Overland Expo West and ORBA take center stage as the hosts recap the show, highlight an overlanding power setup, and then zoom out to the off-road industry’s push for public-lands access. ORBA’s relationship with SEMA is explained alongside recent executive-order and policy changes, plus how the group monitors the federal register and supports legal advocacy. The conversation also pivots to Nissan’s off-road direction—V6 choices, Frontier updates, and enthusiast-friendly customization—before ending with community and booth encounters.
Holman recently returned from a successful trip to Overland Expo West in Flagstaff, Arizona and brings back interviews from Nissan's Brent Hagan and listener Jason Broom. We also welcome on the show ORBA's legislative director, Laura Butcher, to talk about the latest news from ORBA. The Truck Show Podcast is produced in partnership with AMSOIL, Kershaw Knives, and OVR Mag. Don't forget to check out truckshowpodcast.com for special offers from our friends and sponsors.
"I recently visited lovely Flagstaff, Arizona and attended the 2026 Overland Expo West event
And it was as big and as awesome as ever"
Overland Expo West is a big event where people show off overlanding gear—things you use for camping and road trips in rugged areas. The host went there to show new equipment and talk with lots of attendees.
Overland Expo West is a major overlanding/off-road camping event where companies and enthusiasts showcase gear and vehicle setups. The host uses it as the backdrop for debuting their Jeep power-pack rack and for discussing the off-road community’s interest in practical camping tech.
"we debuted the Jeep with the new American Adventure Lab power pack rack that featured the 105 amp hour
KC flat battery"
American Adventure Lab is a company that makes overlanding accessories. Here they’re mentioned for a rack that helps mount a vehicle power system for camping and off-road trips.
American Adventure Lab is an aftermarket overlanding brand associated with power and storage solutions. In this episode, it’s specifically tied to a “power pack rack,” which is a mounting system for off-grid electrical gear on a vehicle.
"American Adventure Lab power pack rack that featured the 105 amp hour
KC flat battery and a full complement of red-arc battery management"
A “105 amp hour” battery is rated by its capacity—how much electrical energy it can store for running accessories. The “KC flat battery” is a specific battery type/model used in overlanding builds to power camping/off-grid electronics.
"KC flat battery and a full complement of red-arc battery management
And it was a huge hit"
Battery management is the system that controls charging and protects your battery. It helps make sure your battery and camping electronics work safely off-grid.
Battery management refers to the control electronics that regulate charging and protect the battery from unsafe conditions. In overlanding builds, it helps ensure the battery charges correctly and that power delivery to accessories is stable and safe.
"KC flat battery and a full complement of red-arc battery management
And it was a huge hit"
Redarc makes the electronics that manage how your battery gets charged and how power is distributed. It’s the safety-and-control part of an off-grid power setup.
Redarc is an overlanding/electrical brand known for battery-management and charging components. The host’s mention of “full complement of red-arc battery management” points to the electronics that safely charge and distribute power to the battery and accessories.
"Complete with our own Orba Lounge
So we had people coming in and out all weekend"
ORBA is an off-road industry group that advocates for people and businesses involved in off-roading. The host is talking about their mission—supporting motorized recreation on public land and helping the small companies behind it.
ORBA (Off-Road Business Association) is an organization focused on representing off-road industry businesses and advocating for motorized recreation. Here, the host discusses ORBA’s lounge at the event and their mission around public lands and the small businesses that support off-road activities.
"as you might recall the off-road business association was purchased by SEMA in the last half of 2025
And SEMA asked me to come on board"
SEMA is a big industry group for the automotive aftermarket. The host says SEMA bought ORBA, which helps explain why ORBA is getting more attention and momentum.
SEMA is an automotive industry trade organization that represents manufacturers and aftermarket businesses. In this segment, the host says ORBA was purchased by SEMA in late 2025, framing SEMA’s role in supporting and scaling ORBA’s advocacy work.
"speaking of wins the Trump administration dropped a doozy on Friday night shortly after our interview last week
And he signed a new executive order rescinding executive orders"
An executive order is an official rule the president issues that can change how the government operates. In this episode, the host says a new one reversed earlier orders, which can impact policies relevant to recreation and public lands.
An executive order is a directive issued by the U.S. president that can change how federal agencies operate without needing new legislation. The host mentions a new executive order that rescinds prior orders, implying policy shifts that could affect public-land rules and related recreation access.
"And then we you know the latest things that have come out is we're gonna have a v6
[408.7s] And we're not gonna force you into turbo four because people don't want turbo fours in this class
[413.2s] They want to have the displacement you look at, you know"
A “turbo four” is a small engine with four cylinders that’s boosted by a turbocharger. The speaker is saying some truck/SUV buyers in this segment don’t want that specific engine setup.
“Turbo four” refers to a turbocharged inline-four-cylinder engine. In this segment, the host says they won’t “force you into turbo four” for this class because buyers don’t want that engine configuration.
"We've spent a busy winter a busy fall and it's gonna be a busy summer as well
...
[413.2s] They want to have the displacement you look at, you know
[415.9s] How good the powertrain is on the frontier and the nine-speed automatic is great and you're like why would you walk away from that?"
The Nissan Frontier is a midsize truck. The speaker is saying the Frontier’s engine and transmission setup is strong, and it uses a nine-speed automatic.
The Nissan Frontier is a midsize pickup, and this segment focuses on its powertrain choices. The host compares it to other options by saying the Frontier’s powertrain is “good” and that it uses a nine-speed automatic.
"[415.9s] How good the powertrain is on the frontier and the nine-speed automatic is great and you're like why would you walk away from that?
[422.0s] It sounds like you know, obviously we're not gonna talk about future products and things that aren't ready to be discussed yet, but"
A nine-speed automatic is an automatic transmission with nine different gear settings. More gears can help the truck stay in the right engine “sweet spot,” so it feels smoother and more responsive.
A nine-speed automatic is a transmission that uses nine gear ratios to keep the engine operating in its most efficient or responsive range. Here, the host argues that the Frontier’s nine-speed automatic is “great,” implying it helps make the truck feel strong and well-matched to driving.
"[437.1s] Hey, we're we're enthusiasts, too, and and I'm so blessed to get to work for guys. Well, you have a Nissan Patrol
[442.4s] I've got a patrol"
The Nissan Patrol is a big SUV that’s built for tough driving and off-road use. The speaker is saying they personally own one, so they understand what enthusiasts care about.
The Nissan Patrol is a large, body-on-frame SUV best known for durability and off-road ability. The host mentions owning a Patrol, tying it to their enthusiast credibility and interest in what Nissan enthusiasts want.
"[442.4s] I've got a patrol
[443.4s] I've got a V8 R51, I've got a Titan and our household we bleed it
[448.7s] We live it when we bleed it we're enthusiasts ourselves and so we hear it"
The Nissan Titan is a full-size pickup truck. The speaker is just listing it as one of the trucks they live with, to show they’re into Nissan vehicles.
The Nissan Titan is a full-size pickup truck, and the host lists it among the vehicles they personally own. In this context, it’s part of the “we’re enthusiasts too” argument rather than a deep technical discussion.
"we talk about body and frame a real four-wheel drive real solid rear axle a"
Four-wheel drive is when a truck sends power to all four wheels. That helps it keep traction on dirt, sand, mud, or rough roads.
Four-wheel drive (4WD) means power is sent to both the front and rear axles, improving traction on loose or uneven surfaces. It’s especially useful for overlanding and off-road driving where one axle might lose grip.
"we talk about body and frame a real four-wheel drive real solid rear axle a"
A solid rear axle is a suspension setup where the left and right rear wheels are connected by a single rigid axle beam. It’s common on body-on-frame trucks because it can be strong and durable for carrying loads and off-road use.
"Regular ice drivetrain sounds like maybe there's a hybrid in there as an option But you're going to be able to get a v6 ice powertrain in it"
Powertrain means the parts that make the truck move. It includes the engine and the gearbox and the system that sends power to the wheels.
