The end has come for Virago Transport

vi·ra·go

/vəˈräɡō,vəˈrāɡō/

a woman of masculine strength or spirit; a female warrior.

a domineering, violent, or bad-tempered woman.

I've been dreading and contemplating this update....It's a long read, but will serve as a reminder to myself later down the line.

I'm a "paint the picture" kind of chronicler, I've become a blogger without even intending to over the last couple of years...So here goes...

It's bittersweet to have to announce that Virago Transport trucking operations is closing down due to catastrophic mechanical failure. Our beautiful and trusty piece of iron is no longer operational. But, light at the end of the tunnel, Daryl was able to land a company driving position within 2 days that will allow him to frequent through the house as they ramp up TX operations. We are currently on the road (all 4 of us) headed to Houston to drop him off at a truck he'll be taking up to their headquarters in IL. So I have time to sit here and think (at least 4 hours) while we make an impromptu family trip together during this unexpected transition...After all, if you remember, we started this company with the 3 of us packed in the SUV like sardines (Daryl, Drake and myself) after picking up Daryl from his old company in FL. Unlike the last road trip, we won't be stopping at the beach in preparation of our new adventure....This time, we will be picking up the pieces and sorting the ins and outs of closing down the trucking side, digging ourselves out of the hole financially that we are in and healing from this loss.

To recap, Obsidian went down on March 12th after an unfortunate blown transmission. Almost 2 weeks later we have yet to hear back on from the warranty company on whether or not they would cover the repair of nearly $20k, and with a combined daily loss of close to that same amount while being down, this has effectively put us out of business. God even typing out those words is a complete gut punch that brings me to tears. Daryl, Pops and Drake have spent the last few days over at the shop where she's been sitting, cleaning her out, but today was the first time I saw her in person as we picked up the last little bit of remaining items and my goodness, the flood of memories hit me like a ton of bricks.

To say we put our blood, sweat and tears in to this business is a complete understatement. We have dedicated the last 2 years to developing, planning, strategizing. Probably TMI but we literally grew our family while in that beautiful piece of iron.

As I sit here, I'm just mentally and emotionally reliving every load that I booked, every load that I personally helped pick up, secure and deliver. From the first time I had to talk to a broker on the phone, not knowing what I needed to ask or the need to know questions, and don't get me started on the anxiety over negotiating rates that met our operating needs. My mind goes to our first load hauled; it was cable reels we took up to WI and I didn't know the difference between a chain, binder, ratchet strap or how to use any of them. I actually watched one of my favorite flatbedder's youtube channel on how to secure them on the way to pick up.

Terrified, that's what I was when we started this. Terrified, insecure, and lost. I was just as scared as I was the first time I worked as a real deal freshly out of school bonafide nurse in the real world, trying to figure out how to navigate that beast...

Fast forward to present day, I'm sitting here with my phone and email still blowing up by brokers wanting to book our truck because of the impeccable service that we provided, I get asked by brokers on best practices in securing a carrier based on load requirements and get asked what MY rate is and getting it approved. I worked our deck all big, round, pregnant and waddling to secure 47,500lbs of equipment and machinery. I've been able to find something in myself that I honestly didn't know existed...A whole new career set in an industry that I fell passionately in love with. I truly understand why my family made it 4 generations in this industry and I pray it doesn't stop with me. I've absolutely loved watching Drake hop in the truck and go to work with his dad at 3 or 4am, or help me roll straps or tarp. Watching him be an active participant in this adventure and learn real life skills, has been a blessing in an of itself. I feel like this has helped instill good work ethic in him, a desire to learn a generational trade, and given him an opportunity to see his parents set out into the unknown, go against societal norms, struggle and learn. I am excited to watch Xavier grow up around trucking, learn the ropes early on and hopefully venture out into the industry to make this a 5th generation Rodriguez trucking family.

