00:04 Yeah, ribe eyes. Ribe eyes is my number one go-to. It’s something about seeing the steak being seared on the grill.

00:10 The grill marks—

00:11 You know, pulling the slab of ribs off the grill, the grill marks, the just the smell of the open air blowing the smoke in your face. It the presentation of the grill just wins out.

00:23 Man, you’re making me hungry.

00:30 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.

00:52 Hello everyone and welcome to the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. This is a format, a venue if you will, where we elevate and celebrate the drivers that make it all go round and round, of course, for you, for me, for everyone connected in the country and even in Canada as far as commerce and trade. And joining us this evening is Marvin Miller. Marvin, it sounds like you’re out and about. Where might you be right now?

01:18 I am out and about. I just left LA and I’m heading through Las Vegas. So, you’ve already made it to Vegas?

01:27 No, I’m in route.

01:29 Okay, I got you. Now, what were you driving on the way out to? Did you drop in LA?

01:35 Close. Actually, right above Bakersfield.

01:39 Okay.

01:39 I dropped a Freightliner at Bakersfield.

01:42 What kind of Freightliner was it? Was it a Cascadia?

01:45 Yeah, but it was just a day cab.

01:48 Just a day cab. How’d it ride for you?

01:50 Oh, great. I had no issues. Where did you pick it up and how long of a ride was it?

01:55 I picked it up in Ohio and I can’t tell you how long the ride was, but it was almost a couple thousand miles.

02:04 Is that going to be good for your backside for your wallet there?

02:07 Well, yeah, it works well for the wallet. Works well for the wallet.

02:12 I don’t know about everything else.

02:14 Yeah, you like those long runs, right?

02:16 I do.

02:17 Now, you’re in the truck. You’re in the truck now. Just so everyone knows, you’re on your headsets right now, right?

02:22 I am.

02:23 Gotcha. What’s the weather like out there in the Vegas area? Now, I know a couple days ago they had some predicted snow in the Four Corners region. I don’t know about all the way down in Vegas. I wouldn’t think so that far south, but give us a bird’s eye view, boots on the grounds kind of weather report.

02:41 It’s warm, sunny, and I got the air on.

02:44 Good deal. It’s amazing how it can change just a couple of days. Of course, the snow would have been north of you, but what’s your destination?

02:52 I’m headed to Salt Lake City.

02:54 Okay. Okay. It could change a little bit on your way up that way.

02:58 As a driver, whatever it is, I’ll see it when I get there.

03:03 Love it. Love it. Now, do you look I mean, when you’re traveling, I would think you would look into and see what you’re driving into. Have you looked at the forecast for Salt Lake? I guess you’ll arrive there probably tomorrow.

03:19 Well, I what happens is I haven’t looked at the forecast because wherever you’re in the country, it’s the winter time. So, if you’re driving in December, January, February, in your mind, it’s winter. Whether it’s snow or no snow—

03:34 Whether it’s cold or it’s warm, the fact that I’m in the Vegas area currently is irrelevant cuz it’s in my mind, it’s the winter time.

03:42 I got you. I got you. But you’re prepared for it.

03:45 Definitely.

03:46 What do you have? What do you take with you when you have to travel light? What do you take with you to prepare for your whatever you may run into during the winter season?

03:55 It honestly depends on where I’m going and how long I’m going to be out. But generally, I got my coat, my hat, and I keep my boots on, and I got several changes of clothes. So, again, it just depend on where I’m going and how far I’mma be out.

04:09 Got Because cold in Indiana is not the cold in Montana—

04:14 Right?

04:15 So wind is win is a little different everywhere.

04:18 Absolutely. What’s the coldest you’ve ever been when you’re out taking a load around?

04:23 Just recently I was manhandled in South Dakota.

04:29 I know.

04:30 And it was like negative. It was like negative30.

04:35 Let’s talk about that one. You and I know that one well. And you were out there for a while. If I’m not mistaken, that was mid to late December.

04:44 Yeah, that sounds about right.

04:45 Tell us what happened on that that load there. I mean, I know, but for everyone listening to the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport, they may not know the ins and the outs and the details of this story, it’s a great story. Run with it.

04:58 So, what happens is in inclement weather, inclement means it changes at will. Sometimes the roads stay open, sometimes they close. And they ended up closing Interstate 90 and we was redirected to go around and even the goaround roads were closed. So I ended up being stranded for a week and I can’t even remember the name of the town, but it was somewhere. It was definitely off the beaten path.

05:28 I think it was Fort Pierce, South Dakota. Is that right?

05:30 Yeah. Yeah, that sounds right.

05:33 Yeah. And unfort unfortunately we go so many places it’s almost hard to keep up.