Powertrain is the combined set of components that generate and deliver driving force—typically the engine, transmission, and the drivetrain hardware. When someone says a vehicle will have a certain powertrain, they mean the whole “how it moves” package, not just the engine.
"Regular ice drivetrain sounds like maybe there's a hybrid in there as an option But you're going to be able to get a v6 ice powertrain in it"
ICE means the truck uses a traditional gas or diesel engine that burns fuel. It’s different from a hybrid, which combines an engine with an electric system.
ICE stands for internal combustion engine, meaning the vehicle runs on gasoline or diesel burned in an engine. In this context, the speaker contrasts ICE with a possible hybrid option.
"Something that's a great canvas a ponds one of our bought my bosses has come out and said these next generation products will be a Canvas I mean here we are at overland expo and that's what this is all about"
A “canvas” means the truck is meant to be customized. The idea is that it should be easy to add aftermarket gear for off-road and camping.
Calling a vehicle a “canvas” is a metaphor for designing it so owners can easily customize it with aftermarket parts. For overlanding, that usually means making fitment, mounting points, and access easier for add-ons like racks, lighting, and protection.
Brand
X-teros
"More frontiers than they've ever seen at the show this year fantastic and a ton of x-teros around Flagstaff We were pointing them out earlier yellow here red there all that but but the point is is these need to they need to be a canvas"
“X-teros” is the name of the off-road truck/line being talked about. The host is saying the company wants it to be easy for owners to add aftermarket accessories.
“X-teros” refers to the X-Terra/X-terrain-style off-road product line the speaker is discussing, and it’s being positioned as a platform for overland customization. The key point here is that the brand is aiming to make the vehicle “aftermarket-friendly” so owners can add gear and upgrades.
"We need to work with the aftermarket. We need to make it accessible for the aftermarket We need to make it friendly for the aftermarket to up it and use and that's exactly what we're doing"
Aftermarket means parts made by other companies than the truck maker. For off-roading, it’s how people add upgrades and gear to their vehicle.
Aftermarket refers to parts and accessories made by companies other than the original vehicle manufacturer. In off-road contexts, it usually means upgrades like bumpers, suspension components, lighting, and storage that owners install to tailor the truck to their needs.
"It it it it reduces the the pedal application so that you really feel rock solid going up rocks
[701.0s] Yeah, it smooths out your your inputs and and that's new for 26"
“Pedal application” means how your gas pedal movement turns into the truck’s power. They’re saying the truck’s computer changes that response so it feels steadier and less jerky on rough trails.
“Pedal application” here refers to how much and how quickly the driver’s accelerator pedal input is translated into engine torque. The tuning described is meant to reduce abrupt changes so the truck moves more smoothly over obstacles.
"...sed and announced on I guess it's the sport Yeah, 27 model year sport edition kind of takes a lot of the suc..."
The Buick Model 27 is a particular Buick car model from a certain year. The “Sport Edition” part means it was offered with a sportier set of features or styling compared with other versions. It’s mentioned because it’s a specific variant people can identify by name.
The Buick Model 27 refers to a specific Buick model year and designation that the podcast describes as having a “Sport Edition.” It’s significant because it’s a named variant tied to a particular production period, and discussions like this often focus on what features or changes were introduced for that model year. That’s why it can come up in a historical or collector-focused automotive conversation.
"We've got skid plates fog lights
[740.1s] We've got all-terrain tires and then it bumps it up in the personality department"
Skid plates are protective covers underneath the truck. They help prevent damage when you drive over rocks or rough ground.
Skid plates are protective metal or composite panels mounted under a vehicle to shield vulnerable components from impacts with rocks, logs, and uneven ground. They’re especially common on off-road trims because underbody damage can be expensive.
"We've got all-terrain tires and then it bumps it up in the personality department
[744.3s] So instead of just black everything it gives you that touch of what we're calling like line yellow type color"
All-terrain tires are tires meant for both regular roads and dirt trails. They’re built to grip better on rough surfaces than regular street tires.
All-terrain tires are designed to balance on-road comfort with off-road traction. Their tread pattern and sidewall construction help provide grip on dirt, gravel, and uneven surfaces while still being usable for daily driving.
"end with a couple things one is
[820.2s] The Armada is
[822.5s] Phenomenal every time I get in one of those things I'm blown away with with the comfort the driving how just everything about it"
The Nissan Armada is a big SUV made for comfortable driving. The host is saying it’s especially good for long trips because it feels great to drive and has comfortable seats.
The Nissan Armada is a full-size SUV known for its comfortable, road-trip-friendly ride and roomy cabin. In this segment, the host highlights how it feels when driving and how it stacks up for long-distance comfort compared with other options.
"You cannot in Southern, California find an off-road
[852.3s] Xterra
[853.6s] With decent miles at decent price
[855.3s] It was and I always tell people I said, you know, if you're looking for a forerunner and you think those are expensive"
The Nissan Xterra is a tougher SUV that people use for dirt roads and outdoor trips. The host is saying the off-road versions are hard to find cheap now, and some setups are especially rare.
The Nissan Xterra is a rugged, off-road-oriented compact SUV that became popular with overland and trail communities. Here, the host explains why finding an off-road Xterra with decent mileage and a reasonable price is hard, and why certain versions are especially sought after.
"I've seen so many Xterras where they have Titan swaps and things like that on them and it's
[876.4s] it's mind-blowing when you look at the pricing and
[879.5s] The rarity of that particular model, especially with a stick."
“Titan swaps” refers to swapping in the Nissan Titan’s powertrain (commonly the engine and related components) into another Nissan platform—here, the Xterra. It’s a common overland modification because it can add stronger performance and torque, but it also tends to raise the vehicle’s value due to rarity and desirability.
"it's mind-blowing when you look at the pricing and
[879.5s] The rarity of that particular model, especially with a stick. I mean, there's like unicorns."
Here, “stick” means the truck has a manual transmission you shift yourself. The host is saying manual off-road Xterras are uncommon, so people really want them.
In this context, “stick” means a manual transmission. The host is pointing out that an off-road Xterra with a manual gearbox is especially rare, which is why it’s treated like a “unicorn” among buyers.
"So the in V vans both passenger and cargo vans. They're a fantastic template
[895.3s] Tried and true vk-56. Yep the durability"
“VK-56” is the name of a Nissan V8 engine. The host is saying it’s a proven, long-lasting engine—exactly what you want for a van or truck used for heavy-duty trips.
“VK-56” is the host’s way of referring to Nissan’s VK56DE V8 engine family (often associated with the Titan/Armada-era V8). The host calls it “tried and true,” emphasizing its durability—an important consideration for overland builds that see long-distance use.
"You know all those parts that we have with Titan Titan XD. It's a durable truck. It's a great platform"
The Nissan Titan XD is a bigger, tougher pickup truck. The host is saying it’s built to last and can go a long time—hundreds of thousands of miles—without trouble.
The Nissan Titan XD is a heavy-duty pickup built for towing and off-road-capable use, and the speaker frames it as a durable “platform.” In this segment, they’re emphasizing that it can rack up very high mileage without major issues.
"it's sort of like has been
[916.2s] You know the second fiddle to being thought about for a purchase consideration"
“Purchase consideration” means what cars or brands you seriously think about buying. The host is saying Nissan wants to be the first one people put on their list.
“Purchase consideration” is the set of brands/models a buyer actually thinks about when shopping. The speaker argues Nissan is trying to move from being a “second fiddle” to becoming the first brand people consider.
"it's really hard to get a really low mileage
[932.2s] Nissan because not as many were sold"
“Low mileage” means the car hasn’t been driven much. The host is saying it’s hard to find Nissan trucks/SUVs with low miles when shopping used.
