes to the TMS and it's going to fetch you that job and bring it back to you. It's that simple, wow.

Speaker 2: 19:25

Nice, You've said that your site is more than dispatch assistant. Kind of walk me through some of the dispatch areas, a way to kind of break it down into smaller detail. What makes it different from other tools out there?

Speaker 1: 19:42

Absolutely so. The ability for Turkey Buddy to call a broker number one, so you have an assistant that can call simultaneously, make 15 calls. Or if you post a truck and let's point this out too, this is thing to point out brokers are already using this technology. So now, when you posting on the DAT or you're posting your truck on the load board, you can have 40 brokers call you in one minute because they're using AI. So it's going to get harder and harder to get that load because you, as the driver, can only answer one phone call at a time, but you've got 40 AI brokers calling you simultaneously in one minute. How do you manage that? How do you get the best load in this scenario? The answer is Trucker Buddy. Trucker Buddy is a tool that can answer all 40 of those calls simultaneously, and negotiate Remarkable, remarkable.

Speaker 2: 20:56

Yeah, that's something you know you can't do physically, so you need those imports from china on the way.

Speaker 1: 21:02

So when the freight starts getting crazy this summer and the loads are everywhere and the brokers are like find me a driver and you post your truck and you're looking for the best rate, you're gonna wish you had trucker buddy man nice nice, hey, you gotta gotta get out there and download it.

Speaker 2: 21:20

I think that's uh amazing right there. Just that in itself. I mean glad you're able to let the listeners know so that they too can go out there search for trucker buddy and make their life easier. Like you said, take that stress off.

Speaker 1: 21:30

I mean that's a lot 40 calls um, just to think about that, it's overwhelming absolutely, but that's how powerful this technology and it's only getting more powerful by the day. The fact that the and I'm sure maybe you've experienced a bot call and it's not like the typical bots. These things can perform in ways that I'm like wow, you know it's impressive.

Speaker 2: 21:57

Yeah, let them work for you, because the other people are using them. They're getting ahead and you're wondering how they're doing it? Well, this is, this is the answer. So what did building this platform tech, you know teach you about the mental load that drivers carry, especially independent operators? Exactly.

Speaker 1: 22:17

You have to continue changing. Change is inevitable. I've been in this industry For those of you who've been in it as long as I have you've seen the transitions. What started something small typically turns out to be the norm, and it doesn't take as much time. For those of you who are new, I'm here to enlighten you. You know ELDs were not always mandatory. There was a time when it was only mega carriers and it was a small number of trucking companies that had ELDs, and I think that was early 2008, 2009.

Speaker 1: 22:48

But within 10 years from 2010 to 2020, but within 10 years, from 2010 to 2020, we have seen the evolution and the change when it comes to ELDs to now, where paper logs is no longer an option and they're teaching this stuff in school. We've also watched the wave of automatic transmissions. You know, when we first entered the industry, everything was a manual transmission. Everything was a manual transmission. Then they gradually became in Companies phased out the manual transmissions, replaced them with automatic transmissions, and now drivers are coming through the school system with automatic restrictions limiting them to only automatic transmissions. So these things move faster than we think they will. So that's the one thing I've learned is that, as owner operators, we have to keep evolving, to keep up with this market, to to stay relevant, you know.

Speaker 2: 23:47

I remember when I first started and got my CDL they said in trucking nothing moves fast, and that has changed.

Speaker 1: 23:58

That has changed drastically.

Speaker 2: 24:00

Yeah, I mean, I know they don't change a lot of mechanical things about the way brakes work. What's the other one? Landing gear? You know those are some of those physical things that are staying the same. I get it. You know that those are. Those are some of those physical things that are staying the same. I get it. But who knew that this tech wave would come in and transform the trucking industry in the way it has right now? And that's moving like light speed.

Speaker 1: 24:22

So it's moving at light speed and and we, we have to keep up. You know, I I look at it because I had to. I had to dig deep too and do some reflection. And you know, I look at it and I say you know, we as people had to evolve Right? You know we used to have farms, but we don't even get our food the same way that we used to. You know, I've toured the country multiple times and I go out to these farmlands and you see how a lot of the farmlands that moved over to become, you know, manufacturing plants, they're still out there, but a lot of farms that are like traditional farms pre-industrial revolution yeah, that's few and far in between. Nowadays it's no longer the norm. So what's normal today is not guaranteed to be normal tomorrow.

