The Catalyst

Truck Drivers & The Entrepreneurial Spirit: Tra Williams

• Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership • Season 1 • Episode 9

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As a logistics hub, the Ocala Metro sees firsthand the effect a national truck driver shortage has on this growing sector of the economy. Join us as Tra Williams, President and Founder of FleetForce,  discusses the challenges and innovative solutions developed to address this shortage and get more drivers on the road. We also explore the state of entrepreneurship, the concerning decline in the number of Americans who are self-employed, and the implications this has on the vitality of our communities.

Nonprofit featured in this episode: Operation Warrior Resolution

Tra Williams
President, FleetForce
Author, Boss Brain

Tra is a speaker, author, entrepreneur, and nationally recognized expert in entrepreneurship and business strategy. He has sat at the helm of two international brands and has supported thousands of entrepreneurs on their journey to self-employment. He currently serves as President of FleetForce, the fastest-growing CDL school in America, headquartered in Sarasota, Florida.

Tra holds a degree from the University of Georgia and is a graduate of the prestigious Franchise Management program at Georgetown University. He has been featured or quoted in numerous publications, including Forbes, Bloomberg, and Franchise Times, and he often speaks at economic development conferences and company conventions.

In his new book Boss Brain, Tra reveals the truth behind the decline of American entrepreneurship and provides readers with a scientifically proven system to unlock their entrepreneurial instincts and leave traditional employment forever. 

The Catalyst is hosted by the Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership, sponsored by Douglas Law Firm and recorded live at Wiley Productions podcast studios, located in Ocala, Florida. New episodes, guests, and perspectives of leadership premiere twice a month. Follow us on Apple, Amazon, Spotify, or wherever you enjoy podcasts.

Natalie McComb:

The catalyst, a CEP podcast on bold leadership in the Ocala Metro, hosted by the Ocala Metro Chamber and economic partnership, sponsored by Douglas law firm and recorded live and Wiley productions podcast studios located in Ocala, Florida. Welcome to the catalyst. I'm your host Natalie McComb, Vice President for the Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership Foundation. I'm joined today by Tra Williams, entrepreneurial speaker, author and president of fleet force. Great to have you on the show. Tra.

@Tra Williams:

Thank you for having me, Natalie.

Natalie McComb:

So Fleet Force is the fastest growing CDL truck driving school in America with your headquarters based in Sarasota, Florida. And we often talk about the need for more nurses, more teachers, more firefighters, but are we facing a truck driver shortage?

@Tra Williams:

We have been facing a truck driver shortage for decades. And it really speaks to just how fantastic we are at logistics and transport in the United States that they've been without the number of drivers we've really needed for a long, long time. And you and I just haven't noticed. Our packages still arrive on time. But there's a cliff coming and a precipice where more drivers are retiring than being licensed right now. So it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Natalie McComb:

And locally I know you're partnering with the College of Central Florida. That Fleet Force earlier this year opened up a driving school there, a training school through the corporate college to help alleviate I know at least our local driver shortage here in the Ocala Metro. But this was one of six new community college programs launched with an additional two I know coming down the pike. Now these training sites are expected to produce more than 3000 new truck drivers annually.

@Tra Williams:

That's right.

Natalie McComb:

That's impressive.

@Tra Williams:

Yeah, we're on our way to 300 a month right now in enrollment, we're probably about 65-70% of the way there. But what's most important for the the Tri-County area here is this area has the highest per capita demand for drivers in the state. So there's something around 2000 CDL jobs available in this market right now. And that is an extremely high number compared to the density of the population. And it really is because everyone knows the manufacturing and logistics and warehouses and all of what's being built here along the Turnpike and the 75 corridor. Well, someone has to drive the trucks. Right? And that demand is increasing. And we hope to help alleviate at least some part of it.

Natalie McComb:

And is this something we're seeing across the state of Florida? Or do you think it's because of our unique position with where we're located kind of in the heart of the state?

@Tra Williams:

We're seeing this across the nation. So last year, there were about 80,000 pent-up demand for jobs and truck drivers across the nation. And 25% of that was here in Florida. Now there's 12 to 15,000 jobs available in Florida. And the American Trucking Association says we need 1.2 5 million truckers over the next 10 years. So to put that into perspective, Fleet Force licensing three or 4000 is just barely a dent in what the state and the national demand is.

Natalie McComb:

Yeah, that's a drop in the bucket. But its at least doing something and at least trying to address it. And it's great that we have that opportunity here in Florida, not only because we're growing but obviously if at least if we can address it here in the state, hopefully we can inspire you know others to do the same.

@Tra Williams:

Yeah, we think we've got a model that can be copied and pasted into other markets.

