Country music has a way of telling simple truths. Recently, I came across a song by rising artist Zach Top that stopped me in my tracks. This year, he was recognized as the New Male Artist of the Year by the Academy of Country Music Awards, and his 2024 album Cold Beer and Country Music was nominated for Album of the Year.
One track in particular—“Dirt Turns to Gold”—hit home. On the surface, it’s about farmland and family, but as I listened, I couldn’t help but think about the many family-owned businesses in ground transportation.
The sacrifices. The generational conversations. The long road to profitability. They all sounded strikingly familiar—not just to me, but to us as an industry.
The song begins with a tension many families will recognize:
Daddy said they ain't making no more of it
I said that's fine with me 'cause I'm tired of work…