Speaker 2: 25:12

Yeah, is not guaranteed to be normal tomorrow. Yeah, and that's okay if we look at the glass half full. That's the way we want to try to continue to look at life, because if we look at it half empty, it's going to be pretty depressing.

Speaker 1: 25:25

Very depressing.

Speaker 2: 25:26

Yeah, so was there a point where you wanted to quit building it? You know you think about the pressure to come on. What kept you going? Yes, sir.

Speaker 1: 25:37

Every day. I still want to quit building it. You know, and it's just one of those things, to where you know faith. You know faith is of a mustard seed and you just have to believe. When no one else believes and nobody else is and you're alone and everything, things break. You had to tear it down a few times, but when things like that happen, you know you have to dig deep and find that courage to keep going to. To, you know, take that leap of faith and believe in yourself and create hope you know number one for yourself and continue to push forward.

Speaker 2: 26:19

Nice, nice, that's great. So a lot of that comes from the background growing up or some things that kind of were instilled in you at a young age probably.

Speaker 1: 26:29

Absolutely, and there's times where you know it. It's like I have those moments where I'm like you know I've been here before you know, because I've been through truck fires, you know I'm gonna burn up in a truck. I've been through upside down numbers, driver turnover, you know there's so many challenges in that within the last five or 10 years and it's like you know what I made it through, that I can make it through this, I think tell me about that man truck buyer.

Speaker 1: 26:58

What, uh, you got a story there oh yeah, this was early on when I uh, I bought or at least on my first few trucks and I was going through the perfect storm. Then, you know, entry level challenges trucks were breaking down left and right. So I had a truck broke down in the Northeast. I had a truck broke down in Dallas and the company was shut down for like six weeks. Um, so we finally get the truck back out of Dallas and I'm thinking everything is fine. So, me and my co-driver, we get back in our lane and we can't wait to get on the road and we grab a load and we're headed to California.

Speaker 1: 27:44

And so it was my turn to go into the sleeper. I go into the sleeper, I'm doing my 10 hour break. My co-driver is handling the truck somewhere around desert center. I just hear a wake up call Brad, get up, the truck is on fire. So I break my sleep and I immediately jump out of the bed. And when my feet hit the floor, I could feel the heat from underneath the truck. And I'm in my drawers. Man, I'm in my underwear. So I just start grabbing the closest things to me, closest items I could find. I'm looking out the windshield and I could see the flames. So I grabbed whatever I can. My co-driver was just like, well, just leave this, leave that.

Speaker 1: 28:33

So I ended up just grabbing like a shirt and some shorts and I left out barefoot and as I got out the truck there were other drivers there that were on their rest break they ate it, you know helped me with shoes and you know socks and stuff like that, and we of course we called the fire department and we just had to sit there and watch the truck burn, burn, burn, burn, baby burn, watch it burn down.

Speaker 2: 29:05

Yeah, that waking up in the berth man, that's uh, that's a joke to the system, just when the truck's rolling and they say it's time to get up. You know, cause that's that's kind of what I do and you're just like yeah, and we were parked.

Speaker 1: 29:22

The truck was parked at the time because my coach already stopped to take a break, so it was parked when it started. Actually, I don't know when it started, where it started, I just know the truck was parked. When I woke up, thankfully, the truck was parked. The rest is like I said burn baby burn.

Speaker 2: 29:42

That's crazy. He came back and saw that it was on fire.

Speaker 1: 29:46

He saw it before he got out the truck. He parked the truck. Thankfully, then that's the thing he stopped to use the restroom. Thankfully he didn't make it to the restroom before seeing the fire, because I probably would have burned alive in that truck. Oh my god, if he had made it to the bathroom and was in the bathroom when the truck caught on fire, I would probably burned up.

Speaker 2: 30:12

That's a blessing, wow. So that's another testament for your faith. I know that someone else out there watching over us when we're out there. You know, for those who have experienced a disaster you know, not every story ends in a, in a, in a beautiful story successfully where you're alive. There's plenty of people that have lost their lives and our hearts go out to them, and we want to learn from their experiences too. That's why, a lot of times, truckers talk to each other what happened, what happened, so that we can learn from it and possibly grow in a way to you know, come home safe so we can get back to our families.

