{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Transportation Nation","title":"Charles Gracey on Choices, Charley Horses, and the Cost of Growing Fast","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1767,"description":"Charles Gracey — known in the industry as the \"Dr. Phil of Trucking\" — sits down with Lee Gentry and Jason Brady to talk about the choices that built (and broke) fleets over the last three years, why the drivers who show up every day deserve more than a headline, and what it really costs to live two lives at once: one at home, one on the road.\nIn this episode:\n- Why the companies thriving right now stayed in their lane\n- How Charles went from shop floors and CDL miles to industry voice\n- The real math behind driver pay vs. the corporate talking points\n- What every driver at Shell Rotella SuperRigs told Charles when asked one question\n- Why accessibility beats ROI when it comes to earning driver trust\n- A look ahead to Stars, Stripes & White Lines at Echo Park, Nov 6–7\nPlus a nod to Katlyn and baby Shepherd, and a reminder that none of our jobs exist without the American truck driver.\nSubscribe for new Transportation Nation episodes every week.\nTimestamps\n00:32 Welcoming Charles Gracey\n01:37 What keeps trucking execs up at night\n02:33 Traits of companies still winning\n03:56 How Charles became the \"Dr. Phil of Trucking\"\n05:00 Growing up in the shop and old-school mentors\n07:47 Military discipline shaping his career\n10:19 Trucking's role in America's 250th birthday\n13:07 Push to recognize drivers as first responders\n14:00 The truth about driver pay\n17:04 What drivers actually want from legislators\n20:28 Why accessibility to drivers matters\n23:37 Preview of Stars, Stripes and White Lines\n26:51 The stories behind the rigs","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/dp8Qu1ep64tErzXugq5JHnDw3TVsN2YgBa22Lk5CuGg/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9iNmY3/ZDAxNGFhMzg4ZjYx/MDJlYTZlYWIxODkw/MDBmOC5qcGVn.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}