Steady At The Wheel: Recent Episodes
Jaxon Allen and Luke Allen
Welcome to Steady At The Wheel. Jaxon and Luke Allen host this show with the aim of providing entertainment, insight, education, and community to seasoned, new, or aspiring truckers. The hosts' involvement in a variety of rural and agricultural pursuits provides points of interest that farmers, ranchers, or those with nostalgia for this lifestyle will enjoy.
Holton Pearson joins us for Episode 49.
For anyone that has been listening since the beginning you are familiar with our Father who we call Rooster. He has been on a few episodes. Episode 20 was one of the episodes we had with Rooster as well as Billy Jack. (Episode 20 is one of our must listen episodes by the way!)
Holton is Billy Jack's oldest son. He has been hauling livestok with Jaxon for a number of years. We sat down thinking it would be good to have Holton on for an episode as the parallels between Jaxon and Holton are much like Rooster and Billy Jack's trucking years. We found out quickly that Holton needs more than one episode and will definatley be back soon.
Hey Everybody! Thanksgiving found Jaxon and Luke same place same and same time. It was a long time coming.
We dusted off the mics and headphones and hit record. This episode is a bit of wandering here and there working out the kinks....getting back on the horse.
Things are busier than usual. Jazon is trying a first time solo venture on the mic for this episode.
Jaxon catches up on events, his maintenance philosophy, and shares a trucking story.
TF5...This episode is about Jaxon's WW West Youtube channel release "Big Papa Got a Job"
Rooster and Jaxon planted some oats this year. First time growing something outside of hay making vegetation. Overall, it could be consideres a success.
This episode goes behind the scenes talking about the growing and harvesting of the oats.
Jaxon swung in on his way to pick up a load of cows headed to from Montana to Utah.
We start off talking about a recent auction snafu and Jaxon having his eyes opened to the rules of the auction yard in Iowa.
Quick update on Luke's efforts to find out more info on the trucker caught with cocaine in her trailer.
We present the idea of having a sponsored segment that features Jaxon's rants about people's pets.
Taylor Swift's truckers get a mention.
Episode finishes up answering a few listener questions leading to some discussion about newer requirements in obtaining a CDL and the state of Montana capitulating to the feds in these rules.
Trucker's Friend #4 is a chat with Jaxon about his most recent YouTube video "Nascar Hauler Saved by a Good Mechanic"
This video is about a Nascar haul to New Hampshire where there were some mechanical issues in the middle of the night. After multiple phone calls to 24 hour mechanics who actually don't provide assistance 24 hours, a young gun mechanic saved the day.
Well, we have been doing this a year...Thanks for being here.
In this episode Luke talks a bit about a recent goat run he made to ID and some mechanical problems he faced, particularly tire blow out on trailer and trouble finding someone to sell him new tires.
The Yellow Trucking situation is touched on.
The highlight is a story Luke brought in from the Jail of cocaine being found in a female trucker's trailer. Did she know it was there? Maybe, maybe not....but her situation is something anyone pulling vans should know about.
We have been all over the place, but nowhere close to even record over the phone. Jaxon got his last NASCAR trip of the season in, haying like crazy, and family reunion. Currently Jaxon is on tour with his band "The Sightliners". Luke has been down south in the heat of Arizona continuing his education and currently in Idaho picking up a load of Kiko goats. We will talk about it all soon, but it has been impossible to get together.
Branson Anderson is a friend of Jaxon's who is talented Singer/songwriter as well as a CDL holding truck driver. Jaxon and Branson take a break from the music playing to have a conversation.
Both of us will be back soon.
Trucker's Friend #3 is a discussion about the video "A Wild West Hay Day" posted to Jaxon's Wild Wild West Youtube channel.
The last couple years Jaxon had videos of the drought conditions at the ranch and the stresses in trying to feed cattle with nothing growing to cut for hay. This year moisture was plentiful. The video we discuss in this episode is footage of the haying process currently underway.
We cover a range of topics that were touched on in this video and of course deal with the elephant in the room...Jaxon's man bun...