Speaker 2: 30:47

So, yeah, thanks for sharing that story, and I'm thinking about many ways that we can check on that, that co-driver, and not just be in the tunnel zone. You know, you got somebody back there. That's a loved one for someone. So, yeah, thank you. Life in your hands, yeah, yeah. So, man, you kept going. You got a lot of challenges to reflect back on. Let's talk about trust. Drivers often are hesitant about new tech, especially AI. You know there's a lot of stigma that goes with that. How do you build something that earns their trust?

Speaker 1: 31:27

That's a great question. You know, trust is different for everyone. You know and I always say you know, I don't pretend to be have a solution that works for everyone. You know, so it may be for you, it may not, you know, like some people just are going to be reluctant to change. But the product that we have is designed to help you. You know today and and bring these things on board, I think one of the thing, the biggest things that's for drivers and drivers trust, is driver representation when it comes to development of technology.

Speaker 1: 32:10

How many of these tech apps that we're using the Project 44s, the MacroPoints, the this everybody wants you to use their app right, and as soon as you stop using their app, it's be gone right. So drivers don't really have an app to call home to say, well, this is my app. This is where everything that matters to me is. You know, and that's what Trucker Buddy is for drivers it keeps all of your settlements. So if the next company that you work for is using the Trucker Buddy's, you know TMS, you might change MC numbers and you might turn over. But instead of being like, oh, you're turning over, you're going to lose access to this technology, you just switch to MC numbers and you keep all of your lows and you keep all of your settlements in your app you know what I mean and you keep trucking, you stay organized and there's not very many that actually care about that as long as but they only care as long as you're using their app or you work for them, but as soon as that relationship is gone, it doesn't serve you.

Speaker 1: 33:26

So just drivers having something that they can make their own, that grows with them.

Speaker 1: 33:32

You know, on off the road, owner operator, fleet owner there's, it's with you every step of the way, even if you decide that you want to get off the road. It's not limited to just only if you're an owner operator. It's like you know you could be a hotshot driver and decide to switch over to whatever, and it's still going to be there for you and we still do it it. So if you buy a home, you know how that goes, trying to get those financial records from 10 different places or live tracking, all this different stuff. So having driver, you get that when you have driver representation at the top level of a tech company with the decision-making power on how things are going to be built, not just on a user level, because right now, drivers are predominantly with these tech apps. It's just based on your data, based on what you do and trying to figure you out and trying to figure you out, versus here you have driver representation at the top level that's representing you. So I think representation is the number one thing that drivers should trust.

Speaker 2: 34:50

I like that Profits before people. A lot of times people put that they get it backwards as people before profit, because that's what started it in the first place.

Speaker 1: 35:01

I always say drivers are the biggest shareholders.

Speaker 2: 35:05

The number one shareholders in this trucking industry is drivers yeah, I wish that um, many companies would change that model. I think they would see a lot retention, uh, keeping the drivers. You know they want to say driver shortage, but really is, it is driver retention keeping the drivers there so that they're not leaving or dreaming of going. Some starting their own company in their own authority. Um, they're happy, uh, and they know that there's a future ahead of them. They probably would even be okay with making less money because they think, well, I got less stress.

Speaker 1: 35:40

I've seen that Drivers are great people. I've seen drivers that will work for free for a company that cares about them. They get screwed every day, but they'll do it for somebody that cares about them. Drivers are very good people Genuine people at that.

Speaker 2: 35:59

Yeah, that's something to be said there. That's amazing. Yeah, you know, it's not like they don't want to put food on the table, but you can ask someone for something versus demanding them to do it. You know, it's a big difference, it's a very big difference. Yeah, wow, that's cool, man. You see all of that.

Speaker 2: 36:18

I wish that would just spread like wildfire and that so many people would see that, because instead of people feeling like, oh, there's a fear, I need to do this to protect myself, versus you know, hey, there's a movement to take care of the people versus to eliminate the people. It's just, you know, you got people out here having kids and they know that they're going to grow up and get older. They got to wonder what's their future going to look like. You know, everybody's not having kids. I get it, but there are a lot of people just starting their families today and they wonder what the future looks like. So, you know, why can't we try to look out for those individuals and those, those, those humans, the human factor, um, and make the world better that way? So I applaud your efforts there. I hope it spreads, hope it's contagious. Uh, I appreciate that man. Is there any good feedback? Go ahead.