Let me back up a bit here, when we started this whole thing, I knew about the industry through the eyes of a trucker's wife. Trucking had always been a priority as it's something Daryl has done for the last 16 years. But it was always his job, his lane so to speak... We sort of lived 2 separate lives, one where he was on the road, and one where he was at home (temporarily interrupting the flow of our daily goings on until he left out again). In building this company, I've learned to appreciate the work he does daily. The sacrifices he's made. The dangers he faces. The stereotypes he tries to squash. This is something every driver on the road experiences, and I lived every minute of it. I find myself now pre-tripping, route planning, checking for landing gear that isn't properly raised on the old Pete driving beside us... all the things I never noticed before have become my new norm. I learned how to pee in a 36oz Burger King cup squatted under my trailer in the pitch black. middle of the night while out on the Navajo reservation in northeast AZ, cook a meal while traveling down the road on the bumpy busted ass roads of AR, negotiate and operate our business on a janky laptop with horrible cell reception along the longest 300 miles I've ever been on through backroads VT winding down the most narrow hairpin turns. My fondest memories that are just hitting me like waves, hanging out of the side of the truck snapping pictures of the countryside from east coast to west coast and everything in between. Shutting down a busy street in Portland while chatting it up with construction workers, rubbing elbows with crane company foremen and watching the lead chew the crane operator out because "no one makes Nicole and Daryl with Virago wait to unload when they are on a jobsite" (I still crack up at that).

It's not all been sunshine and fond memories though. It's been the toughest 2 years of our lives in so may ways. Business owners in the trucking industry in a down market. Man it's a bitch lol From blown tires to sensors going out. Truck stop repairs and jimmy rigging to get him to the next pick up or stop as to not ruin our 100% on time reputation. I also learned the of the harsh realities of what it's like to be a woman over the road and all the complexities and barriers faced. Safety concerns in trying get from truck to inside the store without potential threats of harm that are very real. Handling the biological side of be a woman on the road with limited options for bathrooms and parking availability, being pregnant on the road... So many lessons learned and experiences gained.

Don't get me started on the amount of personal debt accumulated even having had a decent nest egg set aside when we started, to the point our pristine credit has tanked, we are fighting to keep our home, living at or below the poverty level. This is the reality of many like us in this current economy. Full transparency is our thing, and this is what it is.

The question that keeps coming up "would you do it again knowing what you know now?" And to that I answer with a resounding "yes". I absolutely would take the leap of faith that we did and do it all over again. I don't see our closing down the trucking side as a failure. We've proven over and over that we had what it took to make it in the industry, if to no one but ourselves.

Initially when the realization hit that we were closing down the business, I felt that knee jerk reaction of failure. But I am more and more convinced that things (from start to finish) have happened exactly how they were supposed to. Even down to the fact that the truck gave out in Dallas, on his way to drop in Houston, 6 miles from the shop and 38 miles from the house. He could have broke down in OKC or Houston, or anywhere in between, but no... He didn't. He broke down right where I could get to him and we could make all of these major decisions together, side by side, just the same way we did when we started this whole thing.

So yeah, that's where we are at as of today. If you've made it this far, we appreciate you. We appreciate all of the support, prayers, encouragement and well wishes over the last 2 years. I hope, at some point, to bring news that life will be breathed back into this amazing company we built. But, until then, we will heal, recover, and forge ahead, together. We have kiddos to raise, credit to repair, health insurance to gain, and bills to pay lol Same 'ol grind, just not on our dime or sanity.

What does this mean for Virago Transport as a whole? Well...That's something we've been tossing around over the last 2 weeks. The reality is, longevity and financial gain isn't in the driving sector of trucking anymore but, rather, it's in the services provided to drivers in the industry. I truly feel that with Daryl and my combined knowledge (his masters degree and experience in trucking, my bachelors degree and managerial background, process flow development, knowledge in lanes/market trends and broker/customer negotiations and lest not forget my friggin' ray of sunshine attitude, we aren't done.

After all....I am Virago.

#viragotransport #reallifeintrucking #womenownedbusiness #stepdecklife #4thgenerationrodrigueztrucking