








Industry Voice - The Trucking Fitness Company <em>Trucker Path gets up close with The Trucking Fitness Company, whose mission is to help truck drivers exercise consistently while on the road so they stay behind the wheel longer and retire on their own terms. We're honored to talk to their Founder, Mark Manera and discuss what The Trucking Fitness Company is all about.</em>
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2021/03/202103-BLOG-TP-IndustryVoice-TheTruckingFitnessCompany-3.jpg" alt=""]
<h3><strong>TP: Tell us a short story about you.</strong></h3>
I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri and have been passionate about health and wellness my whole life. I grew up playing baseball and started doing Crossfit once my baseball career ended. Crossfit really ignited my passion for health and wellness. Which also inspired me to go to Physical Therapy school.
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A little trivia: my favorite TV shows are Shark Tank, The Bachelor, and Survivor.
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<h3><strong>TP: What made you decide to get into health/fitness and specifically for the trucking industry?
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In my 5th year of Physical Therapy school, I had a clinical rotation in a small town in southern Missouri. Through that experience, I worked with a lot of truck drivers in the clinic. I saw the good and the bad of the trucking industry. And a lot of the bad aspects of the industry came from the reason why they were in the clinic in the first place, their health. After experiencing that and having a lot of long conversations with those patients who were truck drivers, I was inspired to start The Trucking Fitness Company. I wanted to give drivers everywhere a chance to fight back. Give them a chance to live a healthier life on the road.
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2021/03/mark-manera-truckinfit2.png" alt=""]
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<h3><strong>TP: Ever tried driving a truck? </strong></h3>
I have not driven a truck before and I don’t have my CDL, but I’ve spent plenty of time in a truck. I’m very open to the fact that I’m not a truck driver, but I think there are a lot of advantages to that. I have spent countless hours talking to drivers. I’ve listened to their stories, their struggles, and have asked them for a lot of feedback on our program and how we can make it easier for them to do while on the road. I have taken all of that information and combined it with my background of physical therapy/health and wellness to create something really special for the trucking industry.
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<h3><strong>TP: What are the common habits that a truck driver should change?</strong></h3>
I think there’s a mindset problem for a lot of truck drivers. And I don’t think it’s their fault
for having this mindset, but moreso a cultural problem within the trucking industry. A lot
of drivers don’t make their health a priority because they think it’s impossible to live a
healthy life on the road. It’s become so much of a norm in the truck industry that poor
health seems to be a part of the job description. And I’m here to change that.
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Truck drivers need to do two things:
<li> Take action. Just find a way to get started. You don’t have to have a perfect
plan, you just need to take the first couple of steps in the right direction. You’ll
figure out the rest of the plan as time goes on.</li>
<li>They need a support system. Life on the road is lonely at times. And when
you’re on your own, you need to find ways to create accountability in your life.
One example of this is having a deep conversation with a close friend or
significant other about your struggles and the reasons why you want to make a
change in your life. Then they can help you stick with those changes and stay
consistent during the tough times!</li>
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2021/03/202103-BLOG-TP-IndustryVoice-TheTruckingFitnessCompany-2.jpg" alt=""]
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<h3><strong>TP: Tell us something about The Trucking Fitness Company. How did it start?
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The Trucking Fitness Company was born out of the experiences I had while working with truck drivers in a physical therapy clinic. I saw the struggles they go through and the lack of support they have with their health while on the road. So, I decided to do something about it. We are the best health and wellness solution out there for truck drivers. And we take a lot of pride in the fact that our program was built for truck drivers. No one else.
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Our goal is to meet you, a truck driver, where you’re at and give you the easiest starting point possible. We want to take away as many barriers that have stopped you from starting in the past as we can. We’re going to make it easy for you to lose that 30lbs, get more energy to play with your kids, and fight back so you can retire on your own terms. We do that through our easy to use app directly on your phone that gives you a daily 20-30 minute workout that you can do in or just outside of your truck with no gym or fancy workout equipment needed. We give all our members a free resistance band and that’s the only piece of equipment you’ll need! Also through our app, we help drivers build healthier lifestyle and nutrition habits while helping you stay consistent with daily messages, 24/7 access to a coach, and putting you into accountability groups with other like minded drivers.
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<h3><strong>TP: What do you think are the obstacles/barriers of truckers into getting a proper fitness routine?