Speaker 1: 37:18

Yeah, I think you can, and that's where we are. It's balancing the two, balancing, you know, the human experience and technology experience. So I work with a co-founder and he's a tech guy, a co -founder and he's a tech guy, and I think you're not going to get that too many places where it's like I am an expert driver and he's an expert with tech. So it's not all tech and it's not all driver either. We work together. You see what I'm saying and that's what you're going to get, and I think those are going to be the products and the type of technology that we need, where, if you blend it at the top, you know it's a trickle down effect, it's going to reveal itself in the product, and so that's why we have an amazing product is because we have a very well blend at the top. It's not a fully tech company team. You know, I'm definitely great at what I do, he's great at what he does, you know, and we just bring it together to create something amazing.

Speaker 2: 38:24

That's beautiful man. What a great relationship. That's nice to know that you guys have that teamwork going on back there, Absolutely.

Speaker 1: 38:33

And it matters because, like you said to your point, you got to care about the people, but we also need the tech to get things done, and there's only one way to do that. We got to work together. It can't be all tech and it can't be all industry. We need to blend the two. That's why I go back to my first point Driver representation is the number one differentiator above anything else, the collaboration. Where there's driver representation and tech, you get in the best of both worlds.

Speaker 2: 39:05

Nice, you're getting good feedback from the first wave of maybe users or any moments. There are comments that really stuck with you maybe users or any moments.

Speaker 1: 39:17

There are comments that really stuck with you. I've had a lot of feedback, mostly positive. I mean I'm really thinking hard to trying to think of something negative or a very sharp criticism. I mean we've had compliments from the onboarding. People love the onboarding, the mission, the purpose.

Speaker 1: 39:40

I think the challenge has always been how to use the tech and it's we do the best I can, but, again, I'm not going to skip, we're not going to skip the semi autonomous phase, right, and so I just want to leave that door open for people who do want to learn how to use the tech. You know, because a lot of companies are just coming out Autonomous, right, if you look at the full tech, where there's no those companies that are just tech, tech, tech, techie, techie companies, they're just releasing full autonomous, right, I'm like hold on, you know, we're going to do things a little bit different. We want to leave. This is a great teaching moment where people who want to learn how to use this technology and have autonomous at their fingertips to onboard, learn, ask questions, let's get the feedback going that particular way, and you know, so that's been. The only challenge is getting people, you know, figuring out how people find information, how people want to learn, because you know people's attention span is very short these days. So you know it comes with its challenges.

Speaker 2: 40:59

Yeah, Speaking of autonomous, you know how you get your hands on one for the little guy. You know, I know a lot of the wealthy investors can buy and invest maybe a fleet of them, but what about the little guy if he wants one, and he can, you know, train that truck to work for him, Sort of. We're not forgotten about as the mom and pop operations. I don't know if that's a thing, but I keep looking into it. Have you heard anything?

Speaker 1: 41:31

No, and that's why we're here. That's what's in the in the grand scheme of things. That's why a tms. I was looking for the. You hit it on the head. I was looking for that, right, and I was looking for something for the little guy that could be autonomous, to match the autonomous truck, right, remember, I said I was looking for something that could be autonomous dispatching. Back then that could have saved me money and saved my company. And so that's what this spark is and that's what we're building. We're building that TMS and you're going to see a lot of trucking companies. They're not going to say it outright, but they're going to have to buy new systems anyway or build new systems or implement new systems, because something has to dispatch that autonomous truck. You said in the perfect words I want to buy it, I want to train it, and the way that you're going to train it is through a TMS, like trucker buddy. You see what I'm saying. And so that is definitely the.

Speaker 1: 42:41

The end goal is to go into the full autonomous. We want to onboard people now, get everybody used to the system and get ready as a people to transition into the autonomous economy. And so it's the people today that are onboarding, that are willing to learn to protect their future interests, that will be equipped with and learn how to use Trucker Buddy now. Learn how to use it even if it's not Trucker Buddy. Learn how to use this type of technology now. Learn how to use it even if it's not trucking, but learn how to use this type of technology now and later it's going to be, you're going to be ready, you're going to know what it is and I'm already looking at.

