A dedicated father tried everything to search for his children privately. Finally, on Matteo James' 12th birthday, a father went to social media to spread the word of his plight. Stephen James posted the following:

I want to say Happy Birthday to my son Matteo. He turns 12 today. I havent seen him and his little brother Zane in 80 days since they were kidnapped to Mexico by their biological mother and maternal grandmother. I miss them tremendously and
I know my sons miss me as well as being scared and confused. Please share this with as many people as possible in the hope that eventually Matteo or someone close to him will see this. Thank you.

The mother of the children was on a supervised visit when she took the children. It is alleged they ran to Mexico with the children. This case, however, takes legal twists and turns from there. The court granting sole custody to the father, Stephen James, is Bell County. CPS and law enforcement involvement from before the children became missing involves Williamson, Tarrant, and Bell Counties. The father lives in Williamson County, the mother lived in Tarrant County. All these municipalities, including the cities within have a hand in. Then, there are the higher ups, due to the nature of Mexico involvement. The issue within all of these municipalities is no one wants to issue the warrant. Every side is waiting for the side to do so. So, as Stephen waits, his children could be anywhere.

The pictures above are the last ones taken by their dad. The children have been missing for almost three months. Imagine if this were your child. Would you want people to scream it from the rooftops for you? If so, help Stephen by doing it for him! Help bring his boys back home. Zane will be celebrating a birthday in November. He needs to be celebrating it with his legal guardian, his Dad!

The only picture found of the mother, Alma Alicia Gomez James (aliases include Alicia Gomez, Alicia James), is not as recent. She's dropped weight, but facial recognition shouldn't be that difficult.

Un padre dedicado intentado todo para buscar a sus hijos en privado. Por último, en el cumpleaños 12 de Matteo James, un padre se fue a los medios de comunicación social para difundir la palabra de su difícil situación. Stephen James publicó lo siguiente:

Quiero decir feliz cumpleaños a mi hijo Matteo. Él cumple 12 años hoy. No he visto a él ya su hermano menor de Zane en 80 días desde que fueron secuestrados en México por su madre biológica y su abuela materna. Los extraño muchísimo y
Sé que mis hijos me echas de menos, además de ser asustado y confundido. Por favor, comparta esto con personas como posibles en la esperanza de que con el tiempo Matteo o alguien cercano a él, verán esto. Gracias.

La madre de los niños estaba en una visita supervisada cuando se llevó a los niños. Se alega que corrió a México con los niños. Este caso, sin embargo, toma giros legales y pasa de ahí. El tribunal otorga la custodia exclusiva al padre, Stephen James, es Bell County. CPS y la participación policial delante de los hijos se convirtió en falta implica Williamson, Tarrant, y los condados de Bell. El padre vive en el Condado de Travis, la madre vive en el Condado de Tarrant. Todos estos municipios, incluyendo las ciudades de tener una mano pulg Luego, están los altos mandos, debido a la naturaleza de la participación de México. La cuestión en todos estos municipios hay nadie quiere emitir la orden. Cada lado está esperando a que el lado para hacerlo. Así que, como Stephen espera, sus hijos podrían estar en cualquier parte.

Las fotos de arriba son las últimas tomadas por su padre. Los niños han desaparecido desde hace casi tres meses. Imagínese si se tratara de su hijo. ¿Te gustaría que la gente lo grita a los cuatro vientos para usted? Si es así, ayudar a Stephen al hacerlo por él! Ayude a llevar a sus hijos de vuelta a casa. Zane estará celebrando su cumpleaños en noviembre. Tiene que ser lo celebra con su tutor legal, su papá!

La imagen sólo se encuentran de la madre, Alma Alicia Gomez James (alias incluyen Alicia Gómez, Alicia James), no es tan reciente. Ella bajó de peso, pero el reconocimiento facial no debe ser tan difícil.

I have severe allergies. I never thought anything could make me as sick as iodine. Boy, was I wrong. Once we started this wonderful venture of buying Mad Hatter, I learned very quickly there's an allergy that could make me sicker:

MY ALLERGY TO CHEAP FREIGHT!!!!

Now, many of you are sitting, laughing, wondering how cheap freight can make you sick. Let me tell you, then let me tell you how to save you from the ails of cheap freight.

First of all, all you company drivers at mega-companies, thanks so much for being okay with your company slitting my throat daily! If you weren't okay with it, you would leave that company and say hello to mom & pop companies. Secondly, anyone that can get a message to old Bob Peterson at Melton, tell him his "we'll haul anything for $1" program a few years ago KILLED the trucking industry, for he is one of the HUGE reasons flatbedding rates have gone so low! Tandem's drivers have mentioned they don't get paid to tarp, and many companies think that even owner operators should get $50 or less. Do me a favor if this is your perspective. Do the job yourself. Tarp the loads for your drivers for free or dirt cheap. You'll learn a whole new respect for it.

