Hire Truckers Podcast

00:00 - 00:10
Aaron Craddock: Welcome to the Hire Truckers Podcast, where we interview experts in driver recruiting. We provide industry insights, marketing trends, and motivation to help you level up your recruiting game.

00:10 - 00:23
Aaron Craddock: Welcome to the Hire Truckers Podcast. I'm your host, Aaron Craddock. And today, I have Jeremy Reymer with Driverreach and also with Project 61, which is why I brought him on today. So thank you for coming on today, Jeremy.

00:23 - 00:25
Jeremy Reymer: Thanks for having me. Appreciate it.

00:26 - 00:38
Aaron Craddock: And so I was scrolling LinkedIn. I don't know. It was maybe a month ago. And I was like, is that Jeremy interviewing Jeremy? And and sure enough, like and so it just caught my eye.

00:38 - 01:06
Aaron Craddock: Like, I love it. And, it was Jeremy with Drive Reach and and and his podcast, like, talking about project 61 and interviewing himself. And, and so cut from one scene of Jeremy to another scene of Jeremy in a different slightly different, outfit. And so I love that creativity and the fun that comes with that. And so that made me wanna dive more into and hearing what project 61 is and, you know, you and I have chatted a little bit about it.

01:06 - 01:49
Aaron Craddock: But I'm excited today on our show to dive in a little bit more. And I think this, like, why you should watch this episode as a director of recruiting, a recruiter, a fleet executive is that, like, driver health impacts recruiting and retention and different initiatives around it, And we'll dive more into that. And so, we're gonna try to be clear and concise and add as much value to you guys today and really appreciate you joining in. So and and particularly, one of the things we talk about on this podcast is a growth mindset. And, Jeremy is just somebody I think of that's constantly growing and reading and learning and and and even this is, like, how can we as an industry grow and and have that mindset around around the topic of driver health.

01:50 - 01:58
Aaron Craddock: So, Jeremy, specifically, how did you learn about the average life expectancy of a driver and and what is that?

01:59 - 02:25
Jeremy Reymer: So it's not a recent statistic. CDC, right, part of the government, put out this, data point about almost 10 years ago. And I think I heard it, you know, at least that long ago, probably 6 to 10 years ago, and it I just really it didn't I didn't pay any mind. I I don't wanna say I didn't care, but I would imagine a lot of your audience had heard that data point before, and they just sort of brushed it aside. Because it's honestly, it's not very comforting.

02:26 - 02:55
Jeremy Reymer: It doesn't make you feel good. And so from that perspective, like and that wasn't what I was focused on anyway at the time, both personally nor as an employer. Even though I was an employer of a whole bunch of drivers, you know, about 500 full time and part time drivers, at that time. But, yeah, that's the data point, and I guess it had to do with my personal journey in the last couple of years, really taking better care of myself as I get older that that data point sort of resurfaced, and it and it and then it really hit me between the eyes. Like, this is just not okay.

02:57 - 03:00
Aaron Craddock: Yeah. So what happened with your personal journey, like, with health?

03:00 - 03:28
Jeremy Reymer: Well, I'd like to say that it was this epiphany that I did on my own. But I'm part of this book club with a bunch of dads that our kids go to school with. You know, the moms have their book club, so so the dads formed our own. And one of the books that was chosen to read 2 years ago, 2 summers ago, was how not to die. And it was it's all about the merits of a, you know, whole plant based diet and really, sort of jettisoning the, you know, processed food and sugary drinks and stuff like that.

03:28 - 03:58
Jeremy Reymer: And after doing that, started sort of adopting that after reading that book, I not only did I feel so much better, but I also started losing some weight, to the I mean, about 40 about £45 over the course of a couple years, you know, just methodically. And so from that perspective, that's I think what got me in the right headspace to really embrace this and say, what's life about? You know? And, like, how do we we gotta help these guys. That's just not okay.

03:58 - 04:18
Jeremy Reymer: It's so such a disparity between you know? And these guys are so important with the work they do, and it's so difficult what they do every day. The cards are stacked against them. I wanna I wanna leverage my industry influence to be a a voice for for positive change, a, because they're they're human beings. They're not just truck drivers.

