I recently had the opportunity to have a conversation with Jeff Tacker, Vice President of Operations for Expediter Services, LLC. It was a pleasure to speak with Jeff and to learn more about this company and their exciting growth.
– Lawrence McCord, Publisher Expedite NOW Magazine

Q. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
A. I grew up in a small town in rural North East Arkansas. Both of my parents’ families were farmers and truck drivers. My childhood was surrounded by heavy equipment and hard work. The first job I had after graduating college was for the largest independently owned hardware distributor in the country. After some time with that company, I went to work for myself with a family member brokering, retailing and financing automobiles. In June of 2010 I joined Expediter Services to help them develop and grow an owner operator division. We have had great success with that division. I have since been promoted to Vice President of Operations.

Q. What is Expediter Services?
A. Expediter Services is an OPPORTUNITY company, which drives to deliver the best service possible. We service Independent Contractors who utilize our equipment and Owner Operators who utilize our programs. We are now the largest equipment provider and service provider in the expediting industry. All of this is done while mutually benefiting our partner carriers.

Q. What are the main differences between Expediter Services and a Motor Carrier?
A. A Motor Carrier markets for freight, sells capacity, and then dispatches or brokers the loads. Expediter Services does none of these things. We offer service and support to independent contractors and owner operators to help maximize profits by driving cost down and increasing revenue. We also offer service and support to our partner carriers in areas such as providing equipment, contractor recruiting, increased retention, financing programs, etc. All units under our umbrella are on a designated lease with a specific carrier. That means the contractor and equipment are under that specific carrier’s authority (MC/DOT #).

Q. Expediter Services started as a Fleet Owner Business, but it sounds that ES is much more than that today.
A. While Expediter Services was originally categorized as a fleet owner and did start out providing independent contractor operated units to carriers, that was not the ultimate goal or complete initial intention. When Paul and Jason Williams entered this segment of the industry, they started with the idea and goal of becoming a corporate provider of equipment. As Expediter Services’ fleet grew, we were able to obtain advantages to cut costs and improve efficiencies, which increases profits. After a period of time and reaching a certain saturation point, we were able to develop and promote these same advantages and efficiencies to owner operators. This is the foundation of how we have built and continue to build the owner operator division. We now have several subsidiaries that offer opportunities to the industry. Those subsidiaries include: Expediter Management Services, Expediter Equipment Finance, Expediter Truck Sales, and Expediter Insurance Services.

Q. To better understand the size of the fleet today, how many total trucks fly the Expediter Services flag?
A. There are currently over 250 units associated with us and we are trending to be over 300 by the year’s end.

Q. Can you describe the best candidate for your financing program?
A. It would be hard to pick a “best” candidate as I believe anyone looking to finance a class 8 straight truck or tractor and operate as a team for our partner carriers would be well served to utilize our services and take advantage of the opportunities. We have bank rates and lucrative terms. We not only finance individuals who want to be owner operators, we finance fleet owners as well. Plus our newly unveiled Path To Ownership (PTO) can help independent contractors who have always wanted to own, purchase and finance a truck. Our PTO opens doors that lead to ownership opportunities. We can help first time buyers and non-homeowners. We help overcome obstacles by allowing work history to play a significant role in the credit analysis.

Q. How many people have you been able to finance to-date?
A. We have helped finance over 50 people. Some of the people were fleet owners who have purchased multiple units. Many of the units we have financed were either new or used trucks from dealers and individuals. We also have financed many units that our subsidiary, Expediter Truck Sales, has sold. Expediter Truck Sales is on track to sell over 75 units this year.

Q. How would you describe the current freight market?
A. The current freight market is good and appears to be strengthening as demand grows and capacity is consumed. I believe that the next two to three years are lining up to be very good, especially for everyone who is utilizing our services. When times are tough efficiencies are at a premium but as times get better the benefits of our services have a multiplying effect.

Q. For over a decade, the mainstay of the expedite industry has been the medium duty truck. Do you see that trend continuing?
A. No. I do not see the primary unit as a medium duty truck. As everyone knows we were the first fleet to fully utilize class 8 equipment because of the long-term benefits. Now more and more owner operators are opting for the benefits of a heavy-duty truck. I do think that there is still a place and function for medium duty equipment, but not in an over-the-road team environment where lower repair and maintenance costs, along with less down time, are crucial to your success.

Q. Jeff, by the sounds of it, trucking is in your and ES’s DNA. What’s next for ES?
A. Our plans are to continue to lead the industry with opportunities offered to independent contractors, owner operators, fleet owners and select carriers. Our drive is to deliver services and support, which help people achieve their goals in trucking. We are always evaluating our programs and looking for ways to improve. We have been blessed with outstanding independent contractors and owner operators who give us unfiltered valuable feedback in real time. We are growing and will continue to grow as long as we keep “working” for the contractors, owners, and carriers. I do not want to put a number on our growth, but doubling (to over 600 units) in the next few years would be feasible.

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888-565-6403
expediterservices.com