05:38 Oh, it’s all one big blur particularly when you’re there. Now when it first started it was a blizzard, was it not?

05:44 Yeah. But again, as a truck driver, a blizzard’s not just a blizzard. A blizzard to a truck driver is not a blizzard to a secretary cuz we’re on the road. So either it’s passable or it’s impassible and only DOT determines one or the other. Now, what did you do once it was determined? Because if I remember correctly from a couple of months ago, not only were you stuck in the winter conditions, roads closed, blizzard-like conditions, but the truck had some mechanical issues on top of that.

06:16 Unfortunately, in that type of weather, trucks are susceptible to all type of issues. And transporting trucks is a little different than being a conventional truck driver. A conventional truck driver drives the same truck every day, every week, or every month. So, he has a certain maintenance schedule. Well, transport the truck when you pick it up. You’re at the mercy of the maintenance that’s been put in before you arrive. And sometimes it’s up to par, sometimes it’s subpar. And in the truck that I was driving, it was I can’t say it was so far cuz I didn’t see the maintenance records. But what I do know is that it couldn’t handle the weather conditions, which was negative zero.

07:08 Now, if I’m not mistaken, if I remember correctly, you spent eight days in South Dakota in a blizzard. Now, I know toward the back end of that week, the weather kind of held off a little bit and kind of broke clear, but what did you do in those eight days?

07:28 Watch television.

07:29 I guess you watched a lot of it. You’re listening to Marvin Miller here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. We’re talking about him being stranded in South Dakota during a blizzard there for eight days. On top of the blizzard, there was also a truck that had some mechanical issues. He’s just told us he spent a lot of time watching television during that time. Did you see anything good? Did you have access to Netflix, Amazon, any of that kind of stuff, or did you have to watch what was on there in South Dakota?

08:00 I had to watch what the hotel had. Actually, I have Amazon Prime on my phone, but you know, TV is not really that important. Every now and then I’ll watch a movie, but in general I just watch what was on the hotel TV.

08:16 Gotcha. Did you find anything good in that week there? Anything to occupy your time?

08:21 Just the general stuff because you’re really looking forward to getting back home safely to your family.

08:28 Right.

08:28 So, in passing the time, it was literally, you know, just the form of the day. I got you.

08:34 The mission was really get back home to family safely because it was still a white out—

08:38 Right?

08:39 They had tow trucks that were struck. The 18 wheelers that was parked one day, two days later, you couldn’t identify where it was parked because of the snow drift.

08:49 Mhm.

08:50 So it, you know, it was just one of situations, but like I say, it happens only. So we take the bitter with the sweep—

08:57 Right? And it’s a situation, I mean, honestly and obviously, there’s nothing you can do about it. How do you I guess cope with it when you’re in that situation which you were in?

09:07 Same way I cope with life. I hold on to what’s known as the serenity prayer and there’s three parts. The third part is what’s important for me. The first two are cool but the first one is God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The second is courage to change the things I can. And the third one is most important which is wisdom to know the difference. Well said. Well said. And I wanted to ask you also a quick question here because I came to know you as an account manager talking with you when you were going through this ordeal out in South Dakota. I was kind of marveling at the patience that you have. Is that something that has been developed or is that just part of your personality, part of your character? How do you have such patience?

09:59 It is me. It was developed, but it was developed early. And it was developed early because as a man we have a problem with trying ego, masculinity, and testosterone. And once you run into certain brick walls, you learn your place pretty easy in life. So, I keep patience because if I stay in my place, it prevents life from putting me in my place. Obviously, in addition to the patience, you have wisdom from what you just said there. Do you has it been enhanced as far as the patience and the wisdom with your time on the road? Do you feel like you’ve grown, developed, matured spending so much time by yourself, out on the road?

10:44 Well, it has enhanced, but it hasn’t been because of the road or it hasn’t been because I was by myself. Anything that you do, something ought to be gained. Everything that you do falls in one of two categories from my experience. It’s either a lesson or a blessing. It’s e it’s either a lesson, something that you learn from or it’s a blessing, something that good has been bestowed upon me. So, it’s one of the two. And either one is going to be to my advantage because I even learn from my mistakes. When I do something wrong, I build off from it. It’s not a— It doesn’t take away from me.

11:25 Gotcha.

11:26 My glasses never have empty.

11:28 I could tell that. Marvin Miller here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. You said it’s either a lesson or a blessing.

11:36 A lesson or a blessing.

11:37 A lesson or a blessing. Eight days in South Dakota in a blizzard? Which one was it? A lesson or a blessing? And why?

