Get ready, relax, read on, it’s a long one. I’ve got a lot of pinned up stuff to share.
If you’ve read one of these before you know what’s coming. In some sort of way, I have got to mention change. Just can’t live a day without it. It’s been nice and warm here the last few days and though I know we have more cold ones ahead this year I’m already thinking about warmth, flowers, and grass growing, and oh yea, all that goes with it too. I’ve had an interesting and mostly full start to the year. Perhaps more than ever I have been working on planning and planning on how to implement the outcome of the planning. I hate that I waited until I was so old to start that process. You young folks take heed. That means pay attention. Look it up with AI. It happened to me one time when I was like 14 years old about a different subject. There was no AI then! I made the first-time trek for me down to HDAW in Dallas with a part of the extensive TruckSupplySC.com team, our Gaston store neighbors. (The place with multiple locations for all your hard parts, repair, and maintenance items and even Snow Chains) This was a hard paced yet very informative and educational experience among the peers of the HD truck aftermarket manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors.
I returned a bit weary yet invigorated about our industry and what it holds for you and me. For Y’all and all of us! The entire team here at Mid Eastern is continuing the hard work of planning and preparation for what lies ahead. We’re continuing to look for and work on the best angles to have what you need and working on MidEastern.com day by day to be here for you 24/7. It is a journey.
I’m full of stuff, careful don’t think about the full of, after I just returned from another little weekend journey. That’s about all that time allows for these days. These are fun times. I met a friend of mine down in southern Georgia at the M Mixon Camp. You know I must throw in something about cooking. In order that I might protect the innocent, I’ll just call my friend that I met there Bubba. Me and Bubba were intending to learn a bit about many different cuts of meat, of preparation, and technique to make it taste good. We both enjoy the all-encompassing satisfaction of cooking it forward so that made this an even more fabulous time of learning big cooking! Another hard and fast paced adventure weekend full of learning change. Both of us are now back on the grind and digging on. I’ll slip more of that story in on some other writing.
Have you heard anything positive lately like on the news or podcasts or radio or in the paper. Have you read the paper? Don’t worry, only a few still do that. From this HDAW and visiting with folks like Bubba I finally have some good news. This news came from an industry guy not tied to any group or segment or side of the industry. This presentation wasn’t on the trucker’s side, the manufacturer’s side, distribution, wholesalers, retailers, repair side or truck sales side. This is about the level of goods in warehouses depleting, the life cycle of trucks in fleets, the parts and service to support them, the goods already rising to replenish the pipelines of all goods and with some normalization. There’s also finally some common-sense good news change stirring around truck manufacturing regulations and realizations that the whole DEF filter mess is likely not actually productive. Ther’s even headlines circulating of some realization that this “electric” trucks take on hauling just may not yet be correct. You think! All these things collectively (with a tremendous amount of detail) are good news items for our industry. I am so ecstatic, happy, beside myself at just hearing some good news about anything until I can hardly stand myself. I am an old guy, and I am excited about trucks again. This is good stuff. The possibility of less regulation, of better freight movement, of stabilization and normalizing all of it to include the economics. I sure feel better when I’m on the good thinking. Jump in! Come along!
I am more than double the 500-word limit, so I’ve surely lost a bunch of you. If someone mentions it tell them to read on, or anything you want for that matter. Just make sure you tell them to do something. Get up on step and take a step towards something you or they have been thinking about or talking about. Hey, if it’s been talking and you ain’t been stepping, quit talking. Just saying.
Finally, here’s the end of this one. I am encouraged about business. I am ready to do some more cooking for some folks that need it. And I’m excited about Trucking for the first time in a bit!
Stay Safe. Keep A Cool Head Out On The Road. As hard as it is to imagine sometimes, there’s likely someone who’s where you are from that wants you safely back home. Be kind to your neighbors
PS: Two more Walkin’ Joe Fire Pits to Give Away. Look for “Fireside With Joe” Follow It. Share It. #MidEastern Hashtag it. @MidEastern Tag it. Then, Send me a reason for one to get delivered to your favorite story telling, sharing, and gathering spot.
For more stories, events, writings, and videos visit www.MidEastern.com
