Inside the World of Detailed Truck Collectibles

Jared Flinn: You're listening to the B Floats podcast, your number one resource for everything bold freight trucking. Hey, guys. Jared Flynn with the Bulk Loads podcast. Got Tyler with me. Tyler: What's going on? Jared Flinn: Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle bells. It's Christmas time. Tyler: It's December officially after Thanksgiving. Yeah. So we're putting up the tree at the house. This is my favorite season. Jared Flinn: Yeah. Speaking of, we have toys on here. Tyler: Yeah, this one is a good episode. I don't want to get into it before the truck feature, but, man, this one is cool. Jared Flinn: Well, let's do the truck feature first and then it'll transition right into this. Tyler: So today we have Eric Edmondson out of Ellsmoor, Kansas. He has been a member with us since 2022, so a few years now. So, I mean, sharp rig. I like super sharp. I like that, like beige with the maroon classic. Yeah, yeah, it's sharp. Jared Flinn: Tarp matches the truck. Tyler: Yep. So, yeah, super sharp. Jared Flinn: Awesome. Yeah, thanks for sending this in. If you would like to get your truck featured, just send it to us. However you can send it to us. You can email, text, whatever, podcastolclose.com be happy to feature on there. This truck, by the way, would make a perfect model truck. Tyler: It. I'm sure they have one similar out there. Jared Flinn: Yeah. So. So speaking of today's podcast, we're going to bring Adam Knight on. He's the co owner and creative director of DCP and First Gear. And I'm sure every one of our audience members knows who this company is. If you go to most trucking companies, even freight brokerages, you see these little models in the office, they usually have these in bookcases or whatever. And typically whatever company you go to, it's usually they have replicas that are similar to theirs, actually have their trucks made. But First Gear, Adam's company, they are the guys that created these. Jared Flinn: They create these models and these things are so intricate and so detailed. And we're going to bring Adam on the show today and really talk about the history of the company, how it came to be. His father started the company and where they've grown today. And like the. Just the things that these guys do, how they really like. Adam knows every truck and making model and trailer because they have to make these replicas so they get to learn about new things are happening, the technology. He talks about how these trucks get featured, how they go through the process and creating these collection kits. So this one, man, I think it just goes kind of right in line with the Christmas season, man. Jared Flinn: Hopefully. Maybe there's one of these. Maybe expecting under the tree for your little one or for you. So I think that's pretty cool. Tyler: Yeah, this one is cool. Adam explains everything that goes into making one of these models. Where they're made, how they're designed. I was just shocked at the fact he was saying like whenever they're designing a new truck, it could take up to a year to get the design right before even getting to produce one of these. So that was super cool. They tell you he talks about cool projects they've done with like AC DC and just. Yeah, it was all super. I like the business in the learning podcast, but every once in a while we sprinkle one of these in. Tyler: Well, there's a lot to learn from business. Yeah, it's super cool. Just his story and why they, why they started it, how they got started and complete end to end on how one of these are made. And I think Adam even goes into how you can get one custom made of your truck. Jared Flinn: Yeah, absolutely. And we're going to put that link down in the show notes as well. So we'll unpack a lot that because there's a lot of little things that he said that I think are super fun and just fun to talk about. So with that said, here's my conversation with Adam Knight of First Gear. Adam, thanks for joining us. Adam Knight: Yeah, thank you for having me. Jared Flinn: So you are. You all are based in eastern Iowa if I remember. Adam Knight: Yep, we're out over in Piasta, which is just west of Dubuque, so northeast Iowa area. Jared Flinn: Okay, awesome. And I just by kind of getting to know a little bit about you. One of the co owners and actually creative designers of the products. Adam Knight: Yeah. Yep. So my father actually is the owner of Firstgear and he formed the company in 1992 and then I ended up coming along and joining the company in 2016 and became part owner 20. I know it was 2000, 2022 somewhere in there. Just as we started entering the 20s, I made the full decision to say full commitment, jumped in on this. So yeah. And then I also am a designer or kind of creative director of the company. So I kind of us with the collector side of the business. Adam Knight: That's where I do a lot. I, I design and help with that product line. So selling to our dealers and distributors and the collector market of our models. Jared Flinn: Nice. Well, I want to talk more about that but just to give a high level overview, obviously I got these models that are your all's products sitting in front of me. Most of our audience know if they've been to a truck show or farm show, and you can't. You can go almost to any trucking company's office and they got these models sitting, you know, on displays on their desk or