Speaker 1: 43:29

Yes, do we have the potential to do a strategic partnership with somebody like Aurora Right or Kodiak? Because Aurora, if you look at that collaboration between Aurora and Uber, uber is the autonomous TMS or not an autonomous TMS, but a TMS right. So Uber Freight is dispatching and Aurora is just a truck. So you got the autonomous truck technology and then you've got the TMS technology that's dispatching the truck, and so that's how it's going to be done and I think that's a wonderful future because, as an owner operator, if I got a system I'm working with, that I'm familiar with and oh great, it's plugged in Now, I got the choice whether or not I want. If I want to run an autonomous truck, I can, and maybe I only have two autonomous trucks and I've bought three diesel engines. You know Well, if you're using, you're going to need a certain type of system that can handle both. You know what I'm saying and that's what we're building. So that was. I'm glad you pointed that out.

Speaker 2: 44:32

Yeah, I mean, it's a beautiful dream you have. I can see it. Half of the battle is seeing it is believing it, right.

Speaker 1: 44:38

Absolutely. But you're going to be autonomous TMS to match and it's not even a dream, it's actually a reality.

Speaker 1: 44:45

If you look at Kodiak and look at Kodiak, they're actually in the market. Looking for this type of technology is very niche actually in the market. Looking for this type of technology. It's very niche, it's very small, but the autonomous trucks are looking for this type of technology to partner with because that's what's got to happen and then that's what's going to make it available and usable for the mom and pop and the owner operator with the one truck. So it's going to be more than a dream. This is actually a reality in the making.

Speaker 2: 45:20

Yeah, they say that they're moving on trying to find a different lane for autonomous. I think Phoenix is the next one to connect to. I know they've done something with Houston. What do you think the world looks like for individuals that maybe just hearing about this for the first time autonomous vehicle you know you don't really have a plane with nobody in it. So you know, are we going to go to a world where there's nobody in the truck or is it going to lower the value of the truck driver and lower their wages? What is your prediction? What do you see in the future of how it may all pan out?

Speaker 1: 45:56

I don't think it's going to be any absolutes. I think there's going to be a degree of anything and I think you're going to have to keep your eye on the market and watch how each market responds. I believe you're going to have markets that will allow trucks with no drivers, and there's going to be other markets or other, let's say, lanes. You know there may be certain lanes that will allow autonomous trucks with no drivers, and then there's going to be other lanes that require the driver in the seat, you know, or require a driver in the sleeper, you know. So I think that it's going to be a blend of all of that. When it comes to autonomous technology, I think you're still going to have your EV, you know, your electric trucks or your hybrids or things of that nature. I think you're just going to have multiple options right as to how you want to build and scale your trucking company.

Speaker 1: 46:53

I don't think you're going to have to do autonomous and I don't think it's going to be, you know, like industry standard as the norm. But again, 10 years and it's the technology as I'm seeing it grow and develop, yeah, so that's a. That's a, that's a toss up. They're already in Texas, and Texas is a big trucking state, so that's a large percentage of market share that's out there in Texas.

Speaker 1: 47:22

You got everything from flatbed heavy hauls, drive vans, oil fracking ports, you know, so they can test various amounts of things in just that region alone, and I think they've already been out in the Southwest. So what's left is the Southeast, the Northeast and the Midwest, and we're going to be having this conversation in about five years. So I think it's going to start in like five years, you're going to start seeing it being blended in and then maybe in 10 years, as a buyer, as an owner, if you want to run autonomous trucks, you're going to know, you're going to need to know where you can operate those trucks. So I think, being into this conversation, tuning in, following up and, you know, taking notes and preparing yourself for that future I see that.

Speaker 2: 48:16

I see exactly what you mean. Not all one thing. I know people talk about cybercrime and they talk about ways how they can fight back by being more personal, having an individual that they can put a face to and having a relationship that they build. So not have anyone in the truck, you know that's that pushes the envelope there.

Speaker 2: 48:34

You know, I think someone was saying how the autonomous truck really will never completely take over because of how much crime has continued to affect the trucking industry. Like if someone were to just ambush a truck, there's nobody there and you know maybe they'll just use it as a loss, but still that's a lot of money that they're putting into those trucks. And so your mind goes to where how are they able to protect the load or secure it to make sure that it's able to go down the road? For a lot of people that aren't a truck driver, they're moving around those vehicles. How are they able to keep it safe? So I think that's still the problem, where that 7% that they're not able to actually fully secure. You know, I'm sure that the radar, lidar and all that information is very accurate, but there's the element, the unknown element that's out there, that the human factor around it.

