Truckloads of Talent/Crete Carrier via YouTube
Crete Carrier driver Brian Lips makes use of his off-duty time in a uniquely creative way—he plays the violin.
Crete Carrier driver Brian Lips makes use of his off-duty time in a uniquely creative way—he plays the violin.
Crete Carrier driver Brian Lips makes use of his off-duty time in a uniquely creative way—he plays the violin.
Crete Carrier driver Brian Lips makes use of his off-duty time in a uniquely creative way—he plays the violin.
Crete Carrier driver Brian Lips makes use of his off-duty time in a uniquely creative way—he plays the violin.

Five good things in trucking: Driver makes his violin sing, healthier eating on the road

Oct. 21, 2022
There’s freight to haul as temps fall, meaning the holidays are almost here. Hard work on the highways and at fleet facilities continues. This week, we take time out to highlight a dietary program for drivers, one who plays a mean fiddle, and much more.

The calendar says there's a little more than a week until Halloween, and already fleets and families are going full-bore into the holidays. But let's slow down—it's Friday and only a month until Thanksgiving, after all—and take stock of a lot of good that's being done by trucking for America. Here, we shine a spotlight on a trucker who has picked up the violin, a New York state carrier that helped build an all-inclusive playground, a dietary intervention program for drivers, and more.

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From hauling freight to playing fiddle

Crete Carrier long-haul trucker and longtime safe driver Brian Lips was featured on the company's Truckloads of Talent series on YouTube sharing his passion for classical music and one instrument in particular: the violin. 

Lips had always wanted to play fiddle but didn't know where to start. Five years ago, he mentioned this to his friend, Kaitlyn, who then bought Lips an $89 Cecilio violin for his 52nd birthday. And pretty soon after that, a passion was born. 

"It gives me peace," Lips says in the Truckloads of Talent YouTube video. "It gives me [a] sense of doing something that a lot of other people don't do."

Lips developed a following on Twitter, where he posts videos of his practice sessions with the hashtag #100DaysOfPractice.

The professional driver practices in his cab, rolling the windows down, often attracting spectators who will take photos and ask him questions.

"In a little 6-foot by 6-foot box, you can imagine the reverb," Lips said.

Lips said other drivers often will roll down their windows to hear him perform. Sometimes other truckers will come to Lips to share their mutual passion for classical music, discussing their favorite compositions with him.

"There's a lot more classical music people out there that drive trucks than you would think," Lips said.

On Oct. 16, Lips achieved one of his dreams by performing in a live orchestra with the Fort Dodge Symphony of Fort Dodge, Iowa. His other dream is to start a quartet—he hopes with fellow truck drivers.

Lips, who didn't become a father until middle age, also said he wishes to pass his love of music on to his son and plans to gift his violin to him, "someday, when he's able to hold it and respect it."

Brian Lips also commissioned a 4.5-minute piece of chamber music called "Coming Home," which is based on his life of more than 20 years over the road and over 2 million safe driving miles. The piece, existing in both string quartet and piano trio versions, was composed by Manhattan-based Stephanie Ann Boyd and premiered at the Iceberg Institute in Vienna, Austria, on July 29, performed by the piano trio Trio Immersio.

Leonard’s Express hauls materials, equipment for all-inclusive playground

Leonard’s Express employees were among the stakeholders this year and last year who helped stand by the timeless words from “Field of Dreams,” the 1989 baseball classic: “If you build it, they will come.”

The Farmington, New York-based refrigerated and dry van carrier delivered five truckloads of materials and playground equipment last year more than 1,000 miles, free of charge, from Delano, Minnesota, to Canandaigua, New York, for the Dream Big Campaign and the Inclusion in Motion project that built a now-regionally well-known playground in western New York for people of all abilities.

The grand opening and ribbon-cutting for the playground was this year, in June. The total value of the Leonard’s Express donation was about $31,000, according to a release from the commercial carrier. The playground’s design enables a diverse population to participate in play, regardless of their abilities.
Mike and Nanci Bentley from the Inclusion in Motion project built the inclusive playground with support from dozens of community partners. And people from the Rochester and Finger Lakes region have since visited the playground in Canandaigua in droves.

“It was a perfect opportunity to support one of our communities and demonstrate our values,” said Kyle Johnson, chief financial officer for Leonard’s Express, which is No. 147 on the 2022 for-hire FleetOwner 500. “We delivered swing sets, slides, merry-go-rounds, ‘buddy benches’—pretty much everything on the playground except the concrete and mulch.”

When another trucking company was unable to keep its commitment to haul the playground’s surfacing from Pennsylvania, Leonard's Express stepped in and got the materials to the construction site on time.

“A different carrier had offered to haul the surfacing but a week before our scheduled delivery, they backed out,” Mike Bentley recalled. He and wife Nanci headed fundraising efforts for the playground project. “So, I called Kyle Johnson from Leonard’s Express and asked for help. He said, ‘Absolutely!’ We were in a real jam and Leonard’s came through for us without hesitation.”

Nanci Bentley added, “We have quickly become a popular destination for schools, adult agencies, and even other municipalities to visit. Without the community’s support and the backing of donors like Leonard's Express, this playground would not be where it is today. We couldn't have done it by ourselves.”