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There are a ton of obstacles that drivers face while on the road:
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<li>Being behind the wheel 8-11 hours a day</li>
<li>Limited food options</li>
<li>Lack of a community</li>
<li>Poor sleep while in their truck</li>
<li>No access to a gym or help on how to get started</li>
<li>The stigma within the trucking industry that truck drivers can’t be healthy</li>
<li>Lack of confidence in their health</li>
<li>Feel down/depressed about where their health and wellness is currently at</li>
<li>Feeling like they can’t do anything about it</li>
<li>Anxious about the future and how long they are able to work for/how long their career will be</li>
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Medical/health problems
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<li>Life expectancy of truck drivers is 16 years less than the average population</li>
<li>85% are overweight</li>
<li>48% are obese</li>
<li>2x higher risk of becoming obese compared to the average adults</li>
<li>1 in every 7 has Type 2 Diabetes</li>
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<h3><strong>TP: What are the benefits of your program for truck drivers? Is there an age limit?</strong></h3>
Our program gives truck drivers the chance to take back control of their health. We have a wide variety of drivers in our program from new truckers who don’t want their health to go down the same path they see other’s at the truck stops have gone down to 40 year vets who want to retire on their own terms. There’s no age limit to our program. We have a program for all fitness levels and want to help!
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2021/03/202103-BLOG-TP-IndustryVoice-TheTruckingFitnessCompany-4.jpg" alt=""]
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<h3><strong>TP: What are some notable breakthroughs or improvements from Truckers that subscribed to
your program?
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We have had some awesome transformations throughout our time working with drivers. My favorite stories are the ones where I can tell they’re in it for the long haul. The most recent story I can think of is one of our drivers, who for a while was struggling to make it stick and dealing with some family/job problems. She made the commitment to make a
change in her life, started doing our workouts daily and lost 9lbs in the first two weeks. I’m not sure how much weight she has lost in total by now, but I can tell you that I see her posting her workout almost everyday. Something has clicked for her and this is going to be a lifelong change!
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<h3><strong>TP: What are some quick fitness tips that you would like to share for truckers?</strong></h3>
There’s no perfect plan. Instead of spending so much time planning up this perfect routine, put your shoes on and get moving. Just like driving, you don’t get very far with your health and fitness goals without actually moving. So, if you feel like you’re at a loss with exactly what to do, find a coach or program like ours that you can follow. If you
have an activity that you enjoy and can consistently do while on the road, like go for a walk, do that!
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2021/03/mark-manera-truckinfit.png" alt=""]
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<h3><strong>TP: How can truckers subscribe to your fitness program?
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Our goal is to make it as easy for truck drivers to start exercising as possible! You can get set up and start your first workout in less than 5 minutes by visiting this <a href="https://truckinfit.com/ourprogram/">LINK.</a>
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And because we love all the people at Trucker Path so much, if you use the code <strong>“TRUCKERPATH”</strong> at the checkout, we will give you 20% off your first month!
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<h4>By Aldous Aldwin</h4>
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Trucker Spotlight - Jerry McCallister <em>The Trucker Spotlight series explores the lives of truckers and their journey to make a difference in their industry. We interview different truck drivers to understand some life lessons that make them who they are today. We also learn more about their motivations, and the problems that they encounter on the job. We also tackle how Trucker Path's solutions helped them with what they do. The information that they provide helps inform other people who are looking to delve into the trucking world.</em>
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Today we are putting the spotlight on <strong>Jerry</strong>, who's a driver at FedEx Custom Critical. He also has a Youtube channel called, "Expediter Boogie”, where he talks about the types of things he does in expediting. Let's get to know more about Jerry and his "expeditions".
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<h3><strong>How long have you been trucking?</strong></h3>
I have been driving for 11 years all with FedEx Custom Critical and the last 4 of those years I’ve been with HyField Trucking who is a fleet owner leased onto FedEx Custom Critical.
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/08/jm2.jpeg" alt=""]
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<h3><strong>What made you decide to be a trucker?</strong></h3>
My mom influenced that decision, she had been driving for 14 years OTR and i was tired of sitting in a cubicle doing the same thing over and over and needed the change. After researching trucking I landed on expediting and thought this would be way better than doing normal long haul. It seemed more exciting and paid more for less work.
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<h3><strong>In the years that you have been driving, what are the significant changes that you've noticed in the trucking industry?</strong></h3>
I have noticed many changes, rates dropping compared to earlier years, implementation of electronic logs, trucks getting smarter like the Tesla Truck and technology used on the road getting better. I am happy for the technology changes i believe technology is a driving force to help us truckers in our daily jobs.
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<h3><strong>What's the story of you becoming "Expediter Boogie"? Do you also have a name for your truck?</strong></h3>
I wanted to start a YouTube channel to talk about the types of things we did in expediting and places we go. Also a lot of people didn’t know what expediting was, so i started the channel. When thinking about what i would call it, I had been called Boogie all my life by my family so i added Expediting to it and came up with The Expediter Boogie.
