00:04 I love the fact that, you know, our dispatchers, they don’t force anything on you. You tell them what you want to do. You tell them where you want to go, when you want to go. You know, I love that. I love it. I could ever go back to punching somebody’s time clock.

00:24 Welcome to Six-Figure Trucker, the podcast where we share advice on how to be successful in trucking and have fun while doing so. We’ll share stories, news, and advice on how to earn six figures in trucking, and we’ll speak to guys and gals that are already doing so. Let’s get to the show. Welcome everyone to the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. And tonight we have a very special guest, Ta-Riesha Jackson. She is joining us now from the road where she makes her living. Teresa, tell us how are you doing first of all tonight?

01:02 I’m doing well. I’m doing well. It’s a little hot out here, but other than that, I’m doing well.

01:08 Well, tell us first of all where you are and where you’re going and where you came from. Okay, so I came from Tulsa and I’m headed to Aurora, Colorado. And right now I am in Kansas.

01:26 What part of Kansas and what’s the weather like?

01:29 Okay. I’m right outside of Peru, Kansas. And it’s hot.

01:34 I bet. Peru, Kansas. Give us an idea for I mean, truck drivers would know this that have cross crisscrossed the country. Where is Peru, Kansas? What part of the state are you in?

01:44 Well, I’m not really that familiar to pinpoint that, but also you one, what is it? US 166. It’s a small town. It’s a real small town. Like you blink, you miss it.

01:55 Gotcha. Now, let’s talk about small towns. When you’re driving, obviously, you never really know exactly where you’re going to go until you take the load. Then you got to map it out and decide where you’re going. What is the advantage and the disadvantage of going through so many small towns?

02:16 Okay, so according to Map Quest, going through these small towns is supposed to take less time and no toll. Now, for me, I think I would have rather stayed on the highway, but I listened to my GPS this time. I don’t have an issue with the tolls and it taking a little bit longer because I really prefer to stay on the main road. I mean like if you’re on a highway, somebody can get to you easier than when you on a back road if you should have trouble or difficulties.

02:46 Exactly. I guess the what do you see as the advantage of going through a small town or at least for this is totally from your perspective. Do you see an advantage of going through the small towns if it’s to stop at a mom and pop diner for a really good meal? I mean, is it worthwhile to do that?

03:02 Oh, yes it is. It is. Oh my goodness. Yes, it is. If you know a good eating spot, it’s worth it. You know, you get tired of it fast food all the time. So, if you know a good mom and pop shop, that’s like is almost like being at home. I mean, it— Yeah, it’s worth it.

03:21 I guess. Is it a tradeoff or a balancing point as far as okay, do I want to go through this small town? Kind of may run into some issues if you know a breakdown happens or something along those lines and you’re not in a position where you can get to help quickly or help can get to you quickly. When you look at it, is it a tradeoff, a balancing point of whether you stay on the main highway or whether you take the scenic route?

03:46 I think for me it just depends on my mood for the day, you know? I mean is it really doesn’t like I said it really doesn’t matter to me if I come back roads or if I come highway but I would prefer to stay on the highway. Gotcha.

04:00 Just for those reasons you listed you know but if I’m hungry and I know I can get a good meal at a good spot then I’ll be like okay I need that meal.

04:09 That leads me to my very next question. You’re in my head there’s a lot of room there. What is a good meal for you on the road? Okay. So, I like steaks. So, if I can get a great steak, and I know a couple places that you wouldn’t, you would be like, “Really? If I can get a good steak, I’m all for it.” Steak, broccoli, and potatoes. That’s my favorite meal.

04:32 Now, you’ve been on the road quite a bit. What—

04:36 Where’s the best steak you’ve had?

04:38 So, if I’m going through Wyoming, I think it’s called St. Clair. There’s a St. Clair service station. It’s like a small truck stop and they have a restaurant there. Let me tell you, they have the best steak. If anytime I’ll make it a point to stop there and get the steak.

04:57 Is it local beef?

05:00 I’m not even sure. I never really I never asked them that.

05:03 In Wyoming, there’s a good chance that it is.

05:06 Probably. Probably. We’ve had all the cows and stuff. Oh my good. I never knew cows came in so many colors. Player.

05:15 You see a lot out on the road there. Now, let’s go back to that steak for just a second here. You know, people may think or may have a preconceived notion of where the best steak is going to come from, but if I understand you correctly, you’re saying from this place, it may not be the first thing that people think of as a really good steak as far as the location.

05:37 Oh, it’s right off the highway. It’s right off the US 80. And like I said, it’s at a it’s a like it’s not even a like a chain restaurant. It’s just a mom and pop restaurant that’s attached to the truck stop.

05:50 Now, when you stop at truck stops, which I’m sure you do all the time, how would you gauge the food, the quality of the food at truck stops across the country? And then when you see something like the one in Wyoming that really came to your mind just like that? Oh, I mean I like the mom and pop places a little bit better than the chain restaurants. So, I feel like they give you better service to be honest with you. And the food is more like at home. It’s not commercial like you know like they make it the same way every day.

06:25 What about the character of the place? Does that set it apart somewhat? Or is it the quality of the food? What’s the number one component for you?

06:32 The character. Because if it doesn’t look clean, if it doesn’t look clean to me, I’m not gonna eat there. So, if it’s the character, the people, if they, you know, if they friendly and they greet you, but if it doesn’t look clean, I’m not going to do it. I can’t do it.

