The Oakley Podcast

Key topics in today’s conversation include: Driver profile segment (2:30) Introducing Ted (4:20) Looking for the perfect truck (7:47) The importance of the load (13:14) Interacting with customers (15:59) Asking questions about safety (19:34) Learning about the industry (23:23) Advice about taxes, planning for retirement, finding a hobby (28:18) Thank you Ted for coming on the show to highlight you...

Key topics in today’s conversation include: Driver profile segment (2:30) Introducing Jeff and Lorita (4:59) Jeff’s fever kept climbing and led to seizures and required him to be put on a ventilator (8:37) Trusting God to take care of them and how so many people reached out to meet their needs (16:29) When Jeff finally came to, he experienced serious problems with his lungs (19:22) The best and wo...

Key topics in today’s conversation include: Need to Know with Vickie Chastain: driver shortages (2:02) Introducing Anthony and Alicia (5:38) Buying a new truck and trying to get a new one every four years (6:49) Dealing with health scares (11:04) Anthony’s routes (14:10) Friendships at Oakley (18:03) Going home every weekend (24:10) Using the annual bonus (28:29) Thank you Anthony and Alicia for c...

Key topics in today’s conversation include: New driver highlight segment (1:50) Bubba's history at Oakley since 1993 (4:04) Oakley's various ports (7:04) Fertilizer from start to finish (9:40) Fertilizer also handles deicing products (20:33) International imports and exports in the fertilizer division (25:04) Bright future for Oakley Fertilize (30:39) Thank you, Bubba, for showing a different side...

Key topics in today’s conversation include: Need to Know with Vickie Chastain: wellness tips while on the road (2:00) Brian’s background with trucking and how he and Beverly met (4:55) The process of becoming an owner-operator with Oakley (9:28) The friendships made on the road (15:35) How Brian and Beverly work together on the road (19:50) Packing the truck (24:40) Finding time to have fun on the...

This week on the Oakley Podcast, host Jeremy Kellett chats with Oakley operations managers Shane Smith and Scott Cowden to get updates about what’s new at Oakley, moving to the new office, discussing freight and safety, reading customer reviews, and more. Key topics in today’s conversation include: Need to Know with Vickie Chastain: staying healthy while behind the wheel (1:49) Introducing Shane a...

On this week’s episode of the Oakley Podcast, host Jeremy Kellett talks with Jeff Porter, fleet sales manager at LubeZone, and Landon Urban, general manager at AllStar Truck Service. Key topics in today’s conversation include: Need to Know with Vickie Chastain: submit photos for company calendar (1:44) Background on Landon and AllStar (7:54) The repairs that AllStar does (10:30) How AllStar is abl...

On this week’s episode of the Oakley Podcast, host Jeremy Kellett talks with Sam Muntean, an owner-operator from the hopper-bottom division. Sam made the switch from being a company driver elsewhere to being an owner-operator at Oakley. Since then, he has helped recruit several drivers to the Oakley team. Key topics in today’s conversation include: Need to Know with Vickie Chastain: tire discounts...

This week on the Oakley Podcast, host Jeremy Kellett talks with listeners about the pay raise awarded to all owner-operators this May and discusses how Oakley combats the challenges of retaining drivers in an industry with high turnover. Key topics in today’s conversation include: Need to Know with Vickie Chastain: distracted driving (1:15) Staying ahead of the game in the dry bulk business (6:18)...

On this week’s edition of The Oakley Podcast, host Jeremy Kellett catches up with Greg Cink and Jerald Hogan, owner-operators from the hopper-bottom division. They provide a behind-the-scenes look at what being an owner-operator with Oakley is like. Key topics in today’s conversation include: Need to Know with Vickie Chastain: driving safely in poor conditions (1:27) Introduction to Greg and Jeral...

This week on the Oakley Podcast, host Jeremy Kellett takes the show on the road to Oakley Port 33 in Oklahoma. He meets up with Kyle Haney and Colton Campbell to get the low-down on the dump division there. Key topics in today’s conversation include: Need to Know with Vickie Chastain: how truck drivers are so important to America (1:35) Introduction to Kyle and Colton (3:34) Looking back at gettin...

On this week’s edition of The Oakley Podcast, host Jeremy Kellett sits down with Mike Matousek and Lewie Pugh, the manager of government affairs and executive vice president, respectively, of OOIDA (Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association). OOIDA provides a voice, representation, education, information, benefits, and savings for truck drivers. Together they discuss the ramifications that th...