This episode starts off talking about past and present irrigation situations. Luke has been irrigating with wheel lines the past little bit and Jaxon recounts his past experiences with them.
The conversation moves into some fender bender type scenarios with vehicles and equiptment. Of course noone around here has ever had these kind of problems, just heard about other people experiencing them!
The episode wraps up with Luke correctiong some of Jaxon's long held belief in family legends and the cognitive disonace Jaxon experiences when he hears that he is probably not related to Abraham Lincoln.
TF2 episode is a behind the scene discussion of Jaxon's Wild Wild West Youtube Channel video titled Needing the spirit of Dale Earnhardt to push us home!"
The video was filmed on the nonstop trip from Sonoma CA to Mooresville NC, almost a 3,000 mile trip.
Update: We are going to start doing podcast episode release on Thursdays. Our editing timeframe makes it touch to record on weekends and then have an episode ready for Wednesday. So, be on the lookout for Thursday releases of the Steady at the Wheel episodes.
Jaxon is on the road with NASCAR in New Hampshire. This episode gets into the rise and fall of driver demand and some potentail mistakes owner operators may have made when buisiness was booming. Electronic logs get some attention with a recent news story of a bus hitting a parked truck whose driver had run out of hours.
The Trucker's Friend is an addition to the podcast that we are going to be doing. Jaxon has a YouTube channel, "Wild Wild West",that he releases videos/episodes on regularly. The Trucker's Friend will be a behind the scenes discussion of sorts on the videos he releases.
The Trucker's Friend is not taking the place of our regular Steady at the Wheel episodes, but instead something extra to provide a bit of seasoning to the Wild Wild West Channel. So, if you watch Jaxon's channel and want a bit more context and discussion about these videos, check out the Trucker's Friend episodes.
The Trucker's Friend is not taking the place of our regular Steady at the Wheel episodes, but instead something extra to provide a bit of seasoning to the Wild Wild West Channel.
Lastly, we do not currently have an editor for The Trucker's Friend. Please be patient with the audio quality as we get this portion of Steady at the Wheel on its feet and are able to have it edited for a higher quality listening experience.
We are better be careful or weekly releases are going to be a habit again!
Jaxon recounts the highlights of the benefit auction he was traveling to last week.
Some states are discouraged at the fuel tax revenue coming in due to increased electric vehicles and fuel efficiency. A recent news article and some of the proposals to increase revenue for the states on this subject is discussed.
The episode wraps up with Jaxon talking about his recent purchase of a Kenworth T600 semi. Check out his YouTube channel "Wild Wild West" where he documents the event.
Back to back weeks! It has been awhile, but we have made it work to record back to back weeks. Hopefully we are on track for weekly releases.
We start off talking about haying and end up in a fairly lengthy chat about our experiences with skunks.
Rooster sits in for a little additional commentary as Jaxon updates on his health and family addition.
This week we have a guest joining us, Dale Sand. Dale grew up in the same community as we did. He spent a good chunk of his adult life working for the irrigation district that manages the water used in keeping crops growing here. You have heard us talk about irrigating when we were young. Dale is one of the ones who kept the water flowing.
We wanted him on as a guest to talk trucking as he has moved on from the irrigation district and is driving truck, cattle hauling a big part of what he does. We didn't get to far into his trucking experience as the irrigation district backstory kept us involved.
It was a good chat having Dale on and we will have him on again to get into his trucking.
Sorry for the delay everyone...Big storm in our area messed up our internet connectivity.
We apologize for the missed episode last week. Despite our best efforts, a connection could not be made.
We talk a bit about what has been going on the past couple weeks.
Episode 32: This episode starts out with Luke talking about the multitude of problems that plagued his recent attempted trip to Arizona.
Jaxon finishes the episode out delving into his compoulsive habit of monitoring MPG.
Jaxon calls in from the road where he is rolling through Texas hauling the #8 car for JR Motorsports back to Charlotte.
Some odds and ends discussed and then Jaxon reports on his weekend at the Phoenix Raceway.