11:45 It was a blessing. There was nothing I could do about it regarding being a lesson, but it was a blessing because everything that happens for a reason, even if I don’t know what the reason is. So, either I was steered toward a blessing or I was kept out of hurt, harm, or danger.

12:03 That’s an incredible outlook from Marvin Miller here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. Now, you’re headed to Salt Lake City. Where do you go from there next? Are you heading back home? Almost. I’m headed to Fort Worth, Texas.

12:23 That’s not really that close to home, but it’s closer.

12:26 It’s not close to home, but after that, there’s a Denton that’ll take me home.

12:32 I gotcha. I gotcha. Now, you were taking a Freightliner out to California. What are you in now?

12:39 A rental car.

12:40 You’re in a rental car heading to Vegas or you’re near Vegas. Is that where you’re— Are you heading all the way to Salt Lake City?

12:48 Yes.

12:49 Okay. Okay. What kind of rental car you got?

12:51 I have a Nissan Ultima.

12:54 Okay. Okay. That’s a pretty comfortable ride.

12:56 Oh, definitely. I mean, I could have flown, but that would have taken away from the mortgage, so I decided to drive.

13:06 I gotcha. I gotta— What kind of truck you got in Salt Lake you to Fort Worth?

13:12 Straight Liner Cascadia. Gotcha. Gotcha. Wanted to ask you quickly, you’re going to be making your way back to Kansas City, which is home for Marvin Miller, and we’re talking just a few days after the Super Bowl. I’m guessing Marvin Miller is still smiling pretty broadly about what happened with his Chiefs.

13:33 I’m you know, we you and I had a conversation about the Super Bowl. I’m going say off camera, off radio, and my answer is the same. It’s only a game. I told you if they won, I would scream and holler at everybody else. If they lost, I would get a good night’s rest.

13:51 Who won the Super Bowl? Who didn’t win the Super Bowl? Honestly, didn’t affect my life one way or the other.

13:58 Patrick Mahomes is not going to pay my bills. Jaylen Hirs wasn’t going to pay my bills. It’s just the game.

14:04 I got you. I got you. Now, I got to tell a quick story about Marvin Miller here. Marvin was out in Colorado making a couple runs for one of them, a customer of mine, and we were kind of in a pinch, kind of in a jam. Marvin was on a schedule, tight schedule. And kind of replay those that day for us because not only is Marvin a patient man, a wise man, he’s also a reliable driver. And tell this story that speaks to what happened on that particular day. I guess that was what last week or the week before?

14:40 Yeah, I think that was last week. I was trying to get I was trying to get home for the Super Bowl, but not for the purpose of the Super Bowl itself. I was trying to get home for the purpose of family in the sense of a family gathering. Me being a truck driver, I’m very rarely at home. So, anytime family meets, family get together and we’re able to bond food, fun, celebrate, I try to be there. And it seemed as though I wasn’t going to make it. And, there was a request that was made upon me by John and I didn’t want to do it because it would hamper my schedule timewise. But out of all honesty, Norton does a lot for me and I had to cave and do the run for John on behalf of Norton because Norton does a lot for me. And all being said, looking at the endgame, I did make it home for the Super Bowl to enjoy my family.

15:47 That’s fantastic. And I got to interject here. Marvin does a lot for Norton Transport. We’re very grateful to have him. And you answered the next question that I had in my mind was, did you make it in time for the Super Bowl? I was hoping that favor you did for us didn’t set you back too much timewise—

16:05 But I made it.

16:07 Tell us about the family gathering, what you guys did for the Super Bowl weekend.

16:12 We it was actually twofold. It was a family member’s birthday on the day of the Super Bowl. So, we celebrated their birthday as well as a watch party for the Super Bowl. So, it was a an all day event. We started about 10:00 in the morning. We all went to church together. We left the church and went to the steakhouse. And at the steakhouse, we gave gifts and presents and the birthday person opened up gifts and presents. You know, this for so and so, this for so and so, and we all got to see and enjoy, and at the same time, other family members from setting up the place where we were going for the watch party for the rest of the birthday stuff. So, we did all of that all the way up until the game started, which was at 5:30 Central.

17:03 How many people were at the birthday party and that at the watch party?

17:08 I’ll say 50.

17:10 50?

17:11 Yes.

17:12 That’s a big crowd there. The family is obviously very important to you. And I know being a Kansas City guy, you guys have a lot of steakous and barbecue places that are really good. Did you guys go to one that was a an owned and operated or a franchise? What kind of place did you guys go to for the steakhouse?