04:18 - 04:23
Jeremy Reymer: They have a life. They have people that they love, things they wanna do in their life. I wanna help them.

04:23 - 04:26
Aaron Craddock: Yeah. How did you lose 40 lbs? I can do that.

04:26 - 04:55
Jeremy Reymer: It just it honestly, so much of that is when you eat a lot of processed food, you get, so much inflammation that comes from that and, you know, you just retain so much water. You overeat, and it and you're not getting any nutrition. With what I eat now and what I've just been eating on a regular basis, it's almost I mean, a lot of vegetables, and I eat meat. I mean, I there was a point where I wasn't eating any meat at all. I I've incorporated meat, fish, and stuff like that a little bit, but mostly plants.

04:55 - 05:26
Jeremy Reymer: When you start eating that, you're getting so much more nutrition, so much proper, you know, caloric density in what you eat, so you're full longer. And and then exercise. I mean, I've been far more active in the last year than, than probably I have ever, and I'm 50. I feel better at 50 than I did at 40 than I did at 30, and so much of that is the the mental clarity. I sleep better because I'm eating better and getting an an more active.

05:27 - 05:37
Jeremy Reymer: And And it's just it's really just prioritizing those things, prioritizing yourself, your health. And as a result, so many other things just, they're all they're all intertwined.

05:38 - 06:00
Aaron Craddock: Mhmm. Yeah. I can I can relate to you on that because I yeah? 5 years or yeah. Around 5 years ago, like, I found myself a £100 overweight, drinking too much, you know, eating bad food, and all kinds of things and just and that was about time we started, like, we had a baby on the way, not like our first child.

06:00 - 06:29
Aaron Craddock: And I was just like, I wanna be around, not just for him to grow up, but my grandkids. And I was like, at this rate, because my my grandfather's brothers all died before they were 50, from different heart related things, and a lot of that was diet and lifestyle choices. And and then yeah. So it excited me when you were taking, like like, the more I dove into this as a step challenge starting out as one of the initiatives that I mean, that's that's what I did for years. I didn't lose it quick.

06:30 - 06:55
Aaron Craddock: I just started tracking steps, had accountability, change diet, and I did the same thing. I switched to all plants for a while. Now I've had a beat back in, but really just not I mean, for me, it's like anything with more than 5 ingredients, like, I shouldn't touch. Like, it's over processed and as much as possible, you know, single ingredients that I know what they are. But, yeah, I mean, that's just helped.

06:55 - 07:15
Aaron Craddock: Like, now I can you know, I've gotten to the point where I would go on a hike. I remember hiking in Gatlinburg one time, and I was winded just on the first quarter mile of the hike. And, you know, and this is me in my early thirties. Like, I just turned 30. And, yeah, where now I can, you know, go on a 10 mile hike.

07:15 - 07:38
Aaron Craddock: No problem. But it's just that consistency, tracking, accountability, and and I've honestly I sloughed off a little bit on it. So I'm excited to join you guys in the step challenge because I I've put 15 I've gotten to my low last year where I was down and, like, just over a £100, and I've put on about £15 back just through traveling a lot more this year and just not not being as intentional as I should be.

07:38 - 07:51
Jeremy Reymer: I think that's the operative word though, Erin, intentional. Being super intentional about it. And you talked about diet, like, the number one cause of death in America is the standard American diet. It's so bad. Mhmm.

07:51 - 08:01
Jeremy Reymer: What most people eat, it's just so bad. And that education is really part of what this is about, is making sure that you understand these things and then and then how to be intentional about making,

08:01 - 08:01
Aaron Craddock: you

08:01 - 08:02
Jeremy Reymer: know, course correcting.

08:04 - 08:14
Aaron Craddock: Mhmm. And acknowledging that it's hard. Like like, when you're on the road, like like, you know, so I just said, I've been traveling more this year and it's been harder.

08:14 - 08:14
Jeremy Reymer: Yeah.