The episodes with Weston are all wrapped up. We are going to start settling into the old routine until we can get Weston back on
This episode starts off introducing a sure fire way to back of an ambitious salesperson.
The conversation moves to Luke's first day back working in the jail. A bit of discussion on minimum mandatory sentences ensues.
Ohio train derailement and the puzzling response to this event when compared to other situations the EPA involves itself in.
A couple listener questions answered and then Jaxon finishes out the episode reporting on his first trip as a truck driver for Junior Motorsports.
Episode 28: Intermission
For anyone that needs a quick bathroom break before resuming the adventures of the little brothers, now is your chance.
Jaxon and Luke crossed paths and sat down for a catch up. Luke talks about his new jail job getting on its feet and gives a new way to look at single serving condiments. Jaxon recounts a small meltdown in an interaction with a grain elevator cop (grain elevator cop is is a position just beneath mall cop for anyone confused).
Jaxon and Luke have been talking for awhile about having their youngest brother Weston, also known as Young Stoney, on the podcast. It has finally happened. Jaxon and Weston were able to sit down for some extended recording. This episode is the first out of five that will be coming your way.
Jaxon and Luke are able to catch up at the ranch in Lewistown. Rooster sits in for a bit of color commentary.
This episode is a bit like a truck stop buffet...a bit of this and a bit of that. Maybe a collection of short stories best describes.
Taylor Moyer, crew chief for JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, joins us again to talk a bit about his second passion...ranching. If you missed Episode 19, check it out. Taylor joined us in that episode with Trucker Chris to talk about their involvement in NASCAR. He is back to discuss some of his cattle operation and his interest in agriculture.
Perhaps the best part of the episode is at the end. Jaxon has given tips for driving in the wind in previous recordings. One of the tips he gave was driving side by side with another truck. Out of the blue Taylor calls school in session and explains the physics behind why this work. Cool stuff.
Jaxon and Luke talk about some of their recent interactions with Montana Dept. of Transportation, always a sunny conversation. Jaxon then recounts his pre Christmas haul that he wasn't quite sure he would make it home from.
Hands down our favorite episode to record. Billy Jack has been referenced in a previous podcast. We were able to sneak Rooster and Billy Jack in for a sit down. This episode is packed with some stories that are going to be hard to believe. Normally we like to slow stories down to provide some context, but not this time. We just let them roll. We are planning on coming back to this episode and breaking it down to provide context and background to the craziness that you will hear. This is a wild ride and will be an episode that keeps on giving.
In this episode, Jaxon brings on a couple buddies of his that are heavily involved with Dale Earnhardt's racing team. Trucker Chris and Jaxon get a bit nerdy on semi trucks. If you are lost in that conversation, don't worry...so was Luke!
Jaxon and Luke recored remotely for the first time as scheduleds don't align. Somehow they get on the subject of egg labeling and talk about potential misleading of consumers...yes, that actually happens. Jaxon talks about utilizing the hobo style of fire to unfreeze brakes. Episode ends with some talk about diesel shortages in relation to decreas in US refining capacity
Rooster joins Jaxon and Luke post Thanksgiving to tell some winter spin out stories. Continuation of winter driving.
In this episode Luke gives his thoughts on dentistry in foriegn lands and a bit of advice on dealing with dentistry you are unhappy with. Jaxon discusses driving truck on winter roads and his tips and tricks in these conditions.
This Week Jaxon and Luke have on a guest, Jallings, who worked with Luke in the prison. She has a memorable experience to share witnessing some prison violence. Jaxon talkes about a close call with hungers and Luke shares some "different" medical experiements he has done on himself...all ill advised!
Jaxon and Luke touch on a number of things...tired or sleepy?, memorable dental patients, 18 year old drivers, duals vs. super singles. Something for everyone!
Jaxon discusses about some of the midnight DOT frustrations he has been dealing with in South Dakota which leads to some talk about log books. Screaming Meanies make an appearance. Luke shares circumstances of his departure from the prison last year.
Jaxon and Luke sit down with Rooster to talk about the exotic animal side of their childhood
Schedules have been hectic. Jaxon and Luke were finally able to get together. Roost even joined in on the fun.
