00:08 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.

00:23 Let’s get to the show. Hello everyone and welcome to the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. And you know if you join us every week, this is where we elevate and celebrate the drivers that make our company what it is. Joining us today from the roads, Corey A. Harris. Corey, I believe you’re in Indiana right now.

00:45 Yes, sir. I’m in South Bend, Indiana.

00:49 Gotcha. Now, where did you come what was your transport route that got you to Indiana? Well, my transport route was, let me think, where did I go to? I picked up in I think I picked up in Georgia. Well, no, no, no, no, no. I picked up in— Yeah, I picked up in Fort Payne, Alabama. Sorry. I flew to—

01:10 You got a garbage truck.

01:11 Yes, sir. Picked it up in Fort Payne at the Heil factory and it’s going to Muskegon, Michigan. So, I’m about 125 miles away from it. I got you.

01:25 Just doing my 10-hour break and things like that.

01:29 Gotcha. Are you picking up a fire truck coming out of Michigan?

01:32 Yes, sir. I’m picking up a fire truck out of Wyoming, Michigan.

01:36 All right.

01:37 Rapids area.

01:38 Yes, sir. To take the—

01:41 Louisiana.

01:42 Gotcha. Heading down to Holden, Louisiana. I got you.

01:46 There.

01:47 Wanted to ask you a couple questions. Want to talk a little bit more about the home life. You’d mentioned last week Daytona in the Daytona 500. So you live in Daytona Beach?

01:58 Yes, sir.

02:00 Do you live on the beach?

02:02 No, I don’t live on the beach. I wish I did.

02:06 If I could get— If I could win these lottery numbers and predict them, then I’d definitely be on the beach. But No, I’m not on the beach, but I’m not far from it. So, I’m about 15 minutes from the beach. But—

02:17 I was going to say if you live on the beach, I’ll be down there next week.

02:22 I love the beach, man. I love the water and everything. I mean, except for like when the sea turtles come, you can’t really go on the beach, but that time. Yeah.

02:32 There’s something calming and relaxing about the ocean and the sunshine, being on the beach, the sound, the smell, all of it.

02:40 Yeah. The water. It’s just the calmness of it. Sometime I find myself I go out there or you just take a drive and catch the sunset or catch it in the morning time and just you know like you said just the peace of the calmness of it or just take your walk sometime you know just to you know relax reflect things like that.

03:01 Are you a sunrise guy or a sunset guy?

03:05 I would say I’m a sunrise because for some reason I’m always up early. I guess with driving, you know, you’re up early. So, even when you’re home, you always tend to be up early. So, I’m usually up, my mom always told me, you start the day early. You see, you utilize more of the day. So, usually on my home time, if I’m off, I’m usually up around 5:30 in the morning. I usually start my first cup of coffee around 5:45. So—

03:34 I got you.

03:35 You had mentioned last week about your mother’s military background, and it seems clear reading between the lines, your mom was has been a big influence on you. What did her military background teach you?

03:47 It taught me everything. It taught me a lot of things. Taught me discipline, taught me patience. I mean, it taught me mannerisms. It taught me so much. I mean, as a child, I traveled a lot. So, I was born in Fort Rucker, Alabama.

04:06 My sister was born in Honolulu. So, I think we lived in Honolulu, Hawaii for about six years. I lived in Honduras for four years. Fort Benning, Little Rock, Arkansas. Colorado Springs, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Yeah, I’ve lived somewhere everywhere and traveled a lot. So, like I guess— Yeah, I guess it’s always been in my blood. Like, a lot of people always ask me that. They’ll be like well, why do you travel so much? And I tell them my background and they like, that’s why. I’m like, yeah. Because I mean my mom was a super huge traveler even outside of the military.

04:54 It’s in your blood. Obviously it’s in your blood.

04:58 But trucking is in my blood cuz I mean to be honest every male in my family drives trucks at some capacity. You know what I’m saying? So like it’s like hell I remember my when my uncle introduced me to trucking. I’m not even gonna lie to you. I think I looked at him and told him, “Man, I don’t want to drive a truck.” And I remember he was like, “Just give it a try.” And I went to the truck driving school. I went to Roadmaster truck driving school. And I remember doing that and getting out and getting over the road and just experiencing it then. Hell, I had I remember riding up and down mountains, but it’s a lot different when you’re doing it yourself.

05:47 So—

05:48 Yeah.

05:48 And I started like in the dead of winter, so it’s different.

