00:04 He was that crazy actually. Like that bull was like I didn’t really want to even put my rope on that bull. Like I wasn’t scared of him but I was scared of him at the same time if that makes sense.

00:14 Oh, absolutely.

00:15 He just like he wanted you like it was and I don’t think I was on him for more than a second. Like it was just it was that fast. He came out with a huge explosion and got me real quick. Okay. So, there’s a whole bunch in right there, but that was what busted it open. So, I guess you could say I sprung late that night.

00:40 Welcome to Six-Figure Trucker, the podcast where we share advice on how to be successful in trucking and have fun while doing so. We’ll share stories, news, and advice on how to earn six figures in trucking, and we’ll speak to guys and gals that are already doing so. Let’s get to the show. Hello everyone and welcome to the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. This is an area where we hold up, we elevate, and we celebrate the truck drivers that canvas this country. The men and women that make everything possible for us here at Norton Transport and for many of you at home because they move the trucks that eventually move the cargo that makes your life go round and round. Now, tonight we have a very special guest, one who’s joining us. I believe he’s out on the road. He can set the record straight for us. But Dennis Greenwood, Dennis, how are you this evening? And tell us where you are.

01:31 I’m good. I’m actually at home. I’m going to be picking up on Father’s Day, picking up two of them, heading down to Tyler, Texas. So, it just so happened that I got to be able to be home because I’m close to the yard.

01:44 I gotcha. So, you live in Texas.

01:46 I do.

01:47 Now, will you’re picking up on Father’s Day. Will you be able to celebrate Father’s Day before you pick up? Yes, I’m going to pick up Father’s Day because I can’t deliver till Monday morning. So, I’m actually picking up Father’s Day morning and then I’m going to park right here by a truck stop near the house and spend the day with my wife and whichever kids decide to come over and then I’ll be heading out first thing Monday morning to deliver down in Tyler.

02:11 Gotcha. How many children do you have?

02:13 There are seven between the two of us.

02:15 Wow. That’s a— You guys— That seems you keep it pretty active there.

02:20 Yeah, the kids are grown at this point. My youngest will be 18 in December and she lives with her mother. So they range from 17 right now. My the oldest will be the oldest is 30. My oldest is will be 28 this year. So—

02:39 I gotcha. Any of them following in father’s footsteps of driving a big truck?

02:44 My son did. He left the industry this past year. Decided he wanted to kind of have a more at home every day kind of lifestyle. So—

02:55 A little nineto-five job.

02:57 Yes, sir. He did almost four years. Three years. See, I’m six. So four years.

03:04 Gotcha.

03:04 He was out for four.

03:05 I gotcha. Did he fall into it because of— Because you’ve been doing it for a while, right?

03:10 Yes. I started in December of 2017, though. And then he came on September of the following year when he turned 23.

03:20 Gotcha. What were his impressions of it? I’ll certainly will double back and ask your impression since you’re still doing it, but what was the good and the bad for him in the business?

03:31 He bought a truck, got himself like on top, I guess you could say. The problem was like for downsides for him was seemed like every time he’d get money saved he’d be spending 10,000 rebuilding his truck. A lot of it was his fault. He didn’t follow the advice that me and my wife gave him because my wife actually drove up until last year with me. So he didn’t maintain and so he didn’t save money. So when we hit the big slowdown up in the camper industry, he kind of lost it at that point. So and he never got his CDL. He was doing the campers without it. So big thing is if you’re doing non CDL, get your CDL. It’s the best thing I ever did for myself.

04:18 Right. Right. So he was doing an O and O operation with campers and not CDL equipment.

04:25 Yes. Now, let’s kind of double back what you were talking about. Best advice you could have for somebody who’s non CDL, get your CDL. We talked to a lot of nonCDL drivers here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport and a lot of them have that aspiration to get that CDL and speak to that a little bit about the different world that it opens you up to.

04:48 You almost have to go back to when I started. I start when I started I had to borrow a truck. Me and my wife were living in a 23 ft travel trailer. I didn’t have my CDL at the time. I was selling cars and I was selling cars with a friend, somebody I met in the industry and he transitioned and brought me over nine months after he started. I borrowed a truck. It was a 06 F250 and needless to say I spent a lot of time learning how to work on diesels.

05:15 Mhm. But we were living in a travel trailer and this industry when I got to my DOT inspection for the truck, it broke down. So I had to switch to driveaway and I was non CDL and that hindered me in picking pick pickup locations, available loads. It didn’t pay as well as CDL. CDL rates were a little bit higher and I was only trying to make $2,500 to fix my truck. It took me three months to be able to pay what little bill that I did have and get that money saved in for three months with my CDL. And doing boom loads, I’ll make 20 2500 in 3 days.

05:58 Wow.

05:59 So, there’s a huge difference in nonCDL versus CDL. Granted, Boom is multiples whereas I was doing singles. So, that’s a difference, too. That’s one of the best steps you’ve made in quite some times.

06:12 It is. How I ended up getting my CDL is a funny story because the same person that got me started in the industry told me you can’t just get your CDL and jump in a semi. And so background I was in the army. I was a tanker. I drove 63 ton Winnebagos is what we called them.

06:30 I got I learned how to drive 44 passenger buses. I’ve been pulling horse trailers and stuff my whole life. So he said that and I’m kind of like hold my beard. Let’s— So I decided I was going to go get my CDL and a month later I had my CDL and I bought a semi with cash because of this industry. So we went from homeless to buying five pickup trucks. I bought a semi with cash. I bought a fifth wheel with cash. And I upgraded my fifth wheel last year to a very nice Alliance 42 foot. So—

07:05 Driveaway’s been good to you. Very much.

07:08 Well, that’s awesome, man. And we’d like to celebrate. Like we said at the beginning of the show, we like to elevate and celebrate. And sounds like it’s time to do that for Dennis Greenwood. Do you still have that semi that you paid cash for?

07:19 I don’t. I actually bought it. I drove the semi. I drove that semi for 6 months. I hated that semi. It wasn’t a bad truck. It was just uncomfortable.