06:54 This is the Six-Figure Trucker with Ta-Riesha Jackson. Teresa, tell us a little bit about what pulled you into the industry. Okay. So, I had just left my job of like almost 20 years and I had some people that used to work on with me and they told me they were like Miss they called me Miss Jackson because they used to work I was a driver instructor at the last company that I had worked for and you know so I did training them with them and a couple of them I actually trained to get their license that drive for Norton and so anyway when they found out I had left the job the old job. They were like, “Ray, come over here with us. We having a ball.” I was like, “Really?” And they was like, “Yeah.” And I said, “Okay.” So, I came over and you know what? I’m having a ball. I’m going places I never thought I would ever go to in my life.

07:45 Miss J. Teresa Jackson here with us tonight on the Six-Figure Trucker with Norton Transport, brought to you by Norton Transport. So, when did the name Miss Jay come about? Okay. So, like I said, I was a driver instructor. And so, one of the guys that I worked under when I was a driver instructor for the last company that I worked for, he just called me Miss J. So, it just kind of stuck.

08:09 Gotcha. Gotcha. Now, you said you left a profession that you were in for 20 years. Tell us a little bit what did you used to do and how does that compare to what you’re doing now?

08:22 Okay. So I drove for Greyhound for almost 20 years and I was a driving instructor for the last four about four years with them. At the end of my time with them about four years I was a driver instructor for them.

08:36 Gotcha. And you know, I went a lot of places, but I’ve been to many more places with northern like North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Wisconsin, like states I never thought I would ever get to. You know, there’s only one state that I haven’t gone to with you all, and that’s Michigan. I don’t understand how I’ve avoided Michigan, but that’s the only state I haven’t been to here in the continental US. Y’all have taken me everywhere. I love it.

09:08 Well, I’ll get with the dispatchers after we get wrapped up here and we’ll see if we can’t get you to Michigan.

09:13 We got to get you everywhere you want to go. Now, tell me this. This an interesting point I wanted to kind of drill down on. You drove for Greyhound for so long. What’s the difference in moving people and dealing with the human factor of it—

09:30 Versus moving trucks and equipment and dealing primarily hitting the open road by yourself?

09:38 Oh, I love it. I don’t have nobody I don’t have anyone asking me 50 questions like, “Are we going to be late? What time we going to be there? Do you think we going to be on time?” I don’t have anybody questioning me and I love it. It’s just the road and my music and a ice cold drink and I’m happy just like that. I don’t have to deal with people. You know, people can be it can be a lot when you trying to drive and then you have to answer 50 questions. It can be distracting. But I’m good now. I love it. I don’t have to worry about anybody coming up front to bother me. You know, it’s a lot when you have to deal with people asking crazy questions and you’re giving them a look. Like really? I understand it. And it’s correct me if I’m mistaken from what I’m hearing on the open road. You like being with yourself.

10:26 I do.

10:26 Tell me a little bit more about that. Tell me a little bit more about that. Is it a time for reflection? Do you think about your family, your friends, places you want to go, things you’ve done, things you want to do? What’s that like when you’re on the road in that open reflection?

10:41 I get to think about stuff, maybe overthink sometimes. I get to just, you know, enjoy my own company. You know, I’ve I got kids, so this is my escape from the kids. They’re all grown now. So, I get to go on the road and see things I and do things that I never got a chance to do because I was a single mom. So, now that all my kids are grown, this is like my me time. Is just really my me time. And I enjoy it. I’m just like, “Wow, I didn’t know I was so much fun.”

11:12 That’s good. You know, you said something I wanted to kind of draw circle back to it just a bit there. You talked about with a cold drink and what was the music? Let’s start on the music first. You’re on the road. What’s on your playlist?

11:26 Oh, R&B. R&B. A little bit of rock and roll. I like some of I like everything. I have my Pandora set. It’s a mixture of everything. I listen to Boy George, Blam. I listen to some of everybody. Adam Lavine. Love Adam Lavine. Michael Jackson, everybody.

11:46 Do you like Adam Lavine because of his music or the way he looks?

11:49 I think it’ll be a combination of both.

11:53 I just had to ask that. Sorry about that. I just had to ask. Just had to ask.

11:57 You’re fine.

11:59 Now, what about a cold drink? A cold drink when you’re behind the wheel and when you’re not behind the wheel.

12:05 Okay. So, I’m not a drinker.

12:08 Okay.

12:08 I like not a big drinker. For me, the most the I have a cup of ice. I like mango juice. So, I try to keep some in my bag and always make sure I got a cup full cuz that’s like my favorite drink right about now. What is that? Mango madness by Snapple.

12:26 Gotcha. Gotcha. Gotcha. Now, talking a lot about some of the things you do to pass the time behind the wheel and the mango juice with you as far as something to keep you nourished, keep you fresh. What are some of the secrets that you have as far as when you’ve got a let’s say a cross-country road, I mean a cross country route and you’re going let’s say you’re going from North Carolina to Montana. Lay out that for us. That’s what is it a five six day run—

12:56 About. Mhm. So when I plan out something like that, I got the exit app on my phone. So, I try to stay aware of like where all the rest areas and different things are—

13:10 Right?

13:11 And you know, because I mean drinking everything, you know, at some point you’re gonna have to use the restroom. I try to, you know—

13:18 Right. So, I try to kind of pace myself cuz if I’m really rocking and rolling, I don’t want to get off the highway and stop at a truck stop all the time.