“Low mileage” is a shorthand for how many miles a vehicle has been driven, and it’s often treated as a proxy for wear. The speaker’s argument is that low-mileage Nissan examples are scarce in the secondary (used) market.
"He's like I listen to truck show podcast and I you know, I went out looked at a frontier
[966.8s] I went out looked at a pathfinder"
The Nissan Pathfinder is an SUV. The host is saying listeners also go check one out after hearing about Nissan on the show.
The Nissan Pathfinder is a family SUV, and in this segment it’s mentioned alongside the Frontier as another model people go look at after hearing the podcast. The point is that Nissan’s lineup is influencing shoppers’ shortlists.
"I went to easter jeep safari, which is sort of our soft launch
you and I went to washington dc as part of the sema rally"
Easter Jeep Safari is an off-road event that Jeep fans and off-roaders attend. The hosts describe it as a “soft launch,” meaning they used it for an early, less formal introduction.
Easter Jeep Safari is a well-known off-road event associated with Jeep and off-road culture, typically held in the spring. In this segment it’s described as a “soft launch,” suggesting a smaller or more low-key introduction before a bigger rollout.
"you and I went to washington dc as part of the sema rally
Met with legislators, but we had this amazing meeting with the department of interior"
Washington, DC is the U.S. capital where politicians and federal agencies work. The hosts are saying they went there to meet lawmakers and push their off-road access message.
Washington, DC is where U.S. lawmakers and federal agencies are based, making it a common destination for advocacy and policy meetings. The hosts mention going there as part of a SEMA rally to meet legislators.
"Met with legislators, but we had this amazing meeting with the department of interior with the bureau of land management
Which had some great things come out of that"
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is a U.S. federal agency that manages large areas of public land, including land-use rules that can affect off-road access. The hosts highlight a meeting with BLM as producing “great things,” tying it directly to land-use outcomes.
"With the team that handles land use and their temporary closures of johnson valley for the shared or multi-use area
And i'm going back and i'm thinking i'm like man, that's a lot of stuff for a couple months"
Johnson Valley is a famous off-roading area in the desert. The hosts are saying that part of it can be temporarily closed for other uses, which affects when people can drive there.
Johnson Valley is a well-known off-road area in the Mojave Desert that’s frequently discussed in the context of access, land use, and closures. Here, the hosts mention temporary closures of Johnson Valley for a shared or multi-use area, which directly impacts off-road recreation planning.
Place
western mojave
"we have been on the gas that doesn't even
account for the time we spent doing the wemo stuff and the western mojave with that closure"
The Western Mojave is part of the Mojave Desert region. The hosts are saying they were dealing with closures affecting off-road access in that area too.
The Western Mojave refers to the western portion of California’s Mojave Desert region, where off-road access and land-use rules can be a recurring issue. The hosts mention “the western mojave with that closure,” linking it to the same land-access/closure efforts.
"And so like if you're a small business and you are in product development, for example And you're like, I need to know how many wide f-150s get modified in this time range or something like that You may not have the access to the data. You may have to hire a market research firm"
The Ford F-150 is a large pickup truck made for hauling and everyday driving. Because it’s so popular, lots of people customize them for work or specific needs. That’s why it can be useful when someone wants to estimate how many trucks are being changed or used in a certain way.
The Ford F-150 is a full-size pickup truck built for everyday work and towing, and it’s one of the most common trucks on the road. It often comes up in discussions about how many trucks get modified or used for specific business needs because its popularity creates a large aftermarket and a wide range of configurations. In a product-development context, it’s a practical example of how buyers use trucks and how quickly trends can change.
"...ways send us stuff and happy to talk about on the air and Laura, I would say it was great seeing you an..."
The Lucid Air is an electric car, meaning it runs on electricity instead of gasoline. It’s built as a sedan, and it’s designed to go farther on a charge than many other EVs. That’s why it’s a common topic when people discuss electric vehicles.
The Lucid Air is an electric sedan from Lucid, known for focusing on efficiency and long driving range. It’s often discussed in automotive podcasts because it represents a modern approach to electric-car design and technology rather than a traditional gas-powered layout. The episode context suggests it came up as a notable EV to talk about on the show, likely due to its market presence and engineering focus.
Select text to request an explanation
Welcome back. It's the truck show podcast recorded from the pod shed here in Huntington Beach, California
And as you know, I recently visited lovely Flagstaff, Arizona and attended the 2026 Overland Expo West event
And it was as big and as awesome as ever
I mean you can get lost walking around the place seeing all the innovation the gadgets all the camping things
You didn't know you needed it was always a top tier first-class show while I was there
As you know, we debuted the Jeep with the new American Adventure Lab power pack rack that featured the 105 amp hour
KC flat battery and a full complement of red-arc battery management
And it was a huge hit and I probably spoke to had to be over a hundred people
Asking about the setup throughout the weekend
So it was really cool to have people really curious about what we're doing and I can't wait to get out and enjoy it soon
I'm almost there
Unfortunately while I was there I did not get a ton of interviews because we were so busy launching the off-road business association
Complete with our own Orba Lounge
So we had people coming in and out all weekend and we had my red Jeep out front
So it was drawing people in as well
And as you might recall the off-road business association was purchased by SEMA in the last half of 2025
And SEMA asked me to come on board and help get it off the ground
So in my new role as the executive director
I've been busy promoting Orba and sharing our mission of advocating for motorized recreation on public lands and the small businesses in the
Off-road industry that support it. So since I've been so busy in Orba
I figured it would probably be a good idea to have my legislative director Lord Butcher on the show
So we could talk about what we've got going on some of the policies were tracking the wins etc
So we've got her on this episode and speaking of wins the Trump administration dropped a doozy on Friday night shortly after our interview last week
And he signed a new executive order rescinding executive orders
11644 and 11989
Which is a significant step toward modernizing how federal agencies manage off highway vehicle access and recreation on public land
So here's our quick rundown of our Orba press release for nearly 50 years
These executive orders have shaped the regulatory framework used in federal route designation and travel management decisions
Across millions of acres of public land their rescission begins a process that could fundamentally
Reshape how agencies approach access recreation infrastructure and multiple use management moving forward while this executive order does not
Automatically reopen routes or overturn existing land use plans
It has the potential to influence future agency decision-making and
Rulemaking efforts including the framework used in large-scale travel management and access planning initiatives across the West
Substantial work remains ahead through agency rulemaking and implementation
But today's announcement represents one of the most significant public lands and recreation policy development in decades
Orba looks forward to continuing to engage throughout the process and advocate for responsible motorized recreation access to public lands and
Balance multiple use management for all Americans. So this is a huge one and as you'll hear in the interview
We're working on much more. In fact, this is something that I think we kind of hinted at we didn't know was gonna come so soon
But here it is outside of Orba. I landed an interview with old friend Brent Hagan from Nissan who was attending overland expo
They've got a lot of stuff in the pipeline as we've been talking about
They released a new trim for the frontier there and they were checking out well the market of future frontier owners
Hopefully also ran across truck show podcast listener Jason Broom who sought me out to hand deliver special gifts
So we'll get into that as well
But before we get into it, let's thank the companies that make the truck show podcast possible
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We use in our rigs. Did you know Amsoil is more than just synthetic oil?