07:32 What kind of truck was it?

07:33 It was a 2016 Prostar.

07:35 Okay. International.

07:37 Yes, sir. It had 4 445,000 miles when I bought it, but she jumped in the truck with me to ride so she wouldn’t have to drive anymore. She was miserable in the truck. So we went back to single pull campers and we put a driver in our truck and she abandoned the truck in Washington State. So, I had to drop everything I was doing and take off to Washington to pick up the truck. And we didn’t want to go through trying to find drivers anymore like those just weren’t our own trucks. But because of the market at the time, I was able to sell it for 20,000 more than I paid for it.

08:10 That’s good. Good for you.

08:11 We did that. That got her out of the industry so she didn’t have to drive anymore because it was killing her physically. She couldn’t handle it. Of course, there’s been a couple of times where I wish I hadn’t sold it. So—

08:23 Well, hindsight’s 2020, but speaking of 20s, you made 20K off of it.

08:28 Yes. Plus a year’s worth of revenue, you know. So, it wasn’t a bad deal. It was just possibly a little early to sell it, I think.

08:36 Well, it’s always easy to look back, but you got to make the decision when the time’s there. But tell us a little bit about you said from you came from a period of being homeless. Was this when you were living in the trailer or in the 23 foot or was it before that after that? Well, I was in telecommunications and then that everything kind of went south after my divorce from my first wife and I moved up to Colorado and luckily almost 5 months after I moved up there my wife called me and we hadn’t spoken in 20 years and it took me from around May 19th by July I was moved back to Texas but the job market wasn’t quite where it should be. And I ended up being evicted and we moved back to Colorado with a couple of friends in the car industry. And before all was said and done, I was living in a 23 foot travel trailer in Colorado in someone’s backyard.

09:39 And my friend called me said, “Hey, why don’t you come out here with me?” So I called my father and asked him if I could borrow a truck and off we came out we went, you know. So—

09:49 You know, Colorado is a beautiful state. What was that experience like?

09:53 Colorado, outside of the financial hardships that we dealt with, Colorado is amazing. Prices were so expensive that that selling cars, if you weren’t selling 20, 30 cars a month, you weren’t going to be able to survive. So, it’s just it was pretty during that time. So, I blame it on me. I was hustling. I just wasn’t getting the car sales game down up there. And so, of course, my father’s getting older. So now we stand our fifth wheel on the family farm. So I’m close to my dad and able to help him when I’m home.

10:25 Okay.

10:26 Yeah. Colorado is amazing. Like it’s a beautiful state, especially when you get out west. But it just was it wasn’t our jam, I guess you could say.

10:34 It’s just tough at that time. But things are certainly looking good for you now. And I think you said you started driving what in 2017?

10:42 Yes. Now, you mentioned earlier and we had talked previously before we got on the air here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. Three and a half weeks you’ve been booming. That’s got to be an eyeopening experience.

10:58 It is very much an eye openening experience. It’s— It is It’s different. I’m not going to say it’s harder than driving a truck with a 53 foot, but it is actually harder like more so in the mental aspect of it. Because you’re pulling one backwards, you got to get your trailer straight and then it starts tracking it. So, there’s a lot more moving parts to it, but it’s something different almost every time. There’s physical work in it. So like I sat and started gaining a belly from sitting in the truck. So it gives me some physical activity which is really good. But yeah, booming has been an experience for three so far almost four weeks. I think I’m at four weeks now. But—

11:44 Gotcha.

11:53 You’re listening to Dennis Greenwood here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. Now Dennis, most of our listeners are familiar with the industry, are in the industry, are thinking about the industry, but let’s start at the beginning for some of those who may not know what booming is when we talk about booming. You’re into it for you’re a month in. You probably have become extremely familiar with booming, but kind of walk us through what booming is if there are a handful of listeners out there who may not know what booming is. Okay. So, booming is it there’s a boom trailer. So, I have my pickup truck and I take this boom trailer. There are two semis that need to be moved from location A to location B. I’m going to drive one truck. I tow the other truck with my boom trailer in between the two and my truck my pickup truck on top of that.

12:45 So it allows me to take two trucks instead of one and still have my pickup and be able to when I get where I’m going dead head to the next pickup or come home on in my vehicle. So I don’t have to rent a car, buy a plane ticket, try and haul bags and stuff around with me. It’s all in my pickup truck. I don’t have to the logistics become easier for me that way.

13:08 Do you get a lot of strange looks when you’re booming when people see you and it’s like there’s a truck, there’s a truck, there’s a truck. It is funny because I delivered in Sacramento, California on Tuesday and— Okay. So, once I disconnected the first truck, so I had just the truck I was towing and the trailer with my truck on top of it disconnected. So, it looks kind of funny that way.

13:30 Mhm.

13:30 And this guy stops and is taking a picture and he goes, “I have seen I saw you come in, but I’ve never seen that before with it disconnected.” And he sat there and watched me take the truck off the trailer and get everything squared away. But yes, you do get some funny looks because there I used to look at boom trailers funny because I was like, how do they get the truck on that platform between the two trucks, you know?

13:53 It’s almost, you can think about it when it’s all said and done, it’s almost like, okay, I’m living in the crime scene now. I’m taking off with what it came with—

14:02 Right? Yeah. It’s in my opinion and stacked is great because you can take three and four trucks and if you’re taking I think it’s two maybe three you can tow your truck behind you or tow a tow car behind you but you know I can it takes me about two hours to set it up when I’m picking up and it takes me about 45 minutes to tear it down.

14:20 So it’s quicker for me to get to the next load.

14:24 Right. So, it works for me personally because I’m very much ADHD if you haven’t noticed by talking to me, which can be it could be difficult on the road being ADHD because you’re by yourself. But, you know, it is what it is.

14:37 Now, on the booming side, obviously, you talked about what’ you say, two hours set up, 45 to break down.

14:43 Yes.

