Beyond the Bulldog

We sit down with George Quigley, a veteran truck driver with decades of experience across North America as both a company driver and owner operator. George shares the personal story that continues to shape how he drives today, and why he has made it a mission to help everyday drivers understand what it really means to share the road with an 80,000 lb truck. George is also a dedicated volunteer wit...

America has more vehicle safety technology than ever, yet roadway fatalities have climbed sharply over the last decade. Dan Wagner, founder of Teen Driving Solutions School, joins Beyond the Bulldog to explain why he believes the missing piece is driver training and crash prevention skills, not just crash safety. Dan built his two day program for teens and parents around one idea: you do not learn...

We sit down with Anna Long, a pickup and delivery driver for a national LTL carrier, to talk about choosing trucking as a career and what the path really looks like from the first day of CDL school to working the dock, running linehaul, and building a stable life behind the wheel. Anna shares a background that is anything but typical. She grew up in a large blended family, went to an arts based al...

Ben Greenberg is back on Beyond the Bulldog for a fast-moving update from the front lines of trucking advocacy. As president and CEO of the North Carolina Trucking Association, and part of the broader ATA federation briefings, Ben breaks down what is changing right now at both the state and national level and what it means for fleets, owner operators, and professional drivers. This episode focuses...

In this episode, we sit down with Heather Heggie, Managing Director of Mack Financial Services in Canada, to talk about the part of trucking that most people only think about when it is time to buy. Financing. Heather explains why commercial truck financing is fundamentally different from automotive lending, and why the best outcomes come from treating it like a relationship, not a transaction. He...

We sit down with Mike McMahon, co-owner of McMahon Truck Centers, a Mack and Volvo dealership group with ten locations across six states. In this conversation, Mike shares what it takes to run a modern commercial truck dealership where the real product is not just the truck, but the long-term relationship that keeps customers moving. Mike walks through the McMahon family’s deep roots in transporta...

This episode of Beyond the Bulldog focuses on the one asset truck drivers cannot afford to lose: their health. Our guest is Dr. Lon Morgan, a family practice physician at Friedberg Family Medicine in North Carolina who has spent more than three decades helping patients manage weight, blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol through lifestyle changes first and medication only when necessary. He al...

We sit down with Brian Cooke, vice president of sales and operations at R.W. McCollum in Greensboro, North Carolina, to talk about the tank trailers that keep fuel and other critical liquids moving across the Southeast. From an 80 year family business and a 13 bay repair shop to custom spec trailers and truck mounted tanks, Brian explains how his team supports petroleum, dry bulk, propane, chemica...

We are back with Wright Archer, division engineer with the North Carolina Department of Transportation, to continue our deep dive into how roads really come together. In his first episode, Wright walked through planning and design. This time, he takes us through the next stages: how projects are bid, how construction actually happens in the field, and what it takes to maintain roads and bridges so...

We sit down with Wright Archer III, division engineer with the North Carolina Department of Transportation, to unpack what really goes into the roads we drive every day. Born and raised in Greensboro with more than 35 years at NCDOT, Wright has worked across design, construction, bridge maintenance, and now leads Division 7, responsible for thousands of road miles and hundreds of employees. In thi...

In his fourth appearance on Beyond the Bulldog, Pat Godwin Jr., President of The Godwin Group, returns to continue the story of how a small family fabrication shop evolved into the largest family-owned and operated truck equipment manufacturer in the United States. This episode dives deep into the strategic thinking, calculated risk, and people-first leadership behind Godwin’s growth through merge...

In his third appearance on Beyond the Bulldog, Pat Godwin Jr., President of The Godwin Group, returns to continue the story of how a family-run operation in Dunn, North Carolina grew into one of the most respected truck body and manufacturing companies in the region. Picking up where the last conversation left off, Pat shares deeper stories about hands-on leadership, ingenuity, and the discipline...

In his second appearance on Beyond the Bulldog, Tom Mack, great-grandson of Jack Mack, returns to continue the story of the Mack family after the company’s early years. Recorded at the Mack Experience Center in Allentown, this conversation dives deeper into family history, personal perspective, and what it truly means to carry the Mack name generations later. Tom discusses: -The Mack family’s life...