08:14 - 08:43
Aaron Craddock: Because, like, when I'm you know, I stopped predominantly at truck stops on the on the 4 wheeler side when I'm traveling around the country. And but still, I mean, you got, you know, I know there's the little cold food section I can go to that has things with fewer than 5 ingredients and then, you know, bananas and oranges at the front. But I mean, it's it's hard. And, and same thing in the airport. You know, thankfully, they've they've started to add some some healthy choices like little salads and things like that from the little vending machines.

08:44 - 09:02
Aaron Craddock: But, yeah, intentional. And then the crazy thing is with tracking, like, everything I track, like, I do more of. And so that kinda gets into, like, what is what is the step challenge coming up, in November? Or as this episode launches, I think that it just started, but you can still join in.

09:02 - 09:08
Jeremy Reymer: Sure. Yeah. So this just happened. It it wasn't intentional from the beginning. You know, I I was part of this step challenge.

09:08 - 09:23
Jeremy Reymer: It's, with my you know, with driver reach earlier this year. We all did it. It was a lot of fun. You know, there's a lot of, you know, competition, but also fun bantering back and forth. And at the end of the day, everyone's activity rose because they were more mindful of it and intentional with it.

09:23 - 09:36
Jeremy Reymer: And so I was talking to a buddy, just a a few weeks ago, and he's like, I need some accountability. And I said, well, here's this step thing. Let's do this thing together so we can see each other's steps. Now I know. I I walk all the time.

09:36 - 09:46
Jeremy Reymer: I mean, miles a day all the time. It's just it's that's the least thing I do is always walk because that's easy. Right? It just takes time. You gotta be intentional.

09:47 - 10:16
Jeremy Reymer: And, anyway, I started invite I invited a few other people and a few other people, and then it it started growing like crazy. And I thought, you know, let's do a 61 day step challenge, a, obviously and this is all about awareness. I mean, I realize that and there are drivers in this today. There are almost 300 people in it, you know, and I think we'll we'll we'll I'm pushing I'd love to see us get upwards of a1000, but, there are drivers in it. That's who is most acute, obviously, from a life expectancy standpoint.

10:17 - 10:45
Jeremy Reymer: But all of us in this industry, if we sit in front of a desk all day long, we stand to gain by being more active. And and and, again, the number one goal of this step challenge is to raise awareness of this issue first. That's sort of the tip of the spear. And then, obviously, there's there's so much education that's necessary around health and nutrition, around exercise and movement, and around sleep. And then, of course, we need we need drivers to to change some behavior.

10:45 - 11:14
Jeremy Reymer: We gotta help them. We gotta make it easy for them and and help them understand why this matters and connect the dots similar to how why you and I made those changes. In our case, you and I, it was because of our children and and the future that we want to be a part of. So I think most people can relate to that, and I wanna help them connect those dots so that they because that's that's lasting change. You know, it's not just because I wanna look good for the summer, you know, with the beach body.

11:14 - 11:18
Jeremy Reymer: I I want to be healthy for my life.

11:18 - 11:37
Aaron Craddock: Mhmm. Yeah. And I found that the like, wanting to look good for the summer, like, you know, might last for a little bit, but then I put the weight back on. Where if my why is something like you were saying, like, surviving, like, being around for certain people. And, you know, that was the only thing that really motivated me.

11:37 - 11:50
Aaron Craddock: And then I tried a 1000000 times on my own to do it, and then, you know, would just fall short, lose £10, gain 20. I mean, that was my cycle. And, yeah, just the accountability around it.

11:50 - 12:14
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12:15 - 12:18
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12:21 - 12:30
Aaron Craddock: today. So how does this affect driver recruiting and retention, specifically? Yeah. Like, and why should fleets why should fleets get involved?

12:30 - 13:09
Jeremy Reymer: Well, what I think well, I think everybody that I've talked to, here's what I'm so grateful for. I feel like the time is right for this as a movement. There have been people all throughout my, you know, industry career, 20 plus years, who have always been promoters of health and wellness, but it just never see it's always in the periphery, but never seem to really get any mainstream, support or attention. So I really am encouraged by the the the outpouring of support from all corners of the industry. But in this case, specifically, it's so drivers gotta they wanna work for a place that they know that cares about them, that it's that they're not just, you know, means to an end.

