Based in Chandler, Ariz., owner operator Rob Moore hauls oversized and flatbed freight as RM Transport of Chandler. Rob is a founding member of Redneckanize, a truckers group that shares do it yourself truck repair tips and hosts trucker events at the Mid-American Trucking Show. Trucker Tools recently spoke to Rob about how he got started in trucking and his transition from company driver to owner operator. Rob shared how his prior experience as a mechanic is helping him keep his expenses in check. In our conversation, he also talked about how Redneckanize was formed and how important it is for veteran drivers to share their knowledge with other truckers.
Rob, thanks for speaking with us today. Can you tell us a bit about yourself — how you got into trucking and what you do?
“I started driving in 2008 for a local dump truck guy. Then I turned wrenches for about a year. I decided that I wanted to do over-the-road, so I went to a bigger carrier and got my Class A CDL. I had a Class B at the time and wanted to get the rest of it. I’ve been driving ever since. In 2011, I ended up leasing a truck. And four years later, after that lease was up, I ended up buying the truck and I’m still in that truck today. I’m currently an owner operator and I run oversized and flatbed.”
What made you decide to go from working as a company driver for CR England to becoming an owner operator?
“I wanted to have more freedom to do what I want, when I want, how I want and go where I want without someone else telling me, ‘You’ve got to run this’ or ‘You can’t take time off’ or ‘You can’t go home for that long.’ I also wanted to have my own business, which I’m doing today and enjoying.”
You’re a former mechanic. Has that helped you as an owner operator?
“That it has, that it has. I graduated from high school in 1999 and I took automotive classes in high school. I’ve always liked working on cars and playing with cars. Right out of high school, I started turning wrenches at local car dealerships in Phoenix, Ariz. I got tired of bending over a fender, I guess you could say. Then I started driving truck and just kind of kept going. I enjoy working on cars and trucks. After I got into trucking and bought a truck, I started doing my own repairs. I would say I do about 90 percent of the repairs on my truck and trailer just to keep it going.”
How did you get involved with Redneckanize?
“I met them in 2011. I knew Ed Prince (a co-founder of Redneckanize) because we were driving for the same carrier at the time. Ed kept telling me that I needed to go to MATS, that it was a good time and a big truck show. In 2011, I finally got there, but I could only spend a day at the show. In 2012, that’s when we formed Redneckanize. I’ve met some great people and made some good friends through Redneckanize.
Every year at MATS, that’s our time to meet up with everybody and have a great time. We share stories. I enjoy the truck shows. It’s one thing I look forward to each and every year, especially MATS. We enjoy what we do at MATS. We love sharing stories and helping each other out. We’ll do anything we can to help someone. They might take that information that we give them or they might not and that’s OK. I learn new stuff every day. This is an everyday learning experience. Every day is different as a trucker.”
“I’ve used the Trucker Tools driver app’s load tracking on a couple of loads. I had no problem with it. Everyone wants to know where their product is. They’re wondering if it’s still moving and still OK. To me, it’s more or less like someone tracking something that they bought from an online store and they’re wondering where it is. I’m the same way. At the end of the day, I’m like, ‘Where’s my stuff at?’ Hurry up and get there — that’s the world we live in.”
How important is that to have someone to go to, to share stories with, but also to ask questions of?
“I kind of wish that some of these bigger truck stops hadn’t taken out restaurants. They’ve taken out a lot of the dining areas and restaurants. With fast food places, drivers just grab their food and go. Back when I first started driving, going into a truck stop restaurant was the time that I got away from my truck and got talking with guys who’d been out here doing this for years. You could go into a restaurant and you got to talk to veteran drivers, just picking up little bits and pieces of what they’d done throughout the years. It could have been how they fixed their trucks, the way they ran their business, how they ran their trucks or what companies are good companies. It was a chance to share the day-to-day life of being a truck driver.
That’s where I learned most of my stuff – going into a restaurant and having dinner or having breakfast with other truckers. There are a lot of drivers who go in and have breakfast every morning before they hit the road to wake up a little bit, have a cup of coffee, and talk back and forth in the morning before you start the day or at the end of the day. It’s the time to get out of what I call my cell. It’s an eight by eight truck. Some drivers are on smaller trucks, some have bigger trucks. We can bring food on the truck, but for me, that’s kind of my time for getting out of the truck for a minute, to stretch my legs and mingle with other drivers. And right now, it’s kind of hard to do that.”
Do you use Trucker Tools’ free driver app?
“I’ve used the Trucker Tools driver app’s load tracking on a couple of loads. I had no problem with it. Everyone wants to know where their product is. They’re wondering if it’s still moving and still OK. To me, it’s more or less like someone tracking something that they bought from an online store and they’re wondering where it is. I’m the same way. At the end of the day, I’m like, ‘Where’s my stuff at?’ Hurry up and get there — that’s the world we live in.”
For our interview with fellow Redneckanize co-founders Tiffini Springer and Ed Prince, read Redneckanize Offers Shared Knowledge, Gathering Place for Truckers. To download Trucker Tools’ free driver app, visit https://www.truckertools.com/carriers/.