We sit down with Jonathan Randall, "JR", president of Mack Trucks North America, to talk about what it really means to lead a 125-year-old brand through one of the most dynamic periods in trucking. From defining strategy and “what winning looks like” to spending time in the field with dealers, customers, and drivers, JR shares how he sees his role as a steward of the Mack name. JR looks back on 20...

We return to the Mack Trucks Historical Museum in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with curator and self-described caretaker of Mack history, Doug Maney. Surrounded by sound-absorbing cones in the semi-anechoic chamber, Doug explains how this former test lab became one of the most unique gallery spaces in trucking, and why every truck in it still starts, runs, and moves under its own power. Doug opens the...

Our podcast team heads to the Mack Trucks Experience Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to sit down with Brand Experience Specialist Christa Tam. What started as a dream of becoming an elementary school teacher turned into a 20-year Mack career that touches almost every part of the business: aftermarket, engineering, manufacturing, forecasting, quality, and now customer experience. In this episode...

We are joined by trucker, country music singer, and songwriter Tony Justice, whose life has always run on two parallel highways: hauling freight and writing songs about the people who do it. Growing up around coal trucks in eastern Kentucky with a truck driver dad and a gospel-singing mom, Tony learned early how closely the road, family, and music are tied together. In this episode, Tony talks abo...

We’re back at the Mack Trucks Historical Museum in Allentown, PA. This time with Tom Mack, great grandson of founder John “Jack” Mack and the last Mack family member to work at Mack Trucks. From childhood road trips spotting bulldogs on the highway to years in military intelligence and global electronics, Tom’s winding path eventually led him to the Macungie production line, where he quietly prove...

On this episode of Beyond the Bulldog, we’re on location at the Mack Trucks Historical Museum in Allentown, PA, where curator Doug Maney — self-described “caretaker of Mack history” — walks us through a century-plus of innovation, storytelling, and hands-on preservation. From the famous sound room gallery and test track to a living fleet of running vintage trucks and an archive measured in tens of...

In this episode of Beyond the Bulldog, we’re joined by Forsyth Technical Community College, the winners of the 2025 TMC FutureTech National Student Technician Skills Competition. Representing the program are Program Coordinator Alan Doub, Instructors James Murdock and Philip Grimes, and 2025 Champion Tully McKinley — whose win put Forsyth Tech in the national spotlight. Together, they discuss how...

In this episode of Beyond the Bulldog, we sit down with Tandy Carpenter, Director of Safety at Edwards Wood Products-Transportation, to discuss how strong leadership, clear communication, and accountability create a thriving culture of safety on and off the road. Tandy shares how she went from working in her family’s trucking business to becoming one of North Carolina’s most respected safety leade...

In this episode of Beyond the Bulldog, we sit down with Ingrid Brown, owner-operator, safety advocate, and proud voice for America’s professional drivers. With over four decades on the road, Ingrid’s story embodies resilience, community, and a deep love for trucking. From her first days behind the wheel to her work with Women In Trucking, Ingrid shares how grit, compassion, and purpose keep her wh...

In this episode of Beyond the Bulldog, we sit down with Brian Walker, Lead Instructor at Randolph Community College’s Truck Driver Training Program, 13-time North Carolina Truck Driving Champion, and 2019 National Truck Driving Champion, to talk about the skill, focus, and patience behind professional truck driving. Brian discusses: -His family’s trucking legacy and how he followed in his father’s...

In this episode of Beyond the Bulldog, we sit down with Jamie Hagen, owner of Hell Bent Xpress and long-time Mack Trucks advocate, to talk about the business, discipline, and data behind running a successful trucking operation. Known for his fleet of Gen One Anthems and now a striking amber-orange Mack Pioneer and his social media presence, Jamie brings an open, practical look at the everyday chal...

Jared Sweeney, Vice President, Transportation Group at Cottingham & Butler, joins Beyond the Bulldog to demystify trucking insurance—why costs keep climbing and what fleets can actually control. Jared breaks down: -What drives premium increases and how underwriters assess risk (claims history, CSA profile, routes, driver pool) -Practical ways to lower total cost: top-down safety culture, spec...