13:09 - 13:29
Jeremy Reymer: We're gonna use this driver, you know, who's you know, if their life expectancy is 61, next, we'll get a new one. That's not the mindset that that any driver wants to go into, you know, with who they're gonna be driving for. So knowing that this is a company that says, look. This is what we do to earn money. Right?

13:29 - 13:42
Jeremy Reymer: But that money isn't the end all. The money is just so that you can have a life to do these things. And those things are gonna be different for everybody. But mostly, it's about, I've got one life. What am I gonna do with it?

13:42 - 13:52
Jeremy Reymer: I've got family. I've got children. I've got grandchildren perhaps. I want to have good experiences with them before I expire. Is that what we all kinda want?

13:52 - 14:08
Jeremy Reymer: I mean, isn't that what it's all about if you take the 10,000 foot view? And if so, okay. Well, how I wanna work for a company that that that's how they think and because then now we're aligned in a way that, like, thank you. Right? So from a recruiting standpoint, I think that.

14:08 - 14:53
Jeremy Reymer: And then, obviously, from a retention, once you're in there and you realize that you're working for a company, that this is who they are and what they're about and they're helping me and by the way, when they're doing these things, not only do I feel better personally, but I'm I'm gonna be able to do this job longer if I want to. And and so and and therefore make more money, but my my costs are gonna go down. You know, my health insurance and premiums and those sorts of things because I'm not part of this group that is just hemorrhaging our system with, you know, health related, you know, costs and work comp and those sorts of things. So there's tons of benefits financially, but that shouldn't be the the primary motivator, in my opinion. I feel like it needs to be because this is the right thing to do.

14:53 - 15:07
Jeremy Reymer: We need you know, if you and I, our average life expectancy is probably 75, 78 ish, 61 is just that's just unacceptable. That's not for Mhmm. It's just unacceptable.

15:07 - 15:24
Aaron Craddock: Yeah. I saw someone you had on your show talking about too just even the rate of diabetes with truckers is, you know, double the average. I think it was 15 to 17 percent Right. Of drivers to have diabetes. Like, as I was doing research preparing for today and And that's all lifestyle.

15:25 - 15:31
Jeremy Reymer: That is all lifestyle. That's diet and lack of exercise or sleep or both.

15:31 - 15:46
Aaron Craddock: Yeah. And that's honestly why we're jumping on here today is, like, it's the right thing to do. You know, normally, we're not talking about, like, the the this type of thing. Like, we're talking about the the weeds of recruiting and retention. But at the end of the day, like like, what's more meaningful?

15:46 - 16:34
Aaron Craddock: Like like if we can actually, you know, help people like you and I have probably extended our life by focusing on more of these things and tracking and and, you know, how can we help this massive industry that that moves everything, you know, everything, everything in the room behind you, everything in my office here, like came on a truck at some point. And so how can we, you know, make the, you know, small difference like by raising awareness. And I like how you call it a movement. Like, I would love for this to just crazy catch on and and and and I really, you know, I think out of the gate, like, 300 is probably, you know, just getting rolling. And, I mean, if we get single fleets, like, from today to get all their drivers involved, I mean, that could be, you know, typically, we're talking with 500 plus truck fleets.

16:34 - 16:47
Aaron Craddock: Like, you can get one fleet involved. And so if that's you listening today and you wanna get involved, and so so where is the best place, Jeremy, for them to reach out to you, like, if fleets are are one to get rolling with this?

16:47 - 17:23
Jeremy Reymer: So if you go to project dash 61.org, the website there, it's got and it's relatively new. I mean, this is all this this movement that we're talking about, literally, you know, it it was, late September. You know, whenever that episode came out that you were referring to earlier with me interviewing myself, which was a lot of fun, that, was when I really launched, you know, project 61. It had been an idea, you know, all throughout the year and kept talking about it and talking about it, but finally, I needed to to to act. And so our website on that website, you can find, you know, the step challenge, and that's the easiest place to direct everybody.