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We just got a brand new truck and haven’t thought of a name yet so we are taking suggestions.
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<h3><strong>Are there times of loneliness while driving? How do you deal with it? </strong></h3>
I don’t get lonely on the road. I drive team with my partner of 10 years so i always have someone to talk to and share my day with. I am also a mentor with the company i drive with HyField Trucking. I am always on the phone with my mentees helping them and teaching them the ways of expediting. So I am rarely ever lonely I just stay busy.
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/08/jm4.jpeg" alt=""]
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<h3><strong>As a trucker, what are the current struggles in this COVID19 pandemic?</strong></h3>
Definitely the biggest struggle we are facing right now is dealing with the slower freight which in turn is making the rates lower. The other main struggle I find in dealing with Covid-19 is people not taking it serious enough. Not wearing mask and seeming to not care. It makes our job more difficult and having to be out here risking out health on a daily basis to help keep the country moving I just wished more people had more compassion to try and help do their part.
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<h3><strong>What are your usual routes? Favorite scenic truck route?</strong></h3>
We don’t have a usual route, being with Fed Ex Custom Critical we run all 48 states and Canada. I would have to say my favorite area to drive through is I-70 in Colorado. that area is absolutely beautiful and I never get tired of seeing it.
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/08/jm1.jpeg" alt=""]
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<h3><strong>Weirdest or most unusual haul?</strong></h3>
At Fed Ex Custom Critical we haul everything from pharmaceuticals to explosives, we even haul priceless art at times. One of the coolest things we hauled was actual artifacts from the Titanic we transported between museums. Another great trip was when we moved 4 different inventions that were made by Benjamin Franklin. You never know what you are going to haul in expediting, which is what makes it fun it is always something different.
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<h3><strong>How often do you use rest stops / truck stops? What are the things that you look for in a truck stop? Favorite truck stop meal?</strong></h3>
We park at truck stops all the time mostly utilizing Loves because that is where we fuel the majority of the time. I love the rewards we get through Loves and it is nice to see them adding more services to their locations. I don’t have a favorite truck stop meal due to we have a custom sleeper and tend to do all our cooking in the truck.
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<h3><strong>What are the common troubles or problems you encounter while trucking? Pet peeves?</strong></h3>
I would say the usual things all us truckers have to deal with like traffic, shippers not being ready on time.
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I would say my biggest pet peeve while driving is cars cutting you off. Most of them don’t realize just how close they come to causing an accident. It’s not easy stopping this truck quickly and when we have to it causes more headache for us cause everything in our sleeper goes flying.
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<h3><strong>We're glad that you use the Trucker Path on your day to day trucking. What features do you enjoy the most?</strong></h3>
The biggest thing we enjoy about Trucker Path is the ability to see what truck stops are coming up along our route as well as seeing what other drivers are reporting about upcoming weigh stations and whether or not they are closed or open. Reading the reviews from other drivers is also a big help, like if we want to stop at a Wal-Mart. Being able to quickly see if we are allowed to park there or if we need to talk to the manager is a big help.
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<h3><strong>What are some tips that you would like to share for aspiring truckers?</strong></h3>
I would say do your best and put forth the effort. Don’t just look at trucking as a job, think of it as a career. Don’t fall into all the typical stereotypes of truckers. Put on decent clean clothes when dealing with a shipper or receiver, don’t litter like a lot of drivers do, and just try to take it to the next level. Be proud of what you do on the roads by being a professional driver and keeping America running.
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<h3><strong>Where can we watch your videos?</strong></h3>
You can find me on my Youtube Channel, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCksmX2wd6Lzo6zM4pyaB_ew">Expediter Boogie</a>.
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vl1vV2b_1wE" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<h4>By Aldous Aldwin</h4>
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Trucker Spotlight - Shelby <em>The Trucker Spotlight series explores the lives of truckers and their journey to make a difference in their industry. We interview different truck drivers to understand some life lessons that make them who they are today. We also learn more about their motivations, and the problems that they encounter on the job. We also tackle how Trucker Path's solutions helped them with what they do. The information that they provide helps inform other people who are looking to delve into the trucking world.</em>
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/09/blog-4.jpg" alt=""]
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Today we are putting the spotlight on <strong>Shelby</strong>, who's been driving for 3 years now. She's has a blog and Youtube channel called, Happiness by the Mile, where she shares her experiences and also gives information on everything you would want or need to know to become a professional driver, and live on the road. Let's get to know more about Shelby and how she gets happiness out of every mile.