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We're gonna show you what we know
We're gonna answer what the truck
Cuz truck rides with
The truck show we have the lifted lowered and everything in between talk about drugs that run on diesel
Electricity in our gas
The truck show the
It's the truck show with your host
Coleman
Man so much stuff going on lots to talk about that's some good interviews coming up in the upcoming episodes
But first what do you say? Let's catch up with Brent Hagen from Nissan at Overland Expo West
All right, I'm here at Overland Expo West
It's one of my favorite events during the year and happened to be with my good friend Brent Hagen from Nissan and
Man, I have been wanting to talk to you for a while because we've been doing a lot of Nissan news whether it's the
Nissan comeback the sales numbers frontiers holding its own in the midsize truck market with a lot of competition and a lot of pricing pressure
And then all of a sudden
Exteriors coming back. Exteriors gonna be yellow
There's you've got the a pro are on for like all of a sudden all this stuff's coming in and
Nissan's back to realizing that their off-road heritage is really important to the go-forward plan and it sounds like the
The new bosses recognize the the performance and racing
Heritage that Nissan has had and they want to reclaim that glory. Yeah, man
I give a lot of credit to my bosses Marco Pons Christian
They've come in and put full effort into investing in the products we have
Giving us a runway to the next generation products and as you can see the enthusiasm excitement about the return of the X
Is there and so we're really really excited about what we're doing
We've spent a busy winter a busy fall and it's gonna be a busy summer as well
Well, it's funny when it was like, you know, there'd be a dealer meeting or there would be you know some sort of
Nissan looking forward play me and like all these little nuggets are getting dropped and it's like
One of them was yeah, it'll be yellow and that's what the headlines were it's terrible to be yellow
Right, I mean people that's an iconic color for the XTERRA, right?
And then we you know the latest things that have come out is we're gonna have a v6
And we're not gonna force you into turbo four because people don't want turbo fours in this class
They want to have the displacement you look at, you know
How good the powertrain is on the frontier and the nine-speed automatic is great and you're like why would you walk away from that?
It sounds like you know, obviously we're not gonna talk about future products and things that aren't ready to be discussed yet, but
From what I'm hearing and and from what's out there what's been said publicly
It sounds like if you're a Nissan enthusiast, you're gonna be really excited about the next few years
Hey, we're we're enthusiasts, too, and and I'm so blessed to get to work for guys. Well, you have a Nissan Patrol
I've got a patrol
I've got a V8 R51, I've got a Titan and our household we bleed it
We live it when we bleed it we're enthusiasts ourselves and so we hear it
We're you know, I'm on social media all those guys that post and say I wish somebody Nissan was listening. We're listening
I'm there. I'm seeing all those comments and we care too. Sometimes it takes longer than we would like right?
We'd love to be able to bring that you know snap our fingers and bring stuff to market tomorrow
That doesn't always work
But we've got the the support of leadership of the company to turn this thing around all the way up to the CEO
Ivana Spinoza who's a truck and car guy himself
You know who I personally know and he's a great guy and so they support all of it
So we're we're dribbling you know, we're giving these things out to let people know these breadcrumbs. It's real
It's real and we hear you and it's not it's we're not going to come back with something
That's going to totally alienate the legacy or name only or in name only and we talk about body and frame
a real four-wheel drive real solid rear axle a
Regular ice drivetrain sounds like maybe there's a hybrid in there as an option
But you're going to be able to get a v6 ice powertrain in it and they've talked about trying to hit that
$40,000 mark somewhere right in there
So it's going to be affordable and it's like all the things Nissan's known for and it's it's it's the value
It's still giving you the capability looks like the styling from the teasers on X there's pretty cool
But I know we're talking about extra but frontiers gonna have a refresh at some point too. It's it's exciting to see
I'm curious you mentioned that you want people to know you're listening without divulging anything a question
I have for you is kind of what are the things that people want like what have you seen if
Somebody's listening like I want these five things. You're like, yeah, I know what those five are there. We heard you
Here's the things that we know you're asking about. I mean you just touched on a bunch of nice powertrain fully capable a great value
Something that's a great canvas a ponds one of our bought my bosses has come out and said these next generation products will be a
Canvas I mean here we are at overland expo and that's what this is all about
More frontiers than they've ever seen at the show this year fantastic and a ton of x-teros around Flagstaff
We were pointing them out earlier yellow here red there all that but but the point is is these need to they need to be a canvas
We need to work with the aftermarket. We need to make it accessible for the aftermarket
We need to make it friendly for the aftermarket to up it and use and that's exactly what we're doing
So so those aspects those elements are what we're working very hard on with the next generation products
Well, and it came out that
X-tero might be packaged protected for 35s
You don't have to wink twice or cough or anything
But but even if even if that's true the fact that you guys are thinking of enthusiasts in that way with a bigger tire size
Which is it seems to be kind of standard for legitimate off-road package anymore?
And again, I the new frontier has really held its own
It's usually in the in the second or third spot in sales
It's done really well and you start seeing them everywhere and I've had so many people come to me and tell me
I had a guy the other day for the from the podcast
He's emailed me that he bought it a frontier and he goes
His message was most underrated truck on the market and it was from him from the driver's seat
And it was one of things like I never would have looked at it if you hadn't talked about it
And I'm like no it's a great. It's a great truck and the values there and it's just enough modern to be competitive
But it's not it doesn't feel like it's overly tacky like you can just get in and drive it
It still feels like a traditional truck and I think there's a lot of people who don't want to drive a computer
They still want to have that truck experience. It's a driver's truck and I can't tell you this past week
We had some amazing opportunities to go do some off-roading here
We went to Lee's Ferry overlook and some different places and people just got in there able to drive
It's got all the capability that you need, but you're right. You're connected. It's an honest to goodness truck
It's got mechanical traction. It's it's a billy goat. It loves to climb hills, but it does so in comfort
It does so with durability and reliability
People forget about I can't tell you how many media people told me this week. They're like, I just forgot about this
I forgot how great of a truck it is. I forgot what a great value it is
I forgot how fun it is and how connected it feels like you said
I don't have all these electrical nanny cams that are interacting with me
We added, you know terrain management and it just supplements the experience one of the guys yesterday was driving
He was in rock mode and he was like I can just keep the pedal exactly where I want as I'm going over these rocks
And it's not jerking and stuff and I said yeah
That's the tuning that that our Arizona test team put in there to make it where you know
It it it it reduces the the pedal application so that you really feel rock solid going up rocks
Yeah, it smooths out your your inputs and and that's new for 26
That was one of the little minor tweaks and but it's just the right amount of tech without so much
That's intrusive that takes away from the experience and that's what's great about the frontier
And that's the DNA that we're gonna inject in the next generation product as well
So talk to me about the the new trim level that just got released and announced on I guess it's the sport
Yeah, 27 model year sport edition kind of takes a lot of the success that we had with dark armor
So it's on the SV grade. It's a great value. price point entry
It takes a lot of the the components the ideas of dark armor, but it pushes it up in the off-road department
We've got skid plates fog lights
We've got all-terrain tires and then it bumps it up a little bit in the personality department
So instead of just black everything it gives you that touch of what we're calling like line yellow type color
Kind of like the citrus strike, which is a new color for 26
It takes those elements and puts it in a stitching on the the bedside the grab handles that oh, yeah
It's and it's not gonna be for everybody. We recognize that yeah
It's going to be those that want a little more bold touch a little more useful touch and for those are like, you know
What lime yellow is not my thing great dark armors right there beside it. Yeah, but it's a great canvas
It looks great. It's a it's a little more polished youthful or more sporty, but with all the off-road chops
So you leave today. Unfortunately, you will you're not gonna be able to stay the whole weekend
What's next bird? What's next for Brett Hagen when you go back to the office? What are we working on?
