00:06 So driving safely goes along with that. You know, think, yes, it’s about the money, but also it’s about your family, who you’re going to come back to, who’s sending it home hoping that you make it back home safely.

00:20 Some wise words from Barbara Smith and our safety team. 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. Hello everyone and welcome to the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport and each and every one of you that joins us every week. You know, this is a space, a platform where we elevate and celebrate the drivers that make our company make this country go round and round. We’d like to lift them up for everything they do each and every day. And we have a very special guest with us this week one of our own. You know, we’ve talked about many times about how Norton is a family company, and this is actually one of the family Barbara Smith joining us now. Barbara, how are you?

01:19 I’m doing fine, thank you. Now, explain how you got involved with Norton Transport because you go back a ways. You’re almost an original if you look at it that way.

01:30 Yes. So, Calvin started doing it on the weekends and then eventually he got to where they started in LaFayette there with his little shop and my dad did it and so my brother and I decided that maybe we might want to try and so we did that and we started back. Geez, I’ve been to Kankakee, Illinois. I’ve taken used buses up to Mississippi, I mean Michigan.

01:58 So, we’d all come back. Somebody would drive a van or we’d pull the van and we’d all ride back together in the van.

02:04 Gotcha. Now, Barbara works on our safety team. Now, we’re going to work our way back into that. But, talking about the original part of the company before Calvin had Norton Transport. He worked at the Bluebird School Bus Company.

02:18 Correct.

02:19 And that used to be in LaFayette, Georgia. And you were there, too.

02:22 Mhm.

02:23 Take us back to those days.

02:25 So, I wasn’t there when Calvin was there. It was shortly after that when I started and I started out making windows for the school buses. I did the side windows and I was able to change over to doing driver windows. We did school buses, we did transit buses, we made prison buses, all different kinds. So from there I went on to be a quality inspector, worked with Thomas Vinn. He was working in quality at the time and then I became safety manager and I was safety manager until it closed—

03:00 At what was that 2010?

03:02 Yes, 2010.

03:03 Okay. Now, Bluebird School Bus Company, which those of you who may not know the history of Norton Transport Bluebird is integral to the history of Norton Transport because when Calvin worked on the assembly line at Bluebird, he came up with the idea of moving these buses and from that moment, I think it was about 1998 Norton Transport was formed. So, what was it like the atmosphere working at Bluebird and after Calvin had moved into his own company, but you were at Bluebird. What was it like working in that kind of production facility?

03:40 It was very good. And of course, after you know a place like that shuts down, everybody kind of misses it. But we went through a lot of transitions. We went through our ups and downs and at one time we were like probably one of the worst building the school buses and we came back and fought it and we ended up being one of the top 10 in the business week industry.

04:08 So I guess you kind of learned your lessons, made yourselves better.

04:11 Yes, absolutely.

04:13 Gotcha. Now, you know, we know now you’re in safety, but leading to that path of safety, you had mentioned about taking school buses up to Michigan and to other places. Kind of walk us through how you became a CDL driver.

04:28 Okay. So, my husband’s job has moved us around to different places, different states like, Ohio and Texas. We’ve lived in South Carolina. That’s actually where we just moved from South Carolina. And so during all that transition when we moved out to Texas there was not you know a lot of manufacturing out where we were. We were close to actually we lived off the island of Galveston. So there’s not there’s a lot of oil rigs and stuff out there but as far as manufacturing not so much. So I did some dental assisting there. And then we got moved to South Carolina where my husband went to work for Volvo and I wanted to do something different again. My brother was a truck driver and so he always said, “You need to get your license in case anything ever happens. You’ve always got something to fall back on.”

05:24 So I went to school and I did get my license, CDL license, and one of the drivers at Volvo actually asked me to drive one of his trucks. And so I was fortunate enough to not actually have to be out on the road, but I was a driver for Mercedes van company or van manufacturing. I took loads from the warehouse like their tires, their seats, and delivered them to the Mercedes manufacturing facility.

05:57 What was that like? I mean, because you’d been on the I mean, you know, the production side of school buses, but to move on to the CDL side where you move buses, large trucks. What was it like moving into that new career?

06:09 It was totally different. Just because when you’re driving a truck, you have to make sure the loads are secure. You got to make sure your doors are closed properly and make sure it makes it to its destination safely with nothing being wrong with it. So, it was different. I enjoyed it.

06:28 Mhm.

06:28 There was times where when we were delivering tires, they would come on racks and so by the time I got to the manufacturing facility, some of the racks, the strap may have come undone. And so they were rolled completely to the end of the door. So when you open the door, they’re like right in your face. So there’s a lot to Everybody thinks it’s easy. It’s not easy cuz there’s other things that you have to pay more attention to. So it makes it a little more difficult. Now, let’s talk about let’s kind of fast forward a little bit. You were talking about who all you drove with at Norton. When you started driving with Norton, you drove with your family.