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<h3><strong>What made you decide to be a trucker?</strong></h3>
It was just a childhood dream of mine to drive a semi. I was not invested in making a career out of it. I just wanted to do it to say I could. It was more of a bucket list item than anything else. Now, I love it so much I could never leave!
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<h3><strong>In the years that you have been driving, what are the significant changes that you've noticed in the trucking industry?</strong></h3>
I have not seen much of any significant change during my short time in the industry, but I have to say that there is a definite shift happening with the reduction of mom and pop truck stops, access to good food, and good training for those getting into the industry.
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/09/blog-6.jpg" alt=""]
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<h3><strong>What made you decide to create a Youtube channel? And why did you choose the "Happiness by the Mile" name?</strong></h3>
I initially started an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/happiness_by_the_mile/">Instagram</a> page with the name "Happiness By The Mile". I thought it was the most ideal reference to my mindset of being on the road. We chase many things down the road, our thoughts, fears, hopes for the future, but we forget all too often our happiness is not and will never be a destination. We have to be present in our current lives, and happiness is a choice that we can make at any time. I want to encourage drivers to build happiness as they drive down the road, not chase it into the sunset.
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<h3><strong>Do you have a name for your truck?</strong></h3>
My current truck's name is "Waldo". I play a game on Instagram with my followers where I post my truck at a truck stop, and they try to guess where it's located. "Where's Waldo?"
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<h3><strong>Are there times of loneliness while driving? How do you deal with it? </strong></h3>
I love to keep my brain stimulated by listening to podcasts and audiobooks. I also go out of my way to make kind gestures to others by buying their coffee for them, or helping them out if they are trying to fix something on their trucks at a rest area. I think we all benefit from some positive interaction with other humans on the road. It just takes a bit of effort to put yourself out there to receive.
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<h3><strong> As a trucker, what are the current struggles in this COVID19 pandemic?</strong></h3>
The hardest was finding food for a long time. With a lot of the restaurants and fast food joints having fewer hours or being closed all together it was quite a struggle.
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/09/blog-5.jpg" alt=""]
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<h3><strong>What are your usual routes? Favorite scenic truck route?</strong></h3>
I run I-80 quite often. If I go east it is usually to Pennsylvania or New Jersey. Most of my routes on the west side of the united states are to Montana, Washington or Oregon. I tend to stay where the snow happens to be the worst. Just the luck of the draw for me. My favorite route is anywhere through US 191, north or south of Salt Lake City it doesn't matter. It is absolutely breathtaking and goes through various national parks.
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<h3><strong>Weirdest or most unusual haul?</strong></h3>
My most unusual haul had to be a single pallet of medical supplies across the entire United States (not during COVID).
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<h3><strong>How often do you use rest stops / truck stops? What are the things that you look for in a truck stop? Favorite truck stop meal?</strong></h3>
I stop and truck stops and rest areas frequently! I stop often to let my dog Dakota out to stretch her legs, as well as myself. We take a generous amount of time to make sure that we both are feeling awake and ready to keep moving down the road.
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/09/blog-2.jpg" alt=""]
<h3><strong>What are the common troubles or problems you encounter while trucking?</strong></h3>
We often struggle to find a place to park with the doubles set. Pull through parking spaces are the only option most of the time, and not all truckstops have them. We are sometimes forced to park on the curb out of the way, or on exit ramps of the interstates.
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/09/blog-3.jpg" alt=""]
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<h3><strong>What are your pet peeves while driving/trucking?</strong></h3>
I don't have many pet peeves. I do wish that there was more respect given to the trucks from cars on the road, but it's hard to know what we do unless you've been up there in that seat doing it. We oftentimes need to back off a busy street to a customer dock, and it can be hard with cars zipping around you instead of giving you a few minutes to do what you need to do to get out of the way.
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<h3><strong>We're glad that Trucker Path has been of service to you! Could you share your favorite feature of the app?</strong></h3>
I like to use <a href="http://www.truckerpath.com">Trucker Path's</a> map feature to see where all the truckstops are around my current location, and I use it to help me trip plan to my final drop location.
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<h3><strong>What are some tips that you would like to share for aspiring truckers?</strong></h3>
Take it slow and steady. No matter how many years you have on your belt, you can never know it all, and always have something to learn.
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<h3><strong>Where can we watch your trucking videos?</strong></h3>
You can check out my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/ShelbyHBTM/featured">Happiness by the Mile channel on Youtube</a>.
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<em>Got a cool story to share? Send us message at community@truckerpath.com to be featured!</em>
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<h4>By Aldous Aldwin</h4>
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