The Fastest I Ever Learned to Slow Down: A Lesson I Apparently Needed Twice

I've spent over thirty years in a truck, and you'd think by now I'd know to listen when someone who's been there says, "Hey, you might wanna slow down." But no, apparently I needed another lesson.

First solo haul, CAT D7 bulldozer, old Kenworth, ninety grand gross. I pick I-70 because it's the shortest line on the map. Richard asks if I'm sure, I say yep, and that was a bad idea. Coming down Eisenhower, too high a gear, brakes smoking, and my genius solution was neutral. Let the wind cool them, right?

Dumbest thing I've ever done in a truck.

Road saved me when it turned uphill, and I sat there for an hour wondering what the hell I was doing in that line of work.

At Vail, I dropped it in a low gear, crept down, never touched the brakes. Lesson learned. Getting there quick doesn't mean squat if you don't get there.

You'd think I'd remember that.

Then comes writing Iron Reach. I did the smart thing, hired Beth for publishing help, put my lovely wife, Rebecca, on the manuscript for editing. They both told me to slow down. I fought them. I pushed, I argued.

Come on, it's fine. I know the story.

After enough back and forth, they let me run with it. Once it was out, I saw the very things they warned me about. Now I'm going back to fix them. That's my fault. Nobody else's.

Same thing, different mountain.

And marketing, hell. I've thrown thousands at ads and promotions. Some did something, some did squat. That's on me, too. Excitement is not a business plan.

If you're new to this, slow down.

Listen.

Don't spend money you don't understand.

Don't treat a warning like a speed bump.

Treat it like a guardrail that's there for a reason.

I wish I'd done that more.

But I'm still here, still writing, still learning, hopefully a little smarter about the turns. And yeah, Beth's damn good at what she does. Rebecca is too. They both tried to help me do it right, and I made it harder.

So yeah, they were right. Don't expect me to say that often.

I've still got a reputation to maintain.

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If you're interested in checking out the books in my Frozen Freight series (Iron Reach and The Fifth Dot, you can find out more here: https://www.bartransport.net/frozenfreight