whatever. But talk about who firstgear is kind of how it started off to where you guys are today. Adam Knight: Yeah, well, we've. We've kind of changed through the years. First Gear started off as a promotional products business, specifically in 134 scale models. So they're about twice the size of the models that are on your desk. And. But same industry, trucking industry, transportation, you know, same commodity, but bigger models. More seen as more of a. As a premium gift that employers could get custom made and give to their employees or sell in their stores and things like that. Adam Knight: And then there's also the collector side of the business. But that kind of, that kind of came later as the company was primarily focused on promotions for businesses. Okay. And yeah, and then so they. Rich. My father, Rich Knight, he started that. And they kept. They became very popular because the detail was very intricate. Adam Knight: The printing on the models was all done very well in the paint. They. They became very popular. They did many models in 34 scale. Eventually kind of dove into 50th scale, which is more of a construction scale, and then into the models which you have, which are our 64 scale. And about five years ago, we acquired one of our competitors, Diecast Promotions, or dcp. And they were very popular with the trucking community in 64 scale. So those models that you have on your desk, they're part of what we call our DCP line or 164 scale line. Adam Knight: And they've been, they've been very popular. And we've seen that. We've seen a lot of growth within the past since we acquired them, within the past five years in the 64 scale trucking industry. Jared Flinn: Two questions with that. So in for people that know, because, yeah, you always hear like, this is 164 scale. There's the different scales. What does that actually mean? It's 164 scale. Adam Knight: What does. If you were to take a truck, a real truck, and then scale it down 64 times, that would be the size that you have in front of you. Jared Flinn: Okay. Adam Knight: So that's how that works. Yeah. And when Rich started out, he wasn't really so focused on the number or what the scale was. He was more. He wanted something big and heavy in your hands. And then when they measured it out, that's what the scale turned into. It was 1 34th. So then they ran with it because they thought it was a great scale to show detail of graphics and everything's legible and easy to read. Adam Knight: But then as we've kind of progressed through the years, I think people like the smaller scales because you can collect more of them. They're a little bit more affordable compared to the bigger models. Jared Flinn: I mean, do you guys produce more of the 64 scale than any other scale? I mean, that's why. Adam Knight: Yeah, at the moment we do. In the beginning, we didn't. In the beginning, we made more 34 scale. And then as time has progressed, we've gotten. We've done just more and more and more of the 64 scale. And right now that's predominantly what we've been coming out with. We do go even smaller to 87th scale. We have a couple customers where they want more of a smaller model or even ornaments. Adam Knight: We've done Christmas ornaments for different trucking companies. And so we got these tiny little semi trucks you can hang on your. Jared Flinn: What were those called them back in the day? The micro machines. Adam Knight: Oh, yeah, Micro machines. Those are fun. Jared Flinn: So I want to get into the detail on these. I think that's why what so many people are attracted to. I mean, the different designs and different trucks. Like when you go to a toy show or especially we go to a lot of trucking shows where there's different vendors selling these. But, man, the detail on these trucks, I mean, they're heavy, most people know. But you can go and just see everything from inside the cabin to underneath the hood. But can you talk about, like, how that's been an important part of the business? Hey, guys, we are getting so much interest for our Bulk Freight Conference 2025. You know, we started this two years ago. Jared Flinn: We've had two phenomenal conferences. It keeps getting bigger. Our first conference, we had over 200. This last one, over 500. And we have a lot of people that want to show up. We want to make sure that you can get your ticket reserved. It's going to be the third week of April. We hope that you can make it, but go ahead. Jared Flinn: Right now, go to bulkfreightconference.com and put your email address in there. And we will notify you when tickets go on sale. That way you will be the first one to be notified before they sell out. It's going to be amazing show. We have a new venue that's going to be even bigger. We're talking actually having show trucks inside the venue. Breakout sessions and, man, just a world mess to get you connected I was just talking yesterday, had dinner with a lady that was at the conference last year and just talked about the connections that she made and the business that she's doing now by meeting those clients face to face. So we want you to be there, man. Jared Flinn: Go to bulkfreightconference.com, enter your email address, get signed up. It's going to be phenomenal. We'll see you there. God bless. Adam Knight: Yeah, so it's, it's actually a major component of why our 64 scale models, I think they do so well and are popular is because you can, like