14:44 It obviously you reap a lot more dividends than that. Let’s just say three hours for sake of discussion. When you get the paycheck, you reap the dividends on doing the boom. Because there’s some benefits woven within the boom instead of the fact that you’re just doing that you’re the obvious that you’re delivering two trucks—

15:03 Right? There’s they pay some on dead head. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to discuss pay rates or anything.

15:09 Yeah, let’s stay away from that, but yeah, I mean, just so people—

15:12 So they pay you some for your deadhead, so it helps you out with your travel. But the biggest thing for me as far like I’m taking two it’s three hours but I’m going to spend I’ve spent 14 hours on a layover in Tampa airport waiting on a flight—

15:30 To get me just back to home. And in that 14 hours, you know, I’m going 800 miles—

15:37 Right?

15:38 Or and there’s a load closer to me. You may have to fly into Dallas and there’s not a load in Denton. So, you’ve got to get a rental car and get to Oklahoma City, you know. So, it’s the benefits of doing Boom for me personally is I’m able to make a lot more income more on my terms and not being subject to somebody else’s schedule like an airline, you know—

16:01 Right?

16:01 Or the prices on an airline.

16:04 Exactly. Now, from what you know, I mean, the booming too, it opens up a lot of possibilities, a lot of freedom. I mean, you can make your own decisions once you get through once you drop the two trucks. I mean, the horse and the back guy. I mean, you’re free to roam wherever you want to go, whether it be home or your next load. But, I mean, just I mean, so people understand, you can drop that back truck somewhere and still keep going to another location. And I mean, point being, you don’t have to drop at the same place. So, you’ve got a lot of possibilities of what you can do as far as your routes. Give us an idea—

16:37 Of are you booming? Starting off in Tyler or are you singling?

16:41 No, I’m it’s booming. I haven’t I have not done a single yet with the boom trailer.

16:47 Okay.

16:48 So like but it does make it easier, you know, if they’ve got two pickups or two drop offs, you can do it.

16:57 I haven’t experienced it yet. So I’m new enough to boom that I’m not there.

17:03 I got you. I got you.

17:04 I’m sure it will come because my dispatcher will find me load like that. I’m sure.

17:09 Oh, they’re out there. I mean, they not be may not be as frequent as some of the others, but they’re out there. But run us through next week. What it’s going to be like for you. Are you booming all next week or?

17:19 No, I’m taking the two to Tyler.

17:22 Okay.

17:23 And then I’m coming back to Denton and I’m picking up two heading to Lake Park, Georgia. I’ve got to stop by the shop because I’ve got a switch that’s got to be replaced and some stuff with the trailer. And she hasn’t really get she hasn’t told me what she has next yet. Sometimes I’m a little too far out to book for Wednesday. But as soon as I’m there, I’m probably going to get a hotel room because they’re going to work on the trailer for a minute, I’m sure. And then I’ll be either probably Chillicothe, Ohio for a couple of Kenworths or maybe Shelbyville if I’m lucky.

17:56 Gotcha.

17:56 But you know, I’m going to boom all week. I’m going to boom all next week and then the following week because I need to be home that next Thursday. So—

18:04 Well, if I understood you correctly, you’re going to be stopping by the shop here.

18:08 I am—

18:08 On your way to Lake Park or on the way back.

18:10 Once I deliver in Lake Park, I’m going to deliver there Tuesday probably midday and then I’ll either be to the yard to the office at that afternoon or Wednesday morning.

18:21 Tuesday and Wednesday morning. We’ll take care of you then for being on the show. We always take care of our drivers who are on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. Take care of them with a little bit of swag. And if you’re going to stop by, we can save the shipping and let you shop around, so to speak, in the back there. But, you know, we’re talking about your week upcoming booming. How much of a difference have you seen, not naming a number, but how much of a difference have you seen in the last month as far as things you’re able to do because you’re booming as far as in your lifestyle?

18:54 It’s been huge. Because I’m able to make what I need and have more home time. When I came down to get my boom trailer, I would I had been out for three weeks and then went down to Georgia to pick up the trailer and then trained on it. So I took two loads with it and I had to tell my dispatch, I’m like, “Look, you know, from Kansas, I’m going to go home for a couple of days because I’ve been out three weeks.” So, like I realize I’ve only been out for a few days with the boom trailer, but I’ve been out three weeks.

19:28 And so, but I’m able to I get more home time this way. Especially being that the pick there’s a pickup in Denton that’s only 80 miles from the house. So, if my next if my next load’s in Denton, I can swing by the house and sleep in my bed at night for that night and then get back on the road. And you know, a day or two at most is probably the most my wife is going to let me stay home anyways cuz you know, she’s my wife. But, no, I’m just kidding. She loves me being home. But—

19:59 You know, it’s it’s a quick refresh for me. You know, at least a couple of days to be able to kiss my wife and spend time with her and then I’m okay to get back out again. You know, when you’re out three weeks to six weeks at a time, you’re pretty whipped by the time you’re done and you’re ready to be home for a couple of weeks, you know.

20:16 Yeah. Body fatigue.

20:17 So, it’s a thing.

20:19 Body fatigue, mental fatigue. I mean, people don’t realize, but it takes a lot out of you. Of course, you know, you’re driving within the parameters of the law, but still the same. I mean, if you’re doing a lot of driving, it takes it out of you.

20:31 Yes. Being alone that’s a big mental strain. I’m fortunate my wife stays home. So, you know, if we can talk, you know, if she needs to, I use a Rand McNally headset.

20:48 So, like background noises out so you don’t get that, “Oh my god, I can’t hear you.” Like, or oh god, I hear everything. And so, you know, that’s nice. That’s a nice luxury to have when you’re out on the road and say you’re in Montana or whatever and it’s like it’s a beautiful place, but it could get lonesome out there.

21:07 Very much.

21:08 Yeah. Now, talking about being in Texas, I mean, as a truck driver, a driveaway truck driver, that’s probably one of the top states to be in as far as load availability. Texas, Georgia, Florida, those are great states to be in. What’s it like for you as far as finding something nearby to get you out of Texas?

