Episode 105: Living Radical Series Part 1 - Turning Up the Intensity

After taking a short break to reset and reflect on what’s really happening across the trucking industry, Tyler Kivi is back behind the mic on the Keep Trucking Personal podcast to kick off a brand-new three-part series called Living Radical. In this first episode, Tyler talks about something he’s been noticing more and more in conversations with drivers across the industry: too many people are living and working at half speed. Standards are slipping, effort is becoming optional, and too many drivers feel stuck on cruise control.

Part one of the series focuses on intensity... not loud, aggressive energy, but the kind of focused presence and pride that separates professionals from amateurs. Tyler shares why intensity means showing up prepared, being locked in on the details, and refusing to drift through your career or your life. Drawing on experiences from the heavy haul and specialized freight world at Kivi Bros Trucking, he explains why intensity matters more than ever when you’re dealing with oversized loads, permits, coordination, and the responsibility that comes with moving massive equipment across the country.

Tyler also shares a simple three-rule framework for living and working with purpose: do what is right, do everything to the best of your ability, and show people that you care. When you combine those principles with intensity and higher personal standards, the results can transform not only your career but the entire industry.

This episode challenges drivers to stop coasting, turn the dial up, and approach their work, their goals, and their lives with renewed focus and discipline. And this is just the beginning!

