Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Lombard
Hi Michael, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My family owned a trucking company from 1923-1984. My grandfather was an owner, and driver, so was his father, and his father was the founder. I’ve referred to myself as Lombard Trucking online ever since I made a twitter account.
I graduated high school in 2008 where I then joined the Marines. I served for four years with Charlie Battery 1st Battalion 10th Marines. I deployed to Afghanistan from 11/2010-05/2011.
After the Marines I attended college at the University of New Haven, there I played lacrosse.
After college is when my physical and mental health declined. Working in a sales role for two years it was work hard play hard. Unfulfilled in life, I got a job working for a wholesaler at a warehouse in Connecticut. Things didn’t improve.
In the fall of 2018 I lost one of my best friends from the Marines. It spurred me to make a life change regarding my physical health.
From there I wanted to follow in my family’s footsteps and venture out of the warehouse, into the truck. While over the road my physical health became more of a necessity than ever. During my three years trucking I ran in 5 full marathons, started a podcast, and became involved in driver advocacy.
Since 2018 I have lost over 100lb and Now I work full time in the fitness industry at OrangeTheory Fitness. I still coach drivers remotely, and I work as a sponsored athlete partnered with the non-profit Project 61 with the mission of getting resources and education to America’s drivers.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This journey has been anything but smooth or conventional. During the course of my 100 pound weight loss I was offered a promotion 5 weeks before my wedding, and was asked to move. I negotiated for the salary of that job, and it didn’t swing in my direction, so I had to turn it down. Still faced with being dissatisfied in life, my wife and I began planning a move to Texas, which ended up being postponed by Covid-19. Not knowing what the future was going to look like, we felt like we were in a now or never scenario and moved to Austin right after Memorial Day in 2020. From there I had to start the process of obtaining my commercial driver license. When I went over the road, the duty of staying healthy became a necessity due to the sedentary nature of the job. There are nothing but obstacles in your way to live this lifestyle. With limited food options readily available, difficulty finding safe parking, and an always changing schedule, it took blazing my own trail. More obstacles came as I decided to start my own business, and buy a truck. The trucking industry has been in a historic recession for the past several years, and eventually I had to sell my truck, and got off the road in 2023. From the outside looking in, people thought I made it look smooth, but it’s a wild transition to go from trucker to in person fitness Coach.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am currently working as the Head Coach of two OrangeTheory Studios in Austin, TX. I also work as an online fitness coach for truck drivers. I host a podcast called the Lombard Trucking Show where I talk to drivers, and other professionals in the logistics industry about their stories, as well as problems they see in the industry. I am partnered with the non-profit Project61, which aims to raise awareness regarding the driver health epidemic in the US. I am training for Ironman to raise money for this organization so that we can get more resources and education to the nation’s truck drivers. Through content and social media I have solicited sponsors from in and outside the transportation industry who support Project61 and myself, and have leaned into marketing and consulting roles to recruit more brands to get in front of the issue.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
If it’s one thing I love to do it’s work with and collaborate with other people. If you have a product or service that is related to the trucking industry, I am connected to the CEO of the largest transportation media outlet, FreightWaves, and I’m connected with trucking’s top content creators. As a driver myself, I speak driver, and from a marketing perspective there is a market out there for businesses to capture, if they do it right, and they can by working with me! You can always support me by liking, sharing, and subscribing to the Lombard Trucking Show podcast, and follow my social media pages @LombardTrucking .
Pricing:
- Coaching – $13/month
- Sponsor – $1k trucker consulting $1k content
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Lombardtrucking.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lombardtrucking/profilecard/?igsh=Y293NnBhMTN2Nmc2
Image Credits
Michael Lombard