21:29 So far, I’ve been out of Denton quite a bit. There’s the Peterbilt yard there. So, I think Norton is one of the top three as far as number of loads pulled out of Denton, or at least they were when I started with Norton. So, I don’t know what the numbers are exactly, but when I spoke with the guy at the yard, he’s like, “No, Norton takes their top three of what comes out of here.” So, and then I picked up an El Paso for that Sacramento run. I don’t have a whole lot of problems getting out of here. It’s you know you I may have to deadhead a little bit, but again you know they compensate me for driving a little for deadheading a little bit to get to a load. So, but from here we’ve got Oklahoma I believe up in Kansas and then you get over to Ohio like just that there’s stuff all over here.

22:20 So, it’s not hard to get a load.

22:23 And of course, you got that I guess I don’t know if comfort’s the right word, but the reassurance. It’s like regardless of where the load is, it’s like I’ve got a pickup truck and a trailer behind me and I can go anywhere. I mean—

22:39 Right.

22:40 How reassuring is that? I did not like doing singles until I got a tow car. So having my vehicle that when I was doing singles, I haven’t had anything go wrong, knock on some wood for sure and booming, but I had a truck break down and I was able to disconnect my vehicle and have stay warm because I was in Minnesota and it was colder than a well digger’s butt up there. Mhm.

23:09 But, having my vehicle, I have a place to sleep, I can carry food, I have water. You know, if something does go wrong, I can pull the truck down and go to a hotel and I’m not relying on a tow truck driver because tow truck drivers, thank God they’re there, but some of them can be jackasses if I’m allowed to say that.

23:32 Hey, we’re wide open here. You can say whatever.

23:34 Yeah. It’s like they don’t want you in their truck. And so not having to take a ride, be able to go do my own thing. If there hey, it’s going to be eight hours and I’m near an exit. I can drive to the Jack in the Box to get food and come back if I have to.

23:48 Right.

23:49 So that’s there’s a it’s a security blanket for sure.

23:53 Yeah, that’s a good way to put it. I couldn’t really put a word to it, but security blanket’s nice because I mean you have that and it you know, we talked about all the possibilities it opens you up to. What’s it been like now that you’ve been into it for a month? Are you becoming accustomed to it? Still feel like you got a lot to learn? You’re in chapter two. Where do you put yourself?

24:15 I’m learning. My pickup time should probably drop quite a bit. It isn’t rocket science, but there’s steps and you— So, and I’m constantly running through it in my head. Okay, did I do that? Okay, I did that. I did that. I did that. So, that’s why it takes me two hours because it should honestly probably take about an hour—

24:39 To clean everything up.

24:40 It’s a process.

24:42 It is. It’s a 30-step process.

24:45 So, you know, when I was in the army, you know, the saying was slow is smooth, smooth is fast. So, I just take my time and go through it. You know getting the wheel straight on the back truck. That’s, you know, it seems like every load I have to stop and adjust it because I’m tracking one way or the other a little bit—

25:05 Or I didn’t get my tra I didn’t back my trailer up perfectly straight, so it’s a little bit off, which makes it tracked. So, I’m learning something on every load, you know, how to get the front up higher for a P389 because it’s a work truck. So, that fifth wheel hitch is higher—

25:21 Right? And you either block the wheels or you start you can adjust your frame chains and that’ll raise it. So, I’m still learning. I’d say I’ll say chapter two because I’m confident in my ability to hook up and get everything right, but I’m still learning it and tweaking it and getting better at it and picking up tips from other drivers that are there. You know—

25:43 Now that we’re kind of talking the book analogy here, I think you just mentioned the forward with that expression you learned in the army. Take us back to your days in the army and how it has helped you now. When were you in the army?

25:56 I joined the army on September 1st of 1992. It was the my first basically my first day of my senior year in high school.

26:06 Right.

26:06 So I was on delayed entry. August of 93 is when I shipped out for basic training. I was an M1 A1 tanker. I was on Abrams Battle Tanks.

26:18 Yep. They taught me very quickly that I wasn’t as smart as I thought I was.

26:22 Hey, it’s tough out there.

26:23 So, but my third week in the army, I was on tanks in a motorpool. And I was there. I was in Fort Knox, Kentucky. You know, you I was raised very and I don’t know, I guess very southern. We say yes sir and no sir and yes ma’am and no ma’am. You respect your elders, you respect other people, whatever. But the army really reinforces that.

26:49 Mhm.

26:50 And integrity and loyalty are two of the most important characteristics a person can have in my opinion. And so but you don’t panic under pressure. You take your time or you take the time you need. You can hurry every chance you get but still slow as smooth as fast. And that’s what keeps you alive in that scenario. And you can almost equate that to trucking, too, because it’s dangerous.

27:18 Mhm.

27:19 You know, if you— We all see how people drive in their four-wheelers. And when you’re in a truck that’s, you know, 60,000 lbs roughly across two trucks and then a pickup and a trailer—

27:32 Yeah.

27:32 They’ll cut you off quick. So, you know, taking your time and staying with that slowest, smooth, smooth fast keeps you and somebody else alive. And we all know if you have an accident, we’re getting sued. So—

27:46 And you know, you spoke to a great point there. Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast. When you’ve got a boom trailer and you were talking about the people not to cast dispersions on the way people in four-wheelers drive, but how much lead time do you put between yourself, the car in front of you?

28:02 Probably more. People jump in front of me a lot because I leave a lot of space. Because I’m not stopping near as fast. So I would say probably 6 seconds at least lead time or my follow time.

28:20 Mhm.

28:21 Because, you know, it’s you’re going across Arizona and there’s potholes and when it bounces and those back, you don’t have four wheels back there tracking. You have two. So, if you catch a rut, it throws your throws that truck to the left or the right a little bit and at first it freaks you out because you’re what the hell’s going on—

28:40 Right? So, I’m very cautious when I’m driving it just because, you know, that’s a very expensive truck and, you know, I don’t want to spend my bond money. Like, that’s I protect it at all costs. So—

28:54 Well said.