Natalie McComb:

And what does your student population look like? So in terms of ages, backgrounds, who are you seeing coming to your school and and wanting to become a truck driver and receive this specialized training?

@Tra Williams:

So this is one of my favorite questions. Because when I say it's a cross-section of America, demographically, I really and truly mean it is. I have everything from a 19-year-old female who loves to defy stereotypes and wants to enter the transportation industry as a driver all the way up to a retired college professor who does not want to sit at home now that he or she is done and we really get all ages, all nationalities, all demographics, there's really no mold for this. It's one of the things I enjoy about my job the most is there's such diversity within the industry and that's where it gets its strength from.

Natalie McComb:

And, I know that obviously there is a tuition charged for the program, but there's a lot of opportunities for tuition reimbursement because of the need. What does that look like for your program?

@Tra Williams:

So this area is very lucky to have the CEP and a lot of proactive thinkers who are concerned with developing a sustainable and the infrastructure necessary to carry the burden of this growth. That's happening in this market. So as a result, there are some proactive efforts to find state dollars that exceed even the dollars that were built out last year. We have an administration who's very workforce development focused, who recognizes that a bachelor's degree isn't the only way to be successful. And the halls and the buildings where you get that bachelor's degree were built by tradesmen and skilled workers who may not have gotten a traditional degree, but contributed to the the breadth and the fabric of society, nonetheless, just as much if not more.

Natalie McComb:

And what's next? For Fleet Force and your expansion? I know, obviously, you've been adding more schools, but what's kind of on the horizon?

@Tra Williams:

So we've really, I think, we've standardized this model in a way that we feel very confident in our ability to replicate it. We've got plans to exit Florida, not exit Florida as in leave but exporting, begin growing in another state next year. We're papering all of that right now. And we're very, very excited about copying what we've done here and pasting it in other states that have the same demand that's pent up.

Natalie McComb:

And how do you think your program is kind of that innovative model?

@Tra Williams:

So we're a public-private partnership. We act as a fulfillment partner for state schools. The state schools aren't necessarily equipped to operate commercial driving training, they would have to somewhat reinvent the wheel, buy lots of equipment, educate themselves, create a curriculum, it's not necessarily in their wheelhouse. And we are a turnkey model to step in as a fulfillment partner, and provide that program from the permitting to the testing and licensing all the way through. So it's a federal curriculum, I can train anywhere in the nation. We can test in Florida right now, we'll be able to test in other states as well. But really, the innovative part of it is that we're a private business partnering with public institutions. And that's shown a significant amount of success.

Natalie McComb:

And filling a need. And obviously, a lot of these colleges are looking to add more programs that are focused on some of those more technical trades, things that obviously get students and out into the workforce quicker. Wow, that's impressive. Very impressive. And I'm sure that keeps you very busy. But in addition to managing Fleet Force and growing that, I know that you've also published a book about entrepreneurship titled Boss Brain, and that kind of has you on the speaking gig, and you've been out across the country talking to a lot of groups about the entrepreneurship gap. What do you mean by that?

@Tra Williams:

So, there was a study in 2018, done of 2 million Americans, and of those 2 million, fully 70% of them indicated that they would like to be self-employed. The reality in America is that less than 7% of us is self-employed. So there's this 10x difference between those who are thinking it in those who are doing it. And every year with very few exceptions, since 1945, entrepreneurship and self employment has declined. And this is a strange statistic, when you think that we are, hypothetically, the most entrepreneurial country in the world, right? We're actually third in entrepreneurial spirit. So 70% of us wants to be self employed, that puts us third behind Portugal and Poland. So we do still have this spirit of entrepreneurism. But we are not converting those desires and those ambitions into action. And that's, that's causing a massive wealth gap. In addition to the gap between those who are thinking it and those who are doing it, you have this massive gap between those who are working, from those who employ you. So it's important for the fabric of society for us to level the playing field, if you will, and make sure that large, massive employers are forced to innovate and forced to increase wages and forced to compete because there's a thriving startup community.

Natalie McComb:

Wow. And you you've been quoted as saying that American entrepreneurship is dying, which sounds very morbid. I hope we're not a lost cause. So I guess, when you recognize that, and you wouldn't have thought, Portugal and Poland. What are they doing differently? That we can look and say, you know, hey, we need to adopt some of that, or we need to be more supportive. I mean, how can we help these small businesses and entrepreneurs be successful?