13:27 Gotcha. Gotcha. You get in a groove and once you get in a groove, you want to stay in it—

13:32 Right? And if I can find a rest area and just hop off, you know, park real quick, go inside, do what I got to do, and come back out and keep moving, that’s even better.

13:41 How important is it to you as a driver to go to the rest areas, stretch your legs, and stay fresh? I mean, because I talked to another driver on another episode, and he talked about there’s a difference between being tired and being rested. How do you break that down? I mean, you know, the open road, I’m sure it has its toll on you.

14:03 It does. If I get to sit in it in my seat, then I know it’s time for me. If I can’t get comfortable in my seat, then I know it’s time for me to pull over and just regroup, you know, go to the bathroom, get some air. Maybe I might need some more ice or something for my cup. It’s just time for me to get up and move around. You know, if— But if I feel like, you know, that’s being restless, but if I feel like I’m tired, then I’m going to find somewhere and go to sleep.

14:28 Gotcha. Got you.

14:29 I’m not going to take a chance, you know. I’m not going to take a chance with my life or anybody else’s life or your property. You know, it’s not worth all of that to me. I love me some me. I don’t know if you know that, but I love me some me. And so, you know, no, you know, when I was a driver instructor, that was the one thing I used to always tell my trainees like, I don’t care where you at. If you feel tired, pull over. Pull over. You know, get you some air, try to regroup, refocus. If you feel like you can’t, then call a dispatch and let them know, hey, I’m tired.

15:05 Right. And how much did that help you being a training instructor? Plus prior to that, your 20 years with Greyhound, how much did that help you today? That type of experience being the person who delivered that kind of knowledge and experience to other drivers and living it now as far as your time behind the wheel. How much did that help?

15:28 It helped a lot. It really helped. It really helped a lot. You know, being able to drive cuz sometimes with Greyhound, you might drive almost 5 and a half hours before you stop. So once you learn how to pace yourself, you know, and you can drive distance better, you know, just knowing like mileage, like knowing how many miles is it across a state, like for instance, it’s 109 miles from border to border for Maryland. Like you can pace yourself better.

15:59 Gotcha. Speaking of Greyhound, what was the craziest thing that ever happened in your two decades driving for Greyhound? I mean, the craziest thing you can share with us.

16:11 Okay. So, my first time going to Charlotte, it was overnight and I’m coming out of Richmond cuz I started driving for them out of Richmond, Virginia. So, I saw somebody like tap my shoulder. It scared me half to death. We about 10 minutes from the rest from my rest stop and the lady told me that the man was naked on the back of the bus.

16:33 Oh my.

16:34 And I said he I said he’s naked. She said yeah he naked. I said what you mean? She said he ain’t got no clothes on. I said oh. So I cut the overhead light on and he was so drunk and high. He was naked. So I had called the police and they met us at the rest area and I had to have everybody come off the bus and he was still asleep. Through all of the noise of everybody coming off the bus and the police, you know, they got on the bus and they arrested him and when they picked up, you know, when he got up, he had no clothes on. I was like, I ain’t never in all my life.

17:11 So—

17:12 He was naked.

17:13 So, from what I understand, he was not standing. He was in his seat. I assume he’s passed out.

17:21 Yeah, he was laid across the back seat. He was sitting in that bath that’s like right outside the bathroom. So somehow or another he took it. He felt like he was hot. He said he was hot. A hot mess. I don’t know about hot.

17:35 Now did you think when you took this job? It’s like this is not in the manual.

17:40 Oh, it’s definitely a lot of stuff that you learn when you get out here that you be like, I didn’t know it was going to be like this. Like I didn’t know it was going to be like that. Like I remember I think my second run I ever did. I had a meltdown on the phone with Liz. I was like the truck is dirty, Lyn. And she was like, “Yeah, we pick up used stuff sometime.” I said, “No, it’s past that.” Like it was a utility truck—

18:06 And they obviously used it out in the field and it had a whole lot of wood. Like I cried. I took a kid but I cried.

18:15 Now when you’re talking about Lynn, you’re talking about our Lynn, right?

18:18 Yes. Yes, sir.

18:21 Gotcha. Now, I speaking of the relationship between dispatchers and drivers. I intentionally set out to find some ladies out on the road and your name came back from a lot of our dispatchers as the top one, Ta-Riesha Jackson. And I’m like, as someone to talk to on a podcast, that’s got to make you feel good that you’re respected that way within the driving community.

18:45 I It does. It makes me feel really glad. I’m happy that they recommended me for this. I was like, really? When you told me that, I was like, wow. I love Hey.

18:58 What do you do? I mean, to gain that kind of respect and you know, like you said, love. What is it about yourself that garers that type of feeling from others?

19:11 I have no idea. But if you ask them, let me know. I’m just me. Like I try to treat people the way I want to be treated.

19:22 You know, you took the words right out of my mouth there because we’ve been on the we’ve been talking here for a little over 20 minutes and I said, you know, she’s just who she is. You just be yourself.

19:35 I can’t be nobody else. That’s for sure.

19:38 Well, let me double back. Let me double back and ask you this question. And we’ve heard the craziest experience, which it was a crazy one with Greyhound. What about past Greyhound when you moved out of the training realm and past Greyhound? Now that you’ve been with us and you’ve been on the open road, what’s one of the craziest things you’ve seen since that time with Greyhound?