for example, any of our Peterbilt trucks, like the 379, 389. We even go further back with 359 and 351. But you can take one of those trucks and you can completely customize it just like your real truck or your show truck, you want. You know, we have, when we work with the manufacturers, Peterbilt, Kenworth Mack trucks, we spec out the models to be just like their factory offerings. But then with these, with a lot of the 64 scale trucks, like the Peterbilts, for example, we have a lot of aftermarket parts. So, you know, if you're running a Texas bumper, you're running big, big pipes for stacks. You got different tanks, you've got, you got different sleepers. I mean, so that's what's fun about the models is we offer all of these different additional options and accessories so that when a company comes to us and they say, hey, can you make my truck? For the most part, we can, we can make exactly your setup. Adam Knight: So that's what makes them so unique, is that we not only can we replicate your graphics, your paint scheme, but we also try to get all the component parts lined up too. So it does or is a representation of your truck and your company. Jared Flinn: I've been in trucking almost 20 years now, and just being in the business dealing with freight, you learn about the industry, you learn about the types of trucks these guys are driving, the different trailer types that they have. But being a diecast company or modeling that, like, you've probably had to really study because you're just giving off the names of these. But like I would say you're probably even more knowledgeable than I am on knowing every make and model of trucks and the series and the trailers, because we're just on the bulk side. I mean, you're dealing with everything from drive in models to refrigerated. I mean, all of them. Adam Knight: And it gets even crazier when you go into vintage models. Because, you know, we'll go to, you know, we'll go to whoever, no matter who it is, Kenworth, Peterbilt, somebody, and we'll say, hey, we're producing a truck from the 70s, like a W900A or something. And do you have any schematics or. I mean, they didn't have computers then, so there's no design data. So a lot of the time we'll have to go out into the field, find a real truck, take all the measurements, figure everything out. And then once you've got all that data, we've got to scale it down and then try to make all the parts work and component parts work. And sometimes you got to cheat a few details or enlarge a few details to make it all work. But, yeah, we have. Adam Knight: We have a lot of data on all these trucks, and it's our job to replicate it and make sure they're authentic. So it's. Let's just say before I started, I knew nothing about trucks, and now I know way more than I should. Jared Flinn: I was gonna say, you can probably just drive down the road, see a truck pass, and be like, hey, that's a. Adam Knight: It becomes part of the company culture where people like you take a road trip and you're like, oh, we did trucks for them. Or, oh, I recognize that one. Or, oh, hey, there's the brand new Freightliner or whatever the case may be. Jared Flinn: So, yeah, well, that's gonna lead to my next question. Talk about the process of, like, how do you know what to. You talk about the collector's edition. But, like, when you guys are coming out with trucks, say you go to a truck show or wherever, a toy show, where you're gonna see these. There's all these different makes and models. How do those come to be. How do you decide that you're gonna create a series of purple trucks with a. Whatever, you know, gunmetal gray hopper. Jared Flinn: But, like, how does that even come out to where you decide that you're going to create a series or a bunch of those replicas? Adam Knight: Well, a lot of it is. A lot of it's based off of what's new. I think a lot of this business is constantly thriving off what's new. So if Paccar is coming out with a new truck or Mack trucks is coming out with a new truck, we've established those relationships for a very long time that those companies are coming to us. Freightliner, Volvo, all of them, they're coming to us. And they're saying, hey, we're coming out with a brand new, a brand new truck and sometimes we know that information before the public does. So for example, like Freightliner just announced their new Gen 5 and here at First Gear, we've been working on the new Gen 5 for the past year. So that, that's kind of part of it. Adam Knight: So then once that comes out, the manufacturers may have specific paint colors that we can reference and we'll use that information. But a lot of the time, a lot of the time with some of the new trucks that we're doing or from for like what I do when I make the collector models, we're going to truck shows. We're seeing what people are doing in that part of the industry. We're seeing what paint schemes are really popular, what colors people are running. And we'll get inspiration from there and then we'll kind of put together our own designs and then release them and pre sell them to the market and see, you know, see how well they do and see how it's received. One thing that we've been doing a lot is actually working with owner operators. I created, oh, I think it's been about four, four years ago, I created a collectible series called Big Rigs. And we work hand in hand with an owner operator and we make their