28:55 So, I think I’m somewhere between three and 400,000 safe miles, and I’d like to get to a million.

29:01 Oh, that’s awesome. That’s a great goal. And you’re listening to Dennis Greenwood here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. Dennis Greenwood from Texas. I’m going to have to test my memory. Terrell, Texas. Is that right?

29:23 Yes. Terrell.

29:24 Terrell. Terrell. Sorry about that.

29:26 Oh, no worries.

29:27 Now, you were talking about you know you grew up in the South, the yes ma’am, the no ma’am, the integrity and the loyalty. Let’s talk let’s kind of dig down into Texas. You know, there’s a lot of people who think of certain things when they think of Texas and you fit that image. We had talked previously. There’s some things you’ve done in your past that not a lot of people have done, but you kind of fell into it. Tell us about how you got into very exciting time in your life back in the I guess mid to late 90s.

30:02 Well, late 80s, early 90s. We moved we lived out in East Texas. We had horses and so we broke horses and race horses and stuff and my parents decided to move us back, you know, closer to the metro Dallas area and I didn’t want to play sports there and I was in FFA when I was in East Texas. So, I showed my horse and you know there’s guys show deers and stuff like that. So, but when I got when I it’s funny cuz I was when I got back into Dallas is when I found it my sophomore year of high school, was actually 1990. My shop teacher was the rodeo coach and I decided to try my hand at bull riding.

30:47 Oh, yeah.

30:48 So, I went to a buck out here in Terrell actually and had my first experience bull riding and I was addicted to it. So ultimately I got out of the army in 98 and in 99 I donated half my liver to my mother and once that was done and every I was healed I went professional and did probable bull riding for a year in PRCA. Now, so—

31:17 Before you made that very charitable donation to your mother, very kudos to you for that. Had you been riding before that or did you start riding right after that? Okay.

31:28 No, I was I had been riding— Let’s see. I was in 98. I was 23. So, I had started riding when I was 16.

31:37 Just about to turn— No, I was 15 years old when I started riding.

31:41 But you didn’t turn professional until after your donation to your mother—

31:44 Right? I was 24. I was 24 when I tried to go pro for a year.

31:50 Now, tell us what it’s like riding on the professional bull riding circuit there. That’s I mean, I would think that’d be invigorating, exhilarating, exhausting. Just kind of take us through that.

32:02 It was it’s all of the above. Because I worked full-time with Southwestern Bell Telephone when I did it.

32:10 So, I mainly stayed in the Texas circuit. I rode Mesquite, Athens Canton, you know, so I stayed in the Texas circuit. I wasn’t I was not able to fill my PRCA card. So, technically I you can’t say I was a professional bull rider because I never actually finished got the card filled, but I was riding pro rodeos.

32:33 That’s a mere technicality. We’re going to call you professional bull rider.

32:37 Well, I’ve got a nice hole in my chin that says otherwise. Like is I rode Mad Max in Athens and Copenhagen Black Moon which you can’t even find those bulls anymore because I tried to look them up to show somebody but Kagan Serret was a huge bull rider at the time and two weeks to the day prior to me getting on Copenhagen Black Men in Canton, Texas, he rode him for 94 points in Las Vegas and I scared shitless honestly to get on that bull cuz I watched that tape and I knew what that bull was going to do.

33:16 And even knowing what he was going to do, he still got me over my rope and smacked me in the face with a horn. And then it wasn’t very long after that. I was in Athens on Mad Max and he come out of the shootute and got me over my rope almost immediately and smacked me and dropped me right there in front of it. And I mean, he was climbing on top of me and I had clowns trying to help me and I crawled back into the chute and he got in the shoot with me and was just gutter stomping me in the chute.

33:44 But—

33:45 That had to be extremely frightening.

33:48 That’s that was a scary experience.

33:51 Anyone you walk away from is kind of like a landing is a good one. So—

33:54 Yeah—

33:55 But my inaugural ride in the PRCA was wreck of the week on Fox Sport Southwest for almost a year.

34:01 Oh.

34:02 So there’s a good chance we can look it up and find you.

34:05 You might could. I was at church league softball actually and one of the guys I played softball with like, “Hey, would I see you on?” I was like, “Yeah.” He goes, “You were wreck of the week. I thought that was you.” Like, “Yeah,”

34:17 Good way to be known right there. Now, which one caused the injury to you?

34:22 That was Copenhagen Black Moon caught me in that spot and then I got caught by Mad Max which is what broke it open and to this day there’s still a hole in my chin. When I’m there next week I’ll show it to you. My beard covers it pretty well but there’s a hole in my chin.

34:38 Well, it’s good reason to grow a beard—

34:40 Right? Well, the main reason is my wife likes it. So, here I am.

34:44 That’s another good reason.

34:45 Yeah, it hides it up. And I’ve got a scar on my lip from a motorcycle accident. In 2010. So it hides that up pretty well, too. So—

34:54 Oh, that’s cool. That’s cool. What was it like? I mean for that time, those years that you spent on the back of a bucking bull there. I mean, well, the two that you named there, the ones that are very notable bulls. Give us a description of those, what they look like, the weight. I mean, those are some kind of animals.

35:14 Black Moon was great jet black. He’s a beautiful bull. He was I think he might have been Brangus. He had a he had the hump of a Brahma. And he had the color of an Angus.

35:28 He was probably 2,000 maybe 2500 lb. He was a monster.

35:34 That’s a big—

35:36 You know you when I put my rope on him like you’re they’re in the run before the shoot and that’s where you put your rope on. You tie it on and that way when they get in the shoot you just pull it and you can basically strap yourself in and like he’s calm as he could be standing there like he knew he was there to perform.

35:58 Mhm.

35:58 But he was beautiful like he was tall so well I say he was tall for me. I’m a very tall bull rider. Matter of fact oh I forget his name now. Mesquite Donnie Gay’s brother. He was he’s always on a horse in the back and he’s like, “You’re tall for a bull rider.” I said, “Well, yeah, because I’m six foot tall.”