19:59 I’ll be honest with you. This job has been really— It’s been a dream. I haven’t had really two— Okay, no mind. People been trying to steal me.

20:09 They’ve been trying to steal you. Yeah. They be trying to steal me. They be like what the man told me today. He need a wife.

20:17 Oh—

20:17 I’m telling I’m I told him I’m disrespectful. You don’t want me. I’m disrespectful.

20:25 Oh, that that tell me more. Tell me more.

20:30 Yeah, they trying to steal me. They like, “Oh, she’s so cute.” Like, “No, I’m not. I’m really not. It’s a figment of your imagination. I promise. Don’t look at me like that.” You know, I just, like I said, I just try to have a little bit of fun out here. Try to treat people the way I want to be treated. That’s all.

20:47 Well, that’s—

20:48 That’s all you can do.

20:49 That sounds like a good way to live there. A good motto to have. Now, let’s kind of segue a little bit into you’ve obviously been in the industry for a long time and we have seen an increase at least internally of ladies getting behind the wheel, taking this role and taking it by both hands. Is that something for you? I mean, you’ve been in it for a long time. How do you see it as a woman as far as being in a profession that historically has been somewhat a man’s profession? That’s not the case anymore, Phil.

21:31 No, I and I love it. I love it. Like the man told like I told the man the other day when he asked me the same question. I said, “Why should y’all have all the fun?” I said, “Hey, don’t me that. Why should y’all be the only one making six figures? Can I make my own money, too?” I love it. I think us women can do a whole lot of things that that means we live.

21:52 How much does that inspire you? The fact that you can have that sense of independence, accomplishment, and let’s be real about it, making the money. How much how rewarding is it?

22:03 It’s very rewarding. Listen, I’m going to give you a background. I was a teen mom. I was a single mom. I was married, divorced, and a single mom again. And being able to make my money like I’ve been making money, it means everything to me. It’s like okay I can do this. I can really do this. You know I never thought I would be making six figures and you know site oh how did my firm credit getting paid led me to sightsee.

22:32 I never thought I would I feel like I’m living my own dream.

22:36 The Six-Figure Trucker here with Ta-Riesha Jackson. You kind of filled in the blanks for us there as far as you are a Six-Figure Trucker. Some people may find that surprising, but from what you’ve been and what you’ve done and what you’re going to do, you’ve been in the industry, you’ve been successful. Do people find it surprising that you have such a lucrative career?

23:00 They do. They do. When they find out, oh, you drive. Like, really? I’m like, hey, pretty girls drive. Pretty girls drive. I know some women that drive harder than men. So, you know, but you know, but I love, like I said, I love to see I love the fact that it’s more women out here doing this—

23:22 You know—

23:23 Like I said, why should men have all the fun?

23:25 We always look when we do these podcasts. It’s, you know, it’s basically just a conversation with drivers who’ve been out on the road. They’re the heroes of the road. You know, you can’t get any better insight than from these drivers. They know the road. We always try to get a caption, a title, a name for that chapter with each podcast. And you just said it, Pretty Girls Drive.

23:51 Mhm. That’s going to be Miss Jackson’s that’s going to be the title of her episode. Pretty Girls Drive. Is it odd out there on the road when people see you coming? I’ve never physically seen you. I don’t know what you look like, nor does it matter, but is it odd when you step out of the truck and people see you pop out of the truck?

24:12 Yes.

24:12 Oh, please.

24:13 Oh my goodness. Yes. Like it’s funny. Like I had a guy tell me he said, “I need you to make sure you walk at least 3 feet in front of the trucks cuz I’m short. I’m only 51.” He said, “I need you to make sure you walk a good distance out in front of the truck when you at the truck stop so nobody runs you over.” Was he being mean or was he being for real?

24:36 He was being funny and for real at the same time.

24:39 Gotcha. Gotcha.

24:40 He’s— Yeah, cuz you know if you sit in a truck and you ain’t a certain at a certain height, you can’t see the person and I’m only 51. So he told me make sure I’m like 3 4 feet out. I’m walking past the truck.

24:56 Well, that leads me to another question. So, with being 51, are there some trucks that you’re not as likely to drive or are some that you I mean, like say a Peterbilt with a long nose on it? I mean, where you can see over the front of it. Are there some things that you’re like, I don’t want to drive that or I do want to drive this other version. I mean, tell walk us through that as far as what you select.

25:21 Okay, so dump trucks. Dump trucks. I don’t if I’m going a short distance it’s fine but if it’s a long distance I won’t do it because they shake me up too bad. I feel like you know how like a kid when they eat and then you shake them up and then they get sick that’s how they make me feel sometimes.

25:41 Gotcha.

25:41 And then like a cabin passes that’s another thing like if it’s two 300 miles I’ll take one for the team but anything past that I can’t do it.

25:51 Gotcha. So you are obviously a Class A driver. I mean, when you said that about the dump truck, you can drive anything.

25:57 I don’t drive the manuals. That’s the only thing I don’t drive is the manual.

26:01 I gotcha. Gotcha.

26:03 Kind of a inside baseball here talking a little bit. Who is What’s your dis dispatcher that you work with here at Norton Transport?

26:12 Okay. So, I have Dalen and I have Levi.

26:16 I got you. They’re on the same team. They sit side by side here at Norton Transport. Mhm.