We're going back in the lab
We I mean we literally we have a ton of stuff that's working on the on the remaining life of frontier and Armada
We've got a lot that we're working on there and then obviously back in the lab on work on the next generation products
There's no rest for the weary. We're working around the clock tirelessly to bring it to market those things
It's to market as quickly as possible and to listen to what customers are asking for
So, you know, if you have things that you want me Nissan to listen to get on the forums and post it talk about it
We're listening or watching or send it to you truck show podcast at gmail.com
And I will forward it to the people at Nissan directly who need to hear about it
end with a couple things one is
The Armada is
Phenomenal every time I get in one of those things I'm blown away with with the comfort the driving how just everything about it
I've been I've been so impressed with where it sits in though. I'm personal, but it's the best seats in the business
Anybody's there and it's a great road trip machine. Absolutely like it would be in my top five of something
I would want to drive cross-country. The other thing is, you know, I have a friend who sons getting ready to drive and
You cannot in Southern, California find an off-road
Xterra
With decent miles at decent price
It was and I always tell people I said, you know, if you're looking for a forerunner and you think those are expensive
Go try and find an off-road Xterra for sure
They're coveted because not as many of them were sold so not as many of them are out there and people who have those things
Love those things and and the buzz about it coming back is crazy
I've seen so many Xterras where they have Titan swaps and things like that on them and it's
it's mind-blowing when you look at the pricing and
The rarity of that particular model, especially with a stick. I mean, there's like unicorns. I'll add to that
We're here at overland expo rest, right van life's a big deal
Yeah, go try to find you a low miles in V for a reasonable price
So the in V vans both passenger and cargo vans. They're a fantastic template
Tried and true vk-56. Yep the durability
You know all those parts that we have with Titan Titan XD. It's a durable truck. It's a great platform
They run 350,000 miles. No problem. Don't break a sweat
Both Xterra those in V's they are hard to find isn't that crazy that that Nissan
You know, it's it makes great products, but it's sort of like has been
You know the second fiddle to being thought about for a purchase consideration
And now you guys are elevating that and bringing people where they think about Nissan first because what happens is Nissan is like the owners
Who know it's the secondary market and it's really hard to get a really low mileage
Nissan because not as many were sold and people once they get into one experience like a wide night by this from the beginning
This vehicle is not available anymore
This thing's perfect for my needs and it's exciting for me being somebody who loves the Nissan product
To see people being excited about the brand and thinking about them first rather than going. Oh to your point the media
I didn't even think about the frontier and I get a lot of people. I'm like go drive the frontier
I've sold a lot of them just from say go have a test drive
Listen, we appreciate partnering with you all the work that you do to get the word out
I mean, I cannot tell you how many people have mentioned it to me
He's like I listen to truck show podcast and I you know, I went out looked at a frontier
I went out looked at a pathfinder
I want to look that in our motto just because of that
So we thank the thank you for the partnership getting the word out because that's a that's a big part of it
Honestly, I mean we can make great products great value the R&D team does a fantastic job
Manufacturing team and Canton Mississippi and other elsewhere does a fantastic job putting them together
We just need to get the word out more and that's we appreciate your help with it. Absolutely. So if you if you want a quality
Built a value-oriented off-road product go check out Nissan and you guys have lots
I will be talking in the in the coming year too
I'm sure because there's a lot of stuff that that's left on the table that we can't talk about today
But it's on the way. I can't wait. Thank you, Sean
Always great to catch up with my friend Brent. He's definitely one of my favorites
And hopefully we'll get to hang out again real soon and next up longtime listeners supporter of the podcast and fan
Jason Broom
So here I am standing in the Orba booth and who walks by none other than listener Jason Broom who
dedicated the
and purchased the Dr. Pepper fridge for the podcast got Mike here as well and
Jason went to Japan recently and brought me back the world's best gift. I think well, it took them as the most thoughtful gift
I haven't had it yet. So I don't know if it is the best gift, but he brought me all the way from Japan a
Japanese Dr. Pepper which is fascinating because it's kind of Japanese Dr. Pepper which he clearly smuggled in his luggage to make it back to America
Only has 20 flavors and so I want to know like what flavors are missing. I'm fasting
So if any of you are like super good at googling
I just want to find out if any of you know why Japanese Dr. Pepper only has 20 flavors
I think that the listeners at home
Should use Google and do some manual searching no cheating and no using Claude or Jim and I
You have to actually do the manual research and then you have to email or the results to truck show podcast at gmail.com
we'll be looking out for the email and
Maybe
We can get some more Japanese Dr. Pepper sent over. I know a few people over there now
So we could get a couple more sent over and you and Nick can read you the taste test
well
Nick did come over he did have a sip of his warm mines in the cooler because I wanted to have it done properly and
What's on the side of my Jeep guys, what is that thing that you put there? Oh, yeah, since you broke your last Jeep
Unfortunately, and we gave you that more than broke
We gave you the Whittle Watter and Moab the 3d printed Whittle Watter
And then you did a high-speed barrel roll
And I think the Whittle Watter flew off somewhere in Utah
So we printed you a new in red little yes to match the Jeep very nice
I think the Whittle Watter the black one is actually on my toolbox in my garage. Yeah, that's that's firecracker red filament
Yeah, I mean you can't even see it on the Jeep. It's such a great color match
It actually keeps your fuel secure with gas prices going up. So are you gonna let Jason talk this whole time?
You know Jason only speaks all the time. So yes, he gets to speak all the way through and since I'm in the witness protection
I'm trying to keep my voice as much off the radio as possible. We'll be sure to voice change that for you
All right, what are you guys doing today? You apparently have snuck in here as media
But then you have your tag overland and so so explain to the audience what tag overland is
so tag overland is to aristocrats go overlanding and
Aristocrats originally was a different word
But now you've come and dared it for your own purposes
Yeah, well the the word aristocrat originally wasn't there it was to something else
Overlanding and we felt like that was probably not social media friendly
So we changed it to aristocrats and now we are is it aristoholes. Yeah
We are the overlanding community's biggest smallest
content creation channel
All right, we have a whopping hundred and 68 followers on YouTube
So we're getting huge and then so guys if you're listening go follow the two aristocrats go overlanding on the
Tag overland channel and support them there. They are fellow podcast listeners just like you. Yeah, thanks for having us
Sean, we appreciate it. Thanks for the Dr. Pepper. I will let you know if I get worms or poisoned by it
I mean, it's pretty good because it's in the can. Yeah, right. I love sushi. Mick described it as brown
So, I don't know well, he said it tastes like Dr. Thunder. So that doesn't he said yeah, that doesn't make me have high hopes for it
I said brown. It tastes brown. Yeah, I did have a sip of next again. It was warm. It's like Guinness. I don't there's a spit swapped
Yeah, I was as gross so mine is in my Dometic CFX 5 45 fridge and
Sometime in the future when it's nice and icy cold, I will partake
You'll have to mic it up for the truck show podcast when you crack it open. You know what? I'll do that. Yeah
All right, good to see you, Sean. Thanks, Sean
Thank you Jason for the Japanese Dr. Pepper
It was a real treat and it was much better after I left it in the fridge for a while and it got real cold
All right in our final interview is with my colleague Laura Butcher
Legislative director of Orba. All right, so as you guys know, I was at Overland Expo a little bit for the podcast
But mostly for the off-road business association, which is my new daytime job at SEMA
So they hired me to help them get that off the ground
so I guess technically I'm now the executive director and my
Legislation director Laura Butcher who has her own pedigree and provenance here in the off-road space is joining us
But before we let her talk she gets a jingle
Who dis who dis who the hell is this a truck show interview?
You don't want to miss we talk to top dogs in the industry
How'd you blow up? How'd you come to be?
Who dis who dis truck show represent?
Welcome to the show Laura Butcher who this is your first time on this podcast. Normally you just see me on
Zoom and the most terrible horrible program ever invented Microsoft Teams
You are a big fan of teams. Yes, I do talk to you. I would say just about daily now
Yeah, well multiple times a day and
And I was like listen, I can't just talk about Orba on my own
You're sort of my co-dog in this and so I was like, you know, just come on the podcast
we'll do interview we so we were in Flagstaff together basically and
Talking about Orba and we did talks you and Karen our boss when did the women who wander we went through the OVR
They're like a campsite chat with hand-cooked tire. We had our own little lounge area. We were out evangelizing all that good stuff
So I figured, you know what we might as well have you come on and so a little bit about how this started was
Seema reached out to me and said hey, we've got this idea. We're doing this thing
We'd like you to be a part of it and I was like, you know, actually
Spags Mike Spagnola the president seem to call me. I still in the hospital. I was like, this is too much
But anyway, we got to this point and then when I came on I kind of helped them through the end of last year and they said
Hey, we'd like you to take this over and run with it
And I said I need somebody who's strong on the legislative side because it's a big part of what we do
And there's just too much and they said we have the perfect person and you and I have sort of orbited in the same
Space for a long time. We know the same people. We've run into each other before we were Facebook friends
And then all of a sudden now we're like like work buddies
Group therapy on the daily. Yeah
It is kind of interesting that we had not like directly interacted before now
But at the same time it at least in my opinion, it feels pretty natural
Like we jive together super well and it didn't take long for that to happen
Yeah, no, it turns out that when you're what do they say when you hate the same things you bond faster or something like that?