36:19 Yeah. Most bull riders are about 5’8—

36:21 Right? So, for me, if it was nice to have a tall bull that that I didn’t feel like my legs I could just lock my ankles underneath them.

36:32 But he was calm as he could be. Like, I could have reached in there and pet him on the damn forehead and he’d have been okay.

36:37 Wow.

36:38 But as soon as they cut him loose out of that shoot—

36:40 It’s all game.

36:41 It is. It’s they’re as much athletes as we are. Like so and when I rode I had a bodacis pin that was in my hat. Like I never would have even attempted to ride that bull after knowing what he had been a what he had done. But there’s a huge amount of respect for those animals.

36:59 How long did you stay on him? Do you remember how long you stayed on him?

37:03 I made let’s see it was three jumps out. He made three jumps out and he made a hard right and that was where I was over my I got too far over my rope when he made it. So probably three and a half seconds. Like that was a that was an interesting ride.

37:20 Three and a half seconds you’ll never forget.

37:23 Yes. Well, it’s that’s kind of when you’re sitting back and you’re almost 50 years old and you look back you’re like I used to be kind of the coal, you know, you remember those things. So, yeah, Mad Max was he was almost kind of a between a sorrel and a bay color of like if you know horse colors very well.

37:41 Not like a real dark brown, but not a real light brown either. Kind of middle—

37:45 Deep tan kind of thing.

37:47 Yeah. Like almost like a is it a limousine? That’s red almost like kind of that red.

37:55 Yeah. Yeah. It was a beautiful— It was a pretty color, but he was batshit crazy, actually. Like that bull was I It wasn’t like getting near Black Moon. Like I didn’t really want to even put my rope on that bull. Like I wasn’t scared of him, but I was scared of him at the same time, if that makes sense.

38:15 Oh, absolutely.

38:16 He just like he wanted you. Like it was. And what’s funny is I was asking cuz I was talking with a couple of guys and they’re like, “Okay, he’s coming out and he’ll go either way.” Like I’ve seen him go both ways. And I was like, “Okay.” And but he’s going to spin straight out of the shoot. And he did. And that’s what got me. Like it was just he we came out to the right and I got over my rope too far and as soon as he popped up it smacked me and I was trying to kind of get myself—

38:51 Going into that well it’s called the well to this to the direction they’re turning—

38:55 Right—

38:56 Because that’s going to put centrifugal force pushing you out to the outside so if you’re inside it kind of gets you centered.

39:02 I got you. And it I don’t think I was on him for more than a second. Like it was just it was that fast. He came out with a huge explosion and got me real quick. So—

39:14 Were you conscious at the time when it went through your chin there?

39:18 Well, okay. It just— So, there’s not like a big hole that you can see through my chin. There’s just a let’s say there’s a chunk taken out.

39:28 Okay.

39:28 So, there’s a hole in my chin right there.

39:29 I got you. But that was what busted it open. So, I guess you could say I sprung a leak that night. But—

39:38 It’s good you can joke about it now.

39:40 I Well, I joked about it then actually. Like I was full of piss and vinegar. Like I’d chew nails back then.

39:46 I got you.

39:47 Now it takes longer to heal. So, but yeah, that was that’s probably besides skydiving, that’s the best sport I’ve ever been involved in. And tip of the hat to all the cowboys and cowg girls out there cuz y’all entertain the hell out of us.

40:05 Absolutely. You included. You included there back in that time frame. Now you just mentioned skydiving. Now that opens up a whole new window of discussion there. No pun intended there. Take us down the road.

40:19 Okay. So, in 99 before I was getting ready to go up to Colorado and donate my liver to my mom and god diving was on my bucket list and it was one of the things I wanted to do before I died. And back then the adult living liver donor surgery was still experimental. I use quotations on that.

40:45 I was one of the first 50 in the United States to be an adult living adult donor. With my liver. Which is another cool scar. But so I went and jumped out of a perfectly good airplane because I wanted to experience it. And as a tanker, you’re not going to get skydive or you’re not going to get airborne school. So I’m not going to get to jump out airplanes there. So—

41:06 You’re groundbound.

41:08 Yes. Well, it’s a it’s 63 tons and they hadn’t quite figured out how to airdrop them yet. So they were like, “No, you’re not doing that.” But I wanted to jump out of an airplane and experience it. So I did. And it was just like bull riding. It was sensory overload and you’re addicted. Like once you do it once, you’re going to want to do it again. So after the surgery, I got back did that August in September was the day I well I went back to work a little bit earlier than that, but September was when I was supposed to go back to work. So in October they said, “No, doctor said staples are out. You’re good.” You know, okay. So, I went and did it again.

41:49 Wow.

41:49 And then I didn’t ride. Then I didn’t jump for a little bit. I kind of got into my motorcycles.

41:55 Gotcha.

41:55 And I scared myself on my motorcycle a couple years later and that weekend I won’t tell you what I did to scare myself because that would make me look very unprofessional as a professional truck driver. So I sold my bike and decided to start skydiving. The option at that point was finish my pilot’s license, which I had started when I was in the army, and I just couldn’t afford to do it anymore, or jump out of airplanes. And I thought jumping out of airplanes would be cheaper. I’m here to tell you, after 215 jumps it’s it wasn’t cheaper by any stretch of the imagination—

42:32 But it was a great experience. I got on a rookie four-way skydiving competition team for a season. We placed third in the state of Texas.

42:42 Oh wow.

42:43 In skydiving. So like it was, you know, I still have my skydiving rig. My wife won’t let me jump anymore because I would. My cousin lives out in East Texas and he jumps every week. But yeah, it’s a great sport. Like that’s it’s expensive, but it’s worth it.

43:00 215 jumps. Is that right?

43:03 Yes.