26:20 How important is it as a driver? You’re out on the road long hours and you’re you have your goals, your destination. How important is the relationship between the driver and the dispatcher?

26:34 Oh, it’s very important. I got to be able to trust you basically with my life. That’s a lot of love and a lot of trust right there. You know, I got to be able to trust that you know where I’m going or assume about how I can get in and out cuz nobody wants to go somewhere that nobody knows how you can get in and out. Especially if it’s like small town USA. You don’t want to get stuck anywhere. So, you got to be able to trust your dispatchers and know something about, you know, the area where you’re going, how to get in, how to get out.

27:03 You know, that leads me to my very next question. What do you look for from Levi and Dalon as far as daytoday, hour to hour, as you’re progressing on your route?

27:14 Well, I look for them, like I said, to know have a little bit of knowledge about where I’m going. That that’s the biggest thing for me cuz, you know, they’ve been here, been around for a while. And so, I’m still discovering some of these new, you know, new places. So, my first thing to do is how do I get in? How do I get out? Is there Uber there? Like what do y’all what can y’all tell me? I just look for them to know a little bit about where I’m going. That’s my biggest thing—

27:43 And if they don’t really know then I expect them to find out.

27:49 Right. How much planning do you do on your side? I mean I know there’s the reliance on the dispatchers to know some things but obviously you do a lot of planning on your side once you get your load plan—

28:01 Right. So when I have when I took a load, I try to pick somewhere where I know that there are different services where I can get in and out, you know, should they not be able to get me a rental or something like that. I always got to have a plan B to get in and out. And as far as like my planning and stuff, sometimes I fly standby. One of my bestest friend, I call her my sister. She works for United, so I’m on her buddy path. So, you know, a lot of times I can fly. I see if I can fly versus rent a car cuz I don’t like long dead heads to assignments but if I have to do it I’ll do it but if I can fly then I try to fly.

28:38 I was going to say how much does that help you to have that kind of friend in that buddy pass.

28:43 Hey she can do no wrong in my eyes. You know I mean she is my friend.

28:49 It helps a lot.

28:50 Steak dinner on Miss J.

28:53 Okay. Yes. Yes sir. Yes sir. That is my friend. And we’ve been friends for oh my goodness almost 20 years.

29:01 How important is it to you to have friends like that inside and outside of the trucking business?

29:07 Oh, it’s important is it to me it’s important cuz like I said, you get somewhere and you stuck and you might know somebody in that area, somebody close by that don’t mind coming to get you, you know, that’s like I said, it’s all about treating people how you want to be treated. Like I had went up to the Boston area to deliver a school bus and a friend of mine that used to work with me at Greyhound, he said, “Well, where you going to be at?” So I told him what I was going to be at. He honey I mean when I pulled up he was right there waiting on me and it was great cuz he soon he came and got me. We went out to breakfast and then we he took and dropped me off at the airport. So it was great. I didn’t have to go in my pocket for anything. So you know it was great. That’s got to be a warm feeling, a rewarding feeling to know that you have friends out there all across the country that you can pick right up with. You haven’t talked to them. I’m assuming some of this that you haven’t talked with him for a while, but you’re like, “Hey, I’m going to be in Boston.” And he’s like, “I’ll be there.” How rewarding is that to have that kind of relationship with people all across the world, all across the country?

30:11 I love it. It’s amaz— It’s amazing when people show you love like that, you know? It makes me feel good. I’m like, “Okay, maybe I did something right.”

30:24 Now, let’s talk about some of the realities out there on the road in July of 20 July of 2022. Obviously, fuel is a main concern. How do you manage that as an experienced veteran driver?

30:39 Okay, so like I said, I have the app on my phone called Exit. So with exit, it shows you the f it shows you the gas stations coming up, how far you are from a service station. It shows the price of the fuel and everything, you know. So me for myself, besides Tyler and Fly and J, I like Walmart.

31:01 Okay.

31:02 Yeah. And Sam’s Club, you know, if you got like a wholesale membership, Sam’s Club sometimes have different ones have diesel. You know, you want to try to not go overboard in your spending. So, you know, if you can use the apps to help you save a little bit of money, then I recommend that Exit app to everybody because it helps me.

31:23 Yeah. Talk about that a little bit more because, you know, it may not be I mean, when you look at it on the surface and you’re like, well, it’s only 20, 30, 40 cents or whatever, but that adds up when you’re putting an extreme amount of gallons in your tank. Go ahead. It adds up real look, it adds up real quick when you when you’re putting what when you’re buying almost a $100 gallon worth of fuel. That 20 cent add up quick real quick. You know—

31:50 Absolutely. We’re joined here with Ta-Riesha Jackson. She is Miss Jay, Miss Jackson on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. Let’s talk about that six figures. I’m not going to ask you what you made, but you’ve already acknowledged that you’ve seen the fruits of your labor pay off. And tell us a little bit about what it’s like to make a good living and to be able to enjoy it. It’s a great feeling when I sat at home for a week one time and it was great knowing I had money in the bank and it was great knowing my bills were paid and it was a great week cuz I did absolutely nothing.

32:31 It’s a great feeling.

32:33 Doing nothing sometimes is a beautiful thing.

32:35 Yep. It sure was. I sat on my couch. I got to enjoy my couch. My daughter asked me was I going to get up cuz she wanted to play the game. I told her no.

32:49 Here’s the next question. How do you sustain that kind of momentum? The success.