truck. Adam Knight: So it's, it's really fun. We market the back of the packaging about the owner operator and their company and then we show off their truck. It's usually a working show truck. So it's got all, it's got, you know, all kinds of fun designs and parts and colors and so those have been a lot of fun to do. So yeah, we can, we try to find inspiration from all aspects of the trucking industry, whether it's at a trucking show, guys who love to customize and pimp out their trucks or companies and fleets and what they're doing. Jared Flinn: So a lot of times if you see. And I think they've had some custom made, but Tri State Commodities, Green Colorado, they're a client of ours. We've had on our podcast, we've done some videos. Again, a lot of people just know them just for the iconic orange color. Adam Knight: Yep. Jared Flinn: But I know we, and we actually have one of their models somewhere around here, but talk about that. Is that something that was custom made for them and then you also also sell them or was or it can go as far as when you see some of those. Because I've been to toy shows, you'll see a certain name on the truck, like it's an actual company. Adam Knight: Yep. Yeah, it can go both ways. A lot of the times companies come to us and they want us to make their truck and then they use them as corporate gifts or. Or rewards or whatever they'd like to do with them. And so we'll. We just need their information and their. And their decoration and their branding and will. Excuse me. Adam Knight: We'll put together artwork and send it back to them for permission. And a lot of times that's just done direct. We do hundreds of direct programs where the public doesn't get to see those trucks that are made just for those companies. And then sometimes we will ask the company, like, if, like Tri State Commodities if they've got a really cool truck. And we think, you know, we think the collector market would really love this truck because it's the design, the paint scheme, whatever it is, we'll ask them for permission, and then if they give us their permission, then we can sell them to our dealer base. Jared Flinn: Very cool. Adam Knight: That's how you'll see them at shows and stuff. Yeah. Jared Flinn: Yeah. So. And I am. And maybe this is just me since I'm in the bulk industry, but a lot of times when I'm looking at these toy trucks and I think we've bought. I sent some pictures to your company. I think we have probably 60 or 70 of them. But when I'm at trade shows, it seems like you see a lot more of the specialty type trailers. And again, we're probably at more truck shows and farm shows where we see more of the hopper. Adam Knight: Yes. Jared Flinn: Trailers. But I guess. Can you give us a breakdown? What's like the most made or sold? One 64 scale truck. I mean. Or if you just name like the top three that always that get moved. They get sold. A lot of. Adam Knight: I would say. Well, we've got. I guess it just depends on what industry we're. We're going with. We'd sell a ton of utility dry vans. We've got Wilson grain trailers. Those are super popular. That. Adam Knight: We've also got Wilson livestock trailers. Those are very popular. So it just kind of. It kind of just depends on the industry that we're serving at the time. But those three. Those three are very popular, I would say. Yeah. And then. Adam Knight: Yeah. And then we have just a variety of other trailers. The cool thing about the scale models is that we service everybody. So we've got trailers, all makes and models and almost any. Every industry that you'd want or that is out there. Yeah. Jared Flinn: And this is just for my own curiosity. So when you're working With Peterbilt or Kenworth or one of these. Obviously, like, I mean you're putting their trademark names on that. You guys just have to get permission to use their replicas or do they get a royalty of every toy that you sold or how does that work? Adam Knight: So we have to have a license agreement. So with all of these companies, no matter who it is, I mean all of them, whether it's the, the truck manufacturer, the trailer manufacturer, if we were to work with a entertainment property or something that's going to be on the side of a trailer, anybody, we have a license agreement in place. So yes, we then owe royalties to whoever the cab manufacturer is or in the trailer manufacturer. Okay. Jared Flinn: And then I would assume, I mean you guys are based up in Iowa. Are most of these made overseas? I assume or they assembled in Iowa or. Adam Knight: Yep. So we do all of the design work, sales and all that aspect here at our headquarters in Piasta. And then yes, all of the manufacturing and assembly is done. We have, we have several factories in China and then we also have one in Indonesia and that's where everything gets produced. And then they ship back here overseas. But that entire process, when you're going from design all the way to shipping, if you're, if you're working on a model that we have already produced, I mean that can take about seven months for us to go through that entire process. So if anybody who's listening would like trucks made, it's best to start talking to us now because we're already looking at spring of next year in order to deliver trucks. Jared Flinn: I want to get to that because I do want people that are interested to find out how. I guess the other thing too, when I think about making these