17:34 The steakhouse we went to I forget the name of it. It’s in the city called Lee Summit, Missouri. But we went to yeah, I can’t think of the name of it, but the trick with the barbecue for the people that live in Kansas City, we’re not enamored with the barbecue places because we all do barbecue ourselves. Everybody in Kansas City does barbecue. Well, take us inside the preparation for the barbecue from Marvin Miller. Tell us how you do it, how often you do it, and what your secret is to having that scrumptious barbecue.

18:16 You got to marinate your meat. The meat must be marinated at least 24 hours in advance. And some people use coals, but everybody’s going to wood chips—

18:31 Right? And yeah, marinating is the most important part. And again, at least 24 hours in advance.

18:38 Your marinade is the most important part to your barbecue.

18:41 Now, what’s in your marinade?

18:43 It depends on what I’m marinating—

18:44 Right?

18:45 But let’s say I’m doing baby back ribs.

18:47 Yep.

18:48 I use Italian dressing. You don’t even have to season the ribs. Just marinate them in Italian dressing for at least 24 hours. But you got to pull the skin off the back of the ribs.

18:59 Oh, absolutely. You got a problem.

19:01 Pull the skin off the back. Yeah. Yeah. Pull the skin off the back of the ribs first and you wash your meat. You can’t just take it out the pack and prepare. You take it out the pack. You pull the skin off the back of the ribs. You wash your meat real good and you marinate it in Italian seasoning for at least 24 hours. And you cook it low and slow.

19:23 Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. Norton Transport is here in the South and we’re big on barbecue here in the South as well and we believe in low and slow. You were talking about charcoal and wood chips. Do you ever do yours on a pit type thing where you’re using like say oak, cherry, apple, maple, some kind of wood like that?

19:45 It depends on the gathering. Sometime sometimes it’s just for the family at home and you might wake up one morning and say, “You know what? I want some barbecue today. So, you’ll just do it on the barrel type barbecue grills.”

20:03 Sure.

20:03 Whether they’re small or large and— Yeah. You fire it up and let it go.

20:10 Right. Right.

20:10 Yeah. You fire it up and let it go. But if it’s a large gathering that’s been prepared over time, Yeah. We’ll do it on the pit.

20:18 I gotta gotcha. Now, are you a guy? Have you tried the wood pellet smokers? Not a fan of the wood pellet smokers because they’re usually lectured—

20:28 Right?

20:29 And for those of us that barbecue, barbecuing is not it’s not about cooking the food. It’s a tradition. It’s an event. It’s where people get together, play cards, Domino’s, reminisce as the food is going. It’s not about the food getting done. It’s a it’s the we enjoy the process—

20:53 Right? It’s enjoying it as it’s like you were saying, it’s a process. It’s an event and it’s a time when everybody can connect and reconnect as you were saying. And the food obviously is a star of the show, but it’s just a part of the show.

21:12 Correct.

21:13 Now, are ribs is that your number one go-to? Or steaks. Pork, what’s your number one go-to?

21:20 Ribey.

21:21 Okay.

21:22 Yeah, ribe eyes. Ribey is my number one go to.

21:25 Now, take us through Marvin grilling a ribeye or smoking a ribeye. How however you do it. Take us from start to finish on that ribeye.

21:34 I can’t. But what I will do is let you know that I cheat.

21:39 Okay.

21:40 I cheat. I don’t even put them I don’t even put them on the grill. I have a cast iron I have a cast iron skillet.

21:48 I know where you’re going.

21:49 And I brown them in a cast iron skillet. And I’m skipping some steps, but I brown them in the cast iron skillet and I end up putting them in an aluminum pan in the oven to your liking, whether it’s medium rare, well done, medium well. So I cheat. I put a little liquid smoke.

22:09 I got you.

22:10 I put a little liquid smoke in it. I got—

22:12 Yeah, I cheat with them. But yeah, you would never know. You would never know the difference.

22:17 That’s what I was going to ask. How does that compare to one coming off of the grill? I mean, the ribeye you’ve prepared it the way you just described versus one off the grill. You said you never tell the difference. Which one do you prefer—

22:28 Off the grill? Because again, it’s the, you know, most food is about presentation.

22:35 Absolutely.

22:36 So, it’s something about seeing the steak being seared on the grill. The grill marks—

22:41 You know, pulling the slab of ribs off the grill, the grill marks, the ju just the smell of the open air blowing the smoke in your face, it the presentation of the grill just wins out.

22:53 Man, you’re making me hungry. You’re making—

23:03 All right, Marvin, let’s talk a little bit about driving. How long have you been driving? I start driving in 2006.

23:10 Okay.

23:11 How many years is that?

23:12 That’s going to be about what is that 16 15 17 years?

23:19 Well, and the crazy part of it is that I didn’t even intend to start driving. So, I had a job as a helper, right? And I was working for an ice company.