Johnson explained: “Leonard’s Express is proud to participate in transforming Inclusion in Motion’s big dream into a reality. … Philanthropic activities are central to our culture and help define us as a company and as a great place to work.”

Truck driver Marty Smith named Highway Angel for rainy-day rescue

A Jeep driver, hydroplaning in his car on a rainy night in September on a Colorado highway, flipped the SUV multiple times, but professional truck driver Marty Smith, of Melton Truck Lines, stopped to help pry the dazed and confused motorist out of the wreck.

For his actions that day along Interstate 70, the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) has named Smith, who is from Orlando, Florida, as another of its Highway Angels.

Smith was driving on I-70 around 2 p.m. through heavy rain, according to TCA. In front of him he saw the SUV, which had just passed him, hydroplane into the center median and then flip several times.

“It was raining like crazy,” Smith said, adding that he pulled over immediately to help the motorist inside the SUV. “I put on my hazards, and I ran across the road—that was the dangerous part, because nobody was slowing down.”

Upon arriving at the crashed Jeep, Smith discovered the vehicle was on its side and its driver was trapped, according to a TCA release. Smith ran back to his rig, grabbed his gloves, and rushed back to help pry the front windshield off the SUV with the occupant kicking it from the inside. Between Smith’s pulling of the glass and the driver kicking it, the windshield popped out.

Smith got the driver, who was disoriented but appeared to be free of significant injuries, out of the crashed vehicle as law enforcement arrived on the scene to provide assistance.

Since the program’s inception in 1997, nearly 1,300 truck drivers like Smith have been recognized as Highway Angels for kindness, courtesy, and displaying courage on the job. The program’s presenting sponsor is EpicVue and its supporting sponsor is DriverFacts. Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Melton Truck Lines is No. 90 on the FleetOwner 500: Top For-Hire Fleets of 2022 list.

Driver contest revamped, cash prizes increased

The Truckload Carriers Association also has renamed and relaunched its annual driver recognition contest, which will now be called TCA Professional Drivers of the Year.

The program also will feature a reworked driver application process, increased cash prizes for a larger pool of drivers, and enhanced TCA membership benefits, according to a TCA release.

The program will now celebrate up to five drivers, compared to two in prior years, and each honoree will receive $20,000. Drivers must be nominated and employed by a carrier that is a TCA member.

“I am thrilled with this revamped program that allows for more drivers to be honored and more dollars to be awarded,” TCA President Jim Ward said. “Thanks go to the drivers, as well as to Love’s Travel Stops and Cummins Inc., which have financially supported this important program for many years.”

Winners of the driver recognition contest are expected to show a commitment to safety, to demonstrate leadership on and off the road, and to contribute meaningfully to the success of their companies or to the trucking industry, according to TCA.

Nominations for Drivers of the Year are open and will run through Dec. 7. TCA also has provided more information on this year’s contest and lists of previous years’ winners. The winners for 2022 will be recognized during TCA’s annual convention in Orlando, Florida, March 4-7.

A new diet plan program for truckers

Plantable has launched the The Road Athlete Challenge, a dietary intervention program aimed to improve the health of U.S. truck drivers.

The challenge is in collaboration with Road Dog Radio’s "Tim Ridley Show." The U.S. Census states that there are more than 3.5 million truck drivers in the nation, making this one of the most popular occupations in the United States. In addition, there is a significant shortage of truck drivers, and statistics show that these workers are at a greater risk for health problems than the general public.

The Road Athlete Challenge is a 28-day behavioral and nutritional support program that has been designed to help support over-the-road drivers who, due to the nature of their jobs, have high health risks. For each completed 28-day reboot, Plantable will be donating $50 to the St. Christopher’s Truckers Relief Fund (SCF). In addition, Plantable, through this challenge, will support the variety of health and wellness programs already established by SCF.

“It’s important that we prioritize and improve the health of our truck drivers. Their strenuous work environment, schedule and overall lifestyle, as a result, has proven to be a challenge faced by these workers,” ​​said Julie Evarts RN, MSN, CRNP, chief customer success officer and head coach at Plantable. “The health of truck drivers [is] important to not only themselves and their families, but their health is what keeps the U.S.’s supply chain running well."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, truck drivers were twice as likely to be obese and smoke compared to other U.S. workers. Furthermore, the CDC has also found that 14% of professional truck drivers said they have diabetes compared to 7% of U.S. workers, and 26% of drivers also reported they have hypertension, compared to lower rates among of the overall U.S. working population. Among those surveyed, three of four truck drivers said they did not get the recommended amount of physical activity.

“When we were developing The Road Athlete Challenge … we knew instantly that Plantable was a perfect fit for what we were looking for. Users of Plantable’s programs have had incredible results and we wanted to give our listeners,100% of which are truck drivers, the opportunity and resources needed to transform their lives for the better,” said Ridley, host of the Road Dog Radio show. “We are thrilled to begin this partnership with Plantable and encourage all truck drivers to participate in this challenge. Now is the time to take charge of your health, because once your health is gone, your livelihood is gone.”

About the Author

FleetOwner Staff

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Kevin Jones, Editorial Director, Commercial Vehicle Group

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