models, and I could be wrong, but it's one thing if you get something 3D printed and this model, but like these things are so detailed. A lot of this has to be probably hand, I mean assembled. They can't be just in these marks. Adam Knight: And I feel like that's something you almost. Someday I want to make a behind the scenes video because, because it, it's such a process. I bet 2 to 300 people work on these trucks. And it's, it's, it's a lot. Everything is hand assembled or there is, there is like a mass to do, like the base coats of the paint. All of that is, is mass produced and done. But then if there's any intricate details, those get hand sprayed on. So somebody is picking up that part, hand spraying that detail, moving on to the next one, hand spraying that detail and then they are hand assembled. Adam Knight: There's parts that get glued on, there's parts that get screwed in and there's an assembly line and everybody works through their part, doing their process. And then you have the overall product by the end of that process. But it is, there's a lot of checks and balances throughout that entire process, making sure all the details are correct, the painting is correct. A lot of the graphics that you see on the sides of the cab, they may be what we call tampo printed where a machine comes down and prints right directly on the metal and then you put in another piece and you print right on top. We've also moved into like digital UV print where you've got like a digital printer printing across the materials. Like on our trailer sometimes we do that. Or you have a hand assembled. It's a water slide decal. Adam Knight: So it's, it's a decal and you get it wet in water. And we do this a lot here in Piasta too. So if somebody only wants to run a small amount of trucks, we'll take like a white truck we've got in stock and we'll, we'll do it all here in. In house in Iowa. But that's only on the small runs. If anything's mass produced then we do it overseas. But the water slide decals are pretty cool because you get them wet and the decal kind of slides away from the paper and then you, you apply it down onto the truck like maybe it's a trailer side. And then you just kind of squeegee out the water and it dries on there like it's like it's printed like it's not going to come off. Adam Knight: It's really, it's pretty cool stuff. So if that's a method then those have to be hand applied. So sometimes the, the ladies in our warehouse, they do a lot of that work. And you know, a truck could have five different water slide decals that gotta go on and those all get hand placed on there. So it's a process and it's, it's. Yeah, they are hand assembled and there is a lot of hand work that goes into making them. It's. It's really impressive. Adam Knight: And, and that's why they are a little bit more expensive than. Jared Flinn: I was just going to say that. Yeah. Adam Knight: Something you're going to see at the, you know, at your targets and Walmarts and things like that. So. And that's why they're collectible and treasured so much. Jared Flinn: Dad was going to Say this isn't, this isn't just a toy you buy your little 3 year old to drive around. You can if you really want. But like this isn't one that they're a little around on the living room floor. Yeah, so. And yeah, I'm glad you said that because again they, they're a little more expensive but you got to look at the detail and quality to appreciate just how intricate they are. I want to talk about for people that are interested in maybe having a. Their truck made, but I want you to speak for maybe there's just an owner operator that he has got like, and we got one up on the wall here. But just, I mean a really cool show truck that would be good. Jared Flinn: I mean other people would probably buy. Adam Knight: Yeah. Jared Flinn: Talk about that. And then also talk about for maybe a large fleet that they want to create a couple hundred or whatever it is to mass produce, how that process works. Adam Knight: Yeah. So it just depends on how many you want. If you are a big fleet company and you've got maybe several hundred employees and you'd like to give them out as gifts, you. Our minimums start, it depends. Our minimum starts at 504units and but if we have something in the lineup that's already running and it's the same truck that you're looking for, you can gang in on another customer's order for half the amount. So we get you down to 252 units instead of the 504. So you don't have to do that. Full commitment. Adam Knight: And then if you are an owner operator and you're like, well I don't need 250 trucks. And you're like, I would just, you know, I just want a few or you know, a couple cases, then you can work with us and we'll work with you. So as long as you're willing to give us permission to sell your truck to the collector market, we'll, we'll create trucks for you. Usually I offer free trucks in exchange to use your marks. And then if you want any additional trucks, we'll give you, you know, a special price so that you can get additional ones if you want for your own shop or your own needs. And then we'll go and produce that truck for the collector market. So that's how a lot of the show truck guys have gotten their trucks made. Or even small companies who maybe can't do the larger 2 to 500 piece run will do that. Adam Knight: And then if you. Or like I was mentioning before we got the decal