@Tra Williams:

So, in the late 90's, during the second Clinton administration, entrepreneurship in America, self-employment ran about 13%. Today, it's less than 7%. So that means in a period of about 25 years, the number has been cut in half. So if you follow that trajectory, that means somewhere in the mid 2040's 99% of Americans are going to work for the other 1% Now, I'm a patriotic red-blooded American. And I don't want that to happen personally, just, it's inconsistent with my values. But I also think that we've seen a lot of social discord, just with 1% having 99% of the wealth. Can you imagine how that would be exacerbated if the 1% also control the employment for the other 99%? But, the real challenge for us is to embrace that capitalism requires competition. And competition requires action. So when you ask what Portugal and Poland are doing it's they've not become victims of their own success. In our country, the base of Maslow's hierarchy is largely provided for you. So we have Publix is right down the road. We have, we can dial 911 and someone will show up and protect you, that doesn't even know who you are. We've got even the poorest among us have shelter over our heads. There's a crazy statistic, the poverty level in the United States is around$13,000 a year, the median income on the planet is $10,000 a year. So that means the poorest people in America make 30% more than half the globe. So we have it really, really good here. And as a result, that makes us very complacent. And that complacency is causing us to not take action, even though we feel inspired to do so.

Natalie McComb:

Wow. And how does new business development and the creation of small businesses, how does that correlate with the quality of life that people can experience in their community? There's something you kind of talk about as one leads to to the other? What do you mean by that?

@Tra Williams:

Sure. So this is this isn't just a mission of mine, because I want to see entrepreneurship, when people realize their individual dreams. There's a social component to this, that's very important. You show me any city in America that has a high level of self-employment, and I will show you a city that has longer life expectancy, higher levels of health, higher levels of life satisfaction, lower medical bills, lower levels of crime, higher levels of civil engagement, they vote more often, have higher levels of charitable contributions that give more money to charity, their children are seven to eight times more likely to be entrepreneurs themselves. So there's this amazing impact that self employment has on the community. But the vice versa is also true. You show me a community where there's almost no self employment. And all of those metrics that I just explained, are at the opposite end of the scale, it's usually higher crime, higher levels of child morbidity, lower levels of life expectancy, lower levels of health, higher levels of medical bills, lower life satisfaction. So there's this one to one relationship between self employment and harmonious communities.

Natalie McComb:

Wow. And I know, one thing, you know, I've often read about and seen is kind of the differences in generations, right? And that, you know, some of the more younger generations, right? They want to go and they want to find themselves, right? They want to take that gap year. Or they want to, some of them look at their parents and say, wow, they're in these jobs that they don't love. They come home and they're not happy. Do you feel like you're seeing more of an entrepreneurial spirit in some of the younger generations? Or are we still limiting their ability to feel like, hey, this is something I can take a risk and be successful?

@Tra Williams:

So when you watch television, and they portray younger generations, let's say between 18 and 25 years old, that the media likes to pretend that that portion of your life is where you are unrealistically naive and positive and think that things are going to be easier than it actually is. The reality is, you are most negative and most pessimistic in your life when you are 25 years old.

Natalie McComb:

So, it's not what I would have thought.

@Tra Williams:

No, it is not. And studies have proven this over and over and over. So why this is dangerous is because that means when you're making these really foundational decisions about where you're going to live, how you want to spend your life, what you want to do as a vocation, what your mission in life is, what your core values are, is really when you're least likely to believe that those things are possible. So you ended up locking yourself into a job, that was not what you wanted to do. Because it gave you predictable adequacy. It gave you a paycheck every two weeks, it gave you two weeks worth of vacation a year. It gave you a little bit of spending money, and you didn't really have to worry about it anymore, so to speak. And in that, that predictable, adequacy sort of becomes the chains that bind us from pursuing it once we've exited that pessimistic stage of my life.

Natalie McComb:

So are we as parents partially to blame for that? Or what can we do to make sure that we're inspiring our kids to think bigger and to take risks when they're young? Right? And, ideally, when you can take some of those risks, because you don't have as many responsibilities?

@Tra Williams:

Well, I think that there's this idea that entrepreneurship is this black or white binary, you're either in or out mentality. And that's just not the case. There have been times that I've been self-employed. And those businesses succeeded. And there's been times when I was successfully self-employed, and those businesses failed. Now, historically, taking risks, you know, 1000s of years ago, when our genes and our psychology were being hardwired, that could have been fatal. Right, it could have killed you. Today, it just means you have to go back and get a job. And, I, myself have moved in and out of entrepreneurship. Throughout my life, I have been a W2 employee as recent as 2013. So there are just periods of time where you can, you can rely on the infrastructure and the stability that the United States gives you. While you're planning your next entrepreneurial move.