Transcript

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Welcome to Keep Trucking Personal. I'm Tyler Keevey, a third generation trucker. My purpose is simple to make sure the definition of trucking doesn't get lost in the culture this industry is drifting toward. This podcast is about real stories, the hard lessons, and the standards that built this business long before apps and algorithms. If you believe trucking is more than freight and it's responsibility, you're in the right place. Let's get into it. Welcome back to Keep Trucking Personal. Let me tell you what, I took four weeks off from doing this so I could kind of mentally reset and just pay attention to what is going on with truck drivers, what's going on with the trucking industry, and try to just take it all in. And I did that. And it's funny because four weeks is not a huge amount of time, and really it's not like you're a whole different person coming out of this. But I was able to learn and take in a bunch of different things that help me set up for the next time in this podcast. And I'm super excited to get back with you because sometimes you just need that little step away and just clear your mind and just reflect, right? And we got to listen to four great episodes over our reload series, and I'm super excited to be back at it. It it's one of those feelings where you just feel ready. And like I just had this passion and this desire to get back at it, and I'm super excited. Um, but one of the things that I really noticed, and specifically in the trucking industry, and this is gonna kind of kick off a series here, a three-part series. And the reason I got to this series is a lot of people today are living at half speed. That's what I realized in trucking, and I've started to watch closely. And standards, you guys, are they're starting to slip, and the effort is becoming optional, right? Like it's you know, if I want to right now, and people are doing just enough to get by. And so that is what led to this next series called Living Radical. This is gonna be three parts, right? Like I already said that. It's gonna be how we live our lives with purpose and discipline and higher standards because you can do this. And if you're listening to this, I think that you're already like the kind of person that wants to continue to improve and drive towards something specific. Because let's remember, we're in a career here, right? This isn't just vacation all the time, even though you get the benefit of being gone and seeing the cool parts of the country. And man, let me tell you, we're doing some cool things right now, and I'm seeing a lot of cool pictures, a lot of cool videos. I just love it. I love where this season is heading, and I'm super excited. But part one of this living radical is gonna be intensity, and that's what we're gonna talk about today. Part two is gonna be consistency, and part three is gonna be urgency. So, starting with intensity, and when people hear the word intensity, that you right away start to think it loud, uh aggressive, stressed out, you see that person that's just rah right at you the whole time. That is not what I'm talking about. Intensity is focus, it's the decision to show up, to show up present, to be fully present, to know that that load matters, that day matters, and that mission matters. Too many people are living life on cruise control, and you can tell, like I said, they're barely showing up. You watch and you listen. And I let me tell you, you want to know how I know that is because I've been talking to drivers, whether it's anywhere, right? Not just at our company, and they're struggling. You guys are struggling, and you're vocal about it, and you will you're willing to share it, and you tell me why. And sometimes it's right in front of you. You can literally see it off the tip of your nose, and you're wondering, why are you there? What is causing you to be in this position? And I hate it. I don't want you there, and I don't want you waking up and just scrolling through your phone. I mean, that thing is a tractor beam, it sucks you right in. You drift through the day, and next thing you know, your 10 hours off is already consumed, and you're back at it, and you feel like you haven't gone anywhere, and then it's 10 years that have passed, and you're still challenged. This industry has so much to offer, and there's so much opportunity, and there is so much, but you have to start refusing to drift. And one of the things that is something that we all should consider is moderation. And I want you to think about this for a minute. Moderation is what is challenging this industry right now, and not for good. Moderation is allowed too many people to just look at everything and say, I'll do this today, only a little bit of this. Don't push me too hard. I don't want to work that hard. We need to live radical. You need to throw modesty out the window. You need to be intense, you need to go after it, you need to take full advantage. And I want you to look at it for the next three weeks. If it's not for the rest of your life, but for the next three weeks, look at moderation out the window. And of course, moderation is the right term when you're talking about alcohol and all kinds of things along those lines, right? I'm not talking about that. So don't confuse me there. I'm talking about throwing moderation out the window, being intense, going after what is out there, and not losing the opportunity. Grabbing it. Do not hold back. And then when I think of why this is so important, I think of heavy haul and I think of specialized freight and I think of where our company is headed. And intensity isn't just optional. You have to have it, you have to go after it. You're dealing with oversized loads, permits and routing, escorts and coordination that have to align every single time, and equipment that can weigh hundreds of thousands of pounds when fully loaded. And this isn't a place where you can just wing it. You can't be moderate. So remember, when you think about something you're doing, you're thinking about how I can improve, how can I be better at my career, how can I be better at my job, how can I level up? Stop doing things in moderation. It's time to go and it's time to buckle in. You can see how it's I'm getting charged up. I just think about, I've been confused in my own spot where I've allowed things to say, hey, maybe I shouldn't go this after it this hard. And I'm kind of throwing that book out the window and I'm saying, it's time to buckle in and it's time to go after it. We need to hammer it home. And the best drivers I've ever seen, we all see something in common from them. They're locked in, they're checking their equipment, they're thinking ahead, they're planning their moves, they're taking pride in doing things the right way every single time. And it's not because someone is watching, it's because their standards demand it and they come at it with intensity. And there's a simple way I once heard the difference between professionals and amateurs explain. And it stuck with me. The difference between professionals and amateurs is this professionals show up prepared. Amateurs show up and hope things work out. Which one are you? Which one of those do you see