programs. So if you've just got like a white fleet truck. You only need like 50 trucks. You don't need 200. You know, we can do that in house, and we'll do that for you too. Jared Flinn: And so you guys deal directly with vendors, but then also obviously sell to resellers or retailers that go into the market. Adam Knight: Yep, yep. Jared Flinn: Okay. And I guess just my question along that, because you go to some of these booths and again, I was at the farm show out in Louisville, Kentucky last year. Adam Knight: Oh yeah. Jared Flinn: And there was, man, at least five or six different vendors selling, you know, these semi trucks. Adam Knight: Yes. Jared Flinn: And I mean, they all had different ones because you had to go, like, all were just. You had to kind of keep eyeing each one. And they were all about the same price. But I was looking like, well, I like this one over here that this booth has and this one over here. But I didn't know how they. Or how that works as far as. Do they come in and just give you a list of, hey, we want this many hoppers, this many livestock trailers, this many walking floors, belt trailers, all your ag commodities. Adam Knight: We. So we run. We run our own product line that we release new trucks on every month. We'll release about. In 64 scale. We'll release about four to six new trucks every month. And our dealers. Our dealers will go and sell those for us. Adam Knight: Or you can also buy them direct if you want from our website. But that's. So there's constantly new product coming out. And then also if you are one of our distributors, a lot of them, quite a few of them actually, they'll come to us and design their own models for their business. So they may come to us and say, well, I really want a Pete 389 and I want to do, you know, five different colors. And I want them with these trailers and I want to sell them for my business. Those guys will do that too. So sometimes if you're. Adam Knight: If you are at one of these toy shows and you're like, well, this guy had all these different colored trucks. And, you know, I didn't see them over here. It could be because he had them custom produced with us. And otherwise you. All of our dealers should be carrying similar trucks because they're all the ones that myself and my team work on for the collector market. Jared Flinn: Very cool. Well, I got one last question, and this is maybe a little bit loaded one. But, man, in your years doing this, are there any of these that you've done that really stand out? That, I mean, that come first. And man, maybe that you can Just talk about maybe actually if they were true companies that you've done put in production, I'd love to hear those. Adam Knight: Yeah, we've done a lot of trucks, and we've done. We've done every. We've done almost like, it's fun going on a road trip because when you're driving down the highway and you're like, oh, we worked with them, or we did that truck, or I recognize that trailer graphic. Or like Quest Trucks was always running these cool trailer graphics on the sides of their trucks. Or. I mean, just working with some of the top fleet companies in the US Is pretty cool. And seeing what they're doing or being a part of the. What I love most about it is I really like being a part of the new truck releases. Adam Knight: Like, you know, like, when Mack Trucks came out with the Anthem, we were behind that launch, so we got to know way in advance when that truck was coming out. And then when they launched the Anthem on day one, we launched replicas to go with it on day one. So doing product launches like that have been super exciting to be a part of an industry. From the collector side of it, I've been trying to do a lot of new ideas and some fun ideas. So last year we brought out the Maximum Overdrive truck from the movie. The 1986 Truck movie, Maximum Overdrive by Stephen King. So, like, that was something that's kind of like. It's way out there, but it's fun. Adam Knight: And I think a lot of truck enthusiasts or people who've grown up with those. The truck movies from the 70s and 80s, you know, that kind of stuff has been fun. So we've been trying to bring a lot more of that kind of culture to the collector market. And we're always working on new ideas or trying to work with different entertainment properties on bringing those kinds of collectibles about. So. So, yeah, anything like that's been super fun. I've had a little fun with working on some. Some creative projects. Adam Knight: We worked with AC DC on releasing a few different diecast collectibles. And we might be working with some future rock bands from the 80s on some fun collectibles and things, but those kinds of projects are really fun. But also some of these owner operators, when you go to these truck shows and you see the level of detail they are putting into these trucks, the accessories, the paint jobs, the chrome finishing everywhere, like, that stuff's cool. And then when you got it, when you go to the shows and you're like, man, how would we make that work in the collectible form or what would we have to do? Or how much money do we have to invest in creating new parts to make this look like this truck? And. And so that stuff's exciting, too. And then, you know, going into the future making new models and making new trucks and making new parts. So we're constantly trying to look at that, at the industry, seeing what's. What's cool