07:06 Yes.

07:07 Kind of break that down for us and how that dynamic worked out.

07:10 So, my dad was a truck driver as growing up. And so, when Calvin got over into delivering the school buses, then my dad was had retired from driving a truck. And so, he would help Calvin deliver the buses as well as my uncle Johnny. And so once they did that, then me and my brother decided, hey, we can do this, too. So, we ended up doing it with them. And usually anytime we would go, we’d all go together.

07:38 Mhm.

07:38 So it became sort of like a family affair.

07:43 I was going to say, what was that like? I mean obviously being family and working so closely together, being on the road together, how did that I guess enrich your family relationships? It very it enriched it very much. We all looked out for each other. There was a time that we took a bus or a group of us took buses to Miami. I happened to get off on a toll road and got separated from all of them and I went into panic mode. It was back in when you had to use actual payoneses.

08:17 Oh, okay.

08:17 Yes. Payones. And so I had to pull over and call and ask where am I at? How do I get there? And so that was probably one of the worst. I was scared to death because I was in Miami. I didn’t know where I was. But eventually I got routed to back where I was supposed to go and went up with everybody.

08:35 You know, if you’re talking about the days of payoneses, there’s definitely no GPS back then.

08:39 No.

08:40 Had to read a map.

08:41 Yes. Yes.

08:43 You know, you think about that. I mean, not to get off track here, but being a driver back then when you didn’t have GPS and you had to follow a map versus now—

08:54 I mean, what do you see as I mean, obviously, it’s easier with a GPS just telling you where to go—

08:59 Right?

09:00 But what do you think are some of the advantages of having come up where you had to read a map and you had to follow directions, you had to stay on course? I think learning places and how to get there and actually what roads to take, you know, like highway 27 or you go to interstate 20. I mean, just going to different locations and the roads and actually seeing what all they’re close to. Not only just, you know, on GPS it pulls you up, but to see what other cities and other things that are on the actual map. You learn your location.

09:37 Absolutely.

09:39 Now, let’s fast forward to you just came on board back again with Norton. You’ve made it full circle.

09:45 Yes.

09:45 Now you’re on the safety team.

09:47 Tell us what you do, what your role is on the safety team.

09:50 Well, currently I am doing the random drug screens. I have been helping with the claims, processing claims. I’ve also been learning and doing some of the applications of people hiring people—

10:05 For drivers coming in.

10:06 Yes.

10:06 How much does it help you having the background, the experience you have from working in a production facility to being a driver on the road with the CDL, driving buses, driving tractors, and moving over into safety. I would think that’d be a great transition for you.

10:21 Yes, it is. When I first went I worked for before here I worked for first fleet up in Murphysboro and when I came on with them I had the safety background but I didn’t have the trucking background. So when I was able to see the other side of the trucking then you get more of a perspective of the drivers and all the things that they see or do on a daily. One of the things I guess I’ve really learned being on this side of it is how the drivers are just so much they have to have their eyes on at all times of people pulling over in front of them. And it’s just a decision that maybe a car driver doesn’t think about.

11:06 They don’t think about how much the truck they just pulled over in front of has in the back of it and how long it takes that truck to slow down. So, there’s a lot of different entities and things that I’ve learned being on this side of it.

11:20 That’s a very good point because you think about it, you’re driving on the freeway and all of a sudden traffic backs up.

11:26 When you’re in a car, I mean, if you’re paying attention, it’s not that hard to stop your car. But when you’ve got, you know, 60,000 lbs of freight behind you—

11:34 That’s a different question.

11:35 Absolutely. And do you guys talk about that with the drivers as far as things to remember, different things to keep in the front of their minds?

11:45 Yes, and they do when they start doing the road checks and stuff like that, we send out information to them to make sure that they’re have everything ready for their inspections or things like that just to kind of keep it in their mind.

11:59 Gotcha. You’re listening to Barbara Smith here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. And if you’re just joining us, Barbara is part of the family of Norton. She is the niece of our owner Calvin Norton, and she’s also had other family members that worked with Norton, her father and her other uncle. Is that correct? Also worked with Norton and she has driven, has had the CDL side, the CDL experience, and she’s now in the safety world. What do you enjoy most about working on the safety side? Sometimes, you know, safety may get a different viewpoint. It’s one of those things that’s absolutely critical, absolutely necessary, but sometimes the perception of it from the outside’s not what it should be. But what do you get from it?

12:49 So, I’m glad you asked the question because for me, sometimes in the daily life of everything, safety sometimes gets cut to the back. I like talking to the drivers and other employees to make them understand we are not trying to put them out of work. We actually are just trying to make sure you get home to your family. We don’t want to be the ones to call your family and to say, “Hey, they’re not going to make it home tonight.”