What do you consider cheap freight? A lot of people will say $1 is a cheap, a few less will say $1.50. Most people actually, honestly believe $2.00 a mile is good. My bottom line when looking for a load is $2.50. That is my bottom line, unless in a bad area like MT, WY, ID, etc, and no good freight to bounce for. We will bounce 500 miles or more, as long as all miles equal up to a $2.50 a mile line haul (now, that's good paying freight). Even in Montana I scored $2.50 a mile freight. No deadhead. Now, to get out of a bad area, we may have to slit our throat on not getting anything for a deadhead, but loaded miles WILL be $2.50 a mile or more, or we won't touch it.

How does cheap freight make me sick? It makes it where it takes me longer to find our next load, for I have to turn down loads for a minimal 6-8 hours. This makes me stressed, and since Lou feeds off me, then makes him stressed. Then the stress turns to frustration, and we are at each other's throats. Now, the allergy has turned into a bruised ego on his part, and a bruised ego on mine. By the end of all this, I now have a migraine, and he's chosen to go to bed, because he swears PMS is easier on his nerves than cheap freight. I finally found a load, but the stress stays in place, because now we have to make sure all goes well in between the broker and the office, and on occasion it goes wrong. So, then the migraine deepens. Finally, we load tomorrow morning. Take headache medicine, give up, and cuddle up with Lou to go to bed. Eventually, the stress of load finding on top of the fact that the countless hours spent has now put me behind on everything I'm doing, makes the snowball effect start happening with the stress. I catch up on one project, and it's time to find a load again. Now, I'll never get caught up. Now, I've got a cold because it was the only way my body could exert all the stress. This cold lasts for a month for the stress only drops minimally throughout each week. (I'm now without a cold thankfully.)

How can you do away with cheap freight??? As a company driver or lease driver, GET AWAY FROM THE MEGA COMPANIES!!! THEY ARE THE REASONS CHEAP FREIGHT EXISTS!!!! As an owner-operator, you can negotiate, and you can say no. Everyone says no, no one loads the freight, the freight rate will go up (I've seen this). I won't look for freight on Mondays or Fridays, nor the days before or after a holiday weekend. Mondays and days after holiday weekends, drivers have been sitting all weekend, they're desperate to move, and the desperation shows in the rates they're willing to agree to. Fridays and the day before holiday weekends, drivers are frantic at the thought of sitting all weekend and not making any money, so are desperate the same as Mondays/days after holiday weekends. Watch the rates on the boards, you will find I'm right. Also, try to obtain your own customer base. If you're hooked to a company (leased on), learn real quick who's in charge of clearing new customers, and make him/her like you. This way, they won't turn down everyone you send their way. Ways to find new customers include calling businesses you would like to haul for, give them a brief, oral overview of your experience over the phone, and asking if they would mind sending over a media kit or receiving one and handling yourself correctly and professionally at the shippers/receivers:
1. Dress nicely (this doesn't have to be a suit and tie. If you're a dry van, car hauler, bedbugger, reefer hauler, etc-wear a polo, khakis, and nice shoes. If you're a heavy hauler, bull hauler, grain hauler, flatbedder, or specialized mover-clean, non-holy denim and a clean, non-stained, non-holy, non-expletive shirt will do.
2. Comb your hair, brush your teeth, shower, and wear deodorant. Shippers and receivers won't want to see you again if you are unkempt.
3. Keep your trash in trash receptacles or in your garbage bag in the truck while loading/unloading. We were at a shipper the other day where I could hear the employees bad mouthing drivers because they had made their parking lot look like a dumpster.
4. Have your truck clean, smelling good, and sounding good. No one wants to hear a squealing belt or pulley, or smell a nasty truck.
5. Come in social and friendly. We actually bring donuts when we can. A $6.00 thing of donuts goes a long way in being remembered by them (just make sure you leave one for yourself........I forgot to last time for Lou).
6. If you flatbed, keep your shirt on while strapping, chaining, padding, tarping, and bungeeing. Your tarp should look like a present that's been professionally gift wrapped, not like a blanket hanging over a corpse. One place remembers Lou just for his tarping.

Bottom line, if you don't want to be seen as a cheap, dime a dozen, driver, don't haul cheap freight. For, if you do haul cheap freight, expect to be treated with the respect and dignity a cheap driver would.