out there, what's popular, and then, you know, if it makes sense to bring it to the. Adam Knight: To the trucking industry in a collectible format. Jared Flinn: Yeah. I have to say I've been to a lot of these truck shows now over the years, but I can always one that stands out. And I've told this story several times. But there was a guy, he had this custom truck, and he was a bull caller. So that's why I went up and talked to him. I think he pulled it had an end dump, but any from a farm in Iowa. But he had a paint scheme on there. And when I went to talk to him, he said it was Lamborghini orange. Adam Knight: Yo. Okay. Jared Flinn: He said, one gallon of this paint. I might have this wrong, but, like, one gallon is like 2,000 bucks. Adam Knight: Oh, wow. Jared Flinn: And had this truck tailed out. But I'm just like, man, the amount of. I mean, the pride and the time, the resources these guys put into it, it's just so cool to see what they can do. Adam Knight: That's something. I don't think I really talked about it, but that's something special that we do here at First Gear is we match your paint, we match your colors. And so if you have a paint swatch of your truck or you can tell us the color codes or the paint codes, we will match that as best as we can to make sure that your truck colors are authentic. And we work with our clients to go back and forth, like, on making sure like. Or sending paint samples and comparing them, sending photos, making sure everything is accurate into what you specified. Yeah. Jared Flinn: Well, man, I thoroughly enjoyed this podcast, and it's not our typical bowl clothes. We're usually talking operations and business. This is cool that everybody that. I mean, so many people I know have these models and love these models, and that's why I wanted to bring you on. And I love that in the digital tech age that we're at, these things are still so iconic. You still see old replicas made, and, man, there's just something nostalgic about that. And I think that's why, quite frankly, I love what you guys are doing. Adam Knight: Thank you. Thank you. Jared Flinn: Yeah. Adam Knight: And I do think, you know, any more. Any more. I feel like the physical products, they're just. There's just something about it when you hold it in your hands and you can see it. I mean, it's even special for us at first gear. When you've spent. You've spent months designing something. Sometimes when we make a new model, it could take an entire year, if not longer, to make one of these. Adam Knight: And when you finally get it in and you see all your hard work and you're like, man, that looks really nice. Like, I worked on that. Like, I made it. And then when you see other people get even more enjoyment out of it, then, you know, it's such a rewarding feeling. And we're. We're very happy and privileged to. To work with all of these OEMs and be a part of the trucking industry in this unique way. Jared Flinn: Yeah. Rightfully said. And I think, too, like, equally the pride that that owner operator has when a replica of his truck has been made that's sitting on the shelves of hundreds, if not thousands. Adam Knight: Yes. Jared Flinn: This is pretty cool. So, Adam. Hey, man. I thank you so much for coming on the vocalist podcast. We love what you're doing, and God bless you. Appreciate it. Adam Knight: Thank you. Happy to be here, Tyler. Jared Flinn: I could, like, talk about everything Adam said because I think it's just so cool when it comes to, like, these toy models, but, Yeah, I can't believe it takes, like, over 150 people, did he say, on the assembly line, from start to finish. And you got to think when these models, like, if people know this, like, these things are so detailed. Tyler: Yeah. Jared Flinn: Like, the little tires. It's got the Bridgestone on it. I mean, even if you lift up the hood, I mean, and they really replicate these things to. True. To the actual. Tyler: Yeah. And that's what we were just talking about is these are, I mean, scale models. 1/64, which means this is 1/64 the. Jared Flinn: Size of a real semi. Tyler: Yeah. And so, yeah, they're super cool how they can get this small but still have this much detail. Jared Flinn: Yeah. I mean, even inside the cab, the whole thing. And I love, like, these. These customized ones that they've done and how they go through that process. And he said a couple things. Yeah. Four to six new trucks that they do every month that they kind of roll out. So, yeah, I. Jared Flinn: I love seeing these. Like, it doesn't matter what age. I could, like, in my 40s when we still go to these truck shows and just looking at all these little creations and makes and models and how they have them all there. Tyler: Well, if, if you've ever been on our. Off our office before in our conference room, you would think that it's a first gear store because we have our entire, all the walls stacked up with all these little trucks just because they're super cool. And I mean we, I mean we have all the bulk trailers here, but yeah, man, they're just fascinating. Jared Flinn: It's a dream of mine because I think It's. Is it 500 minimum order? Tyler: Yep. Jared Flinn: To have it done. It's a dream or goal of mine. One day we will do an order. Like we'll do one every year. Like we'll feature one truck. Kind of like we do the, you know, calendars and truck features. Tyler: Yeah. Jared Flinn: But we'll pick one every year and