In The News

It's Who You Know and What They Know

By Brandon Scott - Staff Writer
Posted Jun 20th 2022 8:00AM

Hosting a workshop on “How to Become a Successful Straight Truck Owner Operator” at the 2022 Expedite Expo only demonstrates what knowledge Sandy Goche and Stephen Halsted have accumulated over their ten years in the expedite industry. But they credit who they know and whom they’ve met as prime examples of how to create and maintain success.

How It Started

Sandy and Stephen both worked in IT (Information Technology) for the United States Government. From programming to systems administration, the team had years of experience from which to build their future. However, Stephen was laid-off from his position in 2012, and yet it was his discussion with a delivery driver at “Appointments” gift shop at Carew Towers in downtown Cincinnati that led him to investigate the notion of driving over-the-road.

“I remember the driver telling me that, ‘if I had to do it over again, I’d get into one of those smaller straight trucks,’” said Stephen. And that prompted Halsted into understanding why it made more sense to drive a straight truck as opposed to dedicating so much time and effort into obtaining a Class A commercial driver’s license. Straight trucks can get into tighter spaces that tractor trailers cannot, you only need a Class B CDL, and it would be perfect for the pair to team together. Stephen started doing his homework.

Sandy, in the meantime, was still toiling in the IT world. She was beginning to like the idea of driving over-the-road, stating that “I was already driving people crazy, the only difference would simply be putting miles on a truck.” But then she was diagnosed with, and treated for, colon cancer in 2014. This left Stephen to navigate the expedite industry, as a first timer, on his own.

Halsted bought his first straight truck and leased on with a carrier after attending the Expedite Expo in Wilmington, Ohio in 2012. Upon meeting Bob and Linda Caffee, our wonderful blog contributing team at Expediters Online, Stephen began to form a bond with someone who had already experienced success – someone he and Sandy could go to with their myriad questions.

How It’s Going

Stephen spent his first year or so driving solo and learning the ropes while constantly remaining open to the idea of meeting others, like the Caffees, who he could glean additional knowledge from. And once Sandy was through with chemo, the team finally made it out on the road together.

Goche and Halsted will say that they’ve learned a lot through networking, which is what they hope to convey through their messages and discussions at this year’s workshop. The idea that who you meet, who you know, can lead to a grander understanding of becoming a successful straight truck owner operator is not lost on those who are hungry for knowledge. In hopes of making sure their workshop is fully engaging to the audience in attendance, Stephen wants to make clear that “we are not experts. We’re just here so that all of us can share information.”

Which makes sense, coming from a couple who started out in the realm of information technology. Information leads to knowledge, knowledge leads to confidence, and confidence leads to success. So, make sure to stop by the workshop on Saturday, July 16th at 9:30am. Introduce yourself to Sandy and Stephen, network with others and make those connections. It’ll be one of the best decisions you can make if your goal is to learn and succeed.

CLICK HERE to register for the 2022 Expedite Expo - It's FREE!