Now I'm not saying we hate the same things. I'm just saying that that's like trauma bonding
Exactly when you're handed an organization that is
Basically being rebuilt from the ground up somebody hands you the keys and they're like
We need you guys to be successful with this and we'll support that and you're like, okay
But you sort of don't know you don't know like we're we're still learning like simple things like how does our email work within?
Simo who does what like what what can we do?
And I mean we've been told to know a few times
But for the most part we don't know what we can't do so we keep just pushing the boundaries
And it's been fun being able to do that and you know, I think it's it's working pretty well
And they are they're giving us a lot of freedom and so it makes it really fun and interesting and I don't know
Yeah, I don't play together as we're flying it. Exactly. We're building the plane as we flash the that's perfect
so they have given us a ton of rope and
they basically said hey, you know you you guys this is this is your baby and
It's been it's almost like sometimes you're kind of like, can we do that?
And so it's taking a while to kind of figure out all the pieces and stuff
But I know you're super excited about Orva as well as I am maybe just give a little background of
What you do outside of Orva sort of who you are because then people go. Oh, like she's totally legit
Like oh, that makes sense. Also. Why are you doing so many jobs?
Because you have the same problem I have and you can't say no
So yeah for like anybody that doesn't already know me the background context there is
That I accidentally inherited a race series that I'd kind of grown up with and volunteered
Within for a long time Valley Off-Road Racing Association also known as Vora
It's been around since 1975 and like said, I grew up with the series as did my husband
We raced it volunteered all the things that we like knew how to run races
And so when Dave Cole gave me the opportunity
We took it and it's been like another just
Learning experience, but it's worked out so well in so many ways
So that's kind of what transitioned Off-Road from just a really great hobby to like a full-time career for me
I've also kind of in the mix of that same initial time frame. I did the rebel rally twice
And I worked for tread lightly as a program manager for four years
um, I am on the board of directors for a couple of different organizations and
Currently do contract work for Nevada Off-Road Association as well, which does a lot of similar
Work like we're currently doing for Orba, but only within the state of Nevada
So that was kind of a good warm-up
I also have another nonprofit that i'm using to build a multi-use motorsports park
What else am I forgetting? I'm sure there's other things. I do a lot of like sponsorship marketing type stuff
I usually only take like 11 or two clients at a time, but um, I I definitely have had some cool
Experiences there got to be on stone cold Steve Austin's tv show on A&E a few years ago
And then that led into working with him really closely. So it's been kind of an interesting journey this last year. I also
um contracted with king of the hammers and did all of their like blm permits and their
DoD permits and things like that. So yeah, do all the boring stuff that lets the rest of us have fun, essentially
I don't know that I see it for me. It's not boring because there's like weird challenges. There are weird challenges
That's that's totally true. I'm just like, okay. I get to dig it in cool
Yeah
So let's let's talk about orba. So it's the off-road business association
so the way I I usually tell people and you can correct me if if you disagree, but
essentially
You know seam is sort of known for hot rods and on the truck side
Everybody thinks like florida brodozer, which is fine, but there's a lot of off-road companies. I felt like sema
Didn't have as much
Investment in them or didn't care as much or however you want to put that
But the reality is is sema's put tens of millions of dollars behind off-road
They didn't really have a mechanism to promote that like, you know
PRI side could do with hot rodding and things like that
So they said, hey, we're going to buy this organization off-road business association
It's going to be our mechanism for interacting with the off-road world and making sure that we can evangelize and and
Show people all the things that we're doing
Within the space and orba is essentially kind of two a two-fold deal
One of it is land use advocacy
Helping legislators with with information so they can make good public policy around motorized recreation
And the other side is supporting small business which is in the off-road space
And that's sort of what orba is within sema
I actually had no idea how much sema was doing behind the scenes. I knew they were involved
I didn't understand how involved they were how much of the financial
Impact they've had on some of the larger lawsuits that the off-road community has taken wins for
They were really like heavy hitters behind the scenes and I think um, one of the things that I want to
Help orba do is show people just how invested sema is
For me, it's it's not about just recreation. It's not just about access. It's not
Just a small business. It's not just manufacturing
It's it's all of those things that is protecting a lifestyle and an industry that supports communities all across the country
So I think we just get a really cool opportunity to highlight how much sema has done and how much they are currently doing
in that space
Yeah, when orba was around as a private entity
I think sema was their biggest donor sema has been involved with uh, there's there's some entities out there
kind of behind the scenes that are
I don't know if you would call it like a legal fund or
legal partnership where we have lawyers who go out and then do
kind of the
Either the suing or the answering or whatever
But there's a bunch of groups that put into that bucket so that these lawyers can go out and advocate for us or go to
Tasks on the legal side
So if there's a land closure and we have to you know, go in to get it opened up like this group goes
And well sema was a massive donor to that too
So there's a whole lot that sema's been doing and using the resources for that the average person
Doesn't have any idea. So that's what you and I are hoping to do with orba is to
Promote that and let people know that no sema is totally involved sema sees off road as a growth area
And sema wants people to know rather than being sort of the silent giant behind the scenes
sema wants to be seen as a big player in the space
Great, I I agree. I think that as much as I loved my advocacy time like it tread lightly
And how important that work is I love that this is a more aggressive form of advocacy
And that's like that's probably what I'm most passionate about especially on the government affairs side
It's just so darn cool the stuff that sema does and that they're letting me do now
I wish I could talk about more of it up front
But I have a feeling people will be really excited to see all the things that we're working on soon
Yeah, I mean there's things that are happening
I would say
That are gonna be no worthy the next six to eight weeks maybe like that soon
And then there's stuff on the horizon that might be six months or a year out
But in the very short time, I mean, it's been a you know a few months since we kind of have
Tackled this we've gone obviously to overland expo, which is sort of you know was the hard launch
I went to easter jeep safari, which is sort of our soft launch
you and I went to washington dc as part of the sema rally and
Met with legislators, but we had this amazing meeting with the department of interior with the bureau of land management
Which had some great things come out of that
And then we've had meetings with 29 palms with the marine base there and are building new relationships with them
With the team that handles land use and their temporary closures of johnson valley for the shared or multi-use area
And i'm going back and i'm thinking i'm like man, that's a lot of stuff for a couple months
I mean we have been on the gas that doesn't even
account for the time we spent doing the wemo stuff and the western mojave with that closure
And then there's ongoing sema things like gemini bridges and moab
We're working on uh economic impact study areas, which ones we're gonna attack there
I mean when you look back at the last two to three months like what do you think?
freaking wild
It's like some of this stuff. I'm not even alive. I'm such a nerd right now
It's like a dream come true getting to go to washington dc and go on capitol hill and
participate in those meetings, but also lead some of those
Like that's insane in the coolest way possible. I feel so fortunate to get this opportunity
Yeah, we were you know, I for me, it's cool. We went on capitol hill
You meet with lawmakers you meet with their staff. So all that stuff is really cool, but
They turn over fairly regularly. We got to go inside the department of interior, which has like, you know career employees
and
Walk out of there with a handshake deal that hopefully we'll be able to talk more about in the future with some really
important things that are that are meaningful to the industry like I walked out of that meeting and
I mean, you and I were pumped because it was like this isn't all
Yeah, they were like, we we want to do this stuff with you. We're like, well, here's an idea. They're like, okay, you know
Yeah, it was just it was amazing to be in dc with the decision makers and then be seen as
Experts to help guide the policy decisions and and and inform them of sort of the needs of the people that we advocate for
I mean that
That was incredible being at easter jeep safari and just talking to people and and and overland expo and having them say
This orbiting sounds really cool. How can we get involved?