we'll, we'll run a line on it and then every year do another one and give them out to those members just as a thank you. Tyler: Yeah. Jared Flinn: These are just cool. They're. They're timeless collectible items. Tyler: Yeah. And you never, I mean, you never. Like they're always going to be on the shelf on display at all times. Jared Flinn: And you. There's so many different. And just like the trucks, when we see them out on the road, there's just so many different kind combos, colors. I like that was the thing too. Like how they can actually match the paint scheme. Any, any paint scheme out there they can match on these little models. Tyler: Yeah. Yeah. That's crazy. And sometimes they even like have to go out into the field and get measurements to make sure that they are, you know, precise with everything. Jared Flinn: Yeah. So cool. Adam, man, thanks for taking your time and coming on the show. Adam, we've asked and we're hoping that they will come to our bulk freight conference. Tyler: Yep. Jared Flinn: Which is coming up April 16th through the 18th. The link is down below. It is. We're getting closer. It is going to be fun. Get your tickets now before they get sold out. It's going to be awesome. Tyler: Yeah. We have everything from panels, breakout sessions, Q&As. There's going to be content for everyone. Owner, operators, carriers, shippers, brokers, merchandisers. If you are in the bulk freight world, you definitely need to be here. There's going to be a lot of learning opportunities, but it's just going to be a fun time. And tickets are on sale right now. $250 a piece right now. Tyler: I promise it will be worth your while. You're. You're going to get so much more than that ticket price. You're going to see I mean, just crazy things to grow your business. Jared Flinn: Speaking of models, did you order that Go Kart semi for the size? Adam Knight: Is that. Jared Flinn: It's like a one. Tyler: I don't know. Yeah, maybe we can. Maybe that's in our future. Jared Flinn: What is like a 1/4 scale or 1. Tyler: Yeah. Jared Flinn: We found this go kart when we're trying to get ordered for the conference. It's a little pricey. Maybe we can pull it off in. But we got to get a bulk trailer. We're trying to find a bulk. Tyler: Yeah. Adam Knight: For that. Jared Flinn: So, yeah, Bulk Freight Conference, April 16th through the 18th. Link is below. Get your tickets, plan to be there, bring the family. Going to be an awesome event. Tyler: Yeah, awesome. Jared Flinn: So cool. Tyler: Anything else on that? We are going to be at the Nebraska Ag Expo that's coming up shortly. December, I believe, 9th through the 12th. We will be there. Both a booth number 628, I believe. It's in the Freight Star Pavilion area. But you can look us up. If you go to the NebraskaExpo.com you can see exactly where we're at. We want to meet you, we want you to swing by and we want to chat with you. Tyler: We are actually going to have Jason Thomas, he's bringing up one of their show trucks to bring in our booth. So you can see that if we can get Garrett to throw a picture of the truck that will be in our booth. It's a beautiful truck. I'm excited for it. But it's going to be a really good time. We're right next to the Corn Husker guys and the Tempty booth is just right across from us. So we're going to see a lot of guys. It's going to be a good time. Jared Flinn: Yeah. So if you're going to be up in the area, make sure and come by the Bulk Loads booth. I'm sure you guys have plenty of gears as well to give out a lot of Carhartt stuff. So want to be there. So cool. Well, that's it for this podcast, man. We thank you for listening. A couple of things. Jared Flinn: We do have a prayer line prayer@bulk loads.com. you'll see the link down below if you have a prayer request, especially this time of year, we would love to pray for that. Any prayer out there, big or small, business related, personal level. The prayers that we receive, we do keep them in house. We don't share them or put them on social media anywhere else. Those can come in and we have a group of people in our office that pray over them. We consider that an honor. So, yeah, make sure any prayer requests, send them to us. Jared Flinn: And with that said, as we do every episode, I will close this out. Tyler: Awesome. Jared Flinn: Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time of the year, for you are the reason of the season, Lord. And we just hope that we take the time to reflect and slow down, Lord, that we take time to spend with family members and more than anything, lift you up and thank you for what you have done, being born on this earth, Lord. We just thank you for the sacred industry, Lord. We raise up the people in this industry, those working professionals out there, Lord, that they are safe and their doings, Lord. And we just hope and pray that we close out this year in a bang, Lord. We know that there's more optimism, the market's up, Lord. We hope to see that in our industry as well. Lord. Jared Flinn: We pray that we can be a light for those out there, your heavenly and precious name. Amen. Thank you as always, for listening to the Bulk Loads podcast. If you haven't yet, hit the little subscribe button in the left hand corner. That way you don't ever miss an episode. We have podcasts releasing every week plus other videos, and we want you to see those and be part of it. So thank you as always. God bless.