This week, Veteran owner-operator Scott Erickson joins the Oakley Podcast to share his 44-year journey in trucking, from falling in love with big rigs as a kid to running his own authority, losing everything when a family member stole his wife’s lucrative business, and rebuilding life on a small Kansas farm. He talks about transitioning from reefer to Oakley’s hopper division, why bulk work, though more exhausting, feels more meaningful, and how mental health challenges and isolation on the road have affected him and other drivers. Scott also tells the wild story of trading in a paid-for Peterbilt for a “deal of a lifetime” 389 that immediately blew up, only to receive a full in-frame at no cost. Through it all, he emphasizes resilience, the importance of family support, realistic expectations about owner-operator finances, and why he has no plans to ever retire from the job he loves.
Key topics in today’s conversation include:
- Welcome to Today’s Episode with Scott Erickson (0:54)
- Life On a 20-Acre Kansas Farm And Stocked Fishing Lake (5:40)
- How Childhood Awe of Trucks Led Scott to Trucking (6:48)
- Buying First Truck, Own Authority, and Flatbed Hustle (9:19)
- The Family Business Story: Wholesale Food Company Background (13:34)
- Discovering The Warehouse Emptied and Business Stolen (15:04)
- Legal Battle With Sister-In-Law and Losing Everything in Court (19:10)
- Returning to Owner Operator, Reefer Carrier, and Coming To Oakley (21:33)
- Finally Calling Oakley Recruiting and Making the Move (24:01)
- Mental Health on the Road and Losing Friends to Suicide (26:54)
- Deciding To Replace A Paid-Off 2022 Peterbilt 579 (32:07)
- Full In-Frame Overhaul At No Cost And Picking Up The Truck (38:13)
- Why Trucking Still Provides A Good Living And Life Satisfaction (42:03)
- Fuel Prices, Surcharges, And Understanding Owner Operator Economics (45:46)
- Scott’s Love For Trucking And No Plans To Retire (46:46)
Oakley Trucking is a family-owned and operated trucking company headquartered in North Little Rock, Arkansas. For more information, check out our show website: podcast.bruceoakley.com.