Gelled Diesel and the various diesel treatments that have worked and not worked for Jaxon and Luke. A listener ask Jaxon for some tips on finding loads. Episode wraps up touching on California's proposal to ban diesel trucks.
Jaxon and Luke talk about some complications wind has added to the mix of their activities. Jaxon provides some tips and advice on trucking in heavy wind
Due to some unforseen delays, Jaxon and Luke couldn't get schedules to match up with Roost to talk exotics. Instead more Luke: twins, Bob Dylan, and some paparazzo.
Not a lot of trucking talk in this episode. Jaxon and Luke dig a bit deeper into Luke's backstory.
Love's truck stop in Ramsay MT and Student Loans start out this episode. Jaxon pushes a reluctant Luke to start talking about his past. Upcoming episodes will get Luke to open up a bit more.
Luke learns about truck motors and shares a couple stories about tipped over end dumps and head and neck anatomy. Jaxon touches on speed limiters and why he thinks it may not be such a great idea.
Episode 4
Rooster, Jaxon and Luke's Dad, joins the podcast to share a few insights and talk a bit about his start in trucking
Welcome to another episode of Steady at the Wheel, in this episode, we discuss Jaxon’s recent experience as an auctioneer at a benefit for a school where the cast of Yellowstone offered some incredible experiences. We talk about the Hutterite culture in Montana – customs, farming techniques, and the value of their community lifestyle, and then we get into livestock hauling in our industry. There are about as many ways to handle livestock as there are producers, but if you want to get into livestock hauling as a trucking career, you better first get a job somewhere that handles livestock, or you’re going to have a horrible time. We end with stories of gratitude and how thanking the people you interact with as a trucker goes so far as to make life much easier in your travels.
The Steady at the Wheel podcast is hosted by brothers Jaxon and Luke Allen. They grew up in the 80s, driving truck with their dad, Russ "Rooster" Allen, in his old cabover freightliner - hauling hogs from Fairfield MT back east to South Dakota. Trucking was a family business and the brothers worked and rode alongside Rooster during every season of the year from age 2 through high school and beyond. From scabbed knuckles that wouldn’t heal to dangerous near-misses with boars and hogs, to breathing soybean and straw dust, what may seem harsh to some was just the way it was back then and the boys are who they are today because of it. Tune in to future episodes of Steady at the Wheel to hear great old-school stories, entertainment, news, education, and mentorship aimed at a trucking industry audience.
Discussion points:
- Jaxon was an auctioneer at benefit for a school in Darby MT
- Some of Yellowstone cast offered an enormous package at the auction with time on set and lunch!
- Issues with the show Yellowstone and its MT representation
- Award given to female truck driver 4 million miles incident-free – her tips
- Hutterites, Amish, and Mennonites
- Hutterite customs, farming, lifestyle
- The Fall Run, cattle breeding, time frames and the market
- How can someone get into the business?
- A dental patient asks Luke to arrange for him to donate his body to science
- Livestock handling as a trucker - cattle, sheep, goats, etc.
- Small kindnesses to truckers and expressing gratitude
- If you are interested in hauling livestock, you must work with them somewhere, handling first
- Get in touch with us on our socials, we want to hear from you!
Resources:
Steady At The Wheel Podcast Instagram
Jaxon Allen Instagram
Jaxon Allen Website
Wild Wild West Youtube
Email Jaxon and Luke
In this second episode, Jaxon and Luke discuss their teen years working with dad Rooster, the first time Jaxon had to take over driving (in 8th grade) when his dad had vision problems, some harrowing truck breakdown stories, auctioneer school for Jaxon and dental school for Luke, and the impetus behind Jaxon becoming a full-time trucker. You’ll hear about how to caffeinate correctly, how Jaxon blew up his dad’s truck engine, the lack of mentorship available in trucking today, get a teaser for upcoming episodes on Luke’s history playing in a band in LA, and learn about the early days of farm work the boys took on as high-schoolers, irrigating crops for 16 hours a day.
