Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/15908
operators and company drivers by increasing their personal interactions with family and friends while isolated on the road. Some truckers have gone a step further, using free blogging sites and other web publishing tools to broadcast their expertise, experi- ences, opinions and creativity in new ways. “It would be very frustrating to be out on the T road if you didn’t have a way to share it with oth- ers,” says owner-operator/blogger Phil Madsen. “Blogging is really a godsend.” Some, including Madsen, view online publish- ing as mere hobby, while others are more mission- driven. Whatever their goals, the following truckers have attracted a large and growing number of readers. A few have even begun to bring in a small amount of ad/sponsor revenue for their efforts, supplementing their trucking income. 28 OVERDRIVE SEPTEMBER 2010 he rise of online social networking, with sites like Facebook and Twitter, has transformed the lives of many owner- Learning something new every day One half of expediting team chronicles on-highway adventures for truckers and industry outsiders alike. Phil Madsen, team expediter with his wife, Diane www.successfulexpediters.com TRUCK: Straight Volvo VNL with 132-in. ARI sleeper and 16-ft. box FLEET: Leased to FedEx White Glove Services Minnesota native Phil Madsen turned to trucking for a new life of adventure with his wife, Diane, in 2003 after the two met during Jesse Ventura’s suc- cessful campaign for governor. They jumped into the expediting business. Active in online trucking forums and message boards from the get-go, Madsen sought a way to