23:33 Okay.

23:33 A wonderful ice company. Guy named Walter Barry. Barry’s Lotic Ice. Shout out to Walter Barry. So, what happened is towards the end of the ice season, I was asking him, you know, what’s our last date? So, as I’m applying for a new job, I can let them know my start date, right? I asked him a couple times. He never answered—

23:54 Right?

23:54 So, long story short, I coined him one time was like, “Hey, I need to know.” So, as I’m applying for the new jobs, I tell him when I could start. And he told me that my employment at Barry’s Artic Ice wasn’t ending because I was his new driver.

24:11 Little did you know—

24:12 I was like, I had no clue. Never drove truck before. But he loved my disposition, right?

24:18 I have social skills. He love my disposition. My social skills, you know, he likes how I talk to the customers, things of that nature. Can fix a problem on the fly, you know, accommodate someone dissatisfied with the issue. So yeah, because of that, he made me new driver. And the most important part of driving, I had no clue of which was driving. And as a helper, he said from that point on, every driver that I rode with when we had downtime, they were going to put me in the driver’s seat and show me what they knew. And that’s what happened.

24:57 What kind of trucks are we talking about here?

24:59 These were straight trucks.

25:01 Okay. Okay.

25:02 Yeah, they were straight trucks. 26 foot straight trucks.

25:04 I got you. Gotcha.

25:06 I had no clue. I’ never driven one. Never shifted a gear. I knew nothing about driving.

25:12 But I’m assuming you picked it up pretty quickly.

25:14 I didn’t have a choice. The job consists of driving. So, yeah. Yeah, I picked it up pretty quickly. Now, you had some training as far as you said when there was a time availability for you to get in there with some other drivers, you would start, you know, learning the ropes. How long did it take you to say, “Okay, this is a manual transmission. I’ve never driven a 26ft straight truck, but I’m going to do it.”

25:39 I’m a kind of end all be all type of guy. So when he told me that and I agreed to stay on and take the position at that point, that’s where I knew that I was going to get it—

25:53 Right.

25:54 I mean, you know, as men, we have to get it done. You know, when I leave home, I can’t come back without it. You know, there’s no good old college try. There’s no I gained at my best. I did all I could. I can’t come when I lace up my boots. I can’t come back till I got it because I left to go get it.

26:15 I got you. So, this was back in 2006 when you took the drive with the driving job with the ice company. Is that right? 2006.

26:28 Correct.

26:29 Now, what where did that lead you? Where did you go from driving with the ice company after the ice company? Well, that that actually led me I had some family personal issues in 2010 and I left the company to take care of family and I was in between jobs at that point and my current wife told me that she had a she’s a school bus driver so she had a coworker that did driveaway during the summertime when they were down.

27:04 Okay. So I told her, I was like, “Uh” I’m like, “Baby, that don’t sound right. That sound like a scam.” And she like, “No, I’m telling you, he do it every year.” And I’m like, “Are you sure? How well do you know this guy?” And she’s like, “Baby, he do it every year. I’m telling you, I’mma introduce you.” She introduced us. He told me what he do. I was still skeptical.

27:26 He gave me phone numbers of the people he contracted through. I called him. I took a chance and I started working for them. And it was cascade. It turned out to be a real thing. Who knew?

27:37 Right. Right. Now, how this is you started off in driveaway. How long ago was it where you ventured into driveaway?

27:45 That was in 2010.

27:47 Okay. Now, when did you come on board with Norton?

27:52 2014.

27:53 2014. Now, I’ve talked to some people here in the office. I’m gonna drop a couple names. Thomas Finn and Mike Aers. Mike told me that I believe when Mike was dispatching, you and him partnered up. Is that correct?

28:10 That is correct.

28:11 He speaks very finally of you. Just wanted to know what that relationship’s like from a driver standpoint.

28:18 The relationship in partnering with a dispatcher is rocky at first because you’re an independent contractor. If I was an employee, my job would just to be to figure out the rules, policies, procedures, and fall in line. But as a independent contractor, I’m able to make my own decisions. I’m able to say, “Yeah, I want it. No, I don’t want it. Yeah, I’ll go out, but I’m only staying out a week.” So, it’s lucky because y’all have to build a rapport, right?

28:50 Gotcha.

28:50 You learn your dispatcher because it may be female. You learn your dispatcher. They learn you as a driver. Once that’s established, it’s smooth sailing.

29:00 Now, you worked with Mike and is Thomas your current dispatcher?

29:05 That is correct.

29:06 What’s it like working with Thomas?