32:55 You know what? It’s just it’s a humbling feeling to be honest with you to be able to take it all in. It makes you humble cuz I mean, let’s face it, most people today are a paycheck away from being homeless, a paycheck away from being hungry. You know, when you out here and you making your money, you don’t have those issues too much to worry about.

33:15 Gotcha. Gotcha. In your time across the country with people, without people, maybe it differs as far as when you’re with people, when you’re driving by yourself, what’s the best place you’ve been to or the most, “Wow, this is a great ride. This is incredible scenery.” What really captured you, took your breath? I 84 in Oregon. Oh my goodness. You got the Hood River. You got the mountains. It’s beautiful. It is so beautiful. I never thought I would like ever go to Oregon or anything like that, anywhere like that. But oh my goodness, it’s beautiful. The river runs right the— What was that movie? A river runs through it. Literally, a river runs through it.

34:05 It’s beautiful. Gotcha. Have you ever run into any situations on the road that were frightening?

34:12 Yes. I was on my way to Albuquerque. I think I was coming from Salt Lake and I went it was dark cuz I like to drive a lot of times at night. So, it was really dark and I’m coming around a blind curb, which I already know I need to slow down. But as soon as I got around that curve, it was wildlife. Like it’s really still a lot of wildlife here in America. It was the what is it? Longhorn. Longhorn sheep. Look like rams.

34:41 So—

34:41 It was a bunch of them.

34:43 So were you closer to Albuquerque or where were you at this point where you saw the wildlife coming?

34:49 I was close I had I was in New Mexico.

34:51 Okay. I was in New Mexico and I mean when I say when I was I had already flowed back going around a curve but I had to really stop short because it was the whole family like the mama, daddy, sister, cousin, brother, auntie and grandma. H—

35:08 How much of a quick stop did you have to make or how did you handle that? I mean when you had this whole pack of the whole family as you just described. Honey, I had to I feel like this. My whole ice couple would have fell.

35:22 Oh my.

35:23 It was so hard. But yeah, cuz I mean cuz you didn’t cuz it’s already dark and they’re dark. So when I came around the curb, I just happened to catch a glimpse of like their eyes and in the headlight. I had to stop real short. I was like, “Oh my goodness.” I had to call. I had to talk to Jesus that night. I ain’t even going to lie. I was like, “Jesus, thank you.” You know, hearing that story, it kind of underscores the importance of how alert you have to be all the time.

35:53 You do. You really do. And if you’re not well rested, I suggest you don’t do it cuz you know, your reaction time is slower when you when you’re tired.

36:04 Does the mango juice help you?

36:06 I think sometimes I think it does. I call it do my jewel juice.

36:13 I’m sorry. I didn’t hear. What was that again?

36:14 I said I call it my joy juice.

36:16 Oh, your joy juice. Gotcha. Gotcha.

36:18 Yes.

36:19 It’s obvious here that Miss Jay, Miss Jackson, Ta-Riesha Jackson, is a happy person and she loves what she’s doing. And if you were in a position and you had somebody who was considering going into truck driving, what would you say to them?

36:37 I would tell them transport is less headache.

36:40 Elaborate on that when you say less headache. I mean, I see it like the drivers that drive the 18 wheelers and, you know, it’s you’re not pulling a trailer. You know, it’s you’re not if they work for themselves, they have all kind of overhead expenses like it’s so much easier to just transport.

37:03 When you say transport, you’re talking about driveaway and the—

37:06 Driveaway. Yes. Yes, sir.

37:08 Absolutely. I mean, when you talk about less headache, it’s sort of I don’t want to put words into your mouth, but you don’t have to deal with the overhead financially and mentally. I mean, is that something you would agree with?

37:25 Yes, sir. Yes, sir. And I love the fact that, you know, our dispatchers, they don’t force anything on you. You tell them what you want to do. You tell them where you want to go, when you want to go. You know, I love that.

37:38 I’m assuming I don’t want to make any assumptions, but you’ve worked on the other side for possibly other country other companies where they’ve told you where you’re going to go and it was more this is it. That’s the bottom line.

37:52 That’s how Greyhound is when you first start with them and you’re on the extra board. You go where they tell you to go. You go when they tell you to go. When that phone rings, you got a twohour call to get yourself from your house to the job. And when you get to the job, well, when I first started with Greyhound and I got to the job, I didn’t know what my assignment was going to be until I got to work. Like, you know, years later, they figured out a way to put what they call the extra board online. So, you could log into it and see what the work assignment look like. But when I first started, you didn’t have a choice. You didn’t have a choice. You just you got your assignment, you took it, and you kept moving.

38:32 How relieving is it to be away from that and where you are now?

38:36 I love it. I could never go back to punching somebody’s time clock.

38:41 How would you describe what you do to people who are not familiar with the trucking industry, the driveaway side of it? How would you describe it to someone? Well, when I talk to people about it and they ask me what I do because they like because they see me on Facebook, they say, “Oh, you always going somewhere. You always going somewhere.” And I tell them, I said, “Well, I transport vehicles.” And they say, “Oh, you got a car or what?” I’m like, “No, I physically go get the vehicle. I drive it. I drop it off to where it has to go.” That’s how I tell them what I do. And they say, “Really?” And I say, “Yes.” And a lot of truck drivers be like, “So, what is your load?” I’m like, “The vehicle A lot of people do misunderstand that when you tell them it’s as simple as driveaway, but a lot of people misunderstand that. Is it something that you have to explain to a lot of people?”