Natalie McComb:

Yeah, And what has been the most rewarding part for you? Because you've been on both sides of the equation, right? You've worked for large employers, but then I mean, you started Fleet Force. I mean what's been that thing that's kept you going, even when it's been really tough?

@Tra Williams:

So Fleet orce has been the most rewarding business I've ever owned, because we are empowering people to themselves take a similar leap, that Fleet Force was for me. Everyone knows, that a lot of truck drivers are owner-operators, they own their own truck, they pay their own insurance, they pay their own repairs, and maintenance. They are in essence, self-employed, they are an entrepreneur. And truck drivers are making fantastic money right now. Anyway, the average truck driver who is employed in Florida makes over$80,000 a year right now. But the owner-operator, median income last year was $253,000. Quite the difference, right? So we're empowering people to one day, say, you know what, I'm going to buy my own truck, I'm going to be my own boss, I'm going to choose what routes I want to take, I'm going to choose when I want to be home with my family. And I'm going to make a lot of money in the process. One of the things the industry is facing is I've got nieces and nephews who all wanted to be insta-famous and YouTube influencers. Right. And I tried to explain to them how valuable a CDL license is, you can move to any city in America and have a job in 24 hours. But they didn't think that was sexy. Right? And then I said to them, you know, what is sexy? $253,000 That's sexy.

Natalie McComb:

And you can still be insta-famous say, you're not relying on the paycheck.

@Tra Williams:

Do that for three or four years and spend all the time you want on social media.

Natalie McComb:

Yeah. Wow. And any lessons learned that you want to share for the folks that are listening that may be thinking about starting their own business or or are struggling right now with with launching something?

@Tra Williams:

Yeah, there's two big things. Everyone thinks it's money when they say, well, what's holding people back, less than 70% of the population wants to be self-employed, there's a 165 million people in the American workforce. 70% means there's 100 million Americans who wish they own their own business. That's a lot of people. So it takes something really significant to stop 100 million Americans from doing what they want to do, in my opinion. And everyone always points and says, well, it's funding. Funding isn't available for it, they don't have access to money. And that's just not the case. There's more funding available and mechanisms in the United States than all other countries put together. The real challenge is twofold. This, this idea that you have to have all of the pins in place before you can turn that key stops most people from starting and that really undermines their belief in the inevitability of their success. But belief is reverse-engineered, you don't just wake up one day believing you're going to be successful. You wake up and take action. And over a period of time that action causes you to think of yourself as the kind of person who can succeed. So you have to start before you even believe. And that's the hardest part for most people. The second part of it is you can't simultaneously be building a life to maintain your existing circumstances, and focusing on maintaining your existing circumstances and following the journey that you want toward entrepreneurship. So when you tie yourself to a 30-year mortgage and you tie yourself to a job that doesn't give you the time you want or that has an hour and a half commute each way, right? When you tie yourself into an industry that isn't broadening your horizons, teaching you the breadth of all there is to know in business. All of these are limiting factors. So we tend to select those things that give us predictable adequacy. But those end up being the chains that bind us to where we are and, and not where we want to be. So if you can take belief into account and take action, and then you can begin saying no, to all the things in the world, that are really holding you back, then you get the freedom to take action and really begin to pursue the dream that you've had the whole time.

Natalie McComb:

Yeah. And now I want to read your book. Because I want to learn more about this. But you're right, it's sometimes it's that courage to get started, but also recognizing that your circumstances could be limiting your ability to be successful. And to really, to really do that and take that risk.

@Tra Williams:

Yeah, you gotta fail early and often. Everyone thinks that, well, what if I fail and lose everything? Well, don't risk everything. You know, you go to a casino, you don't empty your bank account and put it on your first hand. You know, you risk what you can afford to lose. If you want to start a lemonade stand. And you have$500 that you could afford to lose. Then take your $500 and start your lemonade stand and try to make a go of it. If you lose $500 Okay, that was an amount that I could afford to lose. But I'm going to take those lessons that I learned so my my next lemonade stand is going to be even better.

Natalie McComb:

And now a word from our sponsor.

@Sponsor: Douglas Law Firm:

Hello, this is Jeremiah block with the Douglas law firm. We are a full service law firm with many practice areas to serve your particular needs. We are located in downtown Ocala 110 North Magnolia Avenue. Coming from a seventh-generation family here in Ocala. I am honored for our law firm to partner with the CEP to bring you these podcasts We hope you enjoy.

Natalie McComb:

So on The Catalysts we like to give our guests the opportunity to highlight a nonprofit organization that they're passionate about or support through their their volunteer efforts. Any organization you wanted to highlight today.