29:08 Man, it’s wonderful. It was wonderful with Mike—

29:12 And when Mike was a dispatcher—

29:15 He just switched positions and went to doing some other stuff. But yeah, it was wonderful with Mike. But again, you know, when you first start off with the dispatcher, you have to learn one another.

29:28 And once that relationship is established and built, it’s I guess in some ways it’s a partnership.

29:36 It is. It is a partnership because you know on once Mike got to know me he would book me a load you know because being an independent contractor I can agree or deny it but he would book me a load cuz he knew that that’s what I wanted or that’s what I liked or etc.

29:54 And Thomas does the same thing and I’ll just text him like hey thanks you know what I mean? So yeah it’s a relationship. How relieving is it to know you’ve got dispatchers that can book a load knowing in advance, hey, this is something Marvin would like?

30:12 That’s wonderful. That’s wonderful because outside of that, your time constraint on checking the load board hoping that it hasn’t changed and another driver has picked up the load and you look and it’s already gone—

30:26 Right? So having a dispatcher that’s in tune with you to say Marvin would like to have this and book me on it. That’s wonderful. I mean that that’s the load off.

30:37 I gotta gotcha. Now let’s talk a little bit about some of your experiences on the road. We touched on a the blessing you talked about in the blizzard. We’ll call it the blizzard blessing. But what’s give us another crazy story from the life of Marvin Miller out on the road.

30:56 Which one?

30:58 Your choice. Dealer’s choice.

31:00 Well, I mean, you get to see some beautiful countryside. It’s because of Norton Transport that I’m able to see my country and say that I’ve been to every state except for the state of Alaska. I went to Hawaii on my own, but outside of that, I’ve seen every other state flying through Norton Transport.

31:23 Wow, that’s impressive. That’s got to be rewarding. And I guess give us not necessarily ranking top five, bottom five, but give us the highlighted states that really struck an impression in you. I’ve got to be honest and I tell other people this that are interested in driving. You know what’s the most beautiful state? I mean, what’s the best place to go? Every place has its own magic. The state of Connecticut, their alleys are cleaner than most streets in other cities. South Dakota is the most majestic. South Dakota is the most aruck state that I’ve ever been to where it’s just you look around and you’re just taken a back—

32:11 Right? Of course, you know, Florida and, you know, California specifically, places like San Diego has its own magic and places like Vermont, Massachusetts. I mean, but every everything possesses its own ump if you will, it own its own it factor, its own when you’re looking for a certain thing, you like, hey, I want to go back to the right because they do this over there, right?

32:36 Mhm.

32:37 Every place has its perks. I got you. I got you. Have you had a chance to make it out and check out the Grand Canyon?

32:46 I’ve driven past it probably 75 times and I’m a family type of guy. Only way I’ll ever stop is if I had my family with me.

32:58 I got you.

32:58 And let me back up a little bit.

33:00 Sure.

33:01 So I told you that my wife was a school bus driver, right? So when she got me into driveaway, my pay dwarfed hers, right?

33:14 So I suggested to her, why even making that little money when you can come out on the road with me? So we were both Norton drivers.

33:22 That’s awesome, man. What’s your wife’s name?

33:25 Sharita.

33:26 Okay. Okay. So at what time frame were you guys both on the payroll there? We well we started with another company first, but we were drive we she drove from about 2013 to 2018.

33:46 Okay.

33:46 So she was out on the road with me for like five years.

33:48 That had to be fun. Did you guys try to ride side by side, take similar routes, or how’d you work it that way?

33:55 No, we went everywhere together. We took the loads where they had multiple trucks going, pickup and delivery.

34:02 I got you. I got you.

34:04 Yep. It was wonderful.

34:06 I was going to say you guys saw a lot of each other.

34:08 Yes, it was wonderful because I wasn’t missing her. She wasn’t missing me cuz we’re together and we’re getting double the money.

34:17 That’s a win-win right there. Did it strengthen your relationship?

34:21 Yes.

34:21 How so?

34:23 How so? Because again, she wasn’t missing me and I wasn’t missing her. Right now, my thing is getting back home to her and she’s waiting on me to arrive. But on the road, we had each other. There was no rush to get home.

34:39 I got you.

34:39 Because the things that was important to me, I had. And the things that was important to her, she had. So, wherever we was, it was we were just there.

34:48 I got you. I understand. You’re listening to Marvin Miller here on the Six-Figure Trucker. Brought to you by Norton Transport. Marvin, you and I talked earlier this week. You’re 49 years young. You’ve been doing this since 2006. How much longer do you see yourself doing it? It all depends because one of the disadvantages of being a truck driver period, whether it’s driveaway or conventional truck driver is you have bad eating habits and it’s a bad occupation in the sense of healthy living. So, personally, I’m a tad bit overweight.

