The Trucking Entrepreneurs Podcast TEP

We are closing shop on our podcast completely officially November 1st.  In addition, our magazine will be closing also, with no new publications, but the website will still be available to view until January 1st, 2023.


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/truckentrepreneurspodcast/support

In this episode, Ashley Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of Supreme Driver Recruiting, joins the show.  She is an inspirational and nationally renown motivational speaker who specializes in transportation recruitment for both businesses and individuals alike. Her story of overcoming adversity through hard work and determination has allowed her to become one of America's success stories. With books such as Divorcing the Game: My Journey from the Stripper Pole to Owning a Million-Dollar Trucking Business, she shares her personal journey with listeners all over the world. Today, Ashley talks about how driver recruiting works, what it means to persevere in the face of adversity, and how to put your trust in God in everything you do.

Website: https://supremedriverrecruiting.com/

About the Guest

[05:28]

Ashley formerly worked at a home security company and sold home security before entering the trucking industry. She was about the hustle and left her house when she was 13. When she was working at a call center, a friend encouraged her to pursue a career in the trucking sector.

[07:58]

Ashley is also an author and motivational speaker who gives speeches on various tour stops. Her mission is to give back to organizations, inspire others, and make a difference in people's lives.

Starting a Business

[12:08]

When beginning a business, Ashley wants her audience to understand that "disruption follows intention." However, she encourages individuals not to give up because failure is a part of the business path.

[18:51]

Ashley encountered difficulties while working in a call center. She acquired COVID and was forced to fire all her employees because their system was no longer operational. Even though it was the most difficult time of her life, she did not give up.

Supreme Driver Recruiting

[21:58]

Her company provides various services, including one-time driver recruiting, which assists carriers in hiring a local driver, regional driver, over-the-road driver, or specialty driver. They also provide access to driver names as well as a coaching program.

Truck Driver Recruiting Advice

[24:22]

According to Ashley, truck driver recruiting is a hidden market. This industry is worthwhile with a little coaching.

[28:14]

Ashley advises people struggling with a so-called driver shortage: accept automation or embrace technology and exploit it to your advantage.

Feedbacks

[30:50]

It is not always bad for people to look in the mirror and tell themselves that they did a good job. But no matter what she achieves in life, Ashley constantly prays to God to remind her to be humble, no matter where she is or what she achieves.

Biggest Success

[35:57]

Ashley went to church, and the pastor said God would give somebody a vision and a dream. With a piece of paper and pen beside her as she went to sleep on her second night, God showed her how to start a successful virtual assistant.


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In this episode, we have Rowena Thornton, the CEO of Vallon Consulting. The firm focuses on consulting services and resources that aim to support clients to become successful in the trucking industry. They conduct various services like business formation, authority setup, complete compliance maintenance program, and much more. Rowena also shares with us about Vallon Consulting and how she got there, in addition to giving some tips to succeed in the trucking industry. 

Website: https://www.vallonconsulting.com/

CEO & Founder

Rowena Thornton is the CEO and Founder of Vallon Consulting, a consulting firm that focuses on compliance, business development, and providing resources to owner-operators and small carriers in the trucking industry. Vallon Consulting has helped thousands of trucking companies all over the United States and Canada.

Before devoting her work full-time to Vallon Consulting, Rowena served and continues to serve as the Director of Compliance at Innovative Logistics Group, a trucking consulting firm out of Charlotte and Atlanta. She entered the transportation industry almost a decade ago working under a number of different roles such as Fleet & Driver Manager and Marketing Director for a non-emergency medical transportation company and luxury transportation company (Charter buses, party buses, limos, etc.)

Rowena has over 15 years managing and owning and managing international businesses in the Ivory Coast and Zimbabwe, as well as domestic businesses here in the United States. These business ventures fell within the realm of real-estate, retail, and restaurants/food service industries.

Rowena recently graduated with her Masters in Business Administration(MBA) from the Jack Welch Management Institute. Prior to that, she received her Bachelors of Science in Psychology.

She is currently working on a program to help the formally incarcerated re-enter society by helping them find jobs and start their own trucking business.


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/truckentrepreneurspodcast/support

In this episode, Elizabeth Rodriguez of Elizabeth Insurance joins the show. Elizabeth’s Insurance is a 15-year-old Independent Insurance Agency representing many different companies for your insurance needs. With a lot of experience, their team has the expertise to help you simplify the process of selecting an insurance carrier to fit your individual needs.  Today, Elizabeth shares a little backstory of her previous years leading up to starting Elizabeth’s Insurance as well as discussing with us how Elizabeth’s Insurance which is a family owned and operated agency located in Southern California is a powerhouse in the trucking insurance and insurance industry with the services and support that they offer.  As you will hear also, Elizabeth freely shares her wisdom and valuable knowledge and helpful tips throughout our interview.

Website: https://elizabethsinsurance.com

CEO

Elizabeth’s Insurance is a Christian, family owned business, whose core values are to always demonstrate integrity and honesty in every transaction. We are one of the largest trucking insurance agencies in California. Our agency is empowered by our 98% referral based business, our knowledgeable, licensed and honest staff and most importantly by our exclusive rated A insurance company appointments. Our agency has nurtured powerful relationships within the industry for the last 25 years. We are a trusted, dependable, and valuable asset to the trucking industry. But most importantly, our mission is to provide the needs of our community. Our agency has provided meals, housing, funeral expenses, Kids camp supplies, support to woman & children, men, & woman’s homes, educational funds & financial aid to many across the globe, and currently helped build an orphanage & church with our brothers and sister in Kenya Africa.

We have offices in Riverside,
Colton, City of Commerce and Fontana, Ca.
We are currently licensed in California, Texas, Arizona & Nevada
We have 22 team members Established April 1, 2007 Licensed since 1999. Insurance Experience of 25 Years.
We are here to serve and help get you covered to run your business with excellence.


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/truckentrepreneurspodcast/support

In this episode, Scott Rea of AvatarFleet joins the show. Scott is the president of AvatarFleet, which Mark Gardner founded in 2014. It aims to help you fill empty seats, pass every audit, and come home safely. Its primary goal is to help solve the driver problem in the trucking and transportation industries. In today’s episode, Scott discusses the driver problem in the industry, mentorship, and his business, AvatarFleet. 

Website: https://www.avatarfleet.com

Blog: https://www.avatarfleet.com/blog

Resources: https://www.avatarfleet.com/resources

Purple Cow Academy: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-DsGPxt5fwTxWowNCYA-JaJA9njOkMXF

CEO

Scott Rea, President of AvatarFleet, is on a mission to help transportation companies fill empty seats by doing driver marketing the smart way.

Scott started in the industry by managing a high growth driver recruiting department.

He uses that first-hand experience to ensure AvatarFleet provides the industry’s best software and services for transportation companies to recruit, hire, train and retain safe drivers.


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/truckentrepreneurspodcast/support

In this episode, our guest is Patrick Holmes. He began his financial services career at State Employees Credit Union in 2013 and started building relationships with members, helping them with their financial needs ranging from financial counseling, tax preparation, personal and mortgage lending, and Auto, Home, and Life Insurance. Determined to find the best insurance solutions on the market, he founded Seven Two Advisors, specializing in Life, Health, Disability, Long Term Care, and Medicare Solutions with no sales goals, quotas, or forceful sales practices. Today, Patrick explores the essential components that influence a person’s spending habits, discovering the true value of wealth and how to be financially independent.

Website: https://seventwoadvisors.com/about/


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/truckentrepreneurspodcast/support