The Steady at the Wheel podcast is hosted by brothers Jaxon Allen and Luke Allen. They grew up in the 80s, driving trucks with their dad, Russ "Rooster" Allen, in his old cabover freightliner - hauling hogs from Fairfield MT back east to South Dakota. Trucking was a family business and the brothers worked and rode alongside Rooster during every season of the year from age 2 through high school and beyond. From scabbed knuckles that wouldn’t heal to dangerous near-misses with boars and hogs, to breathing soybean and straw dust, what may seem harsh to some was just the way it was back then and the boys are who they are today because of it. Tune in to future episodes of Steady at the Wheel to hear great old-school stories, entertainment, news, education, and mentorship aimed at a trucking industry audience.
Discussion points:
- Luke's twins are not as easy as livestock or raising chickens
- Insider caffeination tips, caffeinated sparkling water
- Some more background on Luke and Jaxon
- Luke never caught the trucking bug
- Luke does not initially “identify” to people as a dentist!
- Jaxon’s experiences trucking with dad
- New trucks – Blue II and Blue Pup
- The harrowing tale of the trip to Nogales MX
- Dad’s detached retina necessitates Jaxon driving solo as an 8th grader
- Family attorney– youngest brother Weston
- Working summers doing irrigation, motorcycles, and girls
- Bringing mentorship back for younger truckers
- Jaxon was discouraged by mom and dad from becoming a full-time trucker, the life is lonely and tough
- Jaxon’s time as an auctioneer + a sample of his technique
- The story of Jaxon getting “invested” in the trucking life
- Breaking down in dad’s truck – and fixing the situation
- Get in touch with us on our socials, we want to hear from you!
Resources:
Steady At The Wheel Podcast Instagram
Jaxon Allen Instagram
Jaxon Allen Website
Wild Wild West Youtube
Email Jaxon and Luke
Welcome to Episode One of “Steady at the Wheel.” On this podcast, we aim to create a space where veteran truckers, new truckers, and potential truckers can hear stories of the road, meet and stay in touch with each other, and maybe bring a little of the old-school community vibe back to the industry.
My brother and I grew up with trucking – our father was a trucker all of his life and we (two of six children) were raised on the road with him. In this inaugural episode, we’ll tell lots of great stories about Rooster, our dad Russ Allen’s nickname. You’ll hear tales of hauling hogs back and forth from Montana to South Dakota, during the incredible rough days of the early eighties when trucks were nothing like the smooth-riding luxury cab vehicles of today. Later, dad transitioned to hauling grain and soybeans, and those days have great stories of their own.
The Steady at the Wheel podcast is hosted by brothers Jaxon Allen and Luke Allen. They grew up in the 80s, driving a truck with their dad, Russ "Rooster" Allen, in his old cabover freightliner - hauling hogs from Fairfield MT back east to South Dakota. Trucking was a family business and the brothers worked and rode alongside Rooster during every season of the year from age 2 through high school and beyond. From scabbed knuckles that wouldn’t heal, to dangerous near-misses with boars and hogs, to breathing soybean and straw dust, what may seem harsh to some was just the way it was back then and the boys are who they are today because of it. Tune in to future episodes of Steady at the Wheel to hear great old-school stories, entertainment, news, education, and mentorship aimed at a trucking industry audience.
Discussion points:
- Our goals for this podcast
- Growing up with Rooster, our dad, a lifelong trucker
- Trucking schools don’t tell you about the true life on the road
- Our earliest memories of trucking livestock
- Hauling hogs from Fairfield Montana to Sioux Falls SD - logging millions of miles
- Trials and tribulations – hog hauling stories with dad
- New wheels - the big transition from spring-ride to air-ride in the 90s
- Later transitions – from hogs to grain
- The “warm up” before basketball games – hand shoveling thousands of pounds of grain
- Get in touch with us on our socials, we want to hear from you!
Resources:
Steady At The Wheel Podcast Instagram
Jaxon Allen Instagram
Jaxon Allen Website
Wild Wild West Youtube
Email Jaxon and Luke