35:30 Well, there’s nothing wrong with that. Nobody’s perfect. I mean—

35:33 I’m underscoring tan, but you get the point.

35:36 I got—

35:38 Well, it does lend itself to tough eating habits on the road. I mean, you’re on the go obviously all the time. Is that something you’ve thought about as far as trying to make some changes, some adjustments to how you eat? I mean, it’s crazy when you’re on the road all the time and you can’t really, you know, I guess you could pack some things to eat healthier, but a lot of the times you’re at the mercy of the road—

36:02 Unfortunately.

36:04 Right. What kind of things do you normally eat on the road?

36:07 Actually, I’m sitting here. I have a bowl of raisin brand next to me that I’ve been eating dry cereal.

36:16 I got you. That’s pretty healthy. Yeah, but it’s something I just started out of basically desperation.

36:22 Okay, I got you.

36:25 So, I try to buy fruit in the jar, a fruit in a can, something that’s non-p perishable that I can take with me, but again, there’s only so much you can put in the bag.

36:36 Right. Right. Have you made are you making a concerted effort to shed some pounds even though you’re still living on the road? Yes, but it’s I mean it’s just a it’s just an occupation. I have a what’s called a black card with Planet Fitness. So with Planet Fitness, I’m able to use any Planet Fitness in America.

36:57 Okay.

36:58 Problem is when I get to where I’m going, I ain’t got room for Planet Fitness. I’m tired.

37:05 Right.

37:06 Right.

37:06 Yeah. You’re exhausted.

37:07 And Right. And once I’m rested up, it’s time to go.

37:12 Right. It’s hard to find that time in there—

37:15 Right? So, so me and Plant Fitness we’ve been missing each other.

37:21 Gotcha. Not seeing too much of each other. I understand.

37:24 No, no, no. We our relationship has been rocking.

37:29 Well, you’ve talked about we like we know about the barbecue. We know about Planet Fitness there. What kind of things does Marvin Miller like to do for fun? Hobbies kicking around the house when you do have some downtime.

37:43 I love to travel. I love to travel and my wife loves to travel. So, generally when I’m not at work, I’m still on the road. Me and my wife are both drivers, so we go.

37:56 I got you. What’s the neatest place you’ve been to as a couple, not getting paid to go, not in a big truck, but in your car or in your pickup truck? I mean, where you’re going as a family or you’re going as a couple, what’s the neatest place you’ve been to?

38:14 I’m I have to be honest. It’s not the place, it’s the people. Usually the places we go is places that we have family and friends. So, the places to us are really irrelevant. It’s the people that’s there. If that makes any sense.

38:30 It makes perfect sense. I understand. You could be anywhere with good people—

38:35 Right? And that’s not how we see it. It’s not the place, the people. It’s the people that’s that that we’re going to see. It’s the people that came along with us or the people that met us there or, you know, whatever it is. That’s kind of how we plan vacations and getaways and things of that nature.

38:55 I got you.

38:56 But yeah. Yeah. Me and my wife, we love to travel.

38:58 What’s one of the more memorable vacations you’ve had? Not necessarily because of the location, but more about what you talking about, the event, the people, the gathering, the members.

39:09 I gotta explain this one.

39:10 Okay.

39:11 It’s Las Vegas.

39:12 Okay.

39:13 The reason why I have to explain it is because my wife and I don’t gamble—

39:18 But you had a big time—

39:20 Every time. And we used to go two or three times a year. The pandemic slowed us down. But the reason why Vegas is so so of a hot spot for us is because we have family and friends that live in Vegas.

39:33 Okay.

39:34 And every time we go, we either take some people with us or have people meet us there that have never been to Vegas. So by proxy through them, it’s kind of a first time every time if that makes any sense.

39:50 Right. You’re kind of like a tour guide—

39:52 Basically. And I’m getting the sense that from your personality and how we’re getting to know you, you enjoy making other people happy.

40:01 Definitely.

40:03 Gotcha. Now, that kind of leads me to my next question. We know on your profile here at Norton Transport that your handle is Plum Line. Now, you and I talked about this briefly. There’s a meaning there, I guess. Break it down for us. Why the name Plum Line? Plum line is literally biblical. It’s literally biblical. There’s a prophet in the Bible named Anus that was given a vision of a plum line and it became the symbol of the standard by which God’s people would need to live. And after that, he represented the standard by which to judge people and for the judgment to be gained. If that makes sense.

40:45 That makes perfect sense. Now, when did you decide to adopt that as your handle?