I mean just seems like the excitement for it and the excitement for seema to be I'll say visibly in the off-road space
Versus invisibly in the off-road space has been really off the charts
I agree. I think that people are really excited as they should be honestly like
Once they get a handle on some of the stuff we're doing they're going to be all the more excited
but
Everybody seems like really ready for this this move feels natural
It feels like something people want. Um, it's just going to be so impactful
And I think it's going to help so many people whether it's with jobs or tourism
Manufacturing just like the love of all things off-road and outdoor recreation. This is going to be incredible
Well, you bring up tourism and that's one of those things that I like to talk about because I think when you meet with
policymakers
They think sometimes the ideology of shutting down an area and they go, oh, you know, we're shutting down
It's just people ripping off the off-road and nobody can go in there
It's a natural resource and in humans will just ruin it and you're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Um, well, it's public land number one number two people have the right to recreate and
Here is us coming in potentially with an economic impact report and saying
Listen, yeah, you can shut it down
But did you realize this affects tourism?
It affects these jobs the people that are decorating their off-road they go to the gas station
They go to the market they go to the restaurants they go to the hotels
And it almost feels like they don't always look at it in that lens where they see sort of the collateral damage
And they think of off-road recreation as its independent pillar versus being
A you know part of tourism or something like that
And so I feel like those are those meaningful conversations where they go
Oh, we hadn't looked at it that way or do you have data to support that and then with the backing of semen
We come in and say here's the information that you need to make, you know, good sound decisions
Right as somebody from a very small very rural town in the middle of nowhere, Nevada
I mean, those are things that are incredibly important and have been some of the biggest eye openers since I started working in this space
I did an economic impact study on one of my own Vora races a few years ago because we were having trouble
With a BLM permit and I was trying to make that very point
And time and time again I hear from local businesses not just from my own hometown
But other small towns that we race in those areas
We're the reason they're not going bankrupt. We're literally keeping them afloat and
That just hits such a like heartfelt chord for me
I mean if there wasn't a million other reasons to do this work, that's it
And I'll argue all day long that you know the town I'm from mining is great
It comes and it goes it fluctuates off-road is like such a really great steady
economic source
That is largely untapped at this point and it just needs to be harnessed and refined
And I think it can provide so much valuable support to those communities that are really in need
Yeah, I look at you know, some of the things that were involved in again the land management side of it
So working with the land managers and stakeholders and we work on local state federal
levels
And we want to be out there protecting cultural resources and the environment. I would argue to people
I think I can't remember what meeting we were in but they were talking about you know
Conservationists versus off-roaders and I said no we're conservationists as well
We want to get out of the city. We want to have clean air. We want to have clean water
And by the way, we're on flotation tires that aren't digging into the earth and we are using solar panels when we're camping
We're not even running our engines and we're leaving the campsite cleaner than when we got there
We're just as much of a conservationist as you are and they were like well
We hadn't really thought of it that way and then you look at the urbanization of america
And how they want more and more dense urban centers
Well, there's a mental health component to being able to get away from the city
Unwind
Recreate that I think is also that thought process starting to get a little bit of traction where people listen to you when you say listen
It's it's a mental health benefit for this as well
So it has a positive impact on the economics of an area on the medical health of an area
Of the ability for families to have these experiences together
We're working on something right now part of sima
to
Open up areas that are prohibited for mechanized travel which excludes disabled veterans or disabled constituents
Because they're in a wheelchair can't go there. You can only hike or something like that, right?
Like it's a mechanized thing. They're like, oh, sorry, you're out. Well, that's not fair
So we're trying to get things like I mean there's there's so many things that we're fighting for and the the battles are constant of
Really common sense
approaches to land use
Absolutely, it's all about common sense. Really. I mean
How often do you see anybody that's an outdoor recreationalist?
Whether it's a hunter or hiker or an off-roader, they're not the ones who wants to be out there with a bunch of trash
Yeah, and I'll argue all day long that structured events like racing provided a ton of benefits
To the communities as well as those public lands that they utilize
All of that extra cleanup work all of the safety precautions that go into it. They're giving people a purpose
I mean it really channels people's energy into those events and
It leads to a lot less nefarious activity elsewhere in my opinion for sure
And of course the legislative part of it that we touched on environmental protection, which we touched on
And also just having great relationships with law enforcement out there
Or long-standing partnerships with other off-road stakeholders. You mentioned tread lightly, you know, there's other groups in california
We have cal four wheel and corva other groups that are grassroots nonprofits that you can join
I guess if you look at it the land use side of it, it's not the sexiest part for most people of the industry
And it's easy for you to kind of think like oh somebody else will take care of that
And it's if you scroll down your instagram, you see like different groups talking about different things
What we want to do is get everybody together and kind of prioritize the messaging and
Even though we're independent organizations
We really want to like band together and be more collaborative so that we're working and putting on resources toward the same goal
So that we can have positive outcomes. So there's there's a lot that goes into this job
I think it's really interesting just because from a journalism standpoint
I've been able to
Use those relationships and use my skill sets completely differently than I have before and every day
It's almost like having a completely new career all of a sudden and i'm still figuring it all out right like it's
I'm sure there's people going why is this guy here?
Probably for both of us. I mean it just started to me
It's it's just the fact that like people are like onions
We all have so many layers and things that you didn't know about somebody before
Just because you know them in one capacity doesn't mean that there's not another
Aspect to them somewhere in there. So yeah, I I think that we're gonna
Do so much good work and I hope people want to keep hearing about it
I would like to continue. Maybe we should make this a semi regular thing
Honestly, we should we could have orba updates
In fact, if you guys are interested in orba updates and go to offroadbusiness.org or orba.biz
We've got a orba news page
And so that page has the latest things that we're working on or the latest news
And you can also find this on instagram as well and it's off-road business association on instagram
So the things that are being posted on our news will also get socialized out
So please give us a follow on instagram and then if you're interested in joining, especially if you're a company
We've got a number of membership levels and I'll just run through them really quick
so general membership for anybody or a business starts at 250 bucks and
Basically gives you the monthly newsletter calls to action
Then you can step up to a bronze membership, which is a thousand dollar annual contribution
You get your business gets a public acknowledgement on the website and of course acknowledgement in newsletters
You step up to silver, which is 3000 dollars
You get three sponsored posts on orba
SEMA san or newsletters acknowledgement in the monthly newsletters public acknowledgement on the website
Gold steps up. That's a 5000 dollar annual contribution
You get the public acknowledgement on website and events acknowledgement monthly newsletters six sponsored posts
You also have an optional advisory council membership. That's a yearly term
And the thing that i'm really excited about this is 10 consumer research questions
via SEMA's research platform called Acom
And so like if you're a small business and you are in product development, for example
And you're like, I need to know how many wide f-150s get modified in this time range or something like that
You may not have the access to the data. You may have to hire a market research firm
And maybe it costs you 5000 bucks to have them go out or more to just give you the data that you're looking for
Well, your membership comes with that and you get 10 individual questions a year at the gold
membership level so for businesses who have market research needs that might be good because you get the membership
Plus you get access to the marketing tools and then our top membership
platinum public acknowledgement acknowledgement in the newsletters 10 sponsored posts a year
One optional advisory council membership position you get 20 research questions
So, I mean, it's a pretty great deal
Especially if you have needs at the higher levels to access marketing and and whatnot. So
Um, if you're curious about joining or you want to know more go to the website again offeredbusiness.org
You can go to our member orba member drop down. You can see the membership levels and support orba
You can actually join through the website by doing just a regular digital buy on the website and then that
alerts laura and I that that you want in and that will send you a
Really nice letter that we've drafted saying welcome to you
Welcome to the support of these great causes in the off-road space
I draft it and then Sean edits and then and then she edits it back. So it works out really well
So, yeah, I mean, there's there's a lot of stuff going on
I think if we made this a regular thing it would be good just from the standpoint of letting people know like
How how much stuff is going on that they don't necessarily see or hearing it hopefully from us
I think it's that's super important and
I I just want people to know that I'm checking the federal register like every day
And you'll see that we post like on our social media pages and it links back to our website updates
On different things and I I hope people realize that we're trying to give them the most holistic balanced
informative fact only
Yeah, kind of rundown of each situation and let them know like realistically
How massive is this situation? Is it on fire? Is this like a true dumpster fire?