05:52 Speaking of doing it yourself, you’d mentioned last week you own your own trucking company and it’s still up and running from what I understand.

06:02 Yeah, I started so when I was I got off the road, I came back home. I was looking for a local job. So I had got hired with a company called US Foods. So I worked for them for about 10 years. But as I was working for them, my uncle always own trucks. So he was always like a father, a strong father figure to me. So he would always coach me on certain things like you should be trying to buy a truck and do this that. So I started with one. Remember going into my 401k, taking a 401k loan. I bought my first truck was like $15,000. I put somebody in it over the road. Just started going from there. After that, one turned into two, two turned into three, three turned into four, five, four turned into five.

06:56 Now I have six. So—

06:58 That’s pretty good fleet.

07:00 Yeah. So in 2021, my uncle passed. But before he passed, the last thing he told me was because I was still at the time working for the company I was working for and with the trucks, he was like, “It’s time to do it on your own.” So he told me, “I want you to resign from your job and I want you to start running your business.” So I took a leap of faith, man, and like went right forth. So—

07:30 He was your inspiration.

07:32 Yep. A lot. Uncle May, I mean words can’t explain what he meant to me and what he did for me. So he gave me—

07:41 Taught me into a career that has not only gave me a stable income, you know, but it also gave me like a purpose, a drive, you know. So I found a he a hidden talent that I didn’t know I ever had. And that was my drive. Now, speaking of a talent I guess it’s more of a passion, of course, you live there on Daytona Beach, and it goes hand in hand in aside from the ocean is Bike Week. And you participate in Bike Week from what I understand from when you stopped in the office last week. Bike Week’s part of your passion.

08:22 Oh, it’s part of my DNA, man.

08:26 When you live and when you live in Daytona Beach, let me tell you like this. Bike Week is definitely part of you. I don’t care if you don’t condone in it, you have no choice cuz of the traffic. So, it’s just part of you. But yeah, I love bikes. I grew up around bikes cuz my uncle one of them was once again they was in like a biking group like a motorcycle group and they used to do these organized races at doing Bike Week at a race at a old like racetrack where they used to do them so with his bike club. So that’s how I got into like learning about riding bikes and all kind of things like that. So, I started on—

09:09 Well, I got a Hayabusa 1300 right now. So, I got more of a street bike right now, but I mean, I’ve had some of all of them. My dream though, my dream bike is a Harley, of course. That’s what everybody wants. So, my dream is to have the tall handlebars, have me a nice looking woman on the back of it, and be probably smoking a cigar like yourself, brother—

09:34 Cruising down Main Street, man. You know, I mean, hey, that’s just, you know, that’s just part of it’s part of Daytona, man. Like, you know, Bike Week is, hey, it’s life, man. It’s life. I love Bike Week, Biketoberfest. Everything about like—

09:52 Well, between owning your own trucking company and working for Norton Transport, maybe that Harley’s not too far away.

10:00 No, I don’t think it is. I to be honest, last time I was home, I went to the one in Ormond Beach and was actually looking at it and the dealer was telling me, he said, “Man, you’ve been in here a couple times.” And he asked me the same thing. He said, “Man, I already checked your income, man. You can afford the bike. Why you won’t buy?”

10:17 I was like, “Man, I’m just wait.”

10:22 I used to ride myself and I know with Bike Week it’s what in February and October. Is that right?

10:28 Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So, we got October coming up. Maybe you’ll be having that Harley and those high handlebars by October.

10:35 I’m aiming on it. I’m aiming on because I really want to I really want one for Biketoberfest this year. So—

10:44 What kind?

10:46 All black. I want it ched out. You know, it’s big pipes on the back coming out of it. Yeah. I want the whole works, man. So that’s what I was telling the representative. I was like there’s nothing about buying a bike is but I have to have it tricked out man.

11:02 So got to look I got my booster lord like it’s not the normal bike. So like yeah I got to trick it out. So it’s going to that price tag that it is it’s going to be a lot more. Let’s just say that. But—

11:16 Well, you’re making good money. So we hope it happens for you man. It’ll be great.

11:20 Oh yeah, man. Yes. Yes. It definitely will. You know, it takes time, but all things, you know, all things come to fruition, so it’s going to definitely happen.

11:30 Corey A. Harris here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. Corey, thank you for joining us.

11:35 Yes, sir.

11:36 Yes, sir. I really appreciate—

11:38 That on the road.

11:39 Yes, sir. Thank you.

11:42 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.

12:07 That’s Six-FigureTrucker.com.