Speaker 1: 49:28

Yeah, the human factor around it, as far as scale, houses are still going to be. I think there's going to be multiple checkpoints along the route and I think drivers, in these areas or case scenarios, you're never going to completely eliminate the driver. I just said you know the driver might not be in the truck but the driver is working a checkpoint, for example, and let's say the truck arrives at the checkpoint and the driver is responsible for fueling or maybe making a delivery to the shipper, making the pickup, if these properties. You know, just depending on whatever the circumstance is and just taking care of those things and doing the inspections and signing off on it, right, and it may only go, but we see, like a lot of these trucks are built, they can only go so many hundred miles before they need to charge up or something like that.

Speaker 1: 50:11

So you know it might just go 200, 250 miles and it's like, well, you're going to have to catch this thing in motion, right? Because very little trucks are actually hijacked in motion, right? So take this as an example Right, between Memphis, tennessee, and Dallas is 500 miles. And let's say we set up a checkpoint in Little Rock, arkansas or Texarkana, right? So the driver on the Memphis side prepares the truck and sends it on the way.

Speaker 1: 50:50

The truck does not stop from Memphis to the check, check the next checkpoint, which is texarkana, right? If any reason that truck stops, you know, sensors, alarms, everything goes off, somebody comes out, but let's just say it makes it to texarkana, where the next driver brings it in, does the inspection checks on the seal, does everything, signs off on it, makes it, you know, and and we create a system that way where there's checks and balances throughout that route You'll never be able to get rid of, like drivers or people, because you're going to need those people to make sure of it. And that's where, again, I circle back to the tech. You're going to have to have that type of technology and know how to use that type of technology, you know, especially if you want to be that driver that's benefiting from that home time and that flexibility and that ability to work remote. You know, you definitely have to learn how to use a different type of technology to do the job a little bit different.

Speaker 2: 51:56

Nice, I like that man. Yeah, you got great perspective. You got great outlook on things that other people aren't privy to, so I appreciate that you sharing that and helping eliminate a lot of the fear and anxiety that comes with the change and seeing where they could be a game player in placing themselves in the industry. For people out there listening, who may not, who don't have the tech background, what would you say to those drivers who has a big idea and thinks that they can make a real difference?

Speaker 1: 52:24

Absolutely Nothing is going to come easy. So when you go out there and chase your dreams and ambitions, it's not all uphill. You're going to be faced with controversy, you're going to deal with challenges, you're going to get, you know, you're going to be battle tested and you have to endure. So endurance is one I've always said. Faith, you know, faith is small as a mustard seed go a long way. And so those are the two things that I would say is faith and courage. You know, be brave, believe in yourself and go out there with some faith and create you some hope nice you know, things get tough.

Speaker 2: 53:14

that's all you got you some hope. Nice, yeah, I like that.

Speaker 1: 53:15

When things get tough. That's all you got. Those are the things that keep you going.

Speaker 2: 53:22

Real talk. What's a role that you know for the big picture, your vision looking for a trucker buddy? It has potential not just for individuals or fleets dispatch brokers. What's the big picture that you see? Maybe helping out you know you talk about Memphis with UPS, fedex. Maybe those individuals can use Trucker Buddy as well.

Speaker 1: 53:47

Absolutely All carriers, all trucker companies are going to have to adopt new technology if they have plans to utilize autonomous technology.

Speaker 1: 54:01

Right, because the type of technology and a lot of people don't want to say it because it's a shock it's a big shock but With the recent developments in technology, in particular with AI, the older systems, even if the system is five years old, three years old, however, within the last decade, they have the term that's called legacy, but it really means like old processes that are already done, old processes that are already done it's very difficult to add completely add this type of technology to existing technology already without changing the entire system.

Speaker 1: 54:45

Right, so, to put them together and the analogy that I use and I tell people, especially for drivers just imagine being 200 miles away from the shipper and having to go back to get reworked, and that's essentially what you know trucking companies are. The position that we're in right now with the TMS is like we've got this, but now you've got to go back to the beginning and start all the way over and redo everything that you've already done in order to really update the system. And most people are going to find, especially in LTL and parcels, it's much easier to just create a new order and put that load on another truck and dispatch another truck than it is to bring a driver 200 miles back just to get two or three more pallets and redo that truck.