@Tra Williams:

Yeah, so Fleet Force and me personally, we're both working with Operation Warrior Resolution. It's based out of Sarasota and Kyndra Simpkins is a veteran who started this nonprofit, as a way to enhance and facilitate the mental health of veterans who are trying to reassimilate into civilian life. And this is incredibly important because those who are exposed to the most dangerous scenarios while defending our freedoms are those who don't have the transferable skills to get back into the workforce. When you're an infantry. What does that translate into once you're back? You're trying to get a job, right? So she does a fantastic job with Brain Balance and helping veterans put themselves in the right mental framework for that re-assimilation and Fleet Force working with them to try to train some of those who are going through the mental health portion of what Operation Warrior Resolution does. So they also have the workforce development skills to get a really good paying job in the process.

Natalie McComb:

Sounds like you have a really meaningful partnership with this organization. It's kind of win-win.

@Tra Williams:

Yeah, they are super awesome. We're very proud to partner with them. Wonderful. So now is the lightning round questions, a little bit of get to know, Tra? So what was your first job? And And I see that, I know that look you gave me on your face. Most people don't even know what that is. I grew up in South Georgia. That's where the accent comes from. And everybody there either worked for the paper company, the pulp mill, right. They worked for the railroad, or they weren't in agriculture. And back what did you learn from that experience? then agriculture was by and large tobacco, and it was the My first job, I was about 12 or 13 years old, and I cropped teenagers who brought that harvest in and I was one of them. I made $25 a day working from about 7am until about 6pm. tobacco. And it was terrible in every sense of the word. And I think Sounds hard. that as a first job was a healthy dose of me saying you know what? I am not going to allow myself to be put into this kind of box where I'm forced to do this kind of labor the rest of my life, and it made a lasting impact on who I wanted to become.

Natalie McComb:

Yeah, early lesson learned, no doubt. And how would you describe yourself in one word?

@Tra Williams:

Relentless.

Natalie McComb:

I like that.

@Tra Williams:

I just don't, I don't have it in me. There are people, I don't know they're people talk to me about saying, well, what did you do and what was your model? And I don't think you can you can do that. I think there's a lot of danger and asking what other people did. I think you got to find your own pathway. But mine personally, is just this absolute unwillingness to stop under any sort of circumstances, and I don't have it in me. And I've been called this. It's a good thing and a bad thing I assure you.

Natalie McComb:

And who is a leader that you admire?

@Tra Williams:

So I'm a huge fan of Colin Powell. And I may be dating myself a little bit here. Some younger generations may not know who he is, but 20 years ago or so, we all watched him really not compromise his morals and ethics and his standards and become a partisan shell while things were very, very political. When there was a war going on in the early part of the 2000s. As a leader, as a military mind, the guy was really unparalleled. And even since then, and leaving the public limelight, he's written some fantastic books on leadership and life. And there's a sense of commitment to who he is and who he refuses to be. And he's very clear about both of those things. And the more I read on him, the more I respect the journey that he's been on, to get where he is. So if you've never read any of his books, you should give those a shot.

Natalie McComb:

Best part about living in Florida?

@Tra Williams:

Oh, you know, the best part about living in Florida is that all of my friends up north hate us.

Natalie McComb:

Envy. You like to be the envy.

@Tra Williams:

I logged into the Weather Channel app, and it showed 77 degrees and I had a little picture of a beach chair above the 77 degrees. You know, it always just shows a picture of whatever the weather is supposed to be like. And then there was a subtitle that said, massive snowstorm hits Denver. And I screenshotted that and sent that to my friends in Denver.

Natalie McComb:

I love it. It's this time of year is when you see outside Publix, you see the piles of firewood, right?

@Tra Williams:

Oh, yeah...

Natalie McComb:

For those little chilly nights... next to beach chairs.

@Tra Williams:

No doubt. And I sent that photo I think to a friend of mine last year just to be like Florida is confused. We just can't, we can't decide. We can be both. We can be in both places. I pulled a sweater out tonight because it managed to get to 52 degrees this morning. And we don't get this opportunity to wear a sweater very often.

Natalie McComb:

Oh, and the boots and all the attire that's been in the back of our closets. I love it. Well, thank you again, so much for being on The Catalyst. Today again, we are with Tra Williams, CEO of Fleet Force. He is also an author and his book is called boss brain if you'd like to check it out.

@Tra Williams:

Thank you for having me.

Natalie McComb:

Thank you. Thank you for joining us for another episode of the catalyst hosted by the Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership. Sponsored by Douglas law firm and recorded live at Wiley productions podcast studios. New episodes, guests and perspectives on leadership premiere twice a month. Follow us on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or wherever you enjoy your podcasts. Have a suggestion for a future guest email us at thecatalyst@ocalacep.com.