Brad Young 10 Rules

The trucking industry offers us a powerful lesson here. Professional truck drivers don't just hop in their rigs and hope for the best. They meticulously track every aspect of their journey: cargo status, fuel levels, route conditions, delivery schedules, and vehicle maintenance. Why? Because in trucking, losing track of even one element can result in delayed deliveries, damaged goods, financial pe...

Rule 6: Plan Carefully The Meaning (Improved & Shortened): Winging it might work for trivial choices, but meaningful goals demand intention. The world is too complex and unpredictable for success to hinge on luck alone. Careful planning provides clarity, direction, and resilience. It starts with defining your goal precisely, then breaking it into actionable steps, anticipating obstacles, and a...

Some of life’s most unshakable truths aren’t uncovered in the quiet aisles of a library, tucked inside philosophy books, or during carefully choreographed corporate team‑building retreats. They reveal themselves instead in high‑pressure, real‑world environments where every decision carries weight and every mistake has immediate, tangible consequences. Few arenas embody this reality more starkly th...

Every once in a while, if you are lucky, you cross paths with someone who changes the entire trajectory of your life — not by handing you the answers, but by having the wisdom to step back and let you discover them yourself. For me, that person was Little Bart. He was my first manager in transportation, and by every honest measure, he was one of the wisest human beings I have ever known in this in...

People are not always what they appear to be.

Let us set the scene. In the world of trucking dispatch, you meet all kinds of people. Gruff veterans who have logged more miles than most people have lived days. Young drivers still figuring out the road. Quiet professionals who just want to do the job and go home. And then, every once in a while, you meet someone who defies every category you have ever created. Dave Rector was that person for me...

Alright, let us get into it. The driver in this story was based on the West Coast, and he had a delivery that was bringing him all the way to the Northeast — my territory. Now, in transportation, when a driver is heading into your coverage area, you start planning for them well in advance. You need to know their hours of service, their current position, their ETA, and whether there are any issues...

If you've ever worked in transportation, logistics, or any kind of operations role, you already know what a pre-holiday Friday feels like. It is organized chaos at best and a full-blown disaster at worst. Phones are ringing. Loads are shifting. Drivers are asking questions. Planners are scrambling. Everyone wants to get out of the office early, and everyone knows that this exact feeling — the rush...

Every industry has its characters, and trucking is no exception. Opie was, by every measurable standard, an average driver. He didn't stand out for excellence. He didn't stand out for being a troublemaker either. He was simply there — doing his runs, logging his miles, punching the clock. In the world of freight and dispatch, average isn't necessarily a bad thing. Plenty of good, dependable driver...

Hick Hutchinson was exactly what you'd picture when someone says "good ole boy." Picture this: a vintage Achy Breaky Heart t-shirt that had seen better days, a few teeth missing from that wide smile, and the most perfect Camaro mullet you've ever seen—business in the front, party in the back. He was an owner-operator, which meant he owned his own truck and contracted his services, and from everyth...

Buffalo Lou was not your typical truck driver. He was brilliant, manipulative, and exhibited what could only be described as severe mental issues. But here is the thing: in dispatch and in life, you will encounter people like Buffalo Lou. People who challenge every rule, test every boundary, and force you to communicate and operate at levels you never thought possible. Today, we are going to walk...

Shedlund Big Coat earned his nickname through behavior that immediately set off alarm bells—wearing an oversized winter coat in one hundred degree July weather in the American South. This was not just quirky behavior; it was a visual manifestation of something fundamentally disconnected from reality. The transportation industry attracts all types of individuals, and we pride ourselves on giving pe...

The story of Joe Gizzy represents one of the most startling examples of how assumptions can mislead us, how first impressions can deceive, and how accountability - or the lack thereof - ultimately determines our fate. His story serves as both a cautionary tale and a teaching moment that illuminates each of the ten rules we will explore together.

Setting the Stage: Who Was Kenny? The name says everything you need to know. Meth Addict Kenny was exactly what his nickname suggests—a man deep in the grip of addiction to crack cocaine and methamphetamines. When our organization recruited and hired Kenny, I'll admit something that goes against my usual approach: I was immediately judgmental. And unfortunately, my worst fears came true. The first...

I'll never forget the day Randy showed up at our facility. He looked like Mike Tyson before the face tattoos—powerful, intimidating, covered in gang tattoos with visible gang branding on his arms. Most of my dispatch team took one look at him and made instant judgments. I could see it in their eyes, the way they shifted uncomfortably, the whispered conversations that stopped when he walked by. Ran...

Today, we're diving into ten powerful rules that emerged from this experience—principles that apply not just to dispatch operations or logistics, but to every relationship, every workplace challenge, and every opportunity we have to make a difference in someone's life. These aren't just theoretical concepts; they're battle-tested lessons learned from real situations where communication broke down,...

Meet Dynamite Don—a character who taught me one of life's most critical lessons: the power of being ADAPTABLE. He remains one of the most compelling figures I've ever known, a man whose significant mental health challenges coexisted with an unwavering loyalty and a deep sense of honor. The thing to understand about Dynamite Don is he got the nickname because he thought people were trying to blow u...

David Park was a person of considerable depth, a quality I came to appreciate only after getting to know him on a much more human level. Initially, my perception of David was shaped entirely by his reputation as a problem driver at the terminal where I worked. His personnel file was thick with several write-ups, and it was common knowledge that the dispatchers openly disliked him due to what they...

We are living in a moment of unprecedented velocity. The world is not just changing; it is accelerating. Artificial intelligence is rewriting the rules of employment. Social media algorithms are rewiring our attention spans. Global supply chains are fracturing and reforming in real-time. The New World is a place of infinite connection yet profound isolation, of limitless information yet scarce wis...

Let's start with the core idea of the Audit of Your Life. This is not just about checking boxes or making surface-level changes; it’s about deep, honest reflection. You need to assess what in your life is truly adding value and what is merely weighing you down. Think of it like clearing out a cluttered closet. To make room for what you really want, you first need to identify and remove the things...

Welcome back. In Part One of this manifesto, we laid the groundwork for a successful career by focusing on the personal and interpersonal skills that separate the amateurs from the pros. We explored the critical importance of effective communication, the strategic advantage of empathy, the necessity of adaptability, the long-term power of relationships, and the non-negotiable imperative of self-ca...

Over decades of managing crises and keeping the wheels turning, I developed a set of core principles that became my compass: The 10 Rules of Dispatch Life and Business. These rules weren’t conceived in the sterile quiet of a boardroom or theorized in a university classroom; they were forged in the intense fire of real-world crises, where a single bad decision could vaporize hundreds of thousands o...

Two and a half millennia ago, a Chinese military strategist named Sun Tzu wrote a treatise on warfare that would transcend time, geography, and context. The Art of War wasn't just a manual for generals leading armies into battle; it was a profound study of conflict, leadership, strategy, and human nature. Its lessons have been devoured by everyone from Napoleon Bonaparte to Bill Belichick, from Wa...

These rules aren’t abstract theories or idealistic advice. They are practical, battle-tested tools proven effective in high-stakes, real-world scenarios. They offer a roadmap for tackling challenges, seizing opportunities, and building resilience in the face of setbacks. But to truly understand their value, we need to see them in action. Theory alone lacks impact without real-world examples to gro...

The core principles that govern this demanding world, which we call the 10 Rules of Dispatch Life and Business, are much more than just a guide to efficiently moving trucks from point A to point B or handling complex shipments. These rules represent a comprehensive masterclass on navigating the intricate complexities of life, work, and human relationships. They teach us how to manage not just logi...