Speaker 1: 55:46

So that's my take on it and the thing is, the ultimate future is basically just autonomous trucking companies that help with people, give them automation tools to where, hey, you could probably be at home a lot more manage stuff, if that's what you want to do, and you can just add that to you know, your your operation, if that's what you choose to do, and it gives that owner operator the ability to access that market I like it, man.

Speaker 2: 56:19

Yeah, that's a good message. Um, and the role that ai is playing for the future, uh, in the trucking world, can be exciting, uh, or people can get worried about it, uh. I think you settle a lot of that when you, when you share your knowledge about what's going on and what your take is and your predictions about the future. So I appreciate that Absolutely. Yeah, in a world where efficiency is everything, what's one thing that you hope drivers will never lose sight of? I think about safety. A lot of times comes to my mind. I was thinking right now, they're working on a non-domicile. A lot of companies don't have a home for the driver. What do you think? What would you say on those things?

Speaker 1: 57:02

I would agree with you on safety, man. I actually do agree on that because there's a lot of changes going on, in particular with non-domicile CDLs, and you see how companies are outsourcing and bringing non-domicile CDLs just to lower labor costs at the expense of the public safety, and I've long since been an advocate that the number one priority for a driver if you're on the job is safety to protect the public. So absolutely I agree with you on that. I think that's perfect. You said it best.

Speaker 2: 57:39

Thanks, man. That's a good message and I think for a lot of people out there I just want to say, man, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us and share the message about what Trucker Buddy has been up to and a lot of things that they should get to know, how Trucker Buddy can help them in their life. So it takes a lot to do and be where you're at right now. I mean you've done a lot and it takes heart to build something for people. When a road can be rough, you're placing them in an area where it can make it a lot easier for individuals. So Trucker Buddy isn't just a text, you know being smart. It's being driver-centered and I think that really matters for a lot of individuals. It really resonates with me. So I thank you so much for taking the time to share that with our listeners.

Speaker 1: 58:28

Absolutely. We're here, like I say on the website, we're here to help drivers grow from CDL to CEO. I've lived that life. I've taken that journey from CDL school to owner-operator. Different modes lease purchase, buying trucks, commercial credit, personal credit and dispatch, fleet management on up to 15 trucks. So everything about that journey, that's what. Trucker Buddy is here for.

Speaker 2: 58:56

Nice. So if you're listening out there and you want Trucker Buddy or you want to learn more, head on over to truckerbuddyai. Is that correct? Yes, sir, that's the spot. All right, so it isn't just an app, it's helping hand for someone who's lived it, who's put the time in and has the experience to help drivers be successful. So, brad, thank you so much for being with us today and keeping it going and building the dream for so many people out there that can be a reality if they just tap into it. So great innovation.

Speaker 1: 59:31

Thank you for having me.

Speaker 2: 59:32

Yeah, man, and most of all, thank you so much for delivering the freight out there. All the listeners and appreciate you guys. Keep it moving and, uh, delivering solutions as well. So until next time, uh, you know, keep it rolling out there on the road and that's delivered.

Speaker 1: 59:47

Let me let me one more thing. If you go to my truck buddyai uh, I'm doing live dispatching on Tik TOK. It's called prime time, so go to trucker buddyai. I'm doing live dispatching on tiktok. It's called prime time, so go to trucker buddyai. If you want to learn more and see where I'm active, trucker buddyai, click on the word tiktok. It will bring you over to the prime time dispatch where we will be doing real-time education, information and dispatching.

Speaker 2: 1:00:16

Wow, you can see it happen right there, checking money in action. Yeah, that's great, what a great idea Make it fun man.

Speaker 2: 1:00:23

Let's have fun with it, right? Yeah, yeah, man, you know that makes a huge difference. You know people want to say I said, what am I going to do? I got to use it for 30 months. I I said, what am I going to do? I got to use it for 30 months, I mean 30 days. And and then, you know, do what I like it, what I use it, right, and you're going to show them right there. Great, great job. So yeah, thank you so much. Appreciate you guys listening to. That's delivered. I'm your host truck and Ray signing off, and we got Brad little here. He's making big things happen. Be sure to check him out on tiktok as well. So all you guys out there appreciate you being a part of this. So that's it, man. You guys, uh, enjoyed the show all right.