39:33 Yes.

39:34 Yep. And I tell them just like I just said, I physically go and get the vehicle and I drive it.

39:40 Yep. Like you said, driveaway. Well, let’s kind of go a little bit away from the behind the wheel and being behind the cab there. What does Miss Jay like to do when you’re not driving?

39:53 Okay, so when I go home, I try to stay home for like at least 4 days. So, the first day I sleep. I like I really just enjoy my bed. I keep my door closed. My daughter knows if my daughter knows I’m home, but she also knows from, you know, me being in this industry for so long, if my door is closed, do not bother me.

40:18 That that makes sense. I understand.

40:21 Right. So then when I’m ready to enter the world and my doors open, I cook cuz I know to cook. So I ask her, I said, “What do you want to eat? What do you want me to cook?” And she’ll tell me what she wants. And we go from there. And then maybe one of those days we might go to breakfast or something. You know, I try to spend time with her. She’s 20, but she told me she’s still a she’s a cadote—

40:49 Right?

40:49 That’s a kid adult until she’s 21. A—

40:53 Yeah, a cadote. Her.

40:55 Yeah. She said I’m still responsible for feeding her. So—

41:00 So I gotta ask you, Miss Jay, what’s your best dish? You’ve gotten your rest. You’re back on your feet. Ready to go. What is the thing that Miss Jay’s going to turn to as the dish she’s going to cook?

41:11 Okay. So, I like I don’t really do a lot of fried food. So, I bake I baked chicken. I love baked chicken. So, but what I do with the chicken is I bake it and I put ve I bake it with vegetables. So, I’ll cut up potatoes and carrots and stuff. So, it’s almost like a one pot dish. Just like baked chicken and vegetables.

41:31 That sounds great.

41:32 And then some— Yeah. Sometimes I might make a pot of cabbage to go with it, but for the most part I’m all about my one pot dish.

41:41 That sounds great for leftovers.

41:43 It is.

41:44 Do you ever take any food on the road with you or is it that’s not practical—

41:49 To me? It’s not really practical cuz I’m not one of the ones to carry a cooler. Now, if I go I got a like a crosscountry trip, then I’ll buy a styrofoam cooler and just to keep drinks and stuff, but for the most part, like food, I really don’t keep food with me like that.

42:07 You know, you brought up a good point because a lot of people, as we’ve talked about, don’t fully understand what driveaway trucking is because people outside of the business say, you know, do you keep tools with you if something minor happens? You got a small mechanical thing that you could fix, say, I don’t know, a cable’s loose on a battery or something along those lines. And I’m like, well, that’s not exactly the case in driveaway because you can’t really take a toolbox with you. Explain that.

42:36 No, you drive something different every day. So, you might drive some small today, medium, small, extra large the next day. It’s hard to pinpoint what you’re going to drive. And you know, it might say tractor, but you don’t know if it’s a day cab, if you know, if it’s a sleeper. You don’t know what kind of truck it is really until you get to it. So, it makes it kind of hard to be able to carry different things. Like, you might want to keep a screwdriver, like basic stuff like a screwdriver, a wrench, some pliers, but I mean, as far as like real tools beyond that, that that’s kind of impossible. And that’s extra and it’s heavy. Oh, it’s impossible because I mean like you said at the beginning, you like to fly. You can’t take that stuff with you.

43:19 Sure can’t. They wanted to take my take from me one day. I was like, “My take my painters take.” I was so mad at them people and TSA people that day. I was fussing. I was like, “Y’all better give me my take.”

43:35 I understand. I understand. So, you’re in Kansas now. Kind of map out the rest of your trip from Kansas. Kind of walk us through the steps.

43:45 Okay. So, when I get back on the road, I’mma be on US 166 and I’mma take just about to I7. And then when I get to I7 going east, that’s the straightaway to Aurora. So, I won’t make any I’m going wait, you know, I won’t take any other highway. I’ll be on it for probably about I think like five hours, five and a half hours on I7 going east. Gotcha. Now we you’re talking about I-70.

44:12 What are for you the best highways, interstates, open roads to travel and what are the worst and why?

44:22 Okay. I7 going go No, I’m going be going west, but going I7 east like going through Indiana, going through Indianapolis, the roads are so messed up there. They doing construction. Like I hate going through there. I hate it because it’s because they have a detour set up. You got to get on 465 and go around 74 and it’s so many changes. Like I’ll be so glad when they open it up and you can just go straight through Indianapolis. But right now you got to make all these detours.

44:52 Gotcha. So what pops your eyes open? It’s like, oh that’s going to be a good trip as far as interstates go.

44:58 If I know I have to go out west and I have to go to Oregon, I’m happy. Like I said, that that 84 with that river and the mountains is just peaceful.

45:10 Gotcha.

45:10 It’s peaceful. Anything that’s going to take me through mountains, Utah, I like the mountains. It just is it’s peaceful.

45:18 Are you a mountain or a beach type person? Mountains or beach or lake or some combination of?

45:25 I like honestly I’m a beach girl. I’m from Jersey originally. So, you know, going to the shore was the highlight of our lives when we were kids. And in the mountains, I like the mountains cuz my grandfather is from like West Virginia and so we used to go out there all the time and I like both.

45:42 Gotcha.

45:42 I try to think of being well-rounded.