40:52 When the Norton the Norton app came with some type I forget the name, but it’s a rating system or ranking system if you will. And I adopted it then one to stand out and two because every other trucker there, whether he’s the green duck or the cowboy or you know, whatever his title is, to him it always means something—

41:16 Right? So, I wanted my handle to mean something to me in the ranking.

41:22 And you know, when you and I were talking about that name, when you look into it and you delve into the meaning of it, I think your first response to me or your first answer to me was if you know, you know.

41:35 Yeah. Yeah. There’s there’s a lot more to it. Yes. A lot more to it. And whoever listens to this radio broadcast, if they know, they’ll know it. And if they don’t, no harm, no foul.

41:52 Right. Well, for somebody who does hear this podcast, the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. Marvin Miller is our guest this evening. What do you want them to take away from knowing that your handle is Plum Line? You gave us the background. You gave us the history out of the Bible about it, but what do you want them to take away from that?

42:12 The plum line is a part of being able to recognize one in the dark as well as in the light.

42:19 Gotcha. Gotcha.

42:20 And those that’s in the light will recognize you. And if they’re not, they won’t.

42:25 Understood. Understood. Now, will you make it to how close to Salt Lake will you get this evening?

42:33 I’ll make it to Salt Lake.

42:35 Okay. I’ll be in Salt Lake tonight.

42:37 Pick up your truck in the morning.

42:40 Yeah.

42:41 Gotcha.

42:42 Yep.

42:42 Now, Salt Lake to Fort Worth, that’s about what are we looking at there? What’s the mileage on?

42:48 About 1,200 miles.

42:49 I was thinking 13, but 1,200. That’ll take you what? Two, three days.

42:54 No, a day and a half.

42:56 Gotcha. And it’s all downhill—

43:01 Literally.

43:03 Yeah. There you go.

43:04 Lit. It’s literally all downhill.

43:07 So, that’ll put you— Are you going to be home for the weekend?

43:10 I should make it home Saturday night.

43:13 Okay. Any plans with the Miz?

43:16 There’s several plans. There’s a show in Kansas City at a venue called— The Music Hall where they’re doing a see what you call it. I don’t know. I don’t know what you call it, but it’s a show and it’s about the burning of the black portion of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

43:37 Oh, yeah. Yeah.

43:38 And it’s being reenacted and showing how good how vibrant it was before it was bombed and firebombed and things of that nature.

43:49 You know, there’s a lot of people who are not aware of that. I think it happened back in the early 1900s.

43:56 It did. Yeah. And that’s something I guess is something that you want to make yourself aware of and more knowledgeable about.

44:05 Well, I know my history. I’m going literally to support the cast and crew, if you will. I got—

44:12 As well as take my wife out on a evening of enjoyment.

44:16 Sure.

44:16 And Sunday is my daughter’s birthday, so her whole day is planned out. She got a skating party set up. So, yeah, my weekend is jam-packed. It sounds like it. You’re a busy man, Marvin Miller.

44:29 Hey, a Rolling Stone gathers no MOS.

44:32 I wanted to ask you this as we kind of come down to a close here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. Very honored to have Marvin Miller on as our guest. What would you say to someone who may be considering this as maybe a career change or a career start? What would your words of advice be? I would say that it’s plenty of money if you’re interested in going to get it. A lot of questions that I get is how much money, how much do they pay you? And I’m like, well, that’s not how it works. You can make as much or as little as you choose. So, if you’re interested in finances, the money is there, but that’s not why I do it. So, from a personal standpoint, I do it for the flexibility. I do it because if I want to go to work tomorrow and I say I’mma go to work tomorrow and tomorrow come, I can change my mind and be like, “No, I ain’t going to work tomorrow. I don’t owe no explanation. I don’t have to pretend to be sick. I don’t need nobody to cover my shift. I don’t have to use no PTO time. I just don’t go.”

45:34 And that flexibility for me is king. There’s times my wife and I go on a vacation for a week. On the sixth night, we look at each other and say, “You ready to go home? You ready to go home? You must not be ready to go home. Only if you ready to go home.” And we stay another week.

45:52 That’s awesome to have.

45:53 There’s I’m not fired afterwards. I’m not looking for new employments. I’m not apologized to my employer. I do it for the flexibility. So, if you’re looking for good money, well, great money actually. And flexibility, North Transport is the place to be. I tell you what, I don’t know if I could top that as far as wrapping it up. Marvin Miller, thank you so much for being with us on the program. We really appreciate you being on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you here by the folks here at Norton Transport and really appreciate the wisdom that you dropped on us, the patience that you showed us, and everything you shared with us. Thank you very much, and be safe out there.

46:36 Thank you for having me.

46:37 All right, Marvin, take care, brother.

46:38 All right, you too.

46:44 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.