yourself? Think about that for a minute. Amateur driver pulls into a shipper and figures it out as he goes. Sometimes that is the case, I understand. You don't know what you're loading, but think about it. Professional driver knows what he's doing, he knows what he's getting into. He's familiar with how to accomplish the mission. He knows that he has to check the height of his load. He knows that he has to check his tires and make sure that everything is compliant. There's so many parts to this career that you have to look at. And there's so many things that get left on the table. Communication, improving, focus, discipline, checklist. If you have a checklist or you have a process, buckle in, get it done, and stick with it. Become intense with it. Come at it aggressively and know that you can win. That's intensity, you guys. It's not just rushing, it's not yelling, and it's not being stressed out, it's being laser focused, it's being locked in. And because when you're moving heavy equipment, there's too much responsibility out there to just hope that it works out. And as we've grown internally, we continue to improve that mindset. We know we have to work with you alongside you and do this locked arms so we all win. And so we're coming at it with a level of intensity that says, we're gonna win and we're gonna do it right every single time. We're gonna stay focused, we're gonna make sure that you walk the truck, we're gonna set you up for success, we're gonna check the load and go over the permits. And not because someone told them, and not because I'm reminding you every single week, it's because that's your standard. You're coming at it with intensity. And here's the reality: nobody can force this into your life. That's one of the things that I've learned because I try to be so optimistic and helpful towards every single person that I meet, but I cannot make you want anything. I cannot get you to do something just by speaking it. Not your boss, he can't change it. Your company can't change it, not even your family, to be honest. It has to come from you. You have to want this. And it's a decision that you're not gonna live half engaged. You're just gonna turn it up, you're gonna turn the intensity up, you're gonna grab the dial, and you're gonna turn it to the right and bring it home. You're gonna attack that day with purpose. So let's just look at a few scenarios, right? Whether it's driving a truck, leading a team, you have people underneath you. Are you running an oversized load with escorts around you? Are you coordinating all parts of that shipment? Are you raising a family? Are you building a business? Are you taking care of your health? What is it you need to get intense over? Don't just do it halfway. Hammer it home. Do it with intensity. And there's a coach that I've always respected, Coach Lou. He had a very simple framework for living a good life. And here's the three rules that kind of navigated his whole life, and you can hammer intensity into. And rule one is do what is right. There's never a right time to do the wrong thing, and there's never a wrong time to do the right thing. So always act with integrity and do the right thing, even when nobody's watching. Such a simple rule. Rule number one, do what is right. Rule two, do everything to the best of your ability. You can give your effort 100% every single time, and you will be amazed what comes from it. I personally find myself getting complacent in certain areas of my life, and I understand that I have to crank it up. I have to do the best that I can. And it's almost scary when you realize that you can almost achieve anything you want, anything you put your mind to if you give it your effort. So, rule number two, do everything to the best of your ability. And rule number three, show people that you care. I love that fact. Treat people with respect, be helpful, be considerate. Things we talk about all the time, things that are simple human nature, but they get put on the wayside. And I see it in trucking. Sometimes we see other truck drivers, we don't treat them with respect. We come at them with a level of you know disregard, and we don't come at it with respect. So, rule number three, show people you care. You focus on those three things, do what is right, do everything to the best of your ability, and show people that you care, and you bring intensity into that. Man, you will be set up. Just imagine if every driver did that. Imagine where a company could be if every single employee did that. Do what is right, do the best of your ability and show people you care, or your customers, your co-workers, your drivers. That's professionalism, and there's opportunity to do it with intensity. One of the biggest risks in life today, for me and for I'm assuming you is failure. Nobody wants that. That's the biggest thing that we're all carrying on our backs that we never want. You're trying to get rid of it, right? It's afraid to fail. Whether it's personal, professional, it doesn't matter. It's challenging. And you know what feeds that is comfort. And so when life gets comfortable, we start to let our standards slip, and you stop pushing yourself and you stop improving, you just start coasting. And I hate to say it, but I keep seeing it. That's dangerous. That's what fueled this series. And like I said, I was observant for these last four weeks, trying to figure out what we can do as a trucking industry to build momentum, not just as a company, but as an industry, to propel us into something great. And moderation is killing us. We have to come at this with intensity, with a will and a want to win because it's just hurting us and it sucks. And once you start accepting those lower standards, it keeps dropping. Once your ceiling is here, you keep going lower. And intensity is gonna say, not today, not me. That's the mindset we need to have. And so living radical doesn't mean being reckless, it means being intentional and it means raising the standards for your life, not someday, today. And so approach the day with intensity and approach the mission, approach the load, approach life with intensity. And like I said, even if it's for just three weeks, just for this series, please listen to me. Let's try it together. Have some intensity, want to win, go after what your target is and accomplish it. And like I said, it doesn't have to be that load, it can be your health. Hey, you're struggling to lose weight or you're struggling to do this. You can do it, but you have to lock in, you have to come at it, you can't do it half engaged. You need to go full throttle and hammer it home. And so for the next episode, we're gonna talk about in this Living Radical series is consistency. And intensity is powerful, but intensity without consistency, it starts to fade and you find yourselves right back in the same rut you were. So consistency turns discipline into results, and I'm really excited to get into that. But I hope you can come at this next three weeks with intensity. Thank you for listening to Keep Trucking Personal. Be safe. Appreciate you tuning in. If you got value out of this, subscribe and send it to someone who takes pride in the job. We're not just moving freight, we're shaping the culture. Catch you on the next one.