17:24 - 17:44
Jeremy Reymer: But I would also say referring to or in regards to, like, the 500 truck fleet folks, they don't have to participate in this particular challenge, although I I would love it if they did. They can create their own. So they can have their own ABC Trucking, you know, step challenge and invite just their own drivers. They control it. It's free.

17:44 - 17:57
Jeremy Reymer: It is so cool. You know, step up is the app that's free. That's downloadable. I'm not, you know, like, I'm not any part of it. There's no affiliation there except it was just this great tool for us to to track to for accountability.

17:57 - 18:09
Jeremy Reymer: You can cheer people on, taunt people a little bit, and it just makes it fun. And that which gets tracked gets improved or measured great gets improved. I mean, that that's an old adage. It's true, and it's fun.

18:11 - 18:26
Aaron Craddock: Mhmm. That's awesome. Yeah. And one of the things that I was thinking about is you're talking about that is, like, you just started taking action. Because one of the one of the old adages or things I've heard is there's 3 frogs sitting on a log, 2 decide to jump off.

18:27 - 18:29
Aaron Craddock: So how many are still there, Jeremy?

18:29 - 18:36
Jeremy Reymer: Yeah. There's there's well, I because I because I know the adage because I can relate. There's 3. Now we all think, just one. Right?

18:36 - 18:40
Jeremy Reymer: Because they decided to act. But that's that's not how it works.

18:41 - 19:02
Aaron Craddock: Yeah. But you're you're taking the action and getting started and getting it rolling. And and I'm the world's worst, like, where I'll overthink things and decide to do something and then talk myself out about it or decide to do the next thing, but not actually take action. So I appreciate you taking action for the industry. And then how can we make this fun?

19:02 - 19:05
Aaron Craddock: Like, how can fleets make this fun for their drivers? Well, I

19:05 - 19:23
Jeremy Reymer: think I mean, the the things that that I wanna see happen, obviously, I wanna move that needle. That's the real goal. Right? That's the North Star is moving that needle from 61, you know, closer to parity with with, you know, people like you and I. That being said, a, we gotta educate drivers.

19:23 - 19:38
Jeremy Reymer: Now movement by itself isn't gonna do it. Like, if if drivers are active I mean, just consider the life today. Like, they get in the truck, especially an over the road driver. You get in the truck, you're driving hours and hours of just sitting, sedentary. That's just so bad for you, any of us.

19:38 - 19:49
Jeremy Reymer: It's really not good. But then when you do stop, you get fuel, you go into a truck stop. The last thing you should do is go sit down. You need to move. You need to walk around the truck.

19:49 - 20:08
Jeremy Reymer: You need to walk around the perimeter. Anything that you can do to move. But that, as as you know, because you had acknowledged part of your journey, it wasn't because of the activity. Not that it that wasn't relevant because it is, but it was diet. You have to cut these things out, processed foods, sugary drinks.

20:08 - 20:34
Jeremy Reymer: And by that, I mean, sodas, juices, energy drinks, things like that. Your drinking sugar is the worst way to get, you know, sweet, and you gotta eat better quality food. The more whole types of food, plant types of food that you can eat, the better. And you start doing that, and you're gonna start noticing a difference. So to make it fun, a, I mean, it's you're gonna feel a lot better.

20:34 - 21:02
Jeremy Reymer: That's it's it's it's fun to feel good. Right? But anytime you can do incentives around these this sort of behavior and challenges and stuff like that, I think that helps to build awareness and helps to build fun. And then letting drivers know that the reason why, by the way, I care about your sleep, and if you have sleep apnea, I wanna help get it addressed. Because I promise you, if you let us do this, you're going to feel way better, and you're gonna say, why didn't I do this before?

21:02 - 21:18
Jeremy Reymer: They're not out to get me. They actually want to help me. And I've not had sleep apnea, so I'm not I can't relate personally to wearing a CPAP, for example. But everybody that I know that has says, oh my god. I feel like a $1,000,000 after this.