45:46 Gotcha. Ta-Riesha Jackson here with us on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. We like to call her Miss Jay, Miss Jackson. But Teresa, I got to ask you this question. I’m not going to ask you your age, but we know from talking here, you’ve had some years on the road. You got a little bit of background. What’s the future look like for you as far as planning for be it a beach house, a mountain house, something that you that is attainable? What do you see down the road?

46:17 I was actually thinking about a camper.

46:21 Gotcha.

46:23 Yep. I was thinking about a camper only because you can move and you know go and stay so many different places, but I really have been thinking about a camper. I actually looked at one. I really been thinking about a camper cuz like I said, I don’t have any small kids anymore. My daughter, you know, she plans on moving out at some point. And so once she does, it just me I think I want to live wherever I want to live. Now, have you kind of narrowed it down to a couple places of where you want to live?

46:58 Yes, I like it out here. I like it in Oklahoma. I like Tulsa. That’s probably why I run all these school buses all the time. But I do like Tulsa. I like Texas, the Dallas area in Houston. And then where else? Oh, and I was thinking about Missouri at one time. Can either Kansas City, Missouri or St. Louis cuz I have family in both. So, I got a couple places I’m thinking about.

47:24 It’s— It sounds as if you’ve kind of thought about it somewhat. Again, I’m not going to ask how far away you are from, you know, seeing the golden years, but obviously you know, one could conclude that you’ve been on the road for a long time. And how long do you plan to keep driving?

47:39 Until somebody takes my license away.

47:44 Drive. Look, this is our independent. This, you know, it’s going to be hard, but some of my kids say, “Woman, you can’t do this no more.” For real.

47:52 Well, obviously you can and you have Ta-Riesha Jackson here joining us tonight on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. Did you see yourself when you were coming up, when you were in high school, after high school, in the formative years in your 20s, did you see yourself doing this? No. No. And honestly, I got into driving because my I was teaching daycare. My ex-husband was a police officer. So, he would rotate 30 days of night, 30 days of days. They were two on, two off every other weekend. Right.

48:36 Gotcha.

48:36 So, it would be times. It would be a lot of times. I was a good wife at one time. It was a lot of times where we would go, we would go almost a week without seeing each other. And I just didn’t like that. And I guess and you know, he didn’t like it either. But sometimes I would be coming in from work and he would be coming, you know, going to work and we wouldn’t see each other because of his cycle. So one of my girlfriends actually was driving the school bus and she said, “Why don’t you try driving the school bus?” And Lord, once I did and I loved it and then I went to Greyhound and now I’m with you guys and I’m happy.

49:15 Wow. You summed that up very quickly and very succinctly and very well. How long have you been with Norton?

49:24 Go. I’m going into my second year.

49:26 Gotcha. Now, right.

49:28 Do you have any big plans for this summer? Are you going to take any time off? You going anywhere or you just going to keep driving? Well, going to Florida next week for a couple days. My parents and my mother-in-law, my stepdad, all my stepfather’s children, my sister and her kids and everybody’s kids, they’re all going to be in Orlando for a few days. So, when I go and get my next school bus and ticket to Maryland, I’m going to start heading to Florida so I can see them for a couple days.

49:59 Gotcha. Gotcha. Now, how important is it to you on your personal life and your professional life to have a plan?

50:09 Oh, you always got to have a plan. You that’s oh child important. I always tell people you got to have a plan. You don’t I don’t like too many surprises.

50:21 I got you. Now, this is Ta-Riesha Jackson who’s joining us tonight. We like to refer to Teresa as Miss Jackson, Miss Jay. Which she adopted the name Miss Jay. It was a nickname, not adopted, but a nickname that stuck back when she was in her earlier days in the trucking industry. Do people still call you Miss Jay?

50:41 They do. They do. And I mean, I tell them all the time, “Honey, we not that great no more. Call me Teresa.” And they just still call me Miss Jackson.

50:53 Which do you prefer?

50:54 You can call me by my name. You can call me Teresa. My friends and family actually call me re. So, you know, anything along is polite.

51:03 I gotcha. So, you’ve got Teresa, you got Miss Jackson, you got Re, you got Miss J.

51:11 She lives up to all of them. It’s been an absolute pleasure talking with you tonight. And I What would you want to leave us? Not a question, but sort of an open-ended invitation. And what would you want to say to people out there who may be considering moving into driveaway trucking?

51:28 Do it. It will change your life. It will change your life. Between the money you make, the places you’ll go, it will change your life.

51:36 And I think one thing that will resonate with a lot of people in an industry that does sort of lean more toward percentage-wise to male drivers. You have to remember as Teresa told us tonight, pretty girls drive.

51:53 Yes, sir.

51:55 Teresa, thank you so much for joining us, Miss Jay. It’s been an absolute pleasure talking with you here on the Six-Figure Trucker, brought to you by Norton Transport. Ta-Riesha Jackson, she spent her time with us and we wish you the best. Be careful in Kansas and as you go west.

52:10 Thank you.

52:11 All right, have a good night.

52:19 Six-Figure Trucker is brought to you by Norton Transport. Norton Transport is a driveaway trucking company that customers can rely on. It offers excellent independent contract driving opportunities to professional, courteous, and qualified drivers that can provide the kind of service we deliver. If you’re interested in learning more about Norton or just want to subscribe to the show, check out Six-FigureTrucker.com. That’s Six-FigureTrucker.com.