13:19 That’s a very good point because I mean, you know, you guys don’t want to be the bad guy—

13:22 Right?

13:23 I mean, and I guess in when you really think about it, you’re being the good guy.

13:27 Absolutely. There, but sometimes the interpretation of it is not seen that way. How do you break that down? I mean, how do you deliver that message, I guess, to the drivers?

13:36 Well, I will tell you what I would do when I worked with Bluebird if we had someone that maybe didn’t want to hear, didn’t want to wear their hearing protection or something like that. And I would just come up to them and say, “Do you have kids? Do you have grandchildren?” They’re like, “Yeah, I do.” And I’m like, “Do you want to hear them talk to you?” Because if you keep working without your hearing protection or double hearing protection, you’re gonna lose your hearing and that’s something that you can’t get back. Yes, you can have hearing aids, but it won’t be the same. So, driving safely goes along with that. You know, think, yes, it’s about the money, but also it’s about your family, who you’re going to come back to, who’s sitting at home hoping that you make it back home safely.

14:22 Those are some wise words from Barbara Smith and our safety team. And Barbara, I wanted to ask you also, what was it like transitioning between careers because it took you to some different places because of your husband’s careers, but what was it like for you transitioning?

14:37 Well, I’m one of those people that likes to do new things or try new things. So, I always get a little excited because I’m learn I like to learn new things.

14:48 Now, what’s it like for you? Assuming being somebody who is actually part of the Norton family literally—

14:54 And now you’re part of the Norton family inside the office. What’s your response to the I guess the culture here at Norton Transport?

15:02 Well, I just want everybody to know that even though I am kin to the owners, I am still my own person and I want to be looked at as my own person. Want to be able to grow for what I know, not because of who I know.

15:19 Right. I mean, there’s probably a lot of people inside the building that don’t know that you’re related to Calvin—

15:24 And you kind of like it that way.

15:25 I do, and I just, you know, I want them to see me for me, not for who I know.

15:31 What’s the biggest challenge working on the safety team?

15:34 I really not had a lot. I’m thinking just trying to get in touch with the drivers for their drug screens or, you know, sending messages. I call, leave messages and just getting response back.

15:48 What’s the most rewarding part of it on the daily—

15:50 When I call one and they are very pleasant and you know we kind of get to little chat a little bit to kind of know the personalities—

15:59 Get to know the drivers.

16:00 Absolutely.

16:01 I’m sure they like doing that too. Getting to know the people that they know are responsible— Yeah.

16:06 For the safety that they, you know, need each and every day. And if you sit and listen to our team, everybody on our team is very polite when they speak to our drivers if they have any problems with their logs or anything like that. We are our whole team is very polite.

16:23 Gotcha. And how much of a difference do you think that makes?

16:26 Oh, it makes a big difference. I mean, if you come at someone barking and tell them they’re not doing this and they’re not doing that, then they’re going to build up a shield to begin with. Whereas if you speak with someone with kindness, you can go a long ways with it.

16:41 Ah, sure. Absolutely. Now, how long do you see yourself staying in the logistics world?

16:47 Forever.

16:49 There you go. That’s a great place to end. Forever. Now, Barbara, anything we may have left out? Let’s see. I Oh, your travels—

16:58 Brought you back to Georgia. Yes.

17:00 Now, you guys went to you traveled quite a bit.

17:03 Mhm. And you had noted there were some places that really stuck out favorably to you.

17:10 Yes.

17:10 In your travels, what were some of your favorite places?

17:13 One of the favorites was in Texas. We moved down there. My husband to be closer to his father. And so we were able to live next to them and get to catch up on a lot. And then we moved on further south down to Galveston where we were on the island and we lived probably maybe about two blocks from the ocean.

17:38 Nothing wrong with that.

17:39 No, we could ride our bikes to get dinner or also on Galveston Island they have a like a park ferris wheels and stuff like that. One of the things that I do remember that stands out from living down there is the temperatures are warm. I remember being down there trying to decorate for Christmas and it’s so warm out there and I’m putting lights around the tree and I’m like, “This is just so weird. It should be cold for Christmas.”

18:09 Now, Texas obviously made a left a mark on your mind there and left you a memory. Yes. But what’s it like being back in Georgia here in the home state of Norton Transport? Well, we have been away from our family for 10 years. And so, we’ve missed out on ball games from our grandkids and things like that. So, being back home, I feel like now I’ve got to make up for all the time that I’ve missed. So, being close to them and being back home has been such a game changer.

18:38 A game changer with Barbara Smith here on the Norton Transport Six-Figure Trucker. Barbara, thank you so much for joining us.

18:44 Thank you for having me.

18:45 Absolutely. All right, we’ll see you next week on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport.

18:56 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.