21:19 - 21:20
Jeremy Reymer: That matters.

21:20 - 22:02
Aaron Craddock: Yeah. I even remember just when I so I did 75 hard, like, which is where you work out twice a day, drink a gallon of water, do a handful of other things, like, during my weight loss journey and that which is still going today, like, it's a lifetime journey. But it was hard at truck stops. Like it because that because I when I was traveling, you know, I would stop even as a 4 wheeler, you know, pull up to the front of the truck stop and and and I would work because I had to get in 2 45 minute workouts, one of them being outside. And so the days where I was driving all day, I mean, it it took like, I felt, you know, a little bit kinda crazy just walking around the the truck stop parking lot, but I I got it done.

22:02 - 22:27
Aaron Craddock: And, so it it is doable. And so that'd be cool as a part of this movement, like putting more trails in around truck stops. Like, like, maybe we have project 61 food in the truck stops, you know, like, just just continue to add healthy options as there's more demand for that. And for me, like, I think it was a little overwhelming thinking about, oh, I need to get food dialed in. I need to work out.

22:27 - 22:43
Aaron Craddock: I need to do this. Like, there's so many things. But for me, the catalyst was just doing the, like, walking out of the gate because, you know, being carrying extra £100 of fat, like, the walking, I could do that. Right. You know?

22:43 - 23:05
Aaron Craddock: I might I might only do it 15 minutes day, you know, day 1, and then month 2 be doing 30 minutes and then do it in an hour. But I could walk. And and even during the process, I broke my right ankle really bad, And so that set me back a little bit. And but but that was the crazy thing is I didn't gain any weight, like, during that recovery of 3 months because guess what? I focused on diet.

23:05 - 23:09
Aaron Craddock: Mhmm. And like you said, there there's multiple pieces of it. The

23:10 - 23:32
Jeremy Reymer: We can I say we talked earlier about intention, being intentional? And, you know, when I travel because I, you know, I travel a lot too. I'm going, you know, to events whether I get to speak or not or just as, you know, representing either Drive Reach or Project 61 now. I take stuff with me. I take good food with me, and and sadly, because I I'm I tell people of this stuff because I I love talking about it.

23:32 - 23:40
Jeremy Reymer: I also get made fun of because I'll take with me, like, this bag of beans. Right? Like, black beans. It's in this pouch. It's so good.

23:40 - 24:01
Jeremy Reymer: I get it from, Fresh Market, and I take that with me because it's like my stash. Right? I take certain things. I'll take, oatmeal and stuff like that. So that if I am at a place where they don't have these things, I'm gonna eat that because that's healthy for me instead of I'll take fruit, I'll take vegetables, hummus, little dip, and stuff like that.

24:02 - 24:33
Jeremy Reymer: Now if I'm eat if I'm at a place or if I'm at a truck stop or, you know, gas station or whatever and they and they have good food, I'll probably get that and and preserve my stash as long as it's not, you know, expiring or, you know, getting hot or something. But but that's that's the intentionality behind it when you think that way. Now I don't have this excuse of, well, I had to get 4 Slim Jims because, I mean, that's all that they had there, you know, or roller dogs or whatever, you know, garbage food. You gotta be intentional. But for that to happen, you have to you have to plan ahead.

24:34 - 24:50
Jeremy Reymer: You have to actually go to the store and have those things. And that's the the part where I think, you know, drivers have a a refrigerator. Almost all of them have a refrigerator in their truck. They're over the road, especially. Let's make sure that they're stocking that with stuff that they can be more intentional with, and they're gonna feel so much better.

24:51 - 25:07
Aaron Craddock: Yeah. Yeah. That's one of the things we we did is in our home, just quit having processed food around. And if all you have is whole food, you know, it takes a little more effort. Sadly, you know, too easy to order DoorDash or something, but than it used to be.

25:07 - 25:08
Aaron Craddock: But

25:08 - 25:09
Jeremy Reymer: You still live in Brazil.

