The “anti-corporate” voice of the trucking sector is Beyond the Rig. Two carrier insiders who are not scared, to be honest, will show and tell you what it is like to be a professional trucker. You learn about life on the road via interviews, tales, and industry-related issues in a refreshingly honest manner.
Every Beyond the Rig podcast episode features our hosts’ love, friendship, respect, and humorous banter. Beyond the Rig provides a realistic view into the trucking business and being a professional driver, whether via competitive “smack talk” or by addressing essential topics impacting truck drivers today.
The Creation of the Beyond the Rig Podcast
Two persons immediately sprang to mind when the concept of a Knight Transportation podcast was first mentioned: Will Phipps and Linda Dominy. Will must join me in establishing a podcast, Linda pleaded over the phone. As Will puts it in his discussion account, I was “voluntold” to be the co-host.
It is not the first time Linda had sought out Will to fill a position at Knight, as he did when he took on the co-host role for Beyond the Rig. Linda urged Will to apply when a job for a DQP Facilitator opened up because she believed his relatability and innate people skills would benefit the driving associates.
In Beyond the Rig Host by Will Phipps
With over 22 years of OTR experience with big and small carriers, Will is a truck driver and facilitator. As a truck driver, Will is renowned for being honest and sharing firsthand accounts of the good, bad, and ugly of life. He gives a candid glimpse into the interesting world of truck driving without holding back. Expect Will to advocate for the position of the truck driver both at home and on the road. Will also has a talent for sharing life lessons with others who are not truck drivers. Will credits his mother, who employed him to do interviews after launching a private investigation company, giving him the gift of gab.
Will has built strong connections within the community of professional truck drivers throughout his career. Will has over 1100 truck driver contacts on his phone, and he often keeps in touch with them, which is a tribute to his open nature. Will devotes much of his time to building relationships with “new to the trucking profession” drivers and assisting them in adjusting to life on the road.
Will was searching for a way out of his tiny Tennessee town’s limited employment opportunities in 1998. While reading the career builder section of the neighborhood Sunday newspaper at his grandmother’s home, Will stumbled upon an advertisement for a trucking firm hiring drivers. The interview with the recruiter over the phone went so well that Will found himself in Charlotte, North Carolina, for three days of training. He was determined to make driving a truck—his ticket to go anyplace in the nation—work.
Will recalled wondering how he would maneuver this large vehicle through cities when he initially sat next to a 53-foot trailer. I was quite intimidated and was more worried about the safety of the general population than my own. Will, who is never one to back down from a challenge or abandon his aspirations, decided to face whatever the future held.
Driving a bob-tail truck across North Carolina in the pouring rain at a place called “The Gorge” was one of Will’s first learning experiences. After slamming on the brakes, his vehicle began going three-sixties across a major crossroads. I can still see an elderly couple pointing at me and saying, “What the hell? That is not supposed to happen.” Fortunately, nobody was there, but Will could still recall the looks on their faces as he slid by.
Will’s most enduring burden was 3.2 million dollars destined for the flames. Government authorities demanded his mobile phone, and he had to vow not to stop for anything. He drove 300 miles and pulled into a half-mile subterranean tunnel near San Antonio, Texas. Will was not permitted to exit the vehicle while it was being offloaded. After finishing the journey, he realized it was millions of dollars to be destroyed.
After serving as a transportation manager for a business, Will was hired by a salesperson at Knight to return to trucking and oversee a fleet.
Will believes that working in the trucking industry benefits him and his family. He enjoys every aspect of being a truck driver, both the good and the bad. He has learned leadership, maturity, and how to pursue his passion working in the trucking sector. Will wants to share his knowledge and assist other drivers in obtaining the same benefits from the profession. “I told folks I am more than simply a truck driver. I am a confidant, a friend, and a counsellor. I respond to inquiries. More than just trucking is what we share.
In Beyond the Rig Host by Linda Dominy
In the trucking business, Linda is the colleague and friend you have always desired. You can count on her to advocate for truck drivers for their commitment to a vital service, their sacrifices for their families, and the sometimes misunderstood lifestyle they lead as Knight Transportation’s Vice President of Driver Development.
Linda joined the carrier as a Payroll Tax Manager and has worked with North America’s biggest truckload fleet for the last seven years. Linda quickly became a driver favorite due to her enthusiasm for finding solutions to payroll issues. The Director of Payroll was shortly after that promoted. Before she knew it, Linda had been chosen by CEO and President Dave Jackson to work closely with him. She went back to aiding drivers at the driver development department because she missed having direct contact with them and being able to help them with their concerns.
Linda would spend hours in the Buckeye, Arizona terminal, observing and listening to drivers communicate with one other and Knight Transportation workers and talking to drivers about payroll concerns. She began to understand how unique and wonderful truck drivers are now. Linda has the opportunity to highlight the significance of truckers in our everyday lives and why we should appreciate and adore them via the Beyond the Rig Podcast.
Spotlight on the Behind the Rig Podcast
The tale of Paul Lien is the best example of how trucking helps people overcome the most difficult obstacles in life. Paul describes being homeless after losing his work as an accountant and how the trucking business rescued him.
Listening Options for the Beyond the Rig Podcast
- Spotify
- Amazon
- Apple
- Listen Notes
- Player FM
How to subscribe to the Beyond the Rig podcast
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