43:05 Which one stand out as the most memorable? Number 15. That was my first reserve ride. I reached it was cold. It was I think December. I reached down and I was still in a student rig. So, I had an actual rip cord that you pull out and you have to hang on to it.

43:23 Mhm.

43:23 And I reached back for it and I didn’t feel it. And so I went through it again and reached for it. I didn’t feel it again. And you go straight to the reserve. Well, it was a single handle cutaway reserve. So it cut it would cut the main off so it won’t deploy or it will cut it away if it’s deployed already and simultaneously pull your reserve. So I went to pull it and it’s velcroed on your chest. So I went to pull it and it didn’t come off. So I reached with both hands and grabbed it and jerked it off my chest and ripped the Velcro off and when I did that flipped me upside down. So my reserve sprung out, went between my legs and you know I did a backflip with lines between my legs and you know—

44:06 So you’re going back down back to the ground. Shoot between your legs. Is that right?

44:14 When it came out. Yes. That’s how cuz it when I pulled it, I flipped myself sideways basically. So my shoulders facing the ground instead of my chest. And as I as it continued that when that came out, it went between my legs and then deployed. So, there’s a it’s in a bag. Basically, you’re all the fabric of the parachute is in a bag—

44:34 And then the lines are tied to it and it unravels itself.

44:40 So, the bag comes out, goes between my legs and flips me over. I look up and there’s an orange canopy and I’m, oh, yay, I’m alive. So, that’s the one that stands out the most.

44:51 What was the landing like on that one?

44:53 Oh, it’s fine. It was just normal. The canopies the reserve canopy was the same size as the main canopy. So once it’s deployed, you’re just normal flying down and landing. So but yeah, that was an interesting—

45:10 You came in smoothly on that one despite everything that had happened.

45:13 Yes. And the safety and training adviser at the time, his name was Bill. He was a golden knight in the army. He come out and he’s like, “Okay, well tell me what happened.” Because I was technically still a student. I didn’t even have my Scott Evan license yet. So, every reserve ride, they want to know what happened, you know, why did you have to pull your reserve? Was it a malfunction? So, when I went through it, he’s like, “Well, you did the right thing, so good to go.” And—

45:36 Good deal. Now, I got to ask you this. From what we’ve heard so far, you’re listening to the fabulous adventures of Dennis Greenwood here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. Dennis, are you an adrenaline junkie?

45:48 Yes. Yeah. Well, let me just say yes. I’m just going to go with yes. I’m not going to go as I used to be cuz I still do it today.

45:54 So, you would jump today if the cards lined up right—

45:57 In a heartbeat.

45:58 Gotcha. Now, I don’t want to go back into too much here, but I ride myself. I have never jumped out of a an aircraft, but on the motorcycle because we everyone out there knows who rides they can be dangerous. But you know, you control that danger in the palm of your hand and with your head, the 6 in between your ears. But did you have a harrowing experience?

46:26 Yes, I don’t get me wrong, I maintain my motorcycle license and I will go ride today. I’ll go buy a cruiser. But I bought at the time in my 20s, I bought the GSXR 10000 when it came out. Well, I say that it was the third year it was out.

46:43 Gotcha.

46:44 At the time it was the fastest production bike on the road. You know, I mean, back then and if it do 200, I’m trying to do 201.

46:56 But riding that bike in Dallas, I would have killed myself.

47:00 Well, you learn a lot with time and age.

47:03 Yes. Yeah. Looking back now.

47:06 You’re like you thank the lucky stars that you’re still here and able to look back—

47:10 Right? That’s you know that’s like I own bikes after that bike. I had a Honda Shadow that was the one I had the accident on. So it was all that’s all me. Like I know there’s people out there that that think, “Oh my god, you shouldn’t get on a motorcycle. That’s a coffin or it’s a death trap or whatever.” But no, I that was all me. And so I loved riding it. I really did, but because you’re in Dallas and traffic and I had two kids at the time and you know, had I not made it that then I wouldn’t have my youngest daughter—

47:48 Right?

47:48 So, you know, I’m glad I made that decision when I made it. But I would still I still ride like I love riding bikes. My son owns a bike and I take it out and ride it, but I don’t do what I did when I was in my 20s either.

48:02 Oh, sure. Now, are there some good places to ride in Texas there where you live?

48:07 If you get kind of out in the country, yes, but it’s pretty flat. It’s just the wind in your face. Or if you’re wearing a helmet on your neck, apparently, but Texas is one of those states where you don’t have to have a helmet as long as you’re old enough.

48:26 I didn’t know the law in Texas. I know South Carolina, Florida, no no helmet required—

48:31 Right? Texas is the same. But yeah, there’s some good winding roads and stuff to, you know, where you get to feel that that you understand the exhilaration of going those windy roads. But if I was going to ride Colorado, Montana, like those would be my dream rides.

48:52 Or even out near Sturgis up in, you know, all up in that area is—

48:57 In the Dakota—

48:58 Would be way better. Oh, yeah. That’d be way better in my opinion, but if you get down in Hill Country, I’m sure that riding down there is amazing. But up here is pretty flat. So—

49:09 Well, being talking about your dreams there and being a boom driver for us, we’re lucky to have Dennis Greenwood here at Norton Transport and you’re listening to him here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. But talking about your dreams and riding in those locations that are you know dream destinations, is that something that you’ve thought about is you know I could swing a trip out there now that I’m making good money—

49:38 Right? You know that’s one of the things that that drew me and my wife to driving was, you know, I’ve seen all but one of the lower 48. But I haven’t really got to spend a bunch of time because obviously with the way we started, we were very money motivated. So, it was drop it and get to the next one. Drop it, get to the next one.

50:02 And now I there I do have that opportunity. Next year, God willing, I’m going to take my wife on a cruise because she’s never been. And I’d like to hook up drop the boom trailer here, hook to my fifth wheel and take it and actually do a northern Montana trip because everywhere up by Kalispell up there is gorgeous and that’s not that far. Well, I say it’s not that far. It’s probably 700 miles, but truckers understand 700 miles is nothing.