25:10 - 25:25
Aaron Craddock: You can. You can. That's right. So one of the things, like, you know, typically, I know you're on the road with with family and I really appreciate you jumping on today so we could get this message out. But usually you have a bunch of books behind you.

25:25 - 25:37
Aaron Craddock: And so one of the things we ask, like, as we're focused on growth mindset and growth in the industry with, with higher truckers is what are you greeting? So, yeah, what are you what have you been reading? What's been sticking out to you lately?

25:37 - 25:51
Jeremy Reymer: So, I mean, I've always been a big fan of history. It's it's my fiction. You know what I mean? I I don't read a ton of fiction, but I that history is my nonfiction. But I've I'd say the last 2 years stemming from that how not to die book that I read.

25:51 - 26:12
Jeremy Reymer: I've read tons of books on health and wellness, you know, around not it's not driver specific. It's just all of us. But there's another book that I read recently that I would I would mention. It's called, die with, 0. And it was really interesting because the concept is why are we trying to amass wealth?

26:12 - 26:50
Jeremy Reymer: Right? You and I as as as entrepreneurial people, business owners, what's the end game? Is it to have a whole bunch of money that maybe will die and we always say, oh, but we'll leave it to our kids. And the point of this book, which I thought was, you know, good a good argument was, a, enjoy that wealth and and prioritize your life better in a way where look, if you if you have wealth, spend it responsibly enjoying experiences with the people that you want to be around, you know, period. And if you're thinking about leaving it to your kids when you die, that may be when they're 50 or so.

26:50 - 27:21
Jeremy Reymer: Gosh. It would have been a lot more helpful if they would have gotten that money when they were in their thirties probably, if that was really your goal. And so it's just a mindset. It it has nothing to do with not being not not not having desire to to grow. It's just funneling if your if your goal is really to to have better life experiences before we're all gone, then when you when you think it through that lens, you're going to make decisions a little bit differently.

27:21 - 27:35
Jeremy Reymer: And, like, instead of saying, well, it's gonna cost a lot to do this thing, so we won't do it. Instead, I'll just put my head down and nose to, you know, grindstone. You're like, no. I'm a we're gonna do this thing because this is a this is a major opportunity for us to spend quality time together. It's worth it.

27:36 - 27:39
Jeremy Reymer: Can't take it with me. Let's enjoy the time that we have together.

27:41 - 28:02
Aaron Craddock: Yeah. I I've had several people recommend that book, but I have not read it yet. So I'm actually excited about diving into that. We had, there was a group of other business owners I was meeting within Austin yesterday, and we were talking about family vision and and legacy and planning. And one of the questions on there, like like, what's your net worth goal?

28:03 - 28:06
Aaron Craddock: Or and, like, what but the way they worded it was how much is enough.

28:06 - 28:06
Jeremy Reymer: Mhmm.

28:07 - 28:28
Aaron Craddock: And and for me, I just put, you know, what I have now, like, today, is enough. Now am I gonna try to use my time, talent, energy, connections, like, to make to build more? Like, yes. Because I think that's good, you know, good stewardship and God designed us to work. However, what I have today is enough.

28:28 - 29:07
Aaron Craddock: Because otherwise, like, if you have a mentality that you need to hit a certain number, like, which I have goals, but they're for impact. And if you have the mentality that you need to hit a certain number, you're never gonna be satisfied because then you're gonna want more stuff. Like and so just think about where you are now. Think back 5 years ago, like, you're probably, you know, most people were couldn't imagine where they are today or if you can go back 10 years. And in in terms of opportunity and and and things and but, yeah, it all it all doesn't matter.

29:07 - 29:26
Aaron Craddock: Like, it's time with people, it's relationships. And and so I don't think money necessarily is a bad thing, but it's just, like, how much you're attached to it, and it defines you. Because I've had certain seasons where it's defined me Mhmm. And success. And it yeah.

29:26 - 29:40
Aaron Craddock: Then it then it, like, hurts when it goes away because money can go away quicker than it came. And, yeah, but I'm I'm super excited to read that that die with 0 book and dive into it and just reflect more.

