Jerry Murphy has a felony on his record. He was a raging alcoholic — his words, not mine. Working part-time to drink full-time. He had his own motorcycle shop once and drank it into the ground, and he'll tell you straight up whose fault that was.

Then he got sober. Six years now.

He built a trucking company out of Circleville, Ohio from two trucks scraping by on the load board into an operation his drivers call home. And this past June, he closed on something most small carriers only talk about — he bought a trucking company that's been running for 40 years, from an owner who chose Jerry over every bigger check he could've taken, because he trusted Jerry to take care of his people.

But here's what nobody watching from the outside knew. While that deal was sitting in limbo, Jerry lost his brother. And the man who had rebuilt his whole life found himself in the darkest place he'd been since he put the bottle down. Sleeping past his alarm for the first time in years. Walking away from the jiu-jitsu classes he loved to teach. Carrying something he couldn't name.

He didn't drink. Not once. He didn't even think about it.

Months later, he signed the papers on the biggest move of his life.
This is a conversation about what rock bottom actually looks like, what it takes to climb out more than once, and why the hardest fight isn't building the business — it's believing you deserve what you built.

If you're carrying something right now and telling everybody you're fine, this episode is for you.

Follow The Long Haul Podcast

Other FreightWaves Shows