From a $400 Pathfinder to building a CDL school.
2008. Single-wide trailer. Three little girls. Washing dishes for $6 an hour. Gas was high — just like right now. I knew I had to drive trucks to take care of my family.
I bought a Pathfinder for $400. Alternator went out. I didn't have $100 for a new one — but my Grandpa had 6 batteries and a battery charger. So I loaded all 6 into the car and swapped them out as they died on the road.
Shifter was broke too. To start it, I'd climb under the bumper, drop it in neutral, crank it, then climb back under to put it in drive. Sometimes it was rainin'. I'd change my clothes after. Pulled the e-brake every time so it wouldn't run me over.
I changed those batteries twice on the way to CDL school the first morning. Three more times on the way home. Didn't have gas to make it back. The teacher offered me $15 a day to clean up after class — I'll never forget him.
Finished 8 weeks of school. Then nobody would hire me — I had a little background from something stupid I did as a kid. Probation. I called and called.
Finally a man named Billy Kay at Rosedale Transport said yes. Day before orientation, my probation officer killed it. I went over his head. Got the green light. Called Rosedale back — they'd already moved on.
I called Billy Kay every day for a week. Different times. Same question. On Friday, he said: "If you're as good a driver as you are determined, I'll just hire you so you'll quit calling." Following Tuesday I was in orientation.
Three months in, I was a trainer. I been through hard times since — life don't go easy on nobody — but every one of them taught me something I poured into my books and my channel. 17 years later: zero violations. 84K+ followers. 7 books on Amazon. Reversed my own diabetes — off all the meds. They told me I couldn't write because I can't spell. My #1 bestseller has a misspelled word on the front cover.
I had an investor lined up for the school. He wanted to charge way too much and run it like every other diploma mill. I walked. This school ain't for the businessman. It's for the people.
I've already got the lot — covered for 4 months. I've got the curriculum. I've got the channels and the media to fill the seats. The truck and trailer's secured. We're only shy $7,700. That's it.
I don't give up. Never have. Never will. Put your name on the wall. Be part of the build.
Back in 2008, me and my family was living in a single-wide trailer with three little girls. Work was real slow. I was washing dishes for $6 an hour. Gas was high — just like right now. I finally got a grant to go to CDL school. I was so excited.
I didn't have a vehicle. Bought a Pathfinder for $400. Alternator went out. Didn't have $100 for a new one. But my Grandpa had 6 batteries and a battery charger. So I'd load all the batteries up in the car when it was time to go, and I'd swap 'em out as they died.
The shifter didn't work either. To put it in neutral, I'd have to climb under the bumper. Crank it. Then climb back under to put it in drive. Chock the tires. Sometimes I'd have to change my clothes 'cause it'd be rainy and nasty. I always pulled the emergency brake when I put it in drive — so it didn't run me over.
First day of school, I changed batteries twice on the way there. Got there with no gas to make it home. The teacher asked if there was any work I could do — he offered me $15 a day to clean up after school. I'll never forget him. He don't know how much that money helped. On the way home I changed those batteries 3 more times. I dragged every battery into that single-wide every night, lined 'em up on the floor, charged 'em up — then did it all over again the next day.
School was 8 weeks. Georgia covered it 'cause I'd already got my GED. I made it through. I graduated. I knew if I didn't stop and just kept going, I'd eventually get what I needed.
Then nobody would hire me. I had a little background — something stupid I did as a kid. Probation. I called and called. Worked some dump truck jobs. When it rained, I was the last one called. Some weeks I worked one day. I almost felt like I had to give up.
Then a man named Billy Kay answered the phone at Rosedale Transport. Bless his heart — he's passed away now. He said he'd hire me. I came home and told my family I got me a real trucking job.
Day before orientation, my probation officer called Billy Kay and said he didn't want me out of state that long. They pulled the offer. I was crushed. But I didn't give up.
I called the probation officer. He wouldn't budge. So I went over his head — straight to the chief PO. She gave me the green light. I called Rosedale back, all happy. They said: "Sorry. Once we already know about the situation, we can't hire you."
Dreams shattered. But I still wasn't giving up.
Next day I called Billy Kay again. He said no. Monday I called. No. Tuesday. No. Wednesday, Thursday — same thing. Friday — fifth day in a row — he finally said: "If you're as good a driver as you are determined, I'll go ahead and hire you if you'll just quit calling."
The next Tuesday I was in orientation. I was so happy. So determined not to lose that job, I'd do whatever it took. Sometimes I took loads I shouldn't have. I learned what it was like to be pushed when you didn't need to be pushed. Three months in, they made me a trainer. I ran even harder.
I stayed at Rosedale almost 4 years. Tried to do my own thing — hot shot. The guy I worked for turned out to be a crook. Tried Heartland for 3 or 4 years. Didn't fit me — Rosedale had been like family, I just didn't realize at the time how rare that was. After Heartland I kept looking for another company like Rosedale and never found one. Eventually called them back. They gave me a job.
Coming back made me realize: I wanted to help drivers like me. The ones who got pushed. The ones told no. The ones who didn't have nothing but determination.
So I started the YouTube channel. That channel gave me purpose out on the road. My family's always been my real why — but the channel started to grow. I'll never forget hitting my first 100 followers. Then $1,000. Got monetized — about $60 a month at first.
Fast forward 4 years: 84,000 followers on YouTube. 300,000 on Facebook. Then somebody hacked it and stole the page. By the time I got it back, the damage was done — couldn't be monetized again. Last July I started over. Zero followers. Hasn't even been a year and I'm already back to 25K.
People said I couldn't write. Said I couldn't spell. Said it couldn't be done. I've got 7 books on Amazon now. My #1 bestseller — The Trucker's Carnivore Cookbook — has a word misspelled right on the front cover. Doesn't matter. Real people don't care about that. They care about the help.
That cookbook came outta my own story. Doctor told me I had diabetes. Today I'm off every single medication. Reversed it completely. Helped hundreds of drivers do the same.
I been through hard times along the way. Long drives. Things at home that weren't easy. Wrote books straight from those seasons — Take This One Over Everything and Broken But Built. Poured my heart into every page.
My dream's always been a CDL school. Not for the money. Not for the fame. To help drivers actually succeed. Too many companies out there teaching crap — running students like meat through a grinder. I don't want that.
I had an investor lined up. He wanted to charge way too much and run it like a business school for businessmen. I walked. This school is for the people.
That's why I started this page. I've already got the lot. I've already got the curriculum. I've got the YouTube channel and the media to fill the seats. I got the heart that never gives up.
We have everything in place. The truck and trailer's secured. We're only shy $7,700. The lot — the biggest cost — is covered for 4 months easy. We're going to open this school. Anybody wants to be part of it, I'd love to put your name on a wall that lasts forever.
Got a business? You can put your logo on our training truck — a rolling billboard running up and down I-75. It's a tax write-off. Hit me up. You got my email. You got my phone number.
Appreciate y'all. Let's get it.