29:40 - 29:51
Jeremy Reymer: I think you could relate to that. I mean, I think you and I share that quite a bit in terms of, just how we prioritize things, and I think I think you'll I think you'll, align well with it.

29:51 - 29:56
Aaron Craddock: Was there anything, Jeremy, that I should have asked today that I have not asked?

29:57 - 30:16
Jeremy Reymer: Well, it's been a challenging last couple of years. I think we can all relate to that. And there's no clear, light at the end of the tunnel, but we know that there will be one. And, you know, I think the important part is prioritizing what matters most. And I'm, like, I am blessed, and I know you are too.

30:16 - 30:45
Jeremy Reymer: We are blessed in terms of our families, the health of our families. And so, I can tell you that one of the things that what really, really made it so much more complete for me with doing project 61 is we there was a we were going to a farmer's market, you know, in our neighborhood. It's just a few weeks ago. And, all of our, you know, kids, I have 3 kids, 10, 11, and 12. They're all wearing, you know, their project 61 t shirt.

30:45 - 31:05
Jeremy Reymer: And I said, oh, okay. Let's all, you know, so we all put our shirts on and we went to this farmer's market. And the looks that we got from from some people, like, obviously, this is something. What is this project 61 thing? And somebody asked, and my daughter who's 12 was saying how it was, it's this, you know, effort to help drivers and they leverage life expectancy.

31:06 - 31:26
Jeremy Reymer: And, I was so proud of her. And, you know, if you can do something that that your children are can can be really proud of, man, that's pretty awesome. That's pretty special. So that, like, put a stamp on what we're doing is this is something I'm super passionate about, and I wanna effect change. I love it.

31:27 - 31:41
Aaron Craddock: Mhmm. That's good. Yeah. There's nothing like nothing like hard times bringing out the focus on what really matters. Because, yeah, it's been challenging for me in a lot of different areas like the last 2 or 3 years.

31:42 - 32:12
Aaron Craddock: And, man, I've grown more through that, like, through like, not in the good seasons, like, where everything's easy and are easier. You know, it's never easy. But, man, I've grown so much more just when things are a little more challenging or a lot more challenging. And, yeah, I just have a different appreciation of, like, sitting on the back porch and watching a sunset, you know, with my 4 year old or, you know, every every night at dinner, we talk about wins. Like, everybody, you know, shares 3 wins.

32:12 - 32:24
Aaron Craddock: And, we just try to get agreement from from our 19 month old. We're like like, last night, I was like, yeah. So that pizza you're eating, the little, pita pizza, which is not not super healthy, is your win today and they'll make some noise, but

32:24 - 32:25
Jeremy Reymer: it has just a

32:25 - 32:30
Aaron Craddock: little little moments. Right? Yeah. It did. Mhmm.

32:31 - 32:50
Aaron Craddock: All came on a truck and the hatcheries sitting in and all the furniture was sitting on at the dinner table. And but yeah. So so kinda as we're wrapping up, just some closing thoughts for me. Like, just yeah. Think about your why and then think about, like, one one little way to to start to get healthy.

32:50 - 33:12
Aaron Craddock: And so one of those ways is just if you want some accountability, jump in the step challenge. And, again, that's project dash 61.org. And you can also message Jeremy or I on LinkedIn, and we can send you the link. So yeah. So thank you so much, Jeremy, for your time today and, carving some time out of your out of your family trip.

33:12 - 33:13
Aaron Craddock: I really appreciate it.

33:13 - 33:16
Jeremy Reymer: Yeah. Love it. Thanks so much, Aaron. I really appreciate it as well.

33:16 - 33:17
Aaron Craddock: Thank you for joining us today.

33:17 - 33:19
Aaron Craddock: Our goal with the Hire Truckers podcast

33:19 - 33:28
Aaron Craddock: is to provide industry insights, marketing trends, and motivation to level up your recruiting game. If we added value, take a few seconds to share this with your network. Have a great week.