50:36 It’s not that far.

50:37 But if—

50:38 No, if I It’s a day drive. So, if I can do hit pitch my fifth wheel and then get a spot at Sturgis, that would be awesome, you know, just because then on the way home we can stop and hit Mount Rushmore since we got rained out three weeks in a row trying to go.

50:54 That’d be an awesome trip, man. You know, we’ve talked to a lot of drivers here on the Six-Figure Trucker and we ask them a lot, you know, the most aesthetic places they’ve seen, the most beautiful, majestic, take your breath away. And one of the I can’t say which one is the top one, but one of the states that pops up the most is South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana.

51:16 Yes, all three are beautiful. So, the Dakotas are better on the western side because it kind of flattens out as you get towards Minnesota and all that. But yeah, all of that up there is just amazing.

51:29 Now, talk about this cruise that your wife wants to do. Where do you want to go?

51:36 I’ve been to the Caribbean and Alaska on cruises and I’m more of a warm weather kind of—

51:44 Kind of girl and she’s more of a cold weather kind of girl.

51:47 Okay.

51:47 So, but I’d like to take her to Alaska just because I know that would be absolutely amazing for her.

51:54 That’s a beautiful place.

51:57 It’s very beautiful. But you’re going in July. So that would be, you know, during my busy time. So it’s either that or we’ll do like a Western Caribbean so she can kind of get a feel for cruising.

52:11 Mhm.

52:11 But like I’ve been on several Western Caribbeans. I’ve never been to been to the Eastern Caribbean, which I’d like to do. But I’m going to take her probably on a five or seven day. That’ll kind of get her feet wet and be it if you like it, it’s not really long enough, but it’s long enough to satisfy that itch.

52:31 Right.

52:31 And it’s short enough that if you don’t like it, it’s not too unbearable. So—

52:37 Right. Right.

52:38 But—

52:38 A good trial run there. And is that on the calendar? I’m not saying, you know, pinned then, but is that on the horizon soon?

52:47 Yes. We both have to get our passports. Oh, I haven’t even told her yet. She’s actually in the other room. You probably heard me already. And she’s sitting there going, “Son of a— He’s taking me to Alaska.”

52:59 Make sure she’s not listening next week when this drops.

53:02 Right. Well, she’s sitting in there listening to me talk right now, I think. So—

53:07 She’s hearing it live. Hearing it live.

53:10 Yeah. Yeah. So, but I mean that that’s good because she’ll hold me accountable to it, too. So—

53:16 Oh, there you go. You’ve left the cat out of the bag there—

53:19 Right? Well, we get into the you get into the swing of this, especially when you’re booming because I mean, frankly, I do make good money, right? So, you start getting into the swing of it and you start running and then you forget about stuff and you go, “Oh, damn. I meant to do that and you didn’t do it.” So, that you know, I’m going to end up getting close to it and just have to pay for the whole cruise all up front, which I’ll be able to do, but you know, I’ll be behind. She’ll keep me on track and say, “Hey, you said that.” So, you know, we’ll figure out a date and get it booked and then I can take, you know, the rest of this year to pay for it instead of doing it all at once.

53:54 Gotcha. Gotcha. You’re listening to Dennis Greenwood with many of his great stories and tales. On the road, off the road, behind the wheel, on a bucking bull, jumping out of an airplane. He’s done quite a few things to say. That’d be an understatement. But Dennis, we want to wrap it up here. We often do this here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. What would your counsel your advice be to someone who may be new to the trucking industry or may be in driveaway, but what would your advice be to them moving forward? Is it something they should consider or how do you look at it and then and be candid with us?

54:35 I would recommend it just because of my experience. I mean, honestly, going from homeless to like where I’m at today. It is a great industry to be in. It has its ups and downs, just like everything else. Listen to the drivers that that have the experience. Don’t listen to all the guys that that because Facebook is huge, right? So, people are always on there going, “Should I get into the industry? I’m looking to get into the industry.” And you hear all these guys going, “No, don’t get into it. It’s stupid. It’s the fastest way to go broke if you plan I trade foreign exchange and so the saying in trading is plan your trade your plan. Don’t veer from it,”

55:22 Right?

55:23 If you plan and you know what you set the money back you need to set back to take care of yourself and do the stuff you need to do, you’ll make it. There’s work. There’s plenty of work.

55:32 You stay on course. But listen—

55:35 Right? And listen to the people that have been doing it for, you know, 10, 20 years because they’ll tell you what you need to do. They’ll help you. And you don’t listen to the guys. Everybody’s out for themselves these days, you know? So, they’re like, “No, don’t do it. Don’t listen. You know what you need to do. Go do it.” And you know, by all means, you know what? Come into the boom industry. If you see me at a yard, I’ll help you.

56:00 Gotcha. Well, as we sign off, when I look for guests on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport, I reach out to our dispatch team leaders and Courtney said Dennis Greenwood would be a great guy and she was spot on. And you know, Courtney’s sweet, great. We love Courtney. Anything you want to say to Courtney and her team?

56:21 Yes, thank you, Courtney. Courtney, I’ve been I was waiting for a boom trailer for quite some time. And Courtney kept me up to date and she called me and said, “I think I may have you a boom trailer.” Like, she is amazing. She works her butt off to get me loaded and get me where I need to be and to keep me running and making money. So, I can’t say enough good about my dispatch team. Good deal. Well, Dennis Greenwood here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. Dennis was a great guest. Taught us a lot of things that he’s done in his life. And Dennis, just the last thing is not really a question, but anything you want to leave us with?

57:00 No, I appreciate being here and you know to everybody out there, keep trucking.

57:09 Six-Figure Trucker is brought to you by Norton Transport. Norton Transport is a driveaway trucking company that customers can rely on. It offers excellent independent contract driving opportunities to professional, courteous, and qualified drivers that can provide the kind of service we deliver. If you’re interested in learning more about Norton or just want to subscribe to the show, check out Six-FigureTrucker.com. That’s Six-FigureTrucker.com.