On this week’s edition of The Oakley Podcast, host Jeremy Kellett is joined first by Jeff Porter, Fleet Sales Manager at LubeZone, and then by Lt. Doug Laferty from the Arkansas DOT. In the show’s first segment, Jeff explains the services offered at LubeZone locations, and in the second segment, Lt. Laferty is back on the show to discuss trends and regulations.  Key topics in today’s conversation...

On this week’s edition of The Oakley Podcast, host Jeremy Kellett talks with Brad Klepper, president of Driver Legal Plan, a national law firm dedicated to protecting commercial truck drivers and their companies. Key topics in today’s conversation include: Need to Know with Vickie Chastain: submitting photos for the Oakley calendar (1:47) History of Driver Legal Plan and the states it’s licensed i...

On this week’s edition of The Oakley Podcast, host Jeremy Kellett talks with Jeremy Paul and Dustin Barnett from Oakley’s safety department. Together they discuss how much safety violations can cost owner-operators in the long run. Key topics in today’s conversation include: Need to Know with Vickie Chastain: saving money on the road (1:45) FMCSA rating for Oakley (5:35) Speeding incidents and wha...

On this week’s edition of The Oakley Podcast, host Jeremy Kellett talks with drivers Rupert Deal, Tommy Dean, and John Dawson about undergoing the orientation process at Oakley. Key topics in today’s conversation include: Need to Know with Vickie Chastain: dry bulk commodities (1:52) Recapping orientation (4:16) What brought our new drivers to Oakley (9:16) Expectations for first month of work (13...

On this week’s edition of The Oakley Podcast, host Jeremy Kellett speaks with Jon Slaughter, CEO of Healthy Trucking of America. Healthy Trucking of America provides free health and wellness services for drivers.  Key topics in today’s conversation include: Need to Know with Vickie Chastain: experiencing unsafe driving situations (1:48) What Healthy Trucking of America does to address the unique h...

On this week’s edition of The Oakley Podcast, Mark Steck, heavy duty truck account manager and truck guru, is back on the show for a gearhead conversation with host Jeremy Kellett. They discuss how there’s so much to consider when buying a truck and then maintaining that truck.  Key topics in today’s conversation include: Need to Know with Vickie Chastain: trailer washouts (1:44) Comparing differe...

On this week’s edition of The Oakley Podcast, host Jeremy Kellett is joined by Jeff Amen and Michael Schneider, the vice president and tax manager, respectively, at ATBS, a tax and accounting firm for owner-operator truck drivers. Together they cover a lot of ground related to preparing taxes for 2020, knowing how to avoid tax surprises, and how to maximize deductions.  Key topics in today’s conve...

In this week’s episode of The Oakley Podcast, host Jeremy Kellett hangs out with Scott Cowden, operations manager, to compare different divisions at Oakley: hopper bottom, end-dump, and pneumatic. They highlight details from each division to help drivers consider which division might be the best fit for them.  Key topics in today’s conversation include: Need to Know with Vickie Chastain: make extr...

On this week’s episode of The Oakley Podcast, host Jeremy Kellett sits down with Corey Huey and Kent Childers from recruiting and Scott Cowden, operations manager, to discuss the details of Oakley’s referral program. For Oakley, finding new drivers is very important and the referral program rewards owner-operators who can help recruit new members to the team. Key topics in today’s conversation inc...

On this week’s episode of The Oakley Podcast, host Jeremy Kellett talks with Oakley operations manager Colby Foster to take a look at some of the ways that COVID-19 has changed trucking, both positively and negatively. Key topics in today’s conversation include: Need to Know with Vickie Chastain: planning for handling taxes (1:53) Truck drivers showed they were the backbone of the economy (5:00) C...

On this week’s episode of The Oakley Podcast, host Jeremy Kellett is joined by Oakley recruiter Dustin Eagle to discuss the process of becoming an owner-operator with Oakley. Together they identify mistakes that people have made in the past and point out the best steps to take to succeed as an Oakley owner-operator. Key topics in today’s conversation include: Need to Know with Vickie Chastain: pre...

On this week’s episode of The Oakley Podcast, host Jeremy Kellett sits down with Lieutenant Doug Lafferty of the Arkansas Highway Police to find out what he looks for when dealing with truck drivers as they come across the scale, avoiding CSA violations, and staying safe on the road. Key topics in today’s conversation include: Need to Know with Vickie Chastain: dashcams play an important role (1:4...

The Oakley Podcast is back for its first episode of 2021 as host Jeremy Kellett talks with Randy Rymel, safety manager at Oakley. Randy joins the show to talk about pre-trip inspections and about what’s next for him as he moves into retirement.  Key points in today’s conversation include: Need to Know with Vickie Chastain: taking advantage of Oakley fuel discounts (1:47) Making sure equipment is r...