Yeah, or somebody just walking around with matches and they haven't you know lit anything yet
But you need to be aware of it. We'll let you know like hey, we're good. This isn't a huge deal right now
We're gonna keep our eye on and we'll keep you posted or like hey, we need you to act now
So that's you know, I want people to pay attention. So if I asked you give me
Five or so of the
Top things that are important right now like what are what are five things that we're working on
That the listeners should know about what are the five that you would say? Hey pay attention to these things
Um, okay, I knew this kind of a question
So I would say, you know, wemo is a huge one
That's the western mojave and I'm sure you've probably talked about that on your stuff before
You're dabbling a little bit. It's basically that area up by randsburg south of ridgecrest in china lake
Basically cal city kind of that that whole era grass valley
Where a judge has
Due to what we feel is flawed science or or certain things that were
Used in the lawsuit shut down
2200 miles of trails and so
My understanding on that is the doi the department of the interior is the only group that has standing to be able to
fight that and
So they have filed their motion that allows them to reserve the right to
File against that, right? Is that where we're at on it? Yes. Yes. So we have the appeal
That's what I was thinking of is is they filed their motion that allows them or preserves their right to an appeal
I think they're studying everything right now to see what their next steps are
But at least they filed that and it's not like our our group or anybody else could just jump in and file a lawsuit on it
We don't have standing for the way this went out. No for those of you aren't in california
You think I don't really care the reality is is you don't want the precedent set, you know
Legally for one judge to just unilaterally shut down all this miles of trails because it could happen in other places, too
Right. Absolutely. It's just sort of the the beginning of whatever bleeds over into the rest of the country
So there's a lot there and I mean, yeah
So we know I would say is pretty high priority at the top of our list
And it has been on sima's list for quite some time
Again, people just don't realize how involved they have been
but in addition to that we've got
Explore act implementation
And just monitoring blm as they roll out their new special recreation permit management
And how that kind of reform
Comes out and what they decide to use as approaches to support responsible outdoor recreation and kind of those structured events
public lands access and multiple use we've got a lot going on there a lot of traction on that
Idea of making sure that lands are open unless there's a really specific reason that they need to be closed
Now this is the one where
Right now you could have an area closed and there may or may not be signage for it
So if you're not from the area your map's not up to date
You might be a family out of town recreating and you cross over into this closed area or past this closed boundary may not know it
Now all of a sudden you're essentially a criminal like you're criminalizing somebody who wasn't aware
The new
Proposal is that if something is closed it has to be signed that it's closed or it's otherwise open
So I mean that just seems logical fair, right?
It just it it's just a common sense way of being like hey if it's closed and put the effort into letting people know it's closed
Rather than just saying this swath of land is off limits
Oh, but this perfectly fine road that went through it with nothing across it, you know, that's welcoming me
You know, yeah, and I get that like you will always hear BLM talk about being like BLM for a service and
They're not wrong. They are understaffed and underfunded
Which is where I always advise them to like lean into these types of partnerships
That's why we've got these other groups such as ourselves
But also the tread light leads and the core of us and just they need to really like hone those relationships
And lean into their partners. That's what we're here for
So I would say um beyond those things
One of the other ones that's like pretty near and dear to everybody's hearts
I would say is the outdoor americans with disabilities act
And that's really where like I feel like especially we've talked about this a bunch veterans, right like
It's anybody that has a disability
It could be you know a nine-year-old that was born with terrible scoliosis
But it could also be a disabled veteran and this is something that is so important because
Outdoor recreation is therapy adrenaline therapy for racing. I mean there's
9 million different ways that you can skin the cat on that but it is really important
And I think people need to understand
That there's a lot of different things that that entails and how that might look
And and I think again having americans with disabilities being able to recreate and not to have some
You know owner's rule that says oh if you're in a motorized wheelchair because it's motorized
You can't go in this area, but that person who has the ability to walk can it's just not right
It's not fair
And I think it's a was a massive blind spot when those rules are put into place
And it's one of the things that a lot of us are working on to try and fix and make sure that
We can open up recreation
We want recreation to be opened up to as many people as possible
We don't want it to be like oh you can only do it if you're
On a bicycle or you can only do it if you're in a trophy truck. You know
We orba
We stand for motorized recreation whether that's a motorcycle or side-by-side, you know powersports whether snowmobile whether it's a
Overlanding Tacoma or a jeep or a rock crawler or whatever
If it's motorized and you want to get out there we want to help you do that
And it's so important for people to have the ability to do that because not everybody has
the same abilities so
Let's keep it fair and keep things accessible for everybody
Well, uh, I'll have to have you come back on when
You have some more information for us and I say you meaning us, but since I'm the host I'm just going to say you
That's fair
Again, if you guys want to find out more offroadbusiness.org
Can contact us through the form can follow us on instagram again
That one is at offroad business association. So there's two. There's an older one
This is the one with the fancy new logo
We came up with and it's just a lot nicer when you open up that page. You'll see
Karen myself and laura at the top of the pinned one
So anyway, it's the one that's at offroad business association
And if you guys have questions on the podcast that you want us to answer or I could pass along to laura
Truck show podcast at gmail.com. You can always send us stuff and happy to talk about on the air and
Laura, I would say it was great seeing you and you should come back real soon
But I'm sure I'll be seeing you on another zoom or microsoft teams call here very shortly
I can't wait to see your next like tricky way of having something in the background that says I hate teams
Can we talk about that? Is that
All right, so a long story short. Um
I hate teams
We don't have real logins. We don't have real logins. Uh yet and so
Um teams always gives us like 10 steps and you have to do like, oh, it's eight letters that are smashed together that you
Have to oh now it's only start that process 15 minutes before
It's gonna take me five tries teams mean needs an update right now
Oh teams doesn't show you all the people because you're from out of the organization. I just all those things
So I might have started getting sneaky by hiding. I hate teams in my background and
I didn't get in trouble for it. Where's Waldo? Yeah, people were laughing and
I decided that well, maybe I was being a little bit like too irreverent about it
So I put it on the bottom of my dr. Pepper can I hate teams and uh, somebody had asked me about
My hate of teams and I took a swig for my dr. Pepper and you could see on the camera. I hate teams
So we all got a good laugh out of it. I think lauren are adding a levity to these meetings that didn't exist before
They're also serious
A level of silliness. We bring a lot of banter. That's right
Well, thanks for coming on the show and uh, we'll have you back
I know there's a lot more to talk about but this is probably a good start for uh, everybody going wait
Well, you guys are doing what so if you email me
Now you know why you're getting the cliffs cliff notes version of it
Um, I think that's probably the easiest way for people to digest everything
But certainly they can ask if they have questions. Yeah, we're good. We'll come back more hardcore next time, but this is a good start
Thanks for having me. Thanks for coming on. I'll uh, see you on zoom in a few minutes
Okay, well, that's gonna do it for this episode of the truck show podcast
